Doubling Groups #2: Hospitality as a Method Good Questions: These Lessons Have Groups Talking by Josh Hunt www.joshhunt.com

Hospitality ⁽¹⁾

OPEN

• Let's each share our name one thing you love to do. ⁽²⁾

DIG

1. 1 Peter 4.9. What is the form of the language in this verse. In other words, is this a proverb, prophesy, parable or command? ⁽³⁾
2. What are some examples of hospitality?
3. Why is it important that Christians be people of hospitality?
4. What are the benefits of being people of hospitality?
5. Do you think, generally speaking, people engage in hospitality more or less than twenty years ago?
6. What keeps us from engaging in hospitality?
7. Why do you think he included the phrase "without grumbling." Why might offering hospitality cause you to grumble?
8. Matthew 25:31-46. Let me ask one of you to read this passage. As we listen, count how many times Jesus speaks of strangers.
9. How important is it, according to this passage, that we invite in strangers?
10. Why do you think caring for strangers is so important to Jesus?
11. Have you ever been a stranger? What did it feel like to be a stranger?
12. Ever been a stranger and someone was really nice to you? How did that feel?
13. Romans 12.13. The living translates the phrase, "hospitality" in this passage "invite guests home for dinner." Do you think this is a fair rending of this passage?
14. Again, in the living, it says, "Get in the habit." Why is it important that we get in the habit? ⁽⁴⁾
15. Luke 14.12. When we give a luncheon of dinner, who are we to invite?
16. Is it really important to God who we invite to dinners and parties? Why is it important?
17. Ever felt snubbed because you were not invited to an event? How did that feel? Who can tell us a story about that?
18. 3 John 1.8 again speaks to us about offering hospitality. It says to work together at this. We will pick up on this theme next week-doing evangelism as a team. Do you think some people are more gifted at hospitality than others? Who in this group would you say are especially gifted at hospitality?
19. In the book You Can Double Your Class in Two Years or Less Josh Hunt speaks of the practice of hospitality as an outreach strategy. How might you imagine hospitality being used as a means of helping with evangelism?
20. Josh Hunt summarizes it this way, "You can double your class every two years or less by inviting every member and every prospect to every fellowship every month." Imagine we did this. Imagine for the next three months we gave it a try. Imagine we had three fellowships in the next three months and we didn't just invite us, we did what Jesus said: we invited outsiders. We can't control whether or not they come; all we can control is whether or not we invite them. How might that work in our case? What are some parties we could do? Let's make a list of possibilities on the board. ⁽⁵⁾
21. Of the possibilities we have listed, which rise to the top? What three parties would you like to do?
22. Who could help plan the parties? ⁽⁶⁾
23. Who would be good at inviting everyone on the class role? We want to do more than just send email. We want to call and send cards through regular mail. We have quite a number who have not been with us in a long time. Who would be good at working at inviting them to these three parties?
24. Who would be willing to contact a list of prospects? Again, we want to call, email and send something in regular mail.
25. Who would be a good administrator of this overall plan and call everyone who just volunteered to see that they are doing what they said and see if they need any help or have any questions?
26. Let's mark a date on the calendar three months from now. On this day, we want to evaluate this plan to see what worked, what didn't, and how we can adapt and adjust this plan to make it one we can use to double our class every two years or less.
27. John 15.5. ⁽⁷⁾ How successful can we be at this plan if we don't rely on Christ working through us?
28. Philippians 4.13. ⁽⁸⁾ Can we count on Christ to work though us?
29. Let's pray that God would help us double this group through the ministry of hospitality.

1. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 1 Peter 4:9 (NIV)

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 25:32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 25:33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 25:34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 25:35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 25:36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' 25:37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 25:38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 25:39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 25:40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' 25:41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 25:42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 25:43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' 25:44 "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' 25:45 "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' 25:46 "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." Matthew 25:31-46 (NIV)

When God's children are in need, you be the one to help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night. Romans 12:13 (TLB)

Then he turned to his host. "When you put on a luncheon or a banquet," he said, "don't invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. Luke 14:12 (NLT)

We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth. 3 John 1:8 (NIV)

2. I am thinking of things you like to do for fun, and things we can invite people to join us in doing.

3. Our sovereign, holy, Lord, boss, God has said it to us in the form of a command. As surely as He has commanded us to pray or give or serve or do anything else, he has said to us, "Offer hospitality without grumbling."

4. The Living renders this "get in the habit" because it is trying to faithfully communicate the Greek present tense, which is not only when something happened, but how. The how is in a linear way. It expresses the idea of continually offering hospitality. Not a one time act, but an ongoing habit or practice.

Here is how the Amplified communicates it:

Contribute to the needs of God's people [sharing in the necessities of the saints]; pursue the practice of hospitality. Romans 12:13 (AMP)

5. If you have a larger group, you might have the care groups plan individual parties. Or, you could to a "dinner for eight" approach where a group of eight people go out to dinner together. Make sure some of them are outsiders.

6. Take volunteers, or suggestions-"Yeah, you would be great at that!"

7. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5 (NIV)

8. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13 (NIV)