Somerset Church of Christ

June 9, 2026

The gift of hospitality

The Bible is clear about commanding us to be hospitable. Hebrews 13:2 says, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” There is a play on words that we miss in English here. It says do not “forget” (epilanthanomai) to show hospitality. This means to lose out of one’s mind because of neglect. For some have entertained angels “unawares” (lanthano). This word means to escape notice unwittingly. Neglect means failing to care for or pay proper attention to something. Unwittingly means doing something without knowing or intending to–accidentally or unknowingly.

In other words, if neglect to show hospitality, we also miss out on unwittingly (accidentally) having good blessings happen to us like entertaining angels. Romans 12:13 demonstrates the intentionality we must have when offering hospitality: “Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” The word “seek” means to actively pursue or chase after something. We must actively seek opportunities to be hospitable. That means we go out of our way to do so. We have to leave our comfort zone and pursue people with whom we will show hospitality to.

Likewise, 1 Peter 4:9 says, “Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.” Our attitude towards strangers and guests matters too. If we do it begrudgingly, it’s worse than if we weren’t hospitable in the first place. God expects us to be kind, warm, and inviting to strangers. This is vital if we are going to carry out the great commission.

June 3, 2026

Loving the unlovable

The second greatest command is to love your neighbor as yourself. But what about our enemies? Are we required to love the unlovable? Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute your, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and send rain on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?” (Matthew 5:43-46).

What Jesus commanded was a radical shift for believers. It was quite a shift to love those who persecute you. In Luke, Jesus said, “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Luke 6:27-28). Luke’s account is longer than Matthews and adds a few more details: “But love your enemies and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (vs. 35-36).

God is merciful and slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love. He is patient with mankind and sends the rain and sun on the unrighteous just like he sends it on the righteous. As people created in God’s image, we need to be image-bearers of Him. That means we need to love the unlovable and exercise mercy.

May 27, 2026

The gift of testimony

Our testimony (witness) is more powerful than most Christians probably realize. In Revelation, John is talking about Satan being thrown out of heaven: “And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world–he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him” (Revelation 12:9). What’s amazing is how the brothers and sisters defeated Satan: “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death” (vs. 11).

Nicodemus was asking Jesus questions about being born again. Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony” (John 3:11). Jesus then said that he who comes from heaven is above all. “He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true” (vs. 32-33). Both giving our testimony (or witness about Jesus) and receiving the testimony of Jesus and the prophets is essential for salvation.

Our testimony isn’t mere words. It has the power to conquer Satan! Demons shrieked at the name of Christ. We must bear witness to what we have seen and heard–to how Christ is working in our lives. Peter says to honor Christ the Lord as holy, “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). Our testimony matters. We must always be prepared to bear witness to Christ and his power in our lives.

May 18, 2026

The gift of the Holy Spirit

close up of the holy spirit stained glass painting

When Peter was preaching on the day of Pentecost, the crowd was cut to the heart and asked what they should do next. Peter said, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord calls to himself” (Acts 2:38-39). We know that we receive the Holy Spirit at baptism because Paul asked the Ephesians, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” (Acts 19:2).

They answered no and explained that they received John’s baptism of repentance, not a baptism for forgiveness. On hearing what Paul said, they were baptized again and they received the Holy Spirit. The word for spirit means breath, wind, or spirit (ghost). Our spirit is the animating life force–the breath or principle that gives living beings life, energy, and will. It is the inner, core character of an individual. God’s Spirit (the breath of God which gives us life) is what guides and sustains us and keeps us in alignment with God’s will.

John calls the Holy Spirit our Helper. Jesus said, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26). Finally, Paul told the Galatians to “walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16). The desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh. When we keep in step with God’s Spirit, the Helper will keep us on the right path! This is the gift of the Holy Spirit.

May 13, 2026May 17, 2026

The great banquet

In Luke 14, he records a series of parables. First, Jesus talks about a wedding feast when he noticed some people were choosing to sit in seats of honor. He told his disciples to take the lowest seat so that they will be asked to move up higher. “Then,” Jesus said, “you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you” (Luke 14:10). Jesus was telling them to always remain humble, for “he who humbles himself will be exalted” (vs. 11).

Then he shifted the conversation to the man who had invited him. Jesus said, “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” (vs. 12). He continued, “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” (vs. 13-14).

Then Jesus shifted to the kingdom banquet, where we all eat together in the kingdom of God in Heaven. He said that a man threw a great banquet and invited many people. When the meal was ready, people began making excuses and this was reported to the host. He replied, “Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame” (vs. 21). His point was that God wants Heaven to be full and we shouldn’t only reach those who look like us. We must minister to the poor, the sick, and those who are outcasts.

May 6, 2026

Shine as lights in the world

With Mother’s Day here, we honor our mothers who passed their faith down to us. Paul told Timothy, “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure dwells in you as well” (2 Timothy 1:5). Like Timothy, many of us have a fath that dwells in us that first dwelt in our mothers and grandmothers. Passing our faith down is a blessing.

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul spoke about the importance of shining as lights in the world: “Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain” (Philippians 2:14-16)

In other words, we have a command to live out our faith for the wold to see. This is not a “family only” event. Christianity might begin in the family, but it certainly should never end there. We are called to be bold and courageous as we profess our faith. May we always shine as lights in the world!

April 29, 2026

The gift of encouragement

The gift of encouragement is just that–it’s a gift! It’s a gift that we can and should give to others. God created us to respond to positive encouragement. Think about the way Jesus asked people to pray. He didn’t reprimand or shame them into praying. Instead, he said, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:24). He encouraged them to have faith in God. Jesus was constantly encouraging his disciples and never stopped doing so.

Encouragement in the Bible literally means to call someone near (for the purpose of imploring, entreat, or comfort them). 1 Thessalonians 5:11 says, “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” The word for building up (one another) comes from two words, house and rooftop. It means to build someone (as a house), brick-by-brick until the house reaches its fullness to the tipy top. In other words, your building one another up isn’t completed until that person is whole. It’s not a partial encouragement. Instead, we are edifying the person until they become whole again.

Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” In both this passage and 1 Thessalonians 5, the motivation for encouraging one another is that the Day is drawing near. Judgement day should not catch us off guard. We need to always be prepared for it and we need to always prepare others for it by encouraging them and building them up to serve in the Lord.