The Pool Table
From the very beginning of the Lord’s church, Christians had a habit of hospitality. While it is clear they gathered together as an assembly for worship, they also practiced individual hospitality. In Acts 2:42 the “three thousand souls” were continuing with each other in “the breaking of bread.” Yet, in Acts 2:46 they are “breaking bread from house to house” and eating “their food with gladness…” The former seems to be a part of their collective worship and the latter a reference to the hospitality of the home.
Unfortunately, many Christians only know one another from what they see in the collective assembly. If so, we are missing out on a big part of what made the early church as fruitful as it was—individual sacrifice and hospitality!
I enjoy the refreshment of hospitality. It can not only strengthen the bonds of relationships but you can learn encouraging things about a person you might never know had you never visited their home. One such example occurred last month as I enjoyed a meal at a brother in Christ’s house in Benton Harbor, Michigan. As we ate together in his living room I noticed a clock with each number represented by a different pool ball as well as several trophies on the mantle. Despite his success at the pool table, I never noticed one in his home. So, I asked him about it.
He mentioned to me he used to be a very good pool player. In fact, it was part of what drew him away from the church many years ago. In his words, he said “I was really good at pool and people love to bet when they play pool. If there was money out there to win, I went and won it.” Yet, as he was restored, he decided to get rid of his pool table and the friends and sinful temptations (like gambling) which often surrounded it.
What an example to those who keep falling into sin because they refuse to rid themselves of the devil’s snares! Jesus, very bluntly, told His disciples to get rid of those objects which would lead them into sin (Matthew 18:7-9). Peter once told Christians to not “run with” their sinful friends to practice evil (1 Peter 4:4). Likewise, Paul says, “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits” (1 Corinthians 15:33). Are you deceived into thinking you can run with the wrong crowd and not get burned?
This man realized these truths. So, he closed the door to his old friends and opened the door of hospitality to his Christian brothers.
Think about it.
May 2009