Hospitality: The Duty and Delight of the People of God

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What is Hospitality? Noah Webster calls it, “The act or practice of receiving and entertaining strangers or guests without reward, or with kind and generous liberality.”  Hospitality could be described as opening your hearts and home to strangers and making them friends. It is planning to have our lives overlap. It is an intentional investment in friendship.

God requires elders to be hospitable and encourages all the people of God to open their hearts and homes to others. We read in Titus 1:7 “For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.” All Christians are exhorted to show hospitality.  “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Hebrews 13:2), and “Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace” (1 Peter 4:9-10).

Opening your heart and home to others and sharing your time with them is a duty but also a delight. When you aim to bless others you often receive a blessing in return. Generosity produces friendship. “One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered” (Proverbs 11:24-25). Serving others with generosity can deepen friendships. “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24). “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity (Proverbs 17:17). The main thing that stifles a growing friendship is space and time. Hospitality is intentionally being in the same place at the same time. This is the soil that grows deep friendships and multiplies Christian companions.

Hospitality strengthens the bonds within the church fellowship. Making and deepening Christian friendship is a vital necessity in the congregation. Some leave the church because they have no friends. Within the body, the same source of life and strength must flow to all the members of the body. All our members should be “in circulation.” One long harsh winter in Michigan my father was snow-blowing his driveway.  It was thick, heavy snow and the snowblower blades would often stop spinning.  My dad reached in and freed the blades. And the blades freed my father of the tips of three fingers. Off to the hospital, my dad said, “Quickly get the fingers.”  They were still in the snow gloves. Sadly, The doctors could not reattach the tips of the fingers. My question is, what happened to those tips of three fingers when they were detached from the body? Well, they grew a whole new body! Or perhaps they thrived in their new environment because they had so much freedom. Nope. They died. When you separate yourself from the life of the body of Christ, you die. When parts of the body are cut off from circulation, they die. Hospitality keeps the sun shining and the snow away so that you do not need to reach into the snowblower and lose your fingers.

The Bible assumes that the people of God will often be together. “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24-25). What are some practical suggestions for showing hospitality? Invite others over for games or to watch a movie. Meet someone for lunch and talk. Send flowers or a card to one who is ill. Visit the widows and the sick. Invite another family to the park for a picnic with all the kids. Welcome someone over for a meal after church. As our lives overlap we are bound together with the cords of love. Therefore, let us “show hospitality to one another without grumbling.” 

Session Summary March 2022

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Your present and future session meet this week to follow God in the business of the church.  We had three members present and participating in the meeting.  A policy on when to receive covenant children to the communion table was approved and is available in the foyer. Seven inactive former members were removed from our membership rolls. We approved a budget for the coming year that was $16,500 less than the already reduced Deacons and the Trellis Team proposed. (Each Team reduced their budget except for the Church Growth Team, which is a new expense, and the Discipleship Team which added the expense of the Walk Thru the Bible Seminar). We spent about $35,000 more than we received last year.  Our current financial reserves are about $85,000. We have had some members retire and others transfer and this has an impact on our budget expectations. The monthly overpayment of our mortgage was stopped, General Assembly expenses were cut by $1000, and Pastor’s discretionary budget was cut by $500, and the rent from the classical schools that utilize our building was raised.  We will also continue to receive special designated giving for Debt reduction, Missions, and Mercy. We thank God for the faithful giving of our congregation. An opportunity to assist with the Afghan Resettlement was proposed by the Mission Team and will be presented to the congregation. The Fellowship Team announced some upcoming events: Easter Sunrise service and breakfast on April 17, Prime-timers Lake Day and Lunch at the Nielsen’s home on May 1o, and a church Picnic on May 21. A Welcome to Martinez welcome card with an invitation to our church will be sent to approximately 250 people each month for a three-month trial.  Pray that this invitation would bear some good fruit. A hospitality initiative was discussed – more information to come. An idea for a new church sign was floated and discussed. The Creative Team proposed an Art Show/Craft Fair at WPC for November 11 and 12. This was approved and the details will be worked out. We thanked the two elders who are rotating off for their service and also the two elders who may be voted in this week. We prayed for several needs of the church, both current and former members.

Communion Meditation February 27, 2022

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The treaty of the Great Tree of Peace in the 1400s formed the “Iroquois Confederacy” by uniting in peace the five nations; Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca. The Peacemaker sealed the treaty by symbolically burying weapons at the foot of a Great White Pine, or Great Tree of Peace, whose 5-needle clusters stood for the original 5 nations. 

They buried the hatchet. The weapons of war were buried in the earth. Peace was established. There is no more hostility. From now on, we live in peace as brothers.

Jesus has buried the hatchet for his people. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” Romans 8:1. “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” Romans 5:1.

God, in Christ, has established peace. He has buried the hatchet and now we sit at his table in peace.

This table of peace is for those who have confessed their sins, their previous hostility with God, accepted in faith his forgiveness, and now are committed to walking together in peace. This table is for Christians. It is not a blessing for anyone else.

If you believe in Christ, you are at peace with God. Come to the table.

Entering into Rest: Preparing for the Blessing of Worship 

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You always prepare for the biggest, most important events in your life. Remember your first date? You gave it focused time and attention, didn’t you?  Or that job interview, or that difficult conversation with your boss, your in-laws, or your spouse – you mull it over first and clear time to arrange your words ahead of time. Worshipping God is the greatest, most spectacular event in your life. Listen to how worship is described in Hebrews 12:22-24, 

“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.” 

We gather in God’s house with a distant view of, but also a present participation in, heavenly worship; we gather with angels as they worship with us (Deuteronomy 33:2; Psalm 68:17; 1 Corinthians 11:10; see also, Revelation 4:8; 5:8-14). We gather with the saints, the firstborn, the chosen, the elect; those who are singing next to us, and also with the perfected believers who worship in heaven. Earthly and heavenly worship are mysteriously united. In worship, we are in the presence of the holy, omnipotent, creator God.  We see and hear Jesus in worship. His blood speaks to us. He is the only mediator between God and man. Paul Engle describes it this way, “There is more happening in the worship service than meets the eye. Worship is a supernatural event. As you assemble to lift up praise to God, you are joined by the invisible angelic hosts. Worship is a truly supernatural event. It is a heavenly event” (Discovering the Fullness of Worship, p. 57).

I am seeking to elevate your estimation of Worship so that you will more diligently prepare for it and eagerly participate in it. In worship, heaven and earth are united. In it the breath of heaven and the wisdom of God can lift and heal your heart and mind. 

So, how can we better prepare for the monumental experience of worship? Let me give some very practical suggestions:

  1. Be there. “Ninety percent of life is just showing up,” -Woody Allen. Life is a tug of war for our time, and it pulls us in many, and necessary directions – but none is more important than worship. To know and enjoy God is our created purpose. If we miss or forsake it, we deprive ourselves of the heart of life and the very reason for our existence. So, make worship a priority; your first priority.
  2. Get some sleep. Droopy eyes make for lazy worship. If you burn the midnight oil on Saturday night you cripple yourself for Lord’s Day blessing.
  3. Clear the day. Yes, I mean the whole day. A friend once told me, “I work hard Monday through Friday, Saturday I run errands, but Sunday is my day.” On my calendar, it is the Lord’s Day – the whole day! It belongs to the Lord, and He has made it good for us. The Sabbath was made for man, for his benefit and blessing. Do not allow the rest of the week and all your other necessary duties to leak into the Lord’s Day and rob you of its full blessing. Worship, fellowship with God and His people, study the Word of God, read soul-inspiring books, visit the sick and the elderly, pray with a friend. God gives us each 7 days a week and He only asks for, or should I say commands, one in return.  Give it to Him; all of it.
  4. Prepare to Worship. If you walk with God during the week you can run into His arms on the Lord’s Day. The heart of worship is worship from the heart. Fix your eyes upon Jesus – His life, His death, His wisdom, His love, His presence. Read the bulletin ahead of time. Sing the worship hymns in family worship during the week. Listen to a sermon on the text that the pastor is preaching. Read a commentary. But above all, pray. The Old Covenant people of God used to sing Psalms as they approached Jerusalem for the great worship feasts. We can do the same.
  5. Listen to what God is saying to you in worship. Worship is a dialogue between God and His people. The elements of worship are not optional, haphazard, or unnecessary. They are God speaking and listening to His people. Enter into each element of worship with open ears and a hungry heart and God Himself will feed you. He speaks peace, grace, and blessing to His people throughout worship. Hear Him!
  6. Listen to the sermon as if God were speaking because He is. Romans 10:14 states, “How then are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? How are they to believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher?” Jesus speaks when His Word is faithfully proclaimed. Be engaged, take notes, give heed. God is speaking to His people in a powerful, life-transforming word.
  7. Sing the hymns.  Listen to the words. Feel the passion and power of the truth that they convey. I sometimes listen in stunned and grateful silence as the truth sung penetrates my soul. God, His love and grace, forgiveness, acceptance, and promises for the future are overwhelming.  Hear the message of the hymns, make them your own. Sing from the bottom of your toes the truth of God. When we worship, we play to an audience of one. Show God your grateful heart.
  8. Pray with the prayers. Listen intently and make the offered prayers your own. Be able and willing to give a hearty Amen! (which means: so be it, I agree) at the end of each prayer.
  9. Receive the Benediction.  In the early church, the apostles or elders would lay their hands on the head of each Christian to communicate a parting blessing. Today, the benediction is given with arms raised and it is to be received by the whole congregation. Some, appropriately, receive it with open arms. Also, the benediction is a pronouncement, a donation, of blessing. It is not wishful thinking, nor is it merely a kind request of God – it is God giving His grace and peace to His children.
  10. Be changed. Exodus 34:29, “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.” If you spend time with God, you will shine like His son. The target for our sanctification in this life is to be like Jesus. Worship transforms us into the image of God. Let it. Cooperate with it. We should be different, better, for having been in the presence of God.

So, squeeze all the life that you can out of worship.  Prepare for it, be fully engaged with it, and profit from it.  Worship is entering into rest. God is fitting and equipping you for the heavenly life. And it will be glorious. 

Making Sense of Our Lives in this World

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Can you imagine teaching your 5-year-old child to swim by tossing him, alone and afraid, into the deep end of the pool?  That is cruel and abusive.  Instead, we should get in the pool with them, teach them slowly and surely how to swim.  Watch their fears wane and their confidence increase.  Then we can throw them into the deep end with assurance.

We are all trying to make sense of our lives and the world that we live in.  Why are we here? What is wrong with this world? What should I be doing here? Where can I find meaning and purpose in this crazy world?  For many, it seems that God has thrown us into the deep end of the pool unassisted.

We struggle to come up with an interpretive grid to understand ourselves, and the fallen world that we live in.  We are playing the game but we do not know the rules.  We struggle to make sense of life, our desires, and dreams, our struggles and failures.  We want to be better than most and have a little fun as we walk through life.  We are like that 5 year old in the deep end of the pool; fighting to make our way to the edge of the pool.

Has God thrown us into the deep end?  No, he has taught us to swim first.  God has given us the true interpretative grid to understand ourselves and the world we live in. We were created in his likeness to image him to the world around us.  We were fashioned to be God’s friend and his representative in this world.  The world was created good.  

But sin, rebellion, pride has entered our hearts and polluted the world around us.  We live as confused rebels in a broken world.  Nothing seems to make sense. Life is now lived without the true interpretative grid so we make it up as we go along and struggle at the deep end of the pool.  Man attempts to forge his own meaning, from his own perception of himself and the world.  In pride, rebellion, and confusion, he fashions his own filter of meaning and purpose.  But he does so with a fallen mind and a selfish heart.  We witness the damage of an independent man and his rebellious mind all around us. The man at his best is a confused, selfish mess. And the society that grows up around sinful men is marred and ugly.  We are all flailing for our lives in the deep end of the pool and we don’t know how to swim.

God’s Word has been compared to glasses. Through these corrective lenses, we can see ourselves and the world clearly. We are fallen and the world is broken.  But God has sent his Son to forgive our sin, heal the scars and return us to a home better than Eden.  God has taught us to swim.  We have the interpretive grid that fits with life as it really is. 

We need to wear the glasses to benefit from this corrected vision. We are rebels, redeemed by the grace of God.  The wisdom of fallen man is foolishness to God.  Independent man has rejected God’s glasses and therefore flails about in the deep end of the pool.

Do not fear the wisdom of the wise. “For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” 1 Corinthians 1:25  “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” Colossians 2:8.  The wisdom of God pours forth from His Word as you read it and hear it taught and preached. Follow the wisdom of God and you will know how to swim. You will have the interpretive grid for life and know true meaning and purpose.

Communion Meditation February 13, 2022

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1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

The unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God. A list of disqualifying unrighteous actions follows. If you are living in sin and content, you are disqualified. If you are still a rebel from God, not trusting in him do not come to this table.

If you have committed some of the sins listed here can you come to the table?

“Such were some of you.”

We share this table with great sinners.  We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We share this table with those who were unrighteous. Rebels – just like us. We are now the redeemed. We have all been purchased back from sin. We are not better than others, but we are blessed by God.

Such were some of you.

That phrase, that truth, kills pride. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We are saved by grace. We come to this table in humble faith, rejoicing. We are forgiven, cleansed, accepted in Jesus Christ.

The life and death of Jesus are our salvation. The body and blood of Jesus save. That is what we come to remember, together, with former rebels who are now redeemed.

Communion Meditation January 16, 2022

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Romans 1:7 To all those … who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

God has loved his people from before the foundation of the world. The Bible is the historical record of the love of God for his people.

God’s love is fully and finally demonstrated in the person and work of Jesus Christ – His coming, death, resurrection, and ascension.

And now, in love, God invites his people to his table. He invites you so that you can experience his love again. 

It is one of the great struggles in the Christian life, to fully rest in, and rejoice in, the one-sided, unconditional love of God in Christ. That is what this table calls you to.

It seems too good to be true. Free grace; one-sided love. We wrestle to believe that God can love us as we are.  Because we know ourselves. 

Other people can think highly of us, but we know ourselves.  We know our weaknesses and the sins that still cling to us. We hate the sins that we commit; we don’t love those remaining sins. But they remain in us. So how can God love those who still sin?

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly…. But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6, 8.

God’s love is a self-generated love. God finds reasons in himself to love you – to lavish his love upon you. The reason he loves you is not found in you, but in him.

So, What qualifies us to come to this table? We must hate our sin, and accept our savior’s love.

If that is you, come; for you are greatly loved.

If that is not you; if you have not learned to hate your sin, but still love, cherish and defend your – don’t come. If you do not rest in the love of Christ, don’t come.

If you love God, because he first loved you; come to this table.

Session Summary February 2022

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The full session, together with C. Willams (a pastoral intern from First Presbyterian), and M. Moore met and heard a brief devotion from Pastor Mark on Hebrews 13:7, 17. We are perfecting a new policy on admitting children to the Lord’s table upon profession of faith.  A congregational meeting was called for March 27 to elect new officers and to present the new budget. We met with Kathy Scholten and Joshua Ling, the Fellowship and Creative Team Leaders.  We approved a request from the Mission Team to have our Missionaries be a focus of our Sunday Evening Prayer meetings every 6 weeks.  We added a few things to our Easter Morning Schedule on April 17 – Eric Eagle will lead an Easter Sunrise service at 7 am followed by a breakfast at 8 am. Two AC repairs were approved. Two minor changes in worship: the ushers/deacons will come forward with the offering to present it before the Lord during the song after the collection, and we will have one elder available on the choir side of the sanctuary to pray for covenant children during communion. We each prayed for various needs in the congregation.

Session Summary

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January 2022

Eric Eagle lead your session in a devotion from John 9 on the fear of the parents and the boldness of the son.  John Etheridge was present as an observer. We determined the 2 elders and 3 deacons who have been nominated and are willing to stand for election at our March Congregational meeting.  Next year’s budget process was discussed and a potential budget target was reached. We reviewed our membership rolls and will be contacting in person or by letter several absent members.  Five members were removed from the rolls due to moving out of the area or absence from worship for over a year. A Walk Thru the Bible emphasis on the New Testament seminar in June was approved, as was a Jews for Jesus Christ in the Passover event on April 7.  The Mission will also present a Voice of the Martyrs movie, Sabina: Tortured for Christ, The Nazi Years on March 11. We approved the pastor giving the benediction from the back of the church and the production of a card to invite others to our Church.  We had earlier approved a monthly bring-your-own fellowship meal after church.  Covid delayed the implementation of this monthly meal.  It will begin soon. A letter from the session regarding prayer for the future of our church will be sent out soon.  Our 9 ministry teams are beginning their walk and some of their labors are already bearing fruit. Pray for us as we, in faith, move into God’s future together.

Profiting from God’s Word Every Day of the Year

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I have tomato seeds in my garage that never grow.  They lie stagnant, dormant, just above my rarely opened toolboxes.  Why don’t they grow? They are not planted in nutrient-rich soil and they receive no water.

Christians, given the seed of regeneration, are to grow deeply into the Grace of God and the knowledge of God. “…grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”  Those who are declared to be the children of God through faith in Jesus Christ (John 1:12) are to live for the glory of God from now on into eternity.  Christians are not to lie dormant on the shelf in the garage.  They need to be dive deeply into the soil of the Word of God and be watered by the Spirit of God – they need to grow!

How do we do that? The Scriptures boldly and clearly give the answer. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Word of God is the richest possible soil for the Christian seed to grow.  In fact, the Word was given for that very purpose.  The Bible is unique (it comes from God), the Bible is powerful (it is the Word/power of God), and the Bible is life-transforming.  We cannot come into contact with the dynamic Word from God, it having been watered by the Spirit, without being transformed by the encounter.

Scripture is breathed out by God. The same Word that was spoken and the universe came into existence, the same Word that became flesh and dwelt among us for our salvation, is the same Word that we read, preach, and mix with faith. It is the Word, blessed by the Spirit that engenders growth.

The Bible is profitable for teaching.  God’s fingerprints are on the whole of His creation but we can read His signature, and see his portrait, in the Scriptures. If you want to know God and grow in your knowledge of God, listen to Him speak in His Word.  It is his authorized autobiography! Men derive their patchwork guesses about God from many other sources, experience, other religions, what my grandma told me, what Hollywood portrays; but the only true, pure, accurate knowledge of God comes from His own revelation. For a Christian to grow one must study the Word from God.

The Bible is profitable for reproof. When you see God clearly, in all His holiness, glory, purity, and power, you also begin to see yourself accurately.  And the picture isn’t pretty.  In the light of His glory our sin, selfishness, and rebellion cannot be denied. Our self-constructed glory appears as rebellion in His holy presence.  This is where many stop reading and studying the Word of God.  It is uncomfortable to be humbled by the truth.  We tend to prefer to live in a comfortable lie than to submit to the rigors of the truth about ourselves.  Personal change requires prior knowledge that something is wrong with us.  The Bible correctly diagnoses our foundational sin; pride-driven rebellion against the only God.

This brings us to correction.  The Bible not only points out the problem, sin, it also drives us to the solution.  His Word is beneficial for correction. The Bible provides answers to the human dilemma; the law of God. Our sinful rebellion is forgiven and washed in the blood of Christ, and not we live in gospel gratitude to God by submitting to his will.  “If you love me you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15).  The Bible at once points out the wrong path that we are on and points out the proper path we should be traversing.  The Bible cuts a path back to the highway of holiness.

Training in righteousness is the mission of the Word of God. Once back on the path, we improve the road.  We serve the highway on which our brothers and sisters are traveling.  We are equipped to do every good work. Loving, willing, self-sacrifice service is the norm among mature, growing, path-walking Christians. If a Christian is not walking in humble and joyful service to our Lord and King Jesus then the steps must be re-traced.  Does he need to be trained? Or, one step farther back, does he need to be corrected? Or is the stumbling block reproof? Does sin have a crippling stranglehold on the believer in some area of his life? Or finally, is the root of the problem teaching? He doesn’t understand God, the gospel, the law, the way, the truth, or the life?

Yet, wherever the wrench in the works is found, the solution is always the same – heavy doses of the pure, undiluted Word of God, blessed by the Spirit.

All this is simply to ask, how are your daily devotions going? Are you planted in the life-transforming soil of God’s Word? Does the Word instruct you? Expose you? Refocus you? Train you in humble service? Or are you on the self in the garage waiting for the soil and the water to come to you?

The water. I have only hinted at the water so far.  The Word of God must be blessed by the Spirit of God for it to work its wonders! So, how do we know that the Spirit is present and active in our devotions? We ask God to send him. “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13).

Spend time with God listening to his Word and asking for his blessing. That one-two punch will get you off the shelf and into the God-glorifying life that you were reborn to live.