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Hospitality is a key to evangelism in the 21st century.

Let’s distinguish hospitality from entertaining. Entertaining guests means that we put on a demonstration of our best to give a good impression. Entertaining is like our fine china. Nothing wrong with that. Hospitality, on the other hand, means inviting people into our lives. Hospitality is our paper plates.

Inviting others into our lives and homes is natural when we move from being strangers to becoming friends of God. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” said Lydia, “come and stay at my house.” (Acts 16.15)

Interestingly enough, sometimes it is often the prebeliever that has both the open heart and open home. My wife, Niza, and I are both seriously introverted and sometimes reclusive. When our first born was still small we lived in an apartment that shared a corridor with a second apartment directly across from us. Our neighbors, a young couple named Ernie and Rosie noticed we had a small child and provided us with extra diapers. I was traveling a bit in those days and my wife would tell me that whenever I was gone Ernie would always either come out or crack his door and peek out when someone knocked on my door. He was looking out for my family while I was gone. In fact, they served us so much and shared their lives so much that eventually we were able to lead them to faith in Christ. Yes, that’s a backward story. They served us and we were able to guide them to the kingdom. If you’ve ever seen Heaven’s Prisoner with Alec Baldwin, you’ve seen their daughter, Samantha. She played the little Salvador girl Baldwin rescues (even though she’s really half Filipina and half Mexican)

Hospitality is inviting others into your life …and sometimes inviting yourself into the lives of others. Evangelism can happen naturally when life is shared. Love strangers.

What do you think?

Photographs

Top: Friends and entrepreneurs Jaime and Belinda Puente visiting at our new place.

Side: Friend Dominic Massaro (graffiti61) performs at a house concert.

Into the Mystic…

Alex McManus
Pasadena, Ca
© 2005