Bible passage:
Home of refreshment - Luke 5: 27 - 29 - After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” And leaving everything, he rose and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. Luke 14: 12 - 14 He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”
Home where church meets - 1 Corinthians 16:19 The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord. Col 4:15 Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.
Home of prayer meetings - Acts 12: 12 [Peter's escape from prison] When he [Peter] realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.
Home to rest and heal - Acts 9: 11, 12 - And the Lord said to him [Ananias], “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.”
Home that accepts persecution due to receiving missionaries - Parts of Acts 17: 1-9 And some of them [Jews in the synagogue of Thessalonica] were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas. But the Jews [other leaders] were jealous... they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason... they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.
Home for strangers - Hebrews 13: 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
We read from the Bible that God opened the homes of His children for those around - for refreshment, prayer support, gathering to hear His word, resting, and sharing of the gospel. At times, opening the homes came with a cost, a sacrifice unto the Lord.
Let's pray that the homes of Christians are truly open to those around, for them to come home for refreshment, healing, prayer, comfort, and for knowing God.
Prayer points:
Pray that Christian homes are open to others around, for them to come home for refreshment, healing, prayer, comfort, and for knowing God.
Pray that there is hospitality for diverse people from various economic, social, lingual, and community backgrounds.
Pray that homes are eager to host prayer meetings, church gatherings, and gospel outreach meetings.
Pray for God's protection over the homes, protection against persecution, and evil attacks.
If you can, try memorizing Hebrews 13:2.
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