By Joel Comiskey, The Relational Disciple
The Internet has revolutionized our lives, and now, with Artificial Intelligence, knowledge is at our fingertips. Many graduate schools offer their degrees online, and businesses increasingly look to the cloud to reach their customers.
Yes, we can do many things online, including coaching and training. But a rich, deeper community occurs with face-to-face interaction. Face-to-face small groups are essential in today’s impersonal society.
If we are going to make Christ-like disciples, those future disciples need to experience the richness of face-to-face community rather than virtual community—which was great during the Covid crisis. At my local church, we moved all of our Zoom groups to face-to-face groups. We did not feel that virtual cell groups made quality disciples.
But we are still wrestling with finding enough homes for the cells to meet. In today’s impersonal society, it seems harder and harder for people to open their homes. Today, many people look at their homes as their private castles. “I don’t want people to mess up my new carpet?” Granted, some large families crammed into small apartments can’t open their homes even if they wanted to.
Beyond the availability of homes is practicing the value of hospitality. Peter said, “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling” (1 Peter 4:7). In New Testament times, believer’s houses were churches and hotels. Hospitality was not only a nice thing to do but a necessary ingredient in the early church’s growth. Often, the hosts became the house church leaders as the gospel grew from house to house.
How can we help people see that hospitality as a crucial part of gospel expansion? How can we stir them to open their homes and receive God’s incredible blessing as his church meets in the living room? We can preach and teach more about hospitality. And, of course, pastors and leaders can exemplify hospitality by opening their homes to host cell groups.