The Mayor of a town and his wife were walking down main street when she noticed a foreman on a construction site. Quietly she said to her husband, the mayor, I dated that guy in High School. The mayor smugly said, “If you would have married him instead of me you’d be married to a construction worker.” To which his wife replied, “If I would have married him he’d be the mayor!”
There is more to what goes on than what we see taking place. Behind every good man…is a surprised mother-in-law, and a good woman.
A great marriage isn’t made of the public image of the relationship. A great family isn’t made from the public image of the family. There is a lot going on behind the scenes.
Galatians 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. NIV
What a huge statement, “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love!” How could Paul make such a claim? In a time when the Galatians were struggling with legalistic distractions Paul settles the argument. Stop focusing on the surface things that aren’t as central to God’s Kingdom. What matters is faith expressed through love.
Much of what we are addressing right now in the church in the Western world stems from the pursuit of image making faith more of a faith product to present well. When we manufacture our own identity in the pursuit of being seen and known we are settling for the attention of man when we were designed for the attention of God. God is more interested in your private character than he is in your public image.
When we choose surface instead of substance, we are left with presentations lacking power.
Nehemiah 5:14-16 For the entire twelve years that I was governor of Judah…neither I nor my officials drew on our official food allowance. 15 The former governors, in contrast, had laid heavy burdens on the people, demanding a daily ration of food and wine, besides forty pieces of silver. Even their assistants took advantage of the people. But because I feared God, I did not act that way. 16 I also devoted myself to working on the wall and refused to acquire any land. And I required all my servants to spend time working on the wall.
It was Nehemiah’s heart to serve the purposes of God sacrificially that became the foundation upon which God’s work in the earth was restored.
Nehemiah 5:17 I asked for nothing, even though I regularly fed 150 Jewish officials at my table, besides all the visitors from other lands! TLB
Nehemiah invited many people to eat at his table. I believe this had a dramatic impact on restoring the work of God in the earth in his day. I believe it is the same today!
Christian hospitality is the substance behind our celebration. This is why God tells us to connect the public places of work and worship with the private space of home. The apostle Paul wrote to the church at Rome:
Romans 12:13 Get into the practice of inviting guests home for dinner. NLT
Our city will be transformed by our hospitality long before it will be transformed by sermons being preached in our churches.
Listening takes place on a different level when a person feels loved and embraced. This very idea is why I want to make sure everybody understands something.
Hospitality within the church family begins with treasuring a table life with our own family.
Animals lap their bowls and leave; people are designed by God to enjoy food in the context of enriched community. Think about that 2-year old who rips open a Christmas gift, looks at it for 5 seconds, then quickly grabs another. Even with the realization that this is only a child there is still a sense of understanding that this is not how gifts ought to be received.
Our culture lures us away from the table. Eat and run. Eat on the run. Eat fast food, fast. Eat alone. Eat in the van. Eat in front of the computer. Eat in shifts. Eat whenever. Many families do eat together in some fashion, some of the time. We have time to stuff a burger in our mouths, but that’s about all. God’s plan is to use the family table as a weapon against the enemy.
The culture around us has a tremendous influence on our homes. We can’t control foul language our children hear in the context of their daily lives away from us. We can’t control the promiscuity of media that is so prevalent. The world’s values are not like tides that come and go; they’re more like an uncontained fire hydrant that blasts water onto our streets. The cultural floods will always surge. But God gives the believer an ark called home.
It is every parent’s responsibility to build their family circle again and again and again. This is a boundary that prioritizes the rhythm of coming and sitting down fact to face. God knows sitting is a necessary posture for us. When we sit at the table, we position ourselves to receive, rest, and relate. In Deut 6 God commands parents to practice sitting-down moments of life for the sake of love – loving God and loving each other. Be countercultural! Don’t plan meals around activities; plan activities around your meals.
Don’t let the moods your child brings to the table define your happiness. Be the grownup and choose to overcome daily difficulties with the self-discipline of gratitude. Guard mealtime from the landmines of criticism and complaint. Discipline children elsewhere whenever possible. Weave gratitude into your conversations. Tell your children what you appreciate about each of them. Tell a story of how you experienced God in your day.
What if Sunday marked the only day of the week when we purposed dinner for lunch unlike all other days. Instead of speeding up after worship , why not slow down at your table? Make your main meal a sequel to worship and discuss the message from that morning as part of the conversation just to gather around the word and reflect on what God may be speaking to you as a family.
We live in a society that focuses on what is seen but it’s what’s behind the scenes that counts. Faith expressed through love is what we see in the sacrificial example of Christ. Jesus invites us to his table through his body and his blood we can now eat with God as friends.
We Bring GP2RL Action Point:
Purpose an enriching table experience in your home this week.
THE TABLE: FAITH THROUGH LOVE
DISCUSSION GUIDE
Click here for a downloadable pdf file of this guide.
UNDERSTANDING THE SEASON: A shared meal could be the activity most closely tied to the reality of God’s kingdom, just as it is the most basic expression of hospitality. It comes as no surprise that many significant
stories of Jesus are centered around a dinner table.
When Jesus wanted to explain to his disciples what his death was all about, he didn’t give them an informative lecture. He gave them a relational meal.
In a society that has grown so relationally disconnected, an invitation to Biblical hospitality might be one of the most compelling and irresistible aspects of Christianity. The heart of hospitality is about creating space for someone to feel seen and heard and loved. It’s about declaring your table a safe zone, a place of warmth and nourishment.
God’s plan is for us to hear his voice together as a family. This is why we start each group with the first question:
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
1. Where are you reading in your Bible and what are you sensing from God?
Galatians 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. NIV
Ask each person in your group to answer the discussion questions below after reading the verses. Don’t move on to the next question until everybody who is willing to share has had the opportunity to give their perspective.
Nehemiah 5:14-17 For the entire twelve years that I was governor of Judah…neither I nor my officials drew on our official food allowance. 15 The former governors, in contrast, had laid heavy burdens on the people, demanding a daily ration of food and wine, besides forty pieces of silver. Even their assistants took advantage of the people. But because I feared God, I did not act that way. 16 I also devoted myself to working on the wall and refused to acquire any land. And I required all my servants to spend time working on the wall. 17 I asked for nothing, even though I regularly fed 150 Jewish officials at my table, besides all the visitors from other lands! TLB
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
2. Have each person give a 60 second summary of what these verses are saying, in their own words.
3. What do these verses teach us about God?
4. What do these verses teach us about people?
5. What should you do this week in response to what we are reading and what God is revealing?
We Bring GP2RL Action Point:
Purpose an enriching table experience in your home this week.