Sunday, February 28, 2010

The Left-Handed Power of Hospitality

Martin Luther dubbed the power of love and service "left-handed power" compared to the "right-handed power" of physical strength and military might. Below is a recent exhortation from Pastor Douglas Wilson that I encourage you read, heed and apply.



"We gather here as a result of the gospel, and we gather as a means of proclaiming the gospel. The ordained evangelist proclaims the gospel to those outside, and the informal evangelist shares the faith with others as it comes up. But all of us together are evangelical Christians, and we are all to be radiating the gospel (that has gathered us here) in an ongoing way. So we are all evangelists in some sense.

And so here is a two-fold exhortation. And it is just that—an exhortation. Nothing here to bind the conscience, but it is an exhortation to take to heart. Between now and Paschal Sunday, the day of resurrection, I would urge you to share a meal with unbelievers. Whether you take a co-worker to lunch, or have a neighboring family over for your first barbeque of the spring, the task is a simple one. Before Easter, break bread with some unbelievers. The second task is to simply pray that God would use it for their good, and His glory.

Don’t have them over, and then get into a sweat about how will you ever bring up the gospel? Don’t worry about that. Give it to God. You are not selling insurance, and you are not in multi-level marketing. You don’t have to close any deals. We are loving individuals, not dealing with quotas or timelines.

So there it is, a simple exhortation. Invite a non-Christian over. See what happens."

(Pastor Douglas Wilson, Christ Church, Moscow, ID)

2 comments:

Ellen H. said...

Beautiful - it's God who saves sinners..great exhortation!

Unknown said...

Amen! I have heard of and even seen first hand how powerful sharing a meal with people can be. Obviously the hope would be that you could eventually get to a point where you can share the gospel verbally (giving an account). But building a relationship and serving people first I agree should usually come first like Jesus did.