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Serving as Senders

By Gene M. Roncone

Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church about your love. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth" (3 John 5—8).*

The evangelistic team arrives at your church after a week of weary travel, but not one person is willing to host them. Sound unbelievable? Not only is it believable, but it actually happened in the Early Church and is recorded in the Bible. Much of the evangelistic and teaching ministry of the Early Church depended on traveling missionaries and evangelists. And these traveling preachers depended on the hospitality of local churches. Most of the time things went well. However, some local church leaders became embarrassingly deficient in their attention to the needs of these traveling preachers.

Diotrephes was one of these leaders. Aware that a group of traveling missionaries would be passing through, John sent Diotrephes a letter requesting him to assist the group on their journey. Unfortunately, Diotrephes suppressed the letter and opposed the request before his congregation. When word got back to John that another local leader named Gaius boldly took these traveling preachers in and showed them hospitality, he wrote Third John as a note of appreciation. It is here that three principles emerge concerning our biblical obligation to show hospitality toward guest missionaries and evangelists.

HOSPITALITY REFLECTS THE DEPTH OF OUR KINGDOM THINKING

In his praise for Gaius, John implied that one’s willingness to show hospitality to missionaries and evangelists is a direct reflection of spiritual faithfulness. At first glance, this implication may seem judgmental, unwarranted, and quite exaggerated. However, John never confronted a theological doctrine or belief held by Diotrephes. We are told only that Diotrephes "loves to be first" (verse 9). The conflict was not between two types of beliefs, but two levels of thinking and two different perspectives concerning the kingdom of God. Perhaps Diotrephes saw these guests as a distraction to the work of reaching his own community. It may be that he resented being obligated to larger organizational needs. After all, he did not commission these missionaries. Why should he have to pay the bills for John’s grand vision? He may have even felt that John’s expectations were presumptuous and infringed on the autonomy of the local church.

But John shows us that our attention to the needs of missionaries and evangelists reveals the parameters of our Kingdom thinking. John said in verse 5 that Gaius’ actions were a product of faithfulness. Gaius’ hospitality was not so much an act of faith as much as a reflection of faithfulness to a cause beyond his local work. It was this kind of Kingdom thinking that enabled Gaius to reach out to people who were otherwise unknown to him, except that they were among the community of believers.

During my high school years, I lived in the beautiful hills of Los Gatos, California. Located in the midst of the Santa Cruz Mountains, the area was threatened by a serious forest fire. Firefighters, trucks, helicopters, and equipment came from all over the state to subdue the devastating flames. Many homes were endangered, evacuated, and burned. The community felt a deep sense of gratitude for these out-of-town firefighters who risked their lives to save our community. People brought thousands of pounds of food, drinks, and goodies to the fire camp. At every occasion we reached out to the firefighters. Though they were strangers to us, we were deeply loyal to what they were doing. We reached beyond our own need and found a sense of brotherhood in our common cause. This is the kind of Kingdom thinking that Gaius possessed, and why John said, "We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth." When we show hospitality to ministry guests, we become partners in their work.

HOSPITALITY RECOGNIZES THE DEMANDS OF TRAVEL

Caring for the needs of your guest missionary or evangelist does not end at the conclusion of the service. When John said, "You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God," he revealed that our obligation to meet the needs of our guests must begin before they arrive, continue during their ministry, and anticipate future needs.

Before your guests arrive, contact them to communicate your expectations. They need to know how much time you have allotted for their ministry, the number of times you would like them to speak, the type of setting, lodging accommodations, appropriate dress, and your plans for them after the service. Send them a map to the church. Make arrangements for them to stay in a hotel that serves breakfast and has a coffeepot. Traveling to a different location every week can make relaxing difficult for missionaries or evangelists if each week they are a guest in a different person’s home. Have your wife check the room beforehand to make sure it is clean and presentable.

Assign someone to serve as guest host with the responsibility of meeting your speakers at the door and helping them find the pastor, bathrooms, children’s classes, or other needs associated with their visit. Ask your host to sit with your guest or their family during the church service to make them feel comfortable and to monitor their welfare. Take time to familiarize yourself with the biographical information they may have sent you beforehand. A good introduction will help them build rapport with your people. If for some reason you will not be there that day, let them know.

When they arrive, be sure to show them the same Christian love for which John commended Gaius. It is awkward for a guest to arrive, only to be left alone in an empty room to wait for the service to begin. Make sure they have someone with them. Personally greet them upon their arrival and pray with them prior to the service. When considering their love offering, be generous. Remember, they are not only supporting their family with your love offering, but financing travel as well. If you are having them on a Sunday morning, your offering may very well be the only source of income they will have that week. Ask yourself if you could support your family and travel for a week on the amount you are planning to give them. It is also important to spend one-on-one time with your guest. A traveling ministry brings with it a yearning for personal fellowship with others in ministry.

Sending them on their way is more than concluding the service and saying farewell. John instructed Gaius to take responsibility for missionaries and evangelists in their departure. Sending them involved providing for their journey. Supplying them with food, money to pay for expenses, washing of clothing, and assisting with traveling accommodations were the things John was thinking about. In our own day, this biblical principle calls us to the same kind of sensitivity. Before you say farewell to your ministry guests, ask if they need anything to help them get to their next destination. Recruit families who will pray for the evangelist or missionary daily and introduce them to the guests before they leave. If they have several hours of layover before their next service or destination, offer to extend the hotel room for another day should they need a place to rest. After the service, be sure to send them off with a meal, a full tank of gas, and prayer. Such hospitality is refreshing for the person who spends a great deal of time traveling. As a matter of fact, John tells Gaius that his loving hospitality could not escape the attention of his guests. The missionaries could not help but tell others about it. hospitality reveals the dignity of God’s family

Missionaries and evangelists are wholly dependent on God’s people for their support. That is what faith is all about. When John said, "It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans," he was revealing how unreasonable it is to expect ministries to be financed by anyone other than the church. The people we are trying to evangelize cannot support evangelism.

Traveling missionaries and evangelists are to be recognized as servants of God and supported as such. Paul advocated this when he said, "The Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel" (1 Corinthians 9:14). Missionaries and evangelists are entitled to expect support from the church of Christ they so boldly serve. It is disgraceful for the church to flaunt its financial needs before an unbelieving world. This is why it is important that our evangelists and missionaries not be made to wait to receive a check from their love offering. Have it ready for them when they leave. Pastors can usually arrange to have a check cut in one day when it is an emergency. Treat their offerings as though they were an emergency. If you do not provide them a check, they may not have sufficient funds to get to their next destination. If for some reason you cannot give them their check, tell them when they can expect it.

During the Gulf War, we enjoyed the benefits of ringside seats and play-by-play commentary by the press. During one of those daily briefings, a reporter demanded to know the rationale for such a massive mobilization of American troops. The operations spokesman responded with a powerful statement. He informed the press that an undertaking so grand and ambitious requires a "line of communication." According to the general, a line of communication demands that for every one person on the battlefront, there be nine others backing him up. We should not be surprised. John was teaching the principles of a line of communication thousands of years before the Gulf War. If we hope to empower and release God’s missionaries and evangelists, we must possess the spirit of Gaius and serve as senders.

Gene M. Roncone is senior pastor of New Hope Church, Elk Grove, California.

*Scripture quotations are from the New International Version.