InTouch March 2023

Dear Friends,

The basis for all fellowship is brotherly love. The deepest kind of fellowship is not based on race or family relationships but on the spiritual life we have in Christ. A church fellowship that is based on anything other than a love for Christ and for one another, simply will not last.

The love of Christ demands a ministry from us, where we practice brotherly love. Where there is true Christian love, there will also be hospitality. This was an important ministry in the early Church because persecution drove many believers away from their homes. Also, there were poor travelling ministers who needed places to stay. 3 Jn. 5 - 8. Many poor saints were invited to stay with fellow believers. All visitors were given a warm welcome.

I believe visitors are very important to us, and it's our job, to do what the early Christians did, welcome them. This is what the love of Christ demands from us.They are important because they may be unconverted or in need of spiritual help.They may have moved into the area recently and are looking for a new spiritual home for worship. What kind of example is it, when they are left stranded after the service? Does it show the love of Christ in us? Although I believe many of us may be painfully shy, it's our job, not theirs, to take the initiative and welcome them. Whilst we may have friends we wish to speak to, a welcome of some sort to the visitor must be encouraged.

In Gen 18, we are told of Abraham showing generous hospitality to the 2nd person of the Trinity and two of His angels. Abraham did not know who they were when he welcomed them; it was only later that he discovered the identities of his guests. You and I may not entertain angels in a literal sense (though it might be possible), but any stranger we meet could turn out to be a messenger of blessing to us. (the word "angel" simply means messenger) Often we have had guests in our homes, and churches, who have turned out to be messengers of God's blessings.

May God help us in our ministry in this way, and may our love for Christ be revealed in our love for one another and visitors.

Yours in Christ, 

Pastor