Jesus knew that time was running out. His ministry on earth was counting down to its final hours. When planning His last instructions to His disciples, Jesus wanted their full attention so that His teaching would have maximum impact. He wanted them to be prepared for what lay ahead. He needed to connect with them in a very significant way. He practiced hospitality at a crucial time to convey essential teachings and information.
Jesus could have sat His disciples down to lecture them when they were tired and hungry, on an uncomfortable hillside as they traveled to Jerusalem. Instead, He prepared in advance to provide hospitality when giving His last messages. Through instructions to Peter and John, Jesus provided a room large enough for Himself and His twelve disciples to rest, relax, and recline. This upper room was furnished to allow them to all eat at one table and interact together as a group in privacy, away from the crowds. Jesus had Passover food provided for them. He broke bread with them and served them by washing the dust of travel off their feet. When His disciples were tired, hungry, and dirty from travel, He cared for their needs. His hospitality in caring for the physical, emotional, and relational needs of His disciples made them more receptive to the important spiritual teachings He wanted them to learn.
In Old Testament times, when God wanted to train and prepare the Israelites to be His chosen model nation, a light to the Gentiles, demonstrating His grace, power, and righteousness, He used a similar method. By taking the Israelites out of Egypt and into the desert, He removed outside influences and distractions. While He was teaching them in the spacious, private desert, they were totally dependent on Him to meet their physical needs. He provided their food, water, shelter, guidance, and protection from their enemies. Every time they ate a piece of manna or felt the warmth at night of the pillar of fire or the cooling shelter of the cloud by day, they were reminded of God’s great care for them. This hospitality reminded the Israelites of His love and made them more ready to learn all that God wanted to teach them spiritually.
Christian hospitality was an integral part of the early Christian church also. Fellowship, meeting in homes, eating together, and giving sacrificially to care for the physical needs of others are listed in the important ministries of the early church alongside teaching, prayer, praise, and miracles in Acts 2:42–47. Notice the effectiveness of this combined model of ministry: “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47, NIV).
In the history of the Christian church, growth has been rapid when believers have fellowshipped and worshipped in highly nurturing small group or home environments. This biblical model of showing hospitality when sharing the Gospel in the presence of the Holy Spirit was very successful! Can we learn from these biblical examples? Is hospitality still relevant and important in our church today?
In many areas of the world where the Seventh-day Adventist Church serves, the physical needs of people are still great. In other countries where physical needs may be less, social isolation and loneliness are at record highs, with many not having the emotional support, community, and connectedness that they crave and need to be mentally healthy. If we truly want our church to grow spiritually, we need to combine preaching, teaching, worshipping, and praying with biblical hospitality to be most effective. While our needs for nurture continue to be great, I believe our need for the biblical model of hospitality is also great. Christian hospitality is about helping people feel accepted, welcomed, connected, and cared for. It includes striving to minister to the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of others. Christian hospitality creates a community where spiritual life can flourish.
This week I was talking to a very young couple who had invited a group of people from their church to their home for a meal for the first time. Their guests were people whom they did not know more than superficially. They were unexpectedly surprised by how long their guests stayed after the simple meal and how much their guests talked and shared private problems with them. They realized that their guests needed friendship and the opportunity to talk. The couple were pleased to be able to care for the needs of others in this way. Sharing your home and a meal is a powerful way to build bonds, minister to needs, and nurture spiritual growth.
In Romans 12:13 Paul includes caring for the needs of others and showing hospitality in his list of attributes of a true Christian. This is expected of all Christians, not just those with the spiritual gift of hospitality. Because we have been the recipients of God’s abundant love and salvation, we are motivated out of gratitude to God to manifest His love to others through our acts of caring hospitality to others. We are to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our community (Matt 25:42–46).
Notice in 1 Peter 4:9 we are to “offer hospitality to one another without grumbling” (NIV). Christian hospitality is not just for those in need or strangers we meet, but also for “one another”—those who are part of our community that we know well. It is useful for leadership training also, as Jesus modeled with His disciples.
Christian hospitality can be shown in many ways: being warm and welcoming, compassionate, and accepting; providing practical support when needed like food, clothing, or childcare; praying for others; and serving others. People may not always remember what is taught or preached, but they will remember the care and kindness they have been shown.
People may not always remember what is taught or preached, but they will remember the care and kindness.
The most obvious and frequently mentioned biblical way to show Christian hospitality is by opening your home to others to share in food, fellowship, and worship. Welcoming others to your home is seen as an act of love and a Christian virtue. Even in our society today, offering hospitality communicates love and caring across all cultural and religious boundaries.
Christian hospitality is more than a tradition—it is a powerful expression of God’s love. Just as Jesus prepared a place for His disciples and God cared for Israel in the desert, we are called to create spaces where others feel seen, valued, and nurtured. In a world full of need and loneliness, simple acts of hospitality can become moments that reflect Christ’s character and foster genuine spiritual growth.
Debora N. Kent, a registered nurse and midwife, is actively involved in hospitality ministry at Spencerville Seventh-day Adventist Church and lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA.
