You’re the Host

If Goshen is your church, let me speak with you for a moment.  It’s important to pause and think about the mindset we all need to have when we come together on Sundays.

I draw attention to this because it’s oh-so-easy to get it wrong.  The temptations luring us away from the outlook God wants us to have are powerful.  Put it this way:  if we don’t deliberately adopt the necessary mindset, we’ll invariably and swiftly fall into a contrary way of thinking, to the detriment of all.

So what is this mindset to be adopted by every Goshen member and regular attendee?  It’s this:  you’re the host, not a guest. You are hosting our Sunday gatherings, along all the rest of us who call GBC our home church.

To illustrate this mentality, imagine having company come to your home for dinner.  As the host, what do you do?  How do you see your role?  Well, you take responsibility for tidying up, preparing food, and doing all you can do to get ready to warmly welcome your guests.  Why?  So they’ll feel at ease.  When the doorbell rings, you’re on it:  “Welcome, come in, so glad you’re here!”

So too, the believers who form any local church are not customers who go shopping on Sunday mornings to purchase and consume religious goods.  They are—we are—servants of Christ, members of his body, and ambassadors of his Gospel.  As Ephesians 4:12 indicates, we’re all being equipped to do the work of the ministry.  We follow Jesus’ lead as one who came not to be served but to serve (Mark 10:45).  We take ownership of the Goshen atmos­phere; we have a stake in building a church culture of hospitality.

So, next time you walk in the church doors, do not make a beeline to your friend group or simply hover around familiar faces.  You’re on duty as host.  Guests have been invited.  Look for newcomers.  Do all you can to make visitors feel welcome!