Overview

In these 9 studies, you will discover that hospitality is much more than inviting friends into your home; it is the natural response of people who have received grace from God and a distinguishing feature of the coming kingdom.

Introduction

Getting the Most Out of Hospitality: God's Call to Compassion
This section introduces the topic, explains the structure followed in each study and offers tips for those approaching the study on their own as well as those participating in a group.

Session One

Hosting the Traveler
How does Reuel cross ethnic boundaries in his hospitality to Moses? How can we cultivate attitudes of service, sacrifice and urgency toward ministering to others?
Genesis 18:1-16; Exodus 2:15-22

Session Two

Loving Out of Remembrance
Moses reminds Israel of their time of slavery and oppression in Egypt. What is his purpose in calling them to remember this experience? Try to recall a time in your life when you were in need. How has that experience changed you?
Deuteronomy 10:12-22; 24:10-22

Session Three

Kindness Beyond Expectations
How does the hospitality of Boaz affect the history of Israel and God's plan for the world? How can you go above and beyond what is expected to extend this kind of hospitality?
Ruth 2; 4:13-22

Session Four

A Heart of Hospitality
How does it help us to trust in God by focusing on his characteristic of compassion for the vulnerable?
Psalm 146

Session Five

Fasting the Lord's Way
What are the results of engaging in the Lord's kind of fast? How would engaging in these activities and this kind of spirituality help an individual or a community to seek God?
Isaiah 58

Session Six

Dwelling in Service
What are the needs of the people described in verses 34-38, and how did the "sheep" meet those needs? Why are we tempted to ignore meeting the basic needs of people?
Matthew 25:31-46

Session Seven

Offering Your Resources
What prompts the compassion of Jesus in this passage? Who are the people or the specific needs of people that you wish you could just "send away"?
Mark 6:30-44

Session Eight

Feasting Through Sacrifice
What are all the ways during the meal in which Jesus connects his life to the history of Israel? How should the sacrificial hospitality of Jesus change us?
Luke 22:7-30

Session Nine

Destroying Barriers
Think of a barrier that exists between you and someone else. How would that relationship be different if the barrier did not exist? How does hospitality help break down barriers between Peter and Cornelius?
Acts 10

Total number of pages - 94 pages

Patty Pell (M.A., Old Testament Studies, Denver Seminary) is a staff worker with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA on the campus of the University of Northern Colorado and at Christ Community Church in Greeley, Colorado. She is the author of Esther in the LifeGuide® Bible Study series and a coauthor of 2 Corinthians, Hebrews, Romans and 1 & 2 Thessalonians in the N. T. Wright for Everyone Bible Study Guides.