Greeting The Body Of Christ

Our Father, grant us your love and patience this day. Don't let us only receive it, but also distribute it according to your will. We want to be your ambassadors and preach the gospel to the ends of the earth. You have not created us to be alone in this mission Father, and we are so thankful for that. You have created us for relationship; firstly with you, and secondarily with other believers. We were created for worship through fellowship and that is what we should pursue, would you give us the strength and desire to do so today. We love you Father, dwell in us this day and again, work through us that we may feel your presence further. In Jesus name, Amen.

Have you ever had a friend stay at your house? Maybe just for the night, or maybe for a week. Or perhaps have you had a foreign exchange student stay at your house? Having a guest at your house is not always an easy undertaking. It can be quite stressful. You often have to provide food, a restroom, entertainment, and conversation for your guests. This kind of hospitality is less common today than it was in the earlier days of America and other civilizations, but it is still prevalent. When someone stays at your house, something is expected morally. 

There are levels of hospitality in every day life: when we have a friend stay the night, when we go out to coffee or lunch with someone, or when we house someone for years. Whether the stay is long or short, there is some expectation for hospitality, even in the Christian walk. In Romans 16, verses 3 through 16, Paul says the word "greet" 18 times. He lists the people who he wants these believers to "greet". When we greet someone, it isn't just saying "hello"; though sometimes that is how we think of it. Greeting someone includes true hospitality and care for their condition. It includes sacrifice of time, money, food, privacy, and many other things. For this reason, hospitality can be a very difficult pursuit. 

The people who Paul wishes for the Romans to greet are mostly other believers. There is something to learn here. We Christians should be showing hospitality, care, and love for one another. We should give when needed, we should receive when needed; we should listen when needed, we should talk when needed. For if everyone in a community (the body of Christ) shows hospitality to everyone else in the community, all sacrifices for the community will be reimbursed by other sacrifices. This is exactly how the church of the book of Acts looked. "Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common...There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need" (4:32, 34-35). Do you see the love in this picture? The hospitality and care for one another? The harmony they lived in? 

The walk of the Christian should be showing constant hospitality and love to his brothers and sisters. Would you agree with me that the Christian needs constant encouragement because the walk is so hard? I think you probably would. The walk is hard, and lets not make it harder for each other, but in love, patience, gentleness, selflessness, and sacrifice, show hospitality to one another and truly "greet" each other in the name of Jesus Christ, for this is what we have in common.