SPIRIT-REFRESHING HOSPITALITY

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you. I had boasted to him about you, and you have not embarrassed me. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting about you to Titus has proved to be true as well. And his affection for you is all the greater when he remembers that you were all obedient, receiving him with fear and trembling. I am glad I can have complete confidence in you.

2 Corinthians 7:13b-16

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Paul was a letter writer who you could call fair but firm in the correspondence he penned and sent to Christian churches in first century A.D. He wrote words of condemnation and correction but he balanced this with words of praise as well. Perhaps we could learn a lot from Paul’s approach in how we deal with others because I think we can be too quick to criticize and not as quick to compliment in the words we use, whether spoken or written.

In regard to the latter, complimentary words written by Paul to a person or group of people, we see such a display in the final verses of 2 Corinthians, chapter 7. Look again at his words here:

In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you. I had boasted to him about you, and you have not embarrassed me. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting about you to Titus has proved to be true as well. And his affection for you is all the greater when he remembers that you were all obedient, receiving him with fear and trembling. I am glad I can have complete confidence in you.  2 Corinthians 7:13b-16

The Corinthian Christians had welcomed Paul with open arms and treated him well during his visit to Corinth. He consistently thanks them for their wonderful hospitality in the two letters to them and we read that Titus, who visited after Paul, was treated the same way, much to Paul’s delight. In fact, Paul shares Titus’ testimony that his spirit was refreshed by the great hospitality he experienced in Corinth. This is something that made Paul feel good because he had endorsed the Corinthian Christians to Titus and they hadn’t let him down, something that would have caused Paul great embarrassment. Paul’s boasting was reinforced and for that, he had even greater confidence in the believers worship in the Corinth church.

What was the byproduct of Titus’ experience of spirit-refreshing hospitality?

It produced great affection within Titus’s heart for the Corinthian church. They all had been “obedient, receiving him with fear and trembling” which was code for deep respect. This is really at the heart of hospitality, right? Respect and love for your guest or guests. The church in Corinth served their visiting Gospel; missionary well and, in turn, he left with feelings of fondness and love for them.

As we have our opportunities to host someone, we should follow the lead of the Corinthian believers, intentionally seeking to provide spirit-refreshing hospitality that ultimately pleases, honors, and glorifies the Lord. We’re called to do so by the scriptures and when we allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us, we will always be obedient to that calling.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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