The Gospel Comes with a House Key
Blessed Are the Merciful (3|3)
The Hope of Hospitality
• Refugees and Terror
Pages 191-197
TOGETHER read the book and discuss the content below.
INDIVIDUALLY take notes in your journal on what stands out (try to keep it brief).
Luke 10:3 (NIV) “Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’”
James 3:17-18 (NIV) But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
Hebrews 12:14 (NIV) Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness, no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
The same power that raised Jesus from the grave he has given to those who have committed their lives to him so that we can serve gospel peace and be a bridge to the Lord himself in this dark world.
God’s mercy poured out on the cross, emboldens us to keep the door of our house open to others. Conflict in a neighborhood draws people in close - neighbor to neighbor.
TOGETHER pray for one another.
INDIVIDUALLY answer the questions in your journal - process your notes and pray.
Why is it freeing that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in you when you share the gospel with your neighbors?
What does grieving look like for you as a Christian? How does God’s Word change how we grieve?
How can your home be used for your neighbors in times of personal or national crisis?
Why is it important to be there for your neighbors in both word and deed? Is one of these easier or harder for you? Why?
Pause and pray - feel free to pray your own words as you reflect and respond to this chapter or pray the prayer below:
Dear Lord, work your mercy in me. Help me to have mercy because I have peace with you. May I not complicate my life, but do the simple act of hospitality that serves gospel peace to my neighbors. Open my eyes to the work that needs to be done. Help me to serve others in times of crisis, both by meeting immediate needs and by speaking true words of the gospel into their situations. Thank you for your supernatural power in me by your Spirit.
EXTRA READING:
“We are all asked to do more than we can do. Every hero and heroine of the Bible does more than he or she would have thought it possible to do, from Gideon to Esther to Mary. Jacob, one of my favorite characters, certainly wasn’t qualified. He was a liar and a cheat, and yet he was given the extraordinary vision of angels and archangels ascending and descending a ladder which reached from heaven to earth.”
- Madeleine L’Engle (1918 - 2007)