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Title: Open Door Policy
Last Sunday night my wife and I crawled into bed and turned on the 82nd Annual Academy Awards on ABC. Now, my wife would be the first to tell you that she is watching for the dresses and I am watching because I’ve been a longtime student and fan of film.
One of the films that received several nominations, including a nomination for Best Picture, was a film entitled “The Blind Side.” It is a film based on a best selling book by Michael Lewis that tells the true story of Michael Oher, a gigantic, yet homeless African American teen living in the South who is taken in by an upper middle class white family, given a home, shown the great game of football, and he ends up becoming a star, earns a scholarship to Mississippi, and is now playing in the NFL earning millions of dollars.
It is truly a rags to riches story, make all the more impressive by the fact that it’s a completely true story. During the Oscars, they showed a short scene from the movie where Michael is just moving in with the family, and the mother, played by Sandra Bullock, takes Michael to their guest room and Michael quietly says, “This is the first time for me…”
The mother responds, “The first time for what, honey? First time you’ve had your own room?”
Quietly, and without the shame that you’d expect, Michael responds, “No. The first time I’ve slept in a bed.” It is my contention that the reaction on Sandra Bullock’s face during that moment is what earned her the nod for Best Actress this past Sunday night.
Now, as much as it may disappoint some of you this morning, our sermon is not about Sandra Bullock’s acting prowess. But rather it is about the power you have to leave an impression on someone else’s life when you take them into your home, not because of what you do for them, but because of how you treat them while they are a guest in your home.
(read 5-8)
- John’s word of encouragement
John begins in verse 6 by saying to Gaius, “Whatever it is that you are doing, keep it up! Your reputation for hospitality is widely known and respected.”
John notes that Gaius is being hospitable with both “the brethren” and “strangers.” It is my contention that both of these groups are believers. (I’ll explain more on that in a moment.)
The brethren refers to people in Gaius’ church and immediate community, and strangers are believers who are traveling from afar and Gaius takes them in and gives them rest.
Such is the case with John’s friend, Demetrius, for whom John is writing a letter of recommendation for Gaius to consider to take him in as well as he travels towards Gaius’ region.
Application: Reputations can be powerful things. John knows this, Paul knows it when he reminds us to live blameless live before the Gentiles. Peter knew this when he wrote Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. (I Pet 2:12)
So if a reputation in itself can be good or evil, and everyone has a reputation anyway, should we not make sure, for the sake of the Gospel, not for our own vanity, that we have a good reputation among the people?
And how do we do that? By manipulating the system and people’s perception so that we look good? No. It’s much simpler than that. We must simply be good. We must simply be holy. The reputation will take care of itself.
- Let them leave your house “better” than they arrived
(read 6b-7)
What is John saying here?
He’s telling Gaius that by taking these people in, welcoming strangers into your home, making them feel loved, cared for, and fed, then sending them forward “in a manner worth of God” is a great ministry.
I can tell you from personal experience, taking someone into your home is a powerful thing for a Christian to endeavor in, both as a host and as a recipient.
- You must be humble
- You must understand that you are not an owner of anything, but rather a steward of God’s resources
- You must not pass up the opportunity to equip these people, then send them forward in a better fashion then you found them
- Why “nothing from the Gentiles”?
This part of the passage is actually why I believe that the “strangers” as well as “the brethren” are both believers.
For John, he understands that both Jew and Gentile have converted to Christianity, and he sees that group as the new Israel, therefore, the “gentiles” are simply non believers.
So why is he seemingly proud that they have “taken nothing from the Gentiles?” It is an issue of glory. Christians are taught to take care of the brethren. John goes to great lengths in his writings, particularly in I John, to remind us that we are charged with “watching over our flocks” not just theologically, but physically as well. James tells us that “if a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food” we are to serve them.
For John, the glory of such action needs to be given to Christ. And in our country today, too many Christians are far too reliant on things other than the Church for hospitality: The Government, non-Christian Charitable organizations, or, worse yet, other religions meeting the needs that the Church was charged with meeting.
We need to take back the work of serving our brothers and sisters. That begins with a right theology and understanding of the Word. It then turns the question directly upon you: Is your home open to those in need? If it is, how do you make that known?
The last thing that John writes in today’s passage is “We therefore ought to receive such, that we may become fellow workers for the truth.”
In other words, “We need to take advantage when opportunities present themselves to take people into our homes, in order to better equip and serve them, in order to bring glory to Christ.”
Listen, I’m dead serious about this.
Don’t tell me there is no need for this sort of hospitality anymore.
I’m 33. In the 10 years that Mary and I have lived together in Ashland we’ve had at least 12 people live in our home short and long term. Right now, Mary and I are spending the bulk of our tax return to make another bedroom in our basement to house house guests because both of us are uncomfortable with the idea that we’d suddenly stop having people live with us just because we were blessed with a second child. Jamie and Ruthie have a small home. They also converted a breezeway into another bedroom to house international students with a need.
You attend a church who’s primary mission field is a university filled with students who often have this exact type of need. If the door to your heart is open, the door to home should always be as well.