Video Transcript: The Role of Food and Hospitality in a Bible Study

So here we are. We've just talked about prayer in Bible studies. I suppose no  Bible study should not be a lesson snappy talked about it unless we talk right  now. Weird food has something to do with bible study the early church Acts  2:46-47. Everyday they continue to meet together in the temple courts. They  broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,  praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people in the Lord added to their  number daily those who are being saved. So that was very, I think it was very  insightful every day. They continued to meet together in the temple courts. In  other words, they had a church service, because the topic was that was a big  group. Right? So they had big groups, a group meetings, they group. them, they broke bread in their home. So now they have these home Bible study. And that's where the breaking of the bread took place. And it was both a meal, but also  was a communion service. So it was a meal with purpose. Alright, so this has  some history to it. The history is in the Passover, right, Exodus 12:3-4, tell the  whole community of Israel that on the 10th day of this month, each man has to  take a lamb for his family, one for each household of any household is too small  for the whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor. Okay, so if  you know here God is trying to teach his people, the people were slaves in  Egypt, right? And they didn't know who God was who was God. And here, here's this incredible salvation moment. He's going to save them from the save lives,  slavery of Egypt, bringing them into the Promised Land. And he does it with this  sort of sacrament. And it's food. It's related to food. Jesus is going to, you know,  sort of bring the Passover forward into communion, meaning within rites,  disciples, and in doing the Seder service, but he transforms it into this  communion service. And again, it's done with food, the wedding banquet, you  know, the end of the world. The imagery is this banquet, and people gathering  around food. So much of the ceremonies in life are around food. So my wife and I did the hospitality and fellowship mini course. And both of us comment on how  powerful food is food at the center communion at the center of it all. Why do you think that is? A basic need we all share? And I think I mean, I've reflected it  when we share that basic need together we feel connected I think going out to  eat with someone you feel that there's a passage in the Old Testament how  enemies through the work of a Elisha waiters were actually attacking the end of  the day they had a feast in Samaria with the king, and then it's an I raided Israel  no more powerful about hospitality and fellowship that transcends all of us,  right? Luke 15 starts out with the problem of Jesus. The self righteous teachers  of the law had a problem with Jesus because they said he's with the sinners.  And not only is he with them in that culture eating was someone is like, intimate, intimate experience. Right? That's powerful. I think it's representative of the  intimacy but it's also leads to intimacy. powerful so there's options and we just  put three down here you can have a dessert only sometimes. You know,  sometimes if you go too big and you food and someone has to prepare all this 

work, then people don't want to do it because it's too much work. Dessert only is fine. Yeah, depending on the time that you meet. Other times like a potluck. Hey, everyone brings something so it's not a burden. Not on everyone, or you can  have it catered just pay a little money and have it brought you know you know i  We talked about our church planting and I would say this to any church planter.  If you can get really amazing at food and having people over. You know, one of  the I remember a story in Oregon where, you know, I felt always called everyday to talk to someone. And and I remember one time I just put my finger in the  phone book, this was back in the 1990s called that person and talk a little  uncomfortable. And I said, would you and your husband, wife who answered by  come up to our house for a cookout. And amazingly, she said yes. And they both became believers, he was an accountant became an accountant and  bookkeeper for the church, mainly because a cold call was when to warm food  in five minutes occurred. Sure. And then fellowship. Sometimes groups start off  with a game like, game, like the kind of games we did when we did young  people, you'd have a fun little game, there's all kinds of different things, you can  look up little games, in the house warming kind of games. The reason these can  sometimes be important, is because especially in the beginning, if you get  people that don't know each other well, and then you launch into the Bible study, and there are some personal questions, especially for guys. Right? The guy  culture is like, you know, it's not ideal for the Bible study, setting, you know, right, we're gonna meet in a small group and bare our soul. Another in the guys that  like, oh, you know, let's just watch a football game. Right? Okay, so that's what a game does what what guys do is like what we're doing right now, we're sitting  side by side, and we can have a conversation together. And once in a while,  we'll look over here and say something. But we don't have to sit like that's too  intimate for most guys. And so that's what games do are like, they're things on  the side. So what happens in the middle of the game, you're joking, you're  laughing. You're saying things you're learning about each other. Trust is being  built. And warming is now another thing that can work. But again, often in the  beginning, a new person isn't going to know songs, but it used to be our culture,  we would sing it every occasion. There were folk songs, there were patriotic  songs were all kinds of different songs. And we've sort of gotten away from that.  Maybe a modern version of this is YouTube video, where people get together  and they share you. We did that the other night. We shared songs that meant  something to us. And we've had why. Why is it interest? You? are less interest to you? Why isn't God but it was, it was really cool. In other words, we didn't have  to be great singers, right? Because we're letting the YouTube video do but our  interest in music to us used. So the point is, the whole point of food and, and  games and fellowship is, is to create an atmosphere where we're relationships  can take place where there's a lot of talking and listening, right? There's, there's  a thing called snow on the mountain. Maybe we'll put it in the link here. And what

it is, is every person coming over is encouraged to bring one item, you have to  bring the the walnuts, right crushed walnuts, right, someone else has to bring  some coconut, right someone else has to bring. And then there's a whole list of  things. And they have no idea why they're bringing these things. And then host  makes this sort of chicken base, something or other. And then everyone puts  their ingredient that they brought diced tomatoes, and there's all these different  things. And they put them in bowls in a row. And then you create this snow on  the mountain, the rice and the snow. You start with the base. And then you go  and add all these weird different things that you've never put together. And  people are like, how's this gonna work out? And it's amazingly good. Have you  ever done that? No, no, it's amazingly good. But what's cool about that is  everyone is involved. They bring the thing and when they come over, they're  preparing things and getting bold and chopping up things. And again, in the  cracks of doing things, fellowshipping, a lot of communication happens, which  now makes it possible to have a better more meaningful Bible study. So these  are just a few ideas. I mean, food. Do you like the sea theme do that? Do you  like or do you like to cook? Is there somebody within the group that loves  hospitality? I've known over the years. Some people there's a few people that  just don't My gift is I want to cook and then you do the The power of eating  together is really what we're saying and so we're encouraging you to put that  into your Bible Study Plan.