“Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart.” (Acts 2:46)
While the phrase “breaking bread” is used for the Lord’s Supper observance (see Acts 2:42), it’s used in this verse in connection with eating meals together. The relationship of food to community building was not unique to Christianity, but it was undoubtedly integral. Believers shared not only food with each other, satisfying the most basic of human needs, but also shared their memories of Jesus Christ (in the vein of the Lord’s Supper). They could not stop talking about God and what He was doing in their lives. And this was not confined to the formal structures of church life but was a natural outgrowth in the smaller circles of fellowship.
A related word that will help us develop a “Filet of Strangers” mentality is the Greek word translated as “hospitality” in English. The word appears six times in the NT and is connected to discipleship. It does not mean laying out a lavish spread, a culinary delight served on fine bone china (as is the practice in some places). This scares many people away from a very important practice of discipleship.
Let’s get one thing out of the way; in our busy lives, not everyone is a “Martha Stewart,” and the idea of cooking for others threatens even the most accomplished households. Hospitality does not need to be a big deal, it can be practiced by inviting others for a meal out as well as a meal in. The point is not the location or venue or even the spread, but the company of believers gathered together in community, doing the normal life things that we all engage in, but doing it together – that means eating together or “breaking bread.”
Now here is my point. This is not a ministry of inviting friends over for a game of cards. The underlying Greek word suggests that hospitality involves bringing others into your circle of life, a ministry of “love of strangers.” In fact, the word itself is a compound, attaching the word “philos” (meaning brotherly love) and “zenos” (meaning a stranger), resulting in “philoxenia.” The nuanced understanding of hospitality is to extend your close fellowship of Christian friends to include others outside of that circle to share in your life and blessings.
That this is more than just a casual gathering of your close friends, which people naturally do, is evident by the six times Scripture speaks of the “brotherly love of strangers.”
A committed Christian life is characterized as one that is … “contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality” (Rom. 12:13).
The apostle Peter emphasized the need to … “Be hospitable to one another without complaint” (1 Peter 4:9).
The command is pointed and is given a rationale… “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it” (Heb. 13:2).
A qualification for spiritual-pastoral leadership is twice mentioned … “An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach…” (1 Tim. 3:2, also Titus 1:8).
A qualification for a widow to receive benevolence support in the church is that she must have … “a reputation for good works; and … if she has shown hospitality to strangers, if she has washed the saints’ feet, if she has assisted those in distress, and if she has devoted herself to every good work” (1 Tim. 5:10).
Here are some ideas for making hospitality work for you. Host others in your home traveling through or in temporary need, including meals and accommodations. Invite people from your church whom you usually don’t socialize with, or invite people who may not know each other well. Sunday after church services, invite a few others to join you for a meal at a restaurant. Each Sunday morning, ask God to show you someone who seems lonely, discouraged, depressed, disconnected, or needs a Barnabas to help them get cared for.
And talk about God. Mary and I have simple, non-threatening questions we ask that can be icebreakers to help the conversation go below the surface. “How did you come to know Jesus Christ as your savior?” “How did you and your spouse meet? Was that before or after coming to Christ?” “What is the most challenging/fulfilling thing about being a Christian at your job?” “How does being a Christian affect your job?” When our children were still at home, the dinner table often saw visiting missionaries or preachers, where our hospitality for them doubled as a blessing for our children, who were exposed regularly to highly committed individuals for Christ sharing their stories of faith.
Showing hospitality is not difficult, but the biggest hurdle is getting over ourselves and our self-centeredness, being open to serving others simply and practically, and stepping out of our comfort zone. Remember, God showed His love to us in Jesus Christ and brought us into His inner circle through His sacrifice on the cross:
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household …. (Eph 2:19)
Let us be like Christ, grow in our discipleship, and enjoy our next meal with a Filet of Strangers!
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