THE NORTHERN KENTUCKY SEARCHER
"Search the scriptures: for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. " (John 5:39)

VOLUME 1, NUMBER 44, DECEMBER 2, 2001

"ENTERTAINED ANGELS UNAWARES"

"And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, and said, My lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree: and I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said. And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it. And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat." (Genesis 18:1 - 8)

"And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; and he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat." (Gen. 19:3)

Abraham and Lot serve as wonderful examples of biblical hospitality for all of us. The three men who came to Abraham were not clearly identified as angels, although there are many who believe that they were. The two individuals who came to Sodom were most definitely described in that way; but neither Abraham nor Lot would have known that. Both simply concerned themselves with the comfort of strangers and opened their homes to serve their needs.

Hospitality was not meant to be peculiar to the Old Testament. It has been enjoined upon God's people in each dispensation of time. Paul exhorted the brethren in Rome to "distribute to the necessity of the saints; and to be given to hospitality." (Rom. 12:13) One of the qualifications for a man who would be appointed to the work of an elder is that he be "given to hospitality" (1 Tim. 3:2), and for an older widow to be taken into the number who were supported by the church, it was necessary that she be "well reported of for good works; if she have brought up strangers, if she have washed the saints' feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work." (1 Tim. 5:10) And the title of this article is taken from Heb. 13:2, "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."

Technically speaking, hospitality is "love of strangers". However, love that fails to express itself in action hardly qualifies as love at all. In the first century, inns were often notoriously immoral and dirty. Christians needed to know that they could count on a warm welcome and a safe place to stay in the home of a fellow believer. Hence the exhortation to open their homes and to be generous with their possessions.

The circumstances are a little different here in the early part of the 21st century in the United States, but the need for generosity and demonstrated love among brethren is no less important. As brethren associate outside of the church building, enjoying meals and the company of one another, the unique bond that holds us together is strengthened in practical ways. The more I know of you and the more you know of me, the closer we can be. I can be a better source of encouragement to you and you to me if we spend time together outside of worship services and Bible study. It seems to me that one reason why the final step of discipline, withdrawal, often has no affect upon the one withdrawn from, is because there is no practical change. When people don't associate outside of the church building anyway, what affect does the withdrawal of non-existent association have? Perhaps if hospitality had been practiced and association with one another had been a regular feature, withdrawal would not have proven necessary.

Have you opened your home and invited folks in recently? Have you gone out together to share a meal? Have you taken advantage of invitations you have received? If you haven't received any, than you do the inviting. Let us open our homes to simply enjoy being with the best people on earth. Let us "be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another." (Rom. 12:10)

Greg Litmer

EYE OPENER

I saw him in the church building for the first time on Wednesday. He was in his mid - 70's, with thinning silver hair and a neat brown suit. Many times in the past I had invited him to come. Several other Christian friends had talked to him about the Lord and had tried to share the good news with him.

He was a well-respected, honest man with so many characteristics a Christian should have, but he had never put on Christ, nor entered the doors of the church.

"Have you ever been to a church service in your life?" I had asked him a few years ago. We had just finished a pleasant day of visiting and talking.

He hesitated. Then with a bitter smile he told me of his childhood experience some fifty years ago. He was one of many children in a large impoverished family. His parents had struggled to provide food, with little left over for housing and clothing. When he was about ten, some neighbors invited him to worship with them.
The Sunday school class had been very exciting! He had never heard such songs and stories before! He had never heard anyone read from the Bible! After class was over, the teacher took him aside and said, "Son, please don't come again dressed as you are now. We want to look our best when we come into God's house."
He stood in his ragged, unpatched overalls. Then looking at his dirty bare feet, he answered softly, "No, ma'am, I won't ever."

"And I never did." He said, abruptly ending our conversation.

There must have been other factors to have hardened him so, but this experience formed a significant part of the bitterness in his heart. I'm sure that Sunday school teacher meant well. But did she really understand the love of Christ? Had she studied and accepted the teachings found in the second chapter of James?

What if she had put her arms around the dirty, ragged little boy and said, "Son, I am so glad you are here, and I hope you will come every chance you get to hear more about Jesus."

I reflected on the awesome responsibility a teacher or preacher or parent has to welcome little ones in His name. How far reaching her influence was! I prayed that I might ever be open to the tenderness of a child's heart, and that I might never fail to see beyond the appearance and behavior of a child to the eternal possibilities within.

Yes, I saw him in the church house for the first time on Wednesday. As I looked at that immaculately dressed old gentlemen lying in his casket, I thought of the little boy of long ago. I could almost hear him say, "No, ma'am, I won't ever."

And I wept."
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The author of this piece is unknown. It was given to me by Barbara Proctor and I appreciate it so much. I must say that I hesitated to put it in the bulletin for fear that someone who has better would look at this story of this child and would say, "See, I can dress anyway I want to go to services and it just doesn't matter." But on second thought, the possibility of someone missing the point and the lesson entirely didn't warrant leaving it out. (g.l.)