Creating A Culture of Blessing 3

Practicing Hospitality

Creating a Culture of Blessing Part 3

We are in the middle of a new series “Creating a Culture of Blessing

For the past two hundred years Mokuaikaua has created a culture of blessing here in Kailua Kona, blessing our community and people around the world.

Our people are the best people in Hawaii, Godly men, women, and children who desire to see the kingdom of God here on earth, as we faithfully live Godly lives sharing the gospel and making disciples.

A culture

is our way of life, lifestyle our values?

as we live our lives for God, we inspire and move others to do the same.

We had some wonderful people before us who model a culture of blessing, and we have many wonderful people right now.

Practicing Hospitality

Hospitality in the bible is about showing love for one another the word Philonexia, to entertain stranger, to practice brotherly love, Philadelphia.

Heb 13:1 Let love of your fellow believers continue.

Heb 13:2 Do not neglect to extend hospitality to strangers [especially among the family of believers--being friendly, cordial, and gracious, sharing the comforts of your home and doing your part generously], for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.

Abraham and Sarah did.

In a culture of blessing we cannot neglect hospitality.

Needs to be our signature

Three important things about Hospitality

1 Is love in action,

· “Hospitality is simply an opportunity to show love and care.”

we can talk about love all we like, if actions don’t follow, no one will be able to ever know that we love or care about them.

Is our opportunity to serve from our hearts.

1Jn 3:18 Little children (believers, dear ones), let us not love [merely in theory] with word or with tongue [giving lip service to compassion], but in action and in truth [in practice and in sincerity, because practical acts of love are more than words].

Mokuaikaua has some unique opportunities to serve and practice hospitality to our community, visitors come inn every day from around the world, the way we welcome them and greed them, are very important, we need to be helpful to someone visiting our town, our smile, how we make them feel respect and welcome. Our nonverbal communication is part of our hospitality.

I had the privilege to go to many cities around the world, some of the homes I visited I could not understand a word they said, but their hospitality spoke loud and clear, their welcome was honoring and very sweet, even when they didn’t have much to offer.

Ex I remember in 1980 going into Moscow to distribute bibles, they only spoke Russian and I didn’t, but I remember their welcome and their hospitality, nothing fancy just a glass of water, but they were good people, they got a dictionary so we could communicate, and they prayed for me.

Hospitality is more about the attitude of our hearts, than a great display of food and decorations.

A glass of water is sufficient if that is all you have to offer, but the water needs to be safe and the glass hopefully clean.

Food and decorations or the presentation of it, are very important, because also expresses how much you care for your guest.

Sometimes I hear people saying, or it doesn’t matter, just give them something, let’s not spend money on that.

If you are entertaining a King or a president would you just serve sandwiches on napkins and paper cups? Probably not, you would be a little more thoughtful, specially that we don’t want to be embarrassed before others.

We would want to honor them and give our best, show that we care and that you value their presence.

The business world has embraced hospitality because they know how powerful it is.

Of course, their goal is not to show brotherly love, but some of the item's they use, shows respect and professionalism, service, what will result in more customers, money.

We need to Treat our brothers and sisters, the strangers that come to us, with honor and respect, doesn’t need to be a major setting every time, but presentable.

2 we do it without complaining.

Yes hospitality includes work, serving, cleaning, preferring our brother and sister.

Sometimes the temptation is to complain, this is harder than what I expect, the helpers are not here, I got stuck doing most of the work.

1Pe 4:8 Above all, have fervent and unfailing love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins [it overlooks unkindness and unselfishly seeks the best for others].

1Pe 4:9 Be hospitable to one another without complaint.

1Pe 4:10 Just as each one of you has received a special gift [a spiritual talent, an ability graciously given by God], employ it in serving one another as [is appropriate for] good stewards of God's multi-faceted grace [faithfully using the diverse, varied gifts and abilities granted to Christians by God's unmerited favor].

In the book of Luke, we read about Martha and Mary

Luke 10:38-42

38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.

39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.

40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things,

42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one.[a] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Jesus was not saying don’t worry about feeding us Martha, she had invited them inn, imagine a guest of honor and his friends, at your door step, she was worried about many things, I would too, counting with Marry her sister, who abandon her to do everything alone, so Martha rebuked her in public, but Jesus also knew Mary’s heart and said she has chosen the better thing. Put your priorities in order

When the choice is to listen to what God is saying or to setup for afterwards, the best thing is to set up before or after, honor the guest with your attention, and listen to what God is saying.

Here at Mokuaikaua we love to bless our brothers and sisters and honor our guest, show them brotherly love.

I have watched my wife and helpers to come early in the morning to church, to setup for things after the service, so no one is taken away from what God is saying, because they are serving.

Giving the opportunity for many hands to participate so is easy for everyone.

Php 2:14 Do everything without murmuring or questioning [the providence of God],

Php 2:15 so that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and guileless, innocent and uncontaminated, children of God without blemish in the midst of a [morally] crooked and [spiritually] perverted generation, among whom you are seen as bright lights [beacons shining out clearly] in the world [of darkness],

3 For us leaders is our privilege

1Ti 3:1 This is a faithful and trustworthy saying: if any man [eagerly] seeks the office of overseer (bishop, superintendent), he desires an excellent task.

1Ti 3:2 Now an overseer must be blameless and beyond reproach, the husband of one wife, self-controlled, sensible, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

To be hospitable is an essential part of leadership

Jesus demonstrated this throughout his ministry

Jesus feeds the 5000

Luk 9:12 Now the day was ending, and the twelve [disciples] came and said to Him, "Send the crowd away, so that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging, and get provisions; because here we are in an isolated place."

Luk 9:13 But He said to them, "You give them something to eat." They said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish--unless perhaps we go and buy food for all these people."

Luk 9:14 (For there were about 5,000 men.) And He said to His disciples, "Have them sit down to eat in groups of about fifty each."

Luk 9:15 They did so, and had them all sit down.

Luk 9:16 Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and He looked up to heaven [and gave thanks] and blessed them, and broke them and kept giving them to the disciples to set before the crowd.

Luk 9:17 They all ate and were [completely] satisfied; and the broken pieces which they had left over were [abundant and were] picked up--twelve baskets full.

Do you desire to take care of the needs of those who are coming to you, Pray, if you need a miracle God will provide, he is the one who wants us to honor each other and take care of each other.

Growing up we didn’t have cell phones and even after having a telephone I would not call my mom and ask for her to set up a few more plates for dinner, we would come home sometimes eight of us and somehow food was on the table, she probably prayed many times for multiplication, but we always had plenty.

I have attended different celebrations that, God had to multiply the food or miraculously provide the money, because the amount of people was greater than the supplies, and we had plenty for all of us to eat.

Hospitality is an opportunity to express brotherly love to each other

By putting love in action, doing with all of out hearts without complaining, Is our privilege as leaders in the body of Christ.

All Begins when we make Jesus the Lord of your life.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Joh 3:16

To receive Jesus, we need to accept Him as God’s son, repent from our sins and a life of selfishness, asking Him to be our Lord and savior, not that you deserve it, but is a gift from God.

If this is your desire today, please repeat this prayer after me?

Heavenly Father I’m sinner, I’m sorry for my sins, I’m willing to turn away from my sins.

I receive Christ as my savior,

I confess him as Lord

from this moment on I want to follow and serve him,

in the fellowship of his church,

In Jesus name. Amen!