The Power of an Open Home
Without trust, discipleship cannot be effective.
Author and Pastor Stanley Mehta opens Chapter Two of his book, The Art of Raising Leaders, with those impactful words.
Where better to build that trust than within the home?
Pastor Stanley stresses how important it is to keep an open home in order to raise the next generation of leaders.
In today’s culture, an open home translates more as “entertaining” than “hospitality.” In our busy lives, an open homes comes with many qualifiers. Google calendars must sync up. Elaborate menus must be planned. The music and lighting and crockery must be on point.
But true hospitality is much simpler – and also much more powerful. Pastor Stanley uses an old Sanskrit proverb – ‘Atithi Dev Bhava’ – to point out the importance of practicing true Biblical hospitality. He explains that the saying means that one needs to welcome guests as one would welcome God. The word for “guest” in the proverb translates to ‘one who arrives without an appointment.’
In today’s world, a guest without an appointment is usually perceived as a nuisance. But receiving guests at any time is part of the Kingdom culture, says Pastor Stanley.
As one of the former pastors of Bombay Baptist Church in south Mumbai, Pastor Stanley and his wife, Esme, impacted many lives.
But that powerful, godly influence came at a cost. Right from the start of their ministry, Pastor Stanley and his wife insisted on opening the doors of their home to those in need. It meant sacrifice of personal space, of family time, and even finances.
He speaks of the time when as a young family living above the church building, they would open their home to the church youth for evening meetings. Gradually, after church, the young people would come up to Pastor Stanley’s house for lunch and stay on for the evening meeting and sometimes even later. But even with a limited salary, even with old furniture held together by rope and carpets that were falling apart, even with plates that were constantly being broken, hospitality shone through. Pastor Stanley and Esme were able to speak into the lives of the young people and disciple them.
Pastor Stanley also says that opening our homes gives the disciple-maker an avenue to hone the character of the disciple because of the trust that has been built in the intimate space of the home.
Click to buy : The Art of Raising Leaders
