Ligonier Ministries Blog

1. How Can I Practice Christian Hospitality?

   When our culture talks about having people over, they often use the language of entertainment: “I like entertaining,” or “Here are some tips on entertaining.” Christian hospitality, however, is not entertaining. It is not the addition of some religion to entertaining. Hospitality has totally different motives, means, and ends, largely because it is not about us. Biblical hospitality is about honoring God by obeying His command to “contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality” (Rom. 12:13). It is about loving other Christians. When hospitality does become about the giver, it ceases to be Christian. One of the distinctives of Christian hospitality is the guests. We extend invitations to strangers as well as friends, seeking not only to deepen fellowship, but also to draw people into the light of Christian community (Heb. 13:2; 1 Peter 4:9). We extend invitations to people who are unable to reciprocate, either because of their living situation, hard financial position, family issue, or physical condition (Luke 14:13). Hospitality is part of giving, expecting nothing in return from the people who receive the sacrifice of our service. Unlike entertaining, Christian hospitality is not a special occasion. It is a lifestyle. Practice is a frequent thing; so is biblical hospitality, despite the inconvenience that comes with cooking, cleaning, and praying for guests, adding to the busyness of family life. Christian hospitality is part of Christian living: something we must seek to show (Rom. 12:13) because its common sacrifice is contrary to fallen nature as well as Western culture. Here are four reminders to help guide our understanding of biblical hospitality. Christian hospitality is an expression of love. Unlike entertaining, hospitality does not seek to impress or network or create obligation. Instead, it seeks to serve. As hosts are increasingly sanctified, their hospitality will increasingly be an expression of love for particular guests. Biblical hospitality seeks to show love in ways that each guest will recognize and feel. It speaks to guests in their own language, just as God does to us. This means taking each guest’s situation into consideration, if we are at all aware of it. Are they grieving? Are they celebrating something? Are they suffering from morning sickness? Do they have a teen that needs thoughtful conversation? Will a group potluck be the best thing for this family, or do they need a quiet dinner? Would a widower feel overwhelmed by small children, or would they be a welcome diversion? These are some ways that we need to think about loving each guest by meeting their known needs where we can. If all of these things characterize Christian hospitality, what is its fruit? What is Christian hospitality able to do? Christian hospitality fosters selflessness. Because it is other-focused and requires sacrifice, biblical hospitality will be a tool that God uses to root out self-centeredness in us. For example, in the middle of one major move, my husband and I found ourselves suddenly homeless, living in a hotel room with two small children trying to navigate a new job and state. When a couple from the church found out, they invited us to live in their home until ours was available. After arriving, we learned that she had had surgery for cancer two days before we came. That level of sacrificial love did not happen out of nowhere: it was years of giving home and self to others that continued and bore fruit, even in the middle of great hardship. God not only uses hospitality to sanctify, but also to show the beauty of sanctification. Christian hospitality provides refuge. Our world is very broken, and increasingly so. An open home shaped by Scripture is a safe place in an unsafe wilderness. In hospitality, Christian homes are places where people are physically safe from abuse and danger. They are places where it is emotionally safe to not only rejoice, but also to grieve all sorts of brokenness—griefs that come from a fallen world and griefs that come from fallen people. Christian homes must be places that are spiritually safe to confess weakness and sin, finding real help in the context of biblical love. Christian hospitality deepens fellowship. It creates time separate from the rush of daily life to come apart for a couple of hours and talk—to know and be known. This is especially true if guests feel comfortable enough to open up and everyone can talk about how they are really doing and how the Lord is working in their lives. So often, this grows love for each other. It would be strange if we could listen to an older father grieving an apostate child and not feel love for both of them. It is almost inevitable to hear the single woman explaining her breakup with an ungodly man and feel grateful for her faithfulness to Jesus. God designed these bonds to form as we open our homes and hearts to each other. Christian hospitality honors the Lord. Practicing hospitality is part of being faithful. But like much of life, we cannot control the outcome of our hospitality. We may open our homes with the best of intentions, motives, and preparations, only to end up with strained relationships and messy kitchens. Our job is obedience, trusting the Lord to use it in the best way, even when we can’t see it. That is why practicing biblical hospitality is part of walking by faith, not by sight. And perhaps it is this aspect that makes it not only distinct in this world, but also very useful in Christ’s kingdom. Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on January 10, 2023.

2. Announcing Our 2026 London Conference

   Before the foundation of the world, God chose a people to redeem for Himself. This truth humbles Christians and anchors our assurance of salvation by His sovereign grace. Having been chosen in Christ, we are called to walk in holiness and hold fast to the hope that He will complete His good work in us. Join us next fall on September 25–26 for Ligonier’s 2026 London Conference, Chosen by God. As we turn to Scripture together, we’ll see how the doctrine of election reveals the riches of God’s mercy, the certainty of His purposes, and the ultimate hope of eternal fellowship with Him. Register today and save with the early-bird rate. CONFERENCE SESSIONS: Before the Foundation of the World The Potter and the Clay Chosen for Holiness Christ, the Chosen Cornerstone The Golden Chain of Redemption God’s Purpose in Election A Chosen Race, a Royal Priesthood Panel Discussion Two Q&A Sessions We’ll also host a pastors’ pre-conference event, Shepherding and the Sovereignty of God, on September 25, 2026. This additional event is designed to help pastors reflect on their calling as shepherds of God’s flock serving under the ultimate authority of Christ, the Chief Shepherd. Learn more. PRE-CONFERENCE SESSIONS: The Chief Shepherd’s Reign Strength in Weakness Preaching Christ with Conviction The Steadfast Pastor Q&A Session Are you joining us for the 2026 English & Scottish Reformation Study Tour? Your registration for this seven-day study tour includes free admission to the 2026 London Conference.

3. Always Ready: Join Us in North Florida

   Growing up today feels like walking on unstable ground. Fake content floods our screens. Conflicting voices call for our approval. Friends change and let us down. In all the uncertainty and anxiety of life,how can we know what’s real? And more than that, who can we trust? Mark your calendar for February 7, 2026, and join us in Panama City Beach, FL, for Always Ready. This youth conference invites teenagers to step out of the confusion and into the clarity of Scripture. Together, we’ll explore why we can put our trust in God, His Word, and His gospel. Here is solid ground for real confidence and hope in Christ. SESSIONS: The Immutable Rock: Trusting in God by Stephen Nichols Panel Discussion: More Than Words—Trusting in God’s Word with Bancroft, Bingham, and Nichols The Surest Hope: Trusting in God’s Gospel by Eric Bancroft Panel Discussion: Cultivating Relationships—Trust in a Fractured World with Bancroft, Bingham, and Nichols Navigating the Digital Wilds: Discerning Truth in an Age of Deepfakes and Malinformation by Nathan W. Bingham Panel Discussion: Unfazed in a Strange New World—Anchoring Trust amid Anxiety and Future Fears with Bancroft, Bingham, and Nichols Q&A: Got Questions? with Bancroft, Bingham, and Nichols During this full day of biblical teaching and fellowship, join with Christians ages 12–18 to lay the foundation for a life that’s anchored and steadfast to the glory of God. Register today for $35, which includes a welcome bag, a boxed Chick-fil-A lunch, and admission to all sessions. Group discounts are also available. Invite your youth group, family members, and friends to join you.

4. What Is Gluttony?

   “Curiouser and curiouser” (from Alice in Wonderland) seems an apropos response to our culture’s relationship to food. At one polar end, there are eating competitions to assess who can down the most hot dogs or slices of pizza. At the other, there is a growing movement of the practice of intermittent and prolonged fasting, apart from the Christian practice of prayer and fasting. In between overeating and not eating at all, there is evidence of moral weight assigned to dietary choices. Recipes are commended as “virtuous and simple,” and invitations are made to cook and consume foods in line with “nature’s self-organizing perfection.” Ethical vocabulary may be noticeably absent from other spheres, but not so in the context of our eateries. A pilgrim following in Apostolic footsteps may well conclude after watching all the cooking shows and reading the gastronomical magazines: “Modern Western denizens: I perceive you are very religious!” Gluttony, biblically speaking, can be summed up as laboring “for the food that perishes” (John 6:27). It is not only found in over-consumption, but an idolatrous expectation that looks to eating and drinking to provide sating and fullness for the soul (the inner person). To be gluttonous, then, is to carry “broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jer. 2:13). After all, food as a created reality is a gift, but not to be regarded as having the character or potency of the Creator and Giver (cf. James 1:17). To be sure, gluttony is to be distinguished from proper feasting. The calendar of the old covenant church was punctuated by days of worship and feasting: “Keep your feasts, O Judah; fulfill your vows” (Nah. 1:15). The communion of saints following the day of Pentecost included “receiv[ing] their food with glad and generous hearts” (Acts 2:46). A Christian abiding in Christ, who has the Spirit-given fruit of self-control, thus should be able to enjoy daily bread and feast in the presence of God. But believers must also be on guard, lest anxiety over what to eat or laying hold of edible goods as holding supernatural power enter into the equation of their lives (see Luke 12:22; 1 Cor. 8:8). One of the keys to grasping gluttony and mortifying this sin is to know from the get-go that it starts in the heart, not in the stomach. Gluttony certainly involves the body, but it’s not limited to the body and cannot be reduced to bodily appetites and cravings. At the root of gluttony is what you are asking of what you are eating, what you are expecting of what you are taking in, in how you view and value what’s on the table in front of you. Is your belly your “god” (Phil. 3:19)? In other words, are your taste buds and the hankering of your stomach what you are seeking to satisfy at all costs? Kim Chernin, author of The Obsession: Reflections on the Tyranny of Slenderness, wrote, “What I wanted from food was companionship, comfort, reassurance, a sense of warmth and well-being that was hard for me to find in my own life, even in my own home.” She confessed her own disappointment in discovering that, in the end, no cuisine translated into soul-food. All of us can likewise resonate with this: we are hungering beings as human beings, but what we take in our hands or forks for our filling—whatever delicacies or victuals there are—cannot match our deep-down need. All sins are deadly: participating in the realm of death and leading to the place of death. What, then, is the healing medicine for gluttons by nature like you and me? It is not found in a new list of rules and restrictions, which “are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh” (Col. 2:23). Rather, it is to seek the fullness of life in the only place it resides: the fullness and super-abundance of Christ Jesus (Col. 2:9–10). He is the Living Bread who promises eternal life for all who feed upon Him (John 6:51). Remarkably, the Lord Jesus was accused of gluttony: “Look at him! A glutton and drunkard” (Luke 7:34). While this accusation was defamatory and untrue, it arose from the observation that Jesus ate and drank with tax collectors and sinners. We could even say our Savior dined with those guilty of gluttony not in order to endorse it, but so that those with whom He reclined might feast their eyes (and hearts) on Him. “You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin” (1 John 3:5). Truly, “the grace of God has appeared . . . training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions” (Titus 2:11–12). When we delight ourselves in the Lord, we are freed to enjoy those appetizers, main courses, and desserts—now in their proper place as “goods” but not as “gods.” Liberated by our risen Savior, the domination of created entities and events is broken for us (1 Cor. 6:12). In Christ are stored all the resources needed to be freed from all the vices that before had a vise-grip on us—gluttony included. Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on April 17, 2023.

5. Who Was Samuel?

   The story of the prophet Samuel begins with tears. Hannah was one of two wives of a man from Ephraim named Elkanah (1 Sam. 1:1–2). The other wife was named Peninnah. Penninah bore children to Elkanah, but Hannah was barren. A fruitful womb was a sign of God’s favor (Ex. 23:26; Deut. 7:14). Perhaps some thought Hannah’s barrenness was a sign of divine displeasure. Perhaps Hannah thought this as well, but Hannah was a woman of remarkable piety (1 Sam. 2:1–10). She cried to the Lord out of the anguish of her heart and laid before Him her desire for a son (1 Sam. 1:11). The Lord heard her prayer. Then, as He had done for Sarah (Gen. 21:1–7), Rebekah (Gen. 25:21–26), and Rachel (Gen. 30:22–23), the Lord opened Hannah’s womb and gave her a son (1 Sam. 1:19–20). She named the boy Samuel, because she said, “I have asked for him from the Lord” (1 Sam. 1:20). He was a gift from God to Hannah, but he was also a gift from God to Israel. Samuel’s life and ministry stood at the crossroads of the troubled times between the end of the period of the judges and the beginning of the monarchy (Acts 13:20). The Philistines were a constant political and military menace to the people of Israel during this period, but the Philistines were not their primary problem. The primary problem was that the people were fickle and faithless (Judg. 17:6, 21:25), and the priesthood under Eli was ineffective (1 Sam. 2:22–25, 27–36). God’s judgment fell on the people of Israel in the form of a crushing defeat at Aphek at the hands of the Philistines (1 Sam. 4:1–11). Israel needed someone to deliver them not only from the hands of the Philistines but also from their idolatries that had made them indistinguishable from the people around them. This person was Samuel. Samuel began to serve the Lord from an early age (1 Sam. 2:18) and eventually grew to be a man of great political and religious significance to the people of Israel. He was both a judge (1 Sam. 7:15–17; 12:11) and a prophet (1 Sam. 3:19–4:1). Samuel led the people of Israel to repent of their sinful idolatries and to turn again to serve the Lord (1 Sam. 7:1–4; 28:3). He led the people of Israel to worship the Lord and then, with a clear focus on the Lord as their true deliverer, led them to a great military victory over the Philistines (1 Sam. 7:12–14). Later, after the elders of Israel strongly declared their desire for a king like the kings of the nations (1 Sam. 8:4–9), Samuel anointed Saul as king over Israel (1 Sam. 10:1; 17–24) and provided him with the tools he would need to rule well (1 Sam. 10:25). When Saul showed himself to be unfit for the office of king, Samuel, donning his prophetic mantle, sharply rebuked him (1 Sam. 13:1–13; 15:1–35). Even though Samuel clearly had great affection for Saul (1 Sam. 15:35; 16:1), his willingness to faithfully proclaim the word of God even to the errant king showed that Samuel’s chief loyalty was to the Lord. This, of course, was a hallmark of his ministry. Samuel was first and foremost the Lord’s man. Having rejected Saul from being king, the Lord then instructed Samuel to go to the house of Jesse. There he would find the one whom God had chosen to be Israel’s next king. After Jesse had presented each of his sons, Samuel finally came face to face with David and anointed him to be the next king over Israel (1 Sam. 16:1–13). Samuel’s name all but disappears from the pages of Scripture following his ministry recorded in 1 Samuel. Nevertheless, there is much to learn from Samuel’s life and ministry. Among other things, the Christian can learn from the life and ministry of Samuel what a life lived in faith during hard times looks like (Heb. 11:32). We learn from the life of Samuel that love for God and His Word must take precedence over any other consideration. Whether these considerations are personal relationships or interests, fidelity to God and His Word must take the highest priority. There is nothing more important than listening to and heeding the Word of God. Read Samuel’s story and be encouraged to live a life wholly devoted to the Lord.