Wednesday, Aug 27, 2008

TWG - August 27, 2008

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TWG - August 27, 2008
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com
Numbers 3; Psalm 77; Galatians 2

Today is August 27, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. You are part of a devotional community where we put Christ first and our commitment is to spend time with each other and Time with God every day.

The church was a hub of busyness yesterday. Bill was out in the parking lot getting the slab ready to pour. Phil Teel stopped in with the clips he made for the projector screen. Jayn was there watering. Carl was there working on computers. Sonja, Helen, Rochelle, Marcia, Holly, Jayn and who knows who else came to can beans and apples. I put our new garden cart together for transporting the sound system. It works great. I posted a new radio podcast to the internet… check it out. And I worked a bit on Awana. After work I got beat in a few sets of tennis with Phil. Then it was off to men’s meeting where Carl & I fixed Rochelle’s computer. I put a picture of Carl working on the AWANA circle on the Blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out.

This week’s theme verse is Hebrews 13:1-3 Let brotherly love continue. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. Remember the prisoners as if chained with them— and those who are mistreated— as if you yourselves were suffering.

Ever entertained an angel? When I was dating, I thought my girlfriend (wife now) was one! And she is a bit angelic, having to put up with me and all my antics, but that’s not exactly what I’m talking about. I’m talking about a genuine, honest to goodness, authentic supernatural being from God’s great heaven. What an angel would be doing in my dining room, I don’t know. And how I would recognize him or her as an angel, I don’t know. “Hi, my name is Gabe (short for Gabriel) and I’m an angel. I was just in the neighborhood looking for a snack when I smelled your good home cookin’! Mind if I join you for dinner before I fly off and do cosmic battle with Satan and his hosts for the domination of the world?” “Right. The Rescue Mission is right around the corner. Beat it!” Not so fast! Hospitality is so important to the Kingdom of God that God sometimes rewards us with angels. That’s what the verse implies. The words “entertain strangers” are really one word in the Greek language meaning “hospitality” or literally “a lover of strangers.” A friend of mine, Jim, loves to paraphrase the great commission to read, “Go make friends for Jesus.” Being a lover of strangers is one of the most effective ways to win the world to Christ, one stranger at a time. And if you really love strangers, you’ll want to meet them, get to know them and become friends with them. That’s what hospitality is all about: Treating strangers with honor and making them feel at home; Regularly inviting guests to my home in order to love on them so they want the love of God. And that is what hospitality is all about. The word “hospitality” has a wide range of uses: “The hospitality industry” is a broad variety of services including hotels, food service, entertainment, and tourism. From the word hospitable, we get hospital, hospice and hostile (a place to bunk – I’ve stayed in one!). God wants your home to become a place of laughter, entertainment, tourism, overnight stays, and even a place of healing and spiritual health care. How does that happen? It begins with a commitment to be intentional about the use of our home. We choose to dedicate our place back to God. Then we determine to use whatever resources God has given us in ministering to strangers. One of the easiest ways to get started is to invite a few families, couples or singles from the church to our house for a BBQ along with some stranger who happened to show up at the Sunday Morning Meeting. What a great way to fill the house with laughter, friendship and joy. And who knows, one of those strangers might turn out to be an angel with a message from God, “Thanks for building my kingdom with your faithfulness to strangers!”

Dear Father. I want to show others the love you have shown me. I want to be a lover of strangers. Today I choose to be intentional about hospitality. I dedicate my home and all my belongings to you to be used in your service. I will begin to regularly take opportunities to entertain the brothers and strangers in my home!

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, To comfort all who mourn, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, and The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;

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