Late one night in Philadelphia and elderly couple came into a
little third class motel. The husband said to the night clerk, "Please
don't tell us you don't have a room. My wife and I have been all
over the city looking for a place to stay. We didn't know about the
big conventions that have filled the motels. We are dead tired and
its after midnight. Please don't tell us you have no place for us to
sleep." The clerk looked at them for a long moment and then said,
"The only room available is my own. I work at night and sleep in
the daytime. It's not as nice as the other rooms but its clean. I'll be
happy to let you use it for the night." The wife said, "God bless you
young man."
The next morning they invited the clerk to breakfast and they
said, you are too fine a hotel man to be in a place like this. How
would you like to be the manager of a large luxurious hotel?" The
clerk was suspicious about them, but he did stammer out, "It sounds
wonderful." They said they would contact him, and believe it or
not, the man became the best known hotel man in the world. That
couple were the Astors, and they went and built the famous
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. It had 1900 rooms, and
this young man who shared his room for one night of hospitality was
made the manager. He had not entertained angels unaware, but he
had entertained a millionaire. And he was rewarded beyond his
wildest dreams.
Paul does not say that Christian leaders will all be rewarded
with great jobs if they show hospitality, but he does make this a
requirement just to be a positive Christian leader. We think of
hospitality more along the lines of having people over for a meal, or
of scheduling parties as a place for people to meet and fellowship.
This is a valid concept, but the experience of the young clerk is more
in keeping with the original idea of hospitality. The word comes
from hospital, and if you trace the word hospital, you discover that
it was first of all a place to shelter and entertain strangers. The first
hospitals were more life motels and hotels. People travelling needed
a place to stay in the old days as well as now, and where they stayed
was in the hospital.
This is directly related to the Greek word we are exploring for
hospitality. It is the word philoxenos, which means the love of
strangers. To be hospitable means to be open to care for the needs
of people you do not know. Paul is not saying a Christian leader is
one who must run his own motel, but he is saying that they must be
those who are willing to take people in and give food and shelter.
The idea is that a leader should set an example of Christlikeness in
being willing, as Jesus was, to share all he had to meet the needs of
others. Hospitality is part of the spirit of ministry. You have to give
of yourself to be hospitable. It takes time, effort, and money to care
about people. The Good Samaritan found a stranger in need and
gave of his time and money to put him up in a motel.
The original meaning is love of strangers, and so it is not the
same thing as having fellowship with other Christians at your home.
It has to do with your compassion for the people you don't even
know. Peter uses this same word in I Pet. 4:9 where he writes,
"Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling." Apparently
some Christians were doing the right thing, but with the wrong
spirit. They help their fellow Christians in their travel, but they did
not like it, and it was a burden.
The fact is, the only way to be a good Christian is to bear one
another's burdens. You just can't get by and be a good Christian if
you don't pay some sort of price in helping others along the road.
Sometimes we forget this and expect to sail along and not have to
bear other's burdens, but that is escapism, and it is not fitting for
someone who is a Christian leader. If every Christian is to be
hospitable, then the leader is one who is to be setting the pace and be
showing hospitality in a conspicuous way.
Hospitality to Christians can be a burden. The cost of food is
such that feeding people very often can be a major expense. But this
is usually enjoyable and you benefit from it on the spot. But Jesus
said in Luke 14 that we are not to invite people you know to your
party. Invite people you know will never invite you back. They are
the poor and handicapped, and they could not be good hosts if they
wanted to. This is real hospitality, and you are then managing a
hospital-a place where the needs and health of strangers is cared for.
This is a real sacrifice, and there will not necessarily be any reward
on the spot. But Jesus concluded in Luke 14:14, "Although they
cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the
righteous."
One of the records that God keeps in heaven is the record of all
the acts of hospitality that we perform. If you show love for a
stranger and be hospitable, you may be as surprised as the young
clerk who got the reward of his life for being hospitable to strangers.
Jesus said that even a cup of cold water given in His name will not
go unrewarded. God loves the hospitable person in a special way
because it is a special form of love that makes itself available to all in
need. This is a very God like quality. Jesus came unto His own and
His own received Him not, but there were some who did. They
opened their home to Him and gave Him a place of comfort and
retreat. In Bethany, for example, was the home of Mary, Martha
and Lazarus. They were special people in the life of our Lord
because of their hospitality.
Jesus took the issue of hospitality so seriously that He made it a
basis for judgment when He comes again. Those who are welcomed
into His kingdom are those who exercised hospitality. Matt.
25:34-36 says, "Then the king will say to those on his right, come,
you who are blessed of my Father; take your inheritance, the
kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was
hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you
gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,
I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after
me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." You could reduce
this paragraph to one sentence and say, "I was in need of hospitality
and you gave it to me."
The first Christian hospital was founded in obedience to this
passage. In the year 370 A. D. in the town of Edessa, Syria there
was a severe famine. The hermit Ephraim came out of his seclusion
to scold the citizens who had abundance for letting the poor die of
starvation. They said, "But there is nobody we can trust to use our
wealth for good." He said, "What about me?" They agreed that he
was an honest man and large sums of money were given. He
ordered 300 beds to be set up in the public porches, and the first
Christian hospital was born to feed and care for the poor. Strangers
and local inhabitants were equality welcome.
Five years later Basil, bishop of Caesarea, open up another
hospital not far from this first one. From then on to this day
Christians have been in the hospital business. Many famous
preachers in history were builders of hospitals. John Chrysostom,
the golden mouth preacher, in the early 400's build several hospitals.
There were the motel type just for strangers to have a place to stay
as they traveled. The church started the motel business out of the
spirit of hospitality. But the needs were varied and so they built
hospitals for the ill as well, and then they built them for cripples,
and then for orphans. The first was founded by St. Jerome in
Bethlehem. They had hospitals for the old as well, and also for the
very poor and destitute. The monasteries were built also as places
where strangers could find shelter and food.
St. Augustine started a hospital in his own home, and often he
sat down to eat with the guests. Bishops were expected to manage
hospitals, for all Christian leaders were expected to be hospitable.
The point is, the teachings of Jesus and Paul radically affected the
history of the church in the area of hospitality. In modern times
many of these institutions started by the church have become secular
businesses. The Gideons still have their Bibles in the motels and
hotels, but it is basically a secular business. When you travel and
have a nice place to stay and rest, remember that you have it
because Jesus demanded that strangers be treated with love.
Philoxenos means love of strangers, and that is the Greek word
for hospitality that Paul says a Christian leader is to possess. If you
don't care about strangers, but only care about people you know,
you do not qualify to be a Christian leader, for you lack a basic
Christlike quality of spirit.
The next positive qualification Paul gives is that he must be one
who loves what is good. This seems so obvious that you would think
that it would go without saying. Whoever heard of the question
being asked, "Do you love what is good, or is the bad your
preference?" You have to keep in mind we are dealing with a very
corrupt culture in Crete. It was the custom to love lying, laziness,
and gluttony. The bad was so popular that a Christian leader had to
love what was good, which meant the truth, being honest, and being
a good worker. It meant he had to be living a life of balance. A
Christian leader is to be one that gets his pleasure in life by means of
the virtues rather than the vices. It is a life where what is true,
lovely, and of good report is basic to ones pleasures.
To be a lover of the good is somewhat vague, and no doubt this is
one purpose, for what is good is quite subjective. What is good
music, art, food, or anything where the tastes and opinions of men
vary? Paul does not get specific, for the idea is simply that a
Christian leader is to be one who loves what is universally accepted
as good. A lover of good is always a positive influence in the church
and the community, for he loves what is good for all. You can
depend on them to support what is good for the body and what will
make life better for all. A lover of what is good is a lover of all
people, for they care about everyone getting what is good for them.
Everyone does this at some time. A little girl who was usually
quite disruptive in Sunday School was very good one Sunday. The
teacher said to her, "You have been such a good girl today." And
she responded, "I couldn't help it, I got a stiff neck." To be a
qualified Christian leader Paul says you have to be good and a lover
of the good, and not by accident, but on purpose.
The third positive quality is that he must be self-controlled. The
best form of government is the self-government of one whose
ultimate loyalty is to God. Our pledge of allegiance says, "One
nation under God." That is to be our personal pledge-one life under
God. When I can so control my life and all my drives so that I can
choose to obey the will of God, as best as I understand it, then I am
self-controlled, and living under the best form of government in the
world. I cannot control what happens in Washington, or at the state
capital, or in my neighbors life, but I can control what happens in
my life. I have the deciding vote in all of my choices. In fact, I am a
dictator and a totalitarian ruler over the dominion of self. If my
allegiance is to Christ, and the Bible is my constitution, I can live
under the perfect form of government.
Most Cretans were not self-controlled, but were under the
control of the culture. They conform to the culture and went along
with the lack of moderation. This led to a great deal of dishonesty,
deception, and sensual indulgence. They were not in control of their
lives, but were the captives of the culture being swept along with
whatever the craze of the moment was. You cannot be a leader if
you are not in control of your life. If you are just being swept along
by the current of the culture, how can you lead others to be not
conformed to the world? A Christian leader has to show that he or
she is not under the control of the culture, but that they operate
under self-control.
A leader of others needs to be first of all a leader of self. A. J.
Gordon said, "The greatest battlefield in which a man ever fought is
within himself." A leader is to be one who has fought that battle and
won so that he is in control of the territory called self. He can
rightly surrender this territory to Christ because he is its ruler. The
reason so many Christians cannot surrender many aspects of their
life to Christ is because they are not in control. I cannot surrender
to His Lordship what I do not control anymore than I can surrender
my neighbor's bank account over which I have no control.
The United States is the most powerful nation in the world, but it
cannot surrender to the U. N. property in Canada over which it has
no control. You hae to have self-control to yield yourself to Christ.
If the culture controls 50 per cent of your life, that 50 per cent will
be a battle ground. Why do Christian leaders fall into sin and
destroy their ministry, and damage the cause of Christ? It is
because they have certain areas of their life where they do not have
self-control. They are not fully in charge, but are under the control
of outside forces. They cannot surrender these areas of life to Christ
because they do not control them.
This lack of self-control is the number one cause for Christian
leaders falling into sin. They end up as poor leaders even though
they may succeed marvelously for a while, and it is because they fail
to gain full self-control. It is universally acknowledged that there is
no greater victory in life than the victory over self. Shakespeare in
Love's Labor Lost says, "Brave conquerors, for so you are that war
against your own affections and the huge army of the world's
desires." Paul says that only those victorious in this battle should be
leaders of others, for how can you lead others if you cannot eve lead
yourself to be obedient to the Lordship of Christ?
The 4th quality he adds is that of being upright. This is a virtue
referred to over 80 times in the New Testament. It is a virtue of all
the good people of the New Testament, and it refers to the character
of God and Jesus also. The key words in the KJV in English are
just, right, and righteous. This term covers the whole of life, and the
upright person is one who can be counted on to do what is right. It
includes all of life, and it becomes a term to cover the whole category
of people that please God. God sends rain on the just and the unjust.
The just are the upright. The same Greek word is used to
refer, not just to a virtue, but to the whole body of God's people.
Paul says the just shall live by faith. They are those who are
upright and pleasing to God. Jesus refers to the resurrection of the
just, and He means all those who are saved. This word came to
stand for all God's people. They are the just and the upright. Every
Christian is to be this, but the leaders especially, for they are to be
examples of how good God's people can be.
The next qualification is somewhat scary to us, for Paul says a
leader is to be holy. It is not the usual word for holy that is used
over 200 times in the New Testament. The word here is hosios
which is used only 8 times. This word means kind and gracious. It
is the focus on just one aspect of God's holiness. God so loved the
world that He gave His only begotten Son. God is so kind and
gracious that it is beyond our comprehension. A leader is to reflect
this kind of love for people. He or she is to be an example of just
how kind and gracious a Christ like person can be.
Many Christians are damaged goods in this area of life. They
have been so conditioned by their past that they find it very difficult
to be kind and gracious to certain people. They have deep seated
prejudices that hinder them. If they lack the self-control to prevent
it, they will let their unkindness be exposed, and they will do damage
to the cause of Christ. A leader is to be one who could go the home
of a Pharisee and eat with him even though he despised his attitudes
and actions. He could be kind and gracious to the worst of people,
be they high and noble, or the most lowly and despicable.
This is a sort of holiness that just the opposite of what we usually
think of as holy. Holy is usually to be separated unto God. It is to
be detached and free from the sin and folly of the world. But here is
another side of holiness. It is the ability to be in the presence of sin
and sinful people and be kind and gracious rather than offensive. A
Christian leader needs this ability if he or she is going to represent
the Lord Jesus, who was and is the greatest friend of sinners.
Commander Mitsuo Fuchida lead the Japanese attack on Pearl
Harbor that killed thousands of Americans. He was in Hiroshima
the day before the atomic bomb was dropped, but he left and
escaped getting some of his own medicine. He wondered why he
was spared. After the war ended he was very bitter against the
Americans. He sought of evidence that they were like beasts who
tortured Japanese prisoners. He asked a friend who had been a
prisoner of war about his experience. The friend eagerly related
how a nurse, the daughter of American missionaries, had nursed
him back to health with love and kindness.
This nurse knew her parents had been shot by the Japanese in
the Philippines. They were shot as they knelt in prayer. Fuchida
was shaken by this testimony, and others like it. He got a Bible and
began to read it. Listen to his testimony: "When I came to Luke 23
and read Christ's prayer just before He died on the cross, then I
understood. I met Jesus that day. He came into my heart and
changed my life from military officer to a warrior for Christ." He
traveled over the world preaching the Gospel, and all this happened
because a Christian showed great kindness to one who was an
enemy. That is positive Christian leadership that changes the world.
The final positive quality we are looking at is that a leader is to
be disciplined. Temperate is the word in the KJV. It is used in all
its forms only 5 times in the New Testament. It means to be
self-restrained. It is the word Paul used in I Cor. 9 to describe the
sportsman who goes into strict training to discipline his body so that
he can be a winner in the games. It is part of the whole issue of
self-control, but it narrows down to being one who exercises to
buildup his ability to refrain from that which hinders his running the
good race for Christ.
A leader is not content just to be a Christian. He wants to be a
good Christian, and the best Christian he can be. They put forth
effort in order to grow. They are ever reaching up to find better
ways to apply God's Word in their lives. They are the people who
are not satisfied with surface Christianity. They long for depth, and
they do something about it. The implication is clear. There is no
easy road to being a Christian leader. It is usually very hard work.
You can be a natural in sports, but if you are not disciplined you will
not win, for someone with less talent will be working hard to beat
you, and they will if you rely only on your talent. Discipline is what
keeps breaking records in every event of the Olympics. Discipline is
what makes the best in every field of endeavor.
When Lillian Nordica, the great soprano, gave an amazing
performance in Indianapolis, Albert Beveridge, who became a U. S.
Senator, praised her for her incomparable throat, she became angry
and said, "Not my incomparable throat but hard work, weeks of
it-years of it! Discipline and sacrifice, these made my performance
tonight possible!" Top notch people in any field resent the idea that
they just have the gift, and so it is no big deal that they are so good.
They give their lives to be that good. It takes enormous discipline.
So to be the best positive Christian leader you can be takes discipline
and sacrifice. It is hard work, and without those willing to make the
sacrifice to be such, the church cannot survive, let alone thrive. May
God motivate us to pay the price to make our Lord proud of us by
being committed to His standards of positive leadership.
