Welcome to the Hospitality Hotel (3 John 5-8)

Everyone at some point in time has stayed at a good hotel and a bad hotel. Now, you’re probably thinking, “OK well what do you consider a good hotel or a bad hotel so it’s important to establish a standard here.” When I was at camp over the summer I stayed at many hotels and at times the hotels were far below average. One prime example was the “Yellow Rose Hotel.” That sure sounds like a winner and it had three stars. My dad decided that’s where we would stay before we headed back home to Virginia and as we pulled up to the hotel we knew it was a bad choice. The carpet was off color, the luxurious pool was a little larger than a hot tub, and the continental breakfast was nonexistent. The fact of the matter is that one cannot tell a book by its cover. This seemingly luxurious hotel turned out to be a dump.

The other choice in this matter is the Hilton. At the Hilton there are top notch bell boys who will carry your luggage, two queen size pillow top mattresses, a hot tub in your bathroom, an indoor pool, and a free hot breakfast. Now while I don’t think that the choice is overly difficult, let’s think about this: a three star dump or a five star palace. Now you’re probably wondering, “What does this have to do with the book of III John?” The fact of the matter is that this little illustration has everything in the world to do with the theme of hospitality in the book of III John.

In verses one through four John has been praising Gaius for all the work he has done in the city of Derbe and it is plain to see that John thinks very highly of all that Gaius does. Gaius is “the man” and he is seeking to be used by God however he can. John even goes as far as calling Gaius beloved and telling him that he loves him in the truth. Now while this might not be the case for women, men have a hard time telling other men that they love each other. However, the praise does not stop in verse four but rather keeps on trucking throughout the remainder of the book.

In verse five John begins to tell Gaius all the things that he has done well and verse six really reveals the heart and soul of Gaius’s ministry. The five words the begin verse six say it all, “who testified to you love.” For those of you who don’t realize this, if Gaius is in Derbe and John is in Ephesus then there is a span of over 300 miles between the two of them. You might be thinking, “Psh that’s not very far,” but on foot, that is a long way. The most amazing thing is that all along their journey they have been talking about, the hospitality that Gaius showed them. They talk about this so much that John gets word from these people and is amazed by the accounts he is getting, so much so that he writes Gaius this letter. WOW!! There has got to be something different here.

Now let’s connect this silly little hotel story with the story of Gaius or else you might accuse me of writing stories just to keep you entertained. The hotel illustration applies impeccably to the situation that is taking place in Derbe. If I was to picture Gaius I would picture him as a manager at the Hilton. Think about it! Someone dings the bell and there is Gaius to welcome them wholeheartedly. Not only that, Gaius even upgrades them to the executive suite. Picture it, as you’re getting all comfortable in you giant king size memory foam bed with a warm goose down comforter, in comes Gaius with a warm glass of milk to help you sleep. Now if this image is coming to life for you then we should realize that the hospitality of the church should go far beyond that of the Hilton.
Gaius knew how to do ministry and how to do his ministry effectively. Instead of putting the guests on the sleeper sofa, Gaius gave them his room.

Now you may be asking yourself, “Self, how in the world can I do this kind of ministry because it’s not like we have all these ministers just meandering throughout our town?” That is a good question but hospitality goes beyond welcoming people into our homes. There are too many people who walk away from church simply because they didn’t feel welcomed, and that is where we come in. Why aren’t we welcoming these people and greeting them with open arms? Here a hotel is more excited to have their business then we are to have the opportunity to share the love of Jesus with them. Instead of greeting people you know during the welcome time, you could be going to the outcasts and telling them that you’re glad to see them. The walk across the room could make all the difference in whether or not that person comes back. If we could all have the Gaius mentality then how much more effective could we be within our own church? Do you want to be a “Yellow Rose Motel” or “The Hilton”?

A Crumb of His Greatness

So lately I have been doing a lot of homework, which requires me to really dig in a figure out what a text is really saying. The process is called exegesis and it is simply the process by which one interprets the Bible. So I was reading Matthew 15:22-28 which says:

And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon." But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, "Send her away, for she is crying out after us." He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." And he answered, "It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table." Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly.

So as I first read that passage I began to wonder why in the world Jesus would be such a jerk because at first glance it seems as though Jesus is calling this woman a dog. However, there is an important theological principle that struck me right between the eyes as I really began to search. The fact of the matter is that this was a woman and a gentile. In Jesus's time men did not socialize much with women in public and it was even more crazy for a Jew to speak to a Gentile. This woman was a gentile but yet she displayed more faith than many of the Jews that surrounded Jesus. In chapter 14 of Matthew we see Jesus healing people and this woman, having heard of this great man came and asked for a crumb of his greatness. This woman realized that Jesus was so powerful that if she could glean a crumb of his power her daughter would be healed. However, Jesus knew the faith of this woman and once she displayed just how great her faith was, he told this Gentile woman, who he had every right to have sent from his sight, that because of her great faith, her daughter would be healed.

The word pistis in the original Greek is the word that is used for faith in this passage and it simply means conviction of truth. However, as I began to look it became more and more apparent that a lot of the times that this word is referenced is in times when people had to stop looking to other things and focus on God first. Many times we get caught up in the little things that are all around us but it is not about all the stuff that we have going on but rather about having faith that God will see us through it all. This woman stepped out of a cultural norm or cultural comfort zone and trusted that Jesus would honor her trust, and he did.

Scaremare

It's amazing how when you least expect it God does amazing things. Last night I was giving the gospel in the "Preaching Tents" at Scaremare and I saw a ton of people get saved. However, there was one group who came in and one of the guys was extremely vocal and completely joking around about the whole idea of the preaching tents. So, as you can well imagine, I was somewhat discouraged and was even tempted to just rush through the gospel so I could get other people in. However, as I started to talk I just felt God telling me to share and give it my all. I got real serious with the group of about 7 people who were all wearing marines stuff and got really serious with them about the fact that nothing they can do on their own is good enough to get them to heaven and even the really vocal guy got quiet. I was very frank with them about how no one is good enough on their own and only Jesus could save them. Then I asked them to pray with me and when the prayer was over two people looked up saying they had been saved. God did not want me to write them off because He never writes anyone off. God didn't want me to just write the people off but rather to place no limits on Him and He'll place no limits on me and that is why this is important.