Welcome to ECB's weekly sermon podcast. ECB is
an international church in Bangkok, Thailand
with dozens of nationalities worshiping together.
We invite you to connect with us from wherever
you are through our website, ecb .asia, or our
mobile app. And now we pray that you are blessed
by this week's sermon. I want to propose to you
today that belonging begins with hospitality.
And if belonging begins with hospitality, I've
got a question. Who belongs at God's table? See,
today, and over the course of this next week,
churches and communities around the world are
recognizing World Refugee Day. Many people, when
you hear words like refugee and asylum seeker
and displaced person, you might think of something
like a statistic or maybe a headline or politics
and borders and crises happening somewhere else.
But before we talk about refugees, I want us
to talk about something that every human being
longs for. What do you think it is? Anyone? Belonging.
Belonging. Because if we're honest, every single
one of us knows what it feels like to be an outsider.
I want you to put your hand up if you moved from
a country outside of Thailand to come here. How
many of you moved countries to come to Thailand?
Put it up. Hold it up high. Raise your hand.
Look around. That's a lot of us. Now, don't put
it down. Be good students. Now, keep your hand
up if you remember what it felt like those first
few weeks and months. If you're like, I still
know that feeling. It's there. A new culture.
Sorry, I spat. A new language. New customs. New
systems. New relationships. Maybe some of you
are like, no relationships. Put your hands down.
I don't know if you remember what it felt like
to try to figure out where to shop. How things
worked, who to trust, where you fit. You were
looking for something called belonging. Now imagine
that same feeling, except you cannot go home.
Imagine that same uncertainty, except your future
remains unclear. Imagine that you move not because
of opportunity, but because of necessity. And
so today and over this week, we remember those
around the world that are living in that reality.
And more importantly, we remember a God who welcomes
strangers, a God who invites outsiders to his
table, a God who turns strangers into family
because belonging begins with hospitality. And
I think no one demonstrates hospitality better
than Jesus does. And so if you've got your Bible
or on your phone, maybe it's here, you can flip
to Luke chapter 14. And we're going to look at
what Luke tells us through Jesus as he reflects
on something that he did. So there's a dinner,
there's a table, there's a question. And before
we get to the parable itself, I think we need
to understand what's happening in this room right
now. Not here, but in the story. Luke chapter
14, verse 15 to 24. So Jesus is attending a dinner
hosted by a prominent Pharisee, which I think
is crazy in and of itself. So he's hanging out
with a really deeply religious person who understands
all of the rules, the do's, the don'ts, what
it is that you think makes you a right, good
person. And he's at this dinner with a prominent
Pharisee, and his story isn't so much about food,
because it's going to be about belonging, but
the story is about status. It's about those who
get the invite. It's about those who deserve
a seat at the sable. I'm so sorry, my voice is
loud. But in fact, I would suggest to us today
that... In this story is one question that kind
of hangs over the entire chapter. And the question
is what I began with. Who belongs at God's table?
And the religious leaders, I did it again, think
they know the answer. The respected people in
this story think they know the answer. And the
people with status, they think they know the
answer. But Jesus is about to challenge almost
everything it is that they believe because earlier
in this chapter before we get here, Jesus heals
a man that everybody else had overlooked. And
then as he's at the dinner, he notices that guests
are competing for the best seat in the house.
And so in Luke 14, 13 to 14, he then turns to
the host and he says, when you give a banquet,
Invite the poor. Invite the crippled. Invite
the lame and the blind. And maybe in this room
this doesn't sound particularly shocking because
you're like a really good person. But at this
time, in that place, it would have been shocking
because hospitality in that culture at that time,
it was transactional. So you invited people who
could repay you, people who could help you, people
who could increase your status, give you some
good face. But Jesus introduces something in
this moment which is entirely different, a kingdom
hospitality, a grace -filled hospitality, a hospitality
that creates belonging. And so one of the guests
says, verse 15, I hear it like this, blessed
is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom
of God. I don't know why I used an English accent
to try to sound pretentious, but I feel like
that's what it would have sounded like. And so
at first glance, it might sound a little bit
spiritual, but I wonder if Jesus hears something
underneath the statement. Something like, well,
of course I'm going to be there. We're God's
people. We're the insiders. We belong. And that's
when Jesus tells this parable. He says, a certain
man was preparing a great banquet and invited
many guests. And at the time of the banquet,
he sent his servant to tell those who had been
invited, hey, come, everything is now ready.
Just pause here for a moment. This, the banquet
is ready. The feast, all of the food is being
prepared. The host has done all of the work.
The invitation goes out. The guests have contributed
nothing. That's the gospel right there in a really
great picture image. The welcome to us comes
before there's any kind of performance. The invitation
comes before there's any kind of achievement.
Grace comes before there's any kind of response.
And God doesn't say, clean yourself up and then
get to the party. No, no, no. He says, come.
And so think about the whole of the story of
scripture. If you've never read it before, from
front to back here, again and again, God creates
space for people to dwell with him. It starts
in the garden, then it moves to the ark, and
then it hits the tabernacle, and then the temple,
and then Christ, and then the church, and then
one day we talk about new creation. And so the
story in scripture is all about God making room
for his people. Because hospitality is at the
very heart of God. And every single heart longs
for what only God can ultimately provide. A space
to belong. A place at his table. A place in his
family. A place in his kingdom. But then, Something
surprising happens. The invited guests begin
to make excuses. One has purchased land, which
is a little bit crazy. He's like, hey, I got
to go check on my land that I just bought. Like,
wouldn't you check on your land before you buy?
The other one's like, yo, I've got some great
oxen that I need to go look at. I'm like, okay,
so you bought the oxen and now you're just going
to go look at the oxen? That's a bit of an interesting
story to me. Another one's got some family commitments.
But what's interesting here is that Jesus doesn't
just describe bad people. He's describing distracted
people. See the field, this work that they've
got to go to. It's not sinful. The business isn't
sinful. The marriage isn't sinful. The problem
is, and I'm going to repeat this because I think
it's worth repeating, is that sometimes good
things become more important than the invitation
of the king. sometimes good things become more
important than the invitation of the king. And
I think that might be one of the greatest dangers
for us, that the greatest threat to following
Jesus is not rebellion, but distraction. So we
become busy. We get a little bit comfortable.
We get a little bit successful. And we're occupied
with really good things. And somewhere along
the way, the invitation of the king becomes less
important than everything competing for our attention.
Binu, nice to see you. We move to this next part
of the story, which is really cool. The outsiders,
they're invited. So the story here kind of like...
takes a shocking redirection. And in the story,
the owner of the house becomes angry and he orders
the servant, go out quickly, go out quickly into
the streets, into the alleys of the town and
bring in the poor, bring in the crippled, bring
in the blind, bring in the lame. And if you're
like, Didn't you just say that? Yeah, I did.
Because that's what was just appearing a few
verses later. Jesus had mentioned them earlier.
These are the very people who are often overlooked.
These are the people that we assume they don't
belong. These are the people who could never
repay the invitation. And these are the people
that the king invites. Why? Because the kingdom
of God is not built on reciprocity. It's built
on grace. See, the world says, invite people
who can give you something back. And then the
kingdom says, welcome people because you're welcomed.
And so the invitation expands even further to
the roads, to the country lanes, to the outsiders,
the unexpected, the forgotten, and the people
that nobody imagined sitting at the king's table
are invited. And I think while I was reading
this and preparing, I was like, I've got to be
careful. Because it's easy at this point in the
story then to immediately begin to think about
somebody else like all those. Like, oh, maybe
a refugee, maybe an asylum seeker. I think he's
talking about displaced people, migrants, the
marginalized. And I think that there's truth
in that. But before we think about them, Paul
forces us to think about ourselves. And in Ephesians
chapter 2, verse 12 and 13, we're reminded that
we were the strangers. He says this, remember,
Paul. Right into the Ephesians. Remember that.
At that time, you were separate from Christ.
You were excluded from citizenship. You were
like a foreigner without hope, without a God
in the world. But now in Christ, Jesus, you who
were once far away, have been brought near by
the blood of Christ. Who's Paul talking about?
This is interactive Sunday. Who's he talking
about? He's talking about us. He's not talking
about someone else. He's talking about us. We
were the strangers. We were the foreigners. We
were the outsiders. We were far from God. And
yet Christ brought us near. And before we ever
welcomed anyone else is Christ who welcomed us.
And the cross then is God's ultimate act of hospitality.
In that moment, Jesus didn't just invite people
to his table. He gave his life right there so
that there would be a place for us at the table.
And so that brings us back to the question that
I began with. Who belongs at God's table? So
according to Jesus, not just the insiders, not
just the successful, not just the respectable,
not just the religious. but anybody welcomed
by Christ. See, hospitality creates belonging.
And because Christ welcomed us, we are welcome.
I want to invite our way team and some fancy
sign holders to help bring this from 30 ,000
feet right down to this moment. We spent the
last few minutes talking about God's table, and
we're asking a simple question. Who belongs at
God's table? And so the invitation, it's wider
than most of us realize. And the welcome is also
bigger. Lindsay, over to you. Thank you for the
sign. Am I here or there? I think you're after
James. Okay, thank you. Hi, good morning. I'm
Lindsay. I serve with our Displaced People Support
Ministry here at ACB, and that includes refugees
and asylum seekers. I've always felt called to
global work, but I didn't know exactly what that
would look like. I studied global health and
was certified in maternal and child health. And
then when I came here with my husband, Jonathan,
we welcomed four kids into our family. Now the
issues that we had seen before... that called
us to global work we saw through the eyes of
a parent. World Refugee Day is recognized globally
each June. A refugee is someone who had to flee
their home country and cannot return safely for
fear of persecution. The theme of this year's
World Refugee Day is belonging begins with hospitality.
This fits so well with ECB's mission for everyone
to belong, become, and be. The people on stage
with me walk alongside displaced people, and
we're going to look at some numbers. I'm so much
a numbers person, but behind the numbers are
people, and these people have families, stories,
skills, hopes, and fears. Let's remember that.
Our first number is the global population. There
are about 8 .2 billion people in the world. have
been forcibly displaced. Thank you. Zooming in
to Thailand, there are about 72 million of us
living here. Next, of the people living in Thailand,
about more than 87 ,000 of those are displaced
people. Thanks. Zooming in, we're going to look
at our own ECB family. Here, there are more than
1 ,200 people that are part of our community.
And of those, more than 100 are displaced members
that are connected here. These people are not
strangers. They're part of our family. To put
that in perspective, it's about 1 in 12 of us
had to flee and cannot return to our home country.
The numbers that we saw got smaller as we zoomed
in, but the opportunity got greater. Do we just
learn the numbers, or do we invite these family
members to the table? You may have noticed a
bookmark this morning on your chair. It's not
someone else's. It's for you. We pray that it
reminds you to pray for displaced people, but
also that it encourages you to ask God how he
would have you respond. Belonging begins with
hospitality, and we all have a role to play.
Thank you. Statistics matter. Thanks, Lindsay,
for caring about numbers. Because you said it,
behind every one of those numbers is a person.
People matter to God. And so before we move on,
I'd like us to do something together. And this
might feel a little bit unusual, but I think
it'll help us see something important. So I'm
going to push two questions together in order
to create a safe space. Number one, put your
first finger up. Put your second finger up. When
I tell you, if you are number one, which is an
asylum seeker, a refugee, or a displaced person,
that's number one. I'm going to ask you to stand.
Not yet. Number two, this is you. If you're a
close friend of someone who's an asylum seeker,
a refugee, or a displaced person. So on three,
if you're an asylum seeker, a refugee, a displaced
person, would you stand? And if you are a close
friend, Of somebody who is an asylum seeker.
A refugee. Or a displaced person. Would you stand?
I will stand. One. Two. Three. Stand. Yeah. Okay.
We're going to go a layer deeper. Stay standing.
If you know. Don't sit down. If you know someone.
Somewhere in the world. who has been displaced
from their home because of war, because of persecution,
because of violence, because of disaster or conflict,
would you stand as well? Do you know somebody
somewhere else? Okay. I want you to look around.
Like, really look around. Take a moment. Look
to your left. And look to your right. Look in
front of you, look behind you. What do you see?
I think we see something that maybe we rarely
talk about. We're more connected than we realize.
So the reality is, you can sit down, that this
isn't just somebody else's story. This is actually...
Our story. This isn't just somebody else's problem.
Because these aren't strangers. They're friends.
They're life group members. They're volunteers.
They're neighbors. They're parents. They're students.
They're children. They're co -workers. They're
people who are worshiping beside us and in front
of us. They're people who are made in the image
of God. People who are loved by God. People who
are invited to God's table. And that brings us
back to that question that we've been asking
this morning. Who belongs at God's table? According
to Jesus, I think probably more people than we
realize. The kingdom is a bit surprising in that
sometimes it forces us to come face to face with
the reality that the kingdom is actually bigger
than our categories. It's bigger than our assumptions.
And the kingdom, is always making room. And one
of the beautiful things about ECB is that many
people who once felt alone have begun to feel
that they've found a place of belonging. And
they've found a place of belonging not because
ECB is some sort of picture -perfect oasis. But
we're a group of people who realize that Christ
has welcomed us. And so we're trying, we're attempting
to learn how to welcome other people. And we're
going to hear one of those stories now in a video.
A story of belonging, somebody who found family,
a story of discovering a place at the table.
And so as you listen, I want you to consider
two questions. Who helped me belong? And who
am I helping belong? Hello everyone, I come from
Somalia. When I arrived in Thailand, I finally
felt safe, but I still felt like a stranger and
alone. When I came to ECP, people welcomed me
with kindness. They helped me find friendship,
support, people who truly care about me. Their
encouragement gave me strength during difficult
times. Because of this community, I no longer
feel alone. I feel like I have a family here,
people with kind hearts who care for and support
one another. This church helped me feel that
I truly belong. And I wanted to leave you with
this verse, Matthew 25, 35. I was a stranger
and you welcomed me. Thank you. Well, I love
that. Simple. like straight to the point, I was
a stranger and you welcomed me. See, something
like that, it's powerful because belonging is
powerful. Every human longs for that. We want
to be known. We want to be accepted. We want
to be heard. We want to know that there is a
place for us. And when we find belonging, something
begins to change inside of us. What I like is
as I read the scripture, I'm reminded that belonging
was actually never meant to be a place that was
like the finish line. It's like I arrived. I
belong. I'm seen. I have family. It was meant
to be the starting point. And if you look at
families and friendships and the church and certainly
the kingdom of God, we see that Jesus doesn't
just invite people to come and belong, but he
invites people to become. And so if we go back
to that first question, who belongs at God's
table? The answer that emerges is anybody who's
been welcomed by Christ. But then another question
comes from that. What happens after they belong?
What happens after somebody finds a seat at the
table? What happens after somebody experiences
grace? And what happens after somebody becomes
part of the family of God? And scripture shows
us transformation, growth. formation and discipleship.
And that's what the early church looked like.
And so if we go to Acts chapter 2, we see that
the disciples devoted themselves to the apostles'
teaching and to fellowship and to the breaking
of bread. You notice what happens after the people
come to faith. I like this. They didn't just
like keep attending. But the Bible says they
devoted themselves. They gathered and they learned
and they prayed and they worshipped and they
shared life together and they served one another.
They were becoming something. Or maybe perhaps
more accurately, they were becoming someone.
A follower of Jesus. People who are shaped by
the Spirit. People who become more like Christ.
And they don't simply attend church. They don't
simply just believe certain things. But they
are transformed. And what I like, again, about
the Bible is we're introduced to these people
called disciples, which is another word for student.
Somebody who follows somebody. And they're a
perfect example. Think about who Jesus invited
for a moment. If you've read it, you're like,
oh yeah, I know. And if you didn't, then don't
be surprised. Fishermen. Tax collectors, political
zealots. Do we have any of those in the house
today? No? Okay, but you're invited too. People
with flaws, people with baggage, people who were
often totally misunderstood and people who misunderstood
Jesus. Jesus welcomed every single one of them.
And he didn't just leave them where he found
them, which some of us would be okay with that.
Like great savior. Yup. Lord in control of my
life. Nope. Jesus taught them. He challenged
them. He corrected them. He encouraged them.
And then he sends them. And over time we see
that he transformed them. And so for us, that's
what discipleship is. And that's why belonging
matters so much because transformation. rarely
happens in isolation. If you've ever experienced
growth in your life, it's likely because you've
been in relationships with people. There's been
a community. This transformation often happens
around tables. It happens when people begin to
walk alongside each other. It happens when people
pray together, when we serve together, when we
learn together, when we worship together. It
happens when we make room for each other. And
I think, Again, as I was preparing, I think that's
why I love the vision of ECB so much. Do you
remember what it is? Making disciples for global
impact. Because we don't just want you to come
and attend. That's not what this is about. We
want people to belong, yes. But we don't simply
want people to come and belong. We want people
to become. to become more like Jesus, to grow
in faith, to grow in your character, to grow
in love and obedience and in purpose. And what's
cool is that as we begin to experience belonging,
it begins to create becoming. And this happens
because Christ is changing us. And so we are
transformed. And transformation, if you look
at your own life or just like a plant, It doesn't
happen all at once. And it's not like grow, grow,
grow, grow. And then something comes. I mean,
it usually happens like one step at a time. One
relationship at a time. One act of obedience
at a time. One day at a time. And so the next
story that we're going to hear is a story of
becoming. A story of somebody discovering that
following Jesus is not just about finding a place
to come and belong. That was good. but it's also
about becoming the kind of person that God created
them to be. And so as you listen to the story,
I want you to consider this question. How is
Jesus changing me? It's the journey of moving
from who I was to who God is calling me to be.
This is my story from suffering to contentment.
Three and a half years ago, I came to ECB, not
realizing that God was already at work in my
life. As I listened to his word, my heart began
to stir, and God taught me to trust in his providence.
There was a time I felt lost. Without certainty,
without a place to truly belong. But in Christ,
I found more than hope. I found a home. Through
serving in church, the Holy Spirit changed my
heart, teaching me humility and giving me a deep
desire to know God more. Through studying and
growing, my life has been filled with truth and
joy. Today, I stand. transformed and content,
not by what I have done, but by what God has
done in me. And he used this church, this family
that has loved me, supported me and encouraged
me to show me that in Christ, I am no longer
lost. I belong. Thank you, ECB, this wonderful
community of brothers and sister in Christ. One
of the things I really like about that testimony
is that it reminds us that transformation doesn't
happen alone. It points to the community. It
happens through relationships and in community.
It happens because somebody makes room at a table,
somebody reaches out, another person listens,
and somebody begins to walk alongside another.
And so God changes lives through people. I like
that. He uses imperfect people. He uses willing
people, people who choose the love, people who
choose to welcome, people who choose to walk
with others. Over the last number of years since
my wife and kids have been at ECB, I've come
to appreciate that so much of what ECB does is
not alone. God's brought partners to come alongside
us as a church who faithfully serve, who advocate
for, who walk with displaced people every single
day. And one of those partners is Life Raft International.
Many of you might know them. Many of you may
have volunteered with them. Many of you may have
prayed for them. Many of you may have supported
their work. Some of you in this room are advocates.
And today I've invited our sister, Yvette Rivera,
to join us. And she's going to share with us.
I've asked her to share three simple things.
Help us understand. Offer us a little bit of
hope to see hope. And help us understand how
ordinary followers like you and me can participate
in what he's up to. Can you welcome Yvette as
she comes? Good afternoon, church. I'm really
happy to be here. I've been leading Life Raft
for quite a few years. I've been here since 2012.
And one of the things that sometimes we forget
about refugees is that they come to a new country
in search of safety. It's not because they're
looking for a better life or they want something
new or different. They're looking for safety.
Staying back home means that they risk their
life and the life of their families. And refugees
that are coming to Thailand, they come to the
surprise that Thailand doesn't recognize refugees.
So that means that they don't have access to
some of the basic needs like medical, education,
the right to work. So that's very complicated
to be able to live a normal life when you don't
have access to some of those basic things. And
when I meet refugees, one of the things that
I'm reminded is that they have God -sized problems.
And it's encouraging in the sense that we have
to cling to God to be able to find ways to support
and to walk alongside our refugee friends. So
once they're here and not having that recognition,
it means that there is a fear of arrest. So they
don't have the fear of persecution in the sense
of where they left home, but there is a fear
of being arrested. And that can be very paralyzing
here. One of the powers of the church is community,
is friendship, is relationship, what we're talking
about today. And when I first came here, one
of the first refugees that I met, he came by
himself and he came to one of our church gatherings.
And we started talking. He never mentioned that
he was a refugee. And after the service, I invited
him to come to dinner with us. And he told me,
sis. I want to go, but I don't have money to
pay for my meal. I was like, oh, don't worry
about that. We got you. So he came and he had
dinner with us. And from that moment, this beautiful
journey of seeing a church love and embrace him
was so impactful. It reminded me why it's so
important for us to walk with people and in a
deep way. As he built relationships, people started
giving him opportunities to build skills and
highlighted a specific skill that he was good
at. And he devoted himself years in doing that
well. And he was known here in Thailand for that
skill. And people go to him and looking for support.
And he ended up leaving Thailand through that
skill that he developed. And there are two things
that I observe and I've seen in other families.
The first thing is that everything about him,
it was a reminder that he didn't belong. He wasn't
Asian. He couldn't blend in. He barely spoke
English. And throughout eight years, I saw him
build this beautiful confidence. He would walk
the streets of Thailand, of Bangkok, as if he
owned it. Very confident. And that confidence
wasn't rooted in people welcoming him first.
It was rooted in the knowing that he belonged
to God. That he, his home, was God himself. And
I believe that this sense of belonging has to
start there. It has to start with this. Because
think about it. We belong. To the creator of
all things. That's incredible. And I ask God
to show me. What does that mean every day that
I am a child of God? There's a freedom that comes
in knowing that. And the second thing in his
life that impacts me. Is the power of walking
with people who see you. Who say, hey, you're
really good at this. And gives you the opportunity
to grow that skill. to build it, and to launch
you into it. And that's the power that we have
as a church, that we're able to walk alongside
our friends, not trying to fix the problems,
because as I said, they're God -sized problems,
but we seek to the one who can fix it, who can
walk with us in the journey. And the beautiful
thing is that I get to see God's work in it,
that starting... From when he came to Thailand.
And things were so hard. So bleak. But then see
that journey. Of where he is today. You could
only say glory be to God. Because it is him who
opened that door for him. And he uses us. His
people. To do it. It's not alone. It's through
us. And we've been partnering with ECB for 12
years. This room is filled with people that I
love. And that I've built friendships with. And
I'm deeply thankful for the beautiful ways that
you embrace and love refugees here. And there
is an invitation to continue to do that. We have
refugees. Not only those who are Christians and
have been persecuted. But we also have refugees
who don't know Jesus. That they're rejected because
they're an ethnic minority. They're rejected
because of their faith. And then they come here,
thinking negative things about Christians. They
come to a community that loves them, that cares
for them, with no agenda. And it's impactful.
And my prayer is that we continue to be that
church so that they can see how good God is.
And there's an open invitation for you guys to
be involved and get to know some of our refugee
friends and be able to serve. And I see how us
living out our faith with courage. impacts them
and they're able to see how good God is. So thank
you for the partnership. Thank you for loving
so well. And I will be, Rachel and I will be
outside to talk to you guys. So thank you. Awesome.
Thank you. Informational, yes. Inspirational,
yes. Invitational, yes. When we're done, you
can head downstairs, walk through the courseway.
There are tables on the left -hand side. And
you can think. And then you can act and consider
how you might be able to engage. See, transformation
spreads. One person welcomes another. One life
impacts another. One disciple helps form another
disciple. And so as we've been asking that question,
who belongs at the table, we see that anybody
who is welcomed by Christ belongs. And we ask,
what happens when people belong? Well, we see
that God begins to transform them. And then we
arrive at this final question, which is, what
do transformed people do? Do they simply stay
seated at the table? We've arrived. Do they simply
enjoy the blessing that they've received? Do
they consume? Or does something else begin to
happen? And again, Scripture is clear. People
who have begun to be welcomed actually become
people who begin to welcome other people. It's
this natural outflow. People who have been transformed
begin to help transform other people. People
who have been loved begin loving others because
God's plan isn't simply to just welcome people.
His plan is to send people. Let's listen to his
words in Matthew chapter 25 and then Romans 15
when Paul talks to us. Matthew 25. Some of you
might have heard this one before. He says, I
was hungry. You know this one? I was hungry and
you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and
you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger
and you invited me in. Some of you could keep
on going. But if we stop there for a moment,
notice what Jesus does not say. He doesn't say,
I was a stranger and you noticed me from across
the room. He doesn't say, I was a stranger and
you agreed with me. He didn't say, I was a stranger
and you felt sorry for me. He says, I was a stranger
and you welcomed me. So for us, hospitality has
to be more than awareness. Hospitality is an
action. It's making room. It's opening our lives
and it's reflecting the heart of God. And so
the gospel is the story of God making room for
people who never expected a seat at his table.
And I think that when that truth begins to grip
our hearts, something shifts, it changes. We
stop asking, what can I get? And begin to ask,
who can I welcome? We stop asking, well, who
belongs in my circle? And we begin asking, who
might God be inviting me to make room for? Because
welcomed, People become welcoming people. Romans
chapter 15 says, Accept one another then, just
as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise
to God. I like this. Paul doesn't say, Hey, hey,
hey, hey, accept one another so that Christ will
accept you. No, he flips it. He says, Christ
accepted you. Therefore, accept one another.
And so the gospel always comes first. Grace always
comes first. Hospitality always begins with God.
And because Christ has welcomed us, we welcome
other people. Because Christ has transformed
us, we help other people grow. Because Christ
has sent us, we go. See, hospitality creates
belonging and belonging creates becoming and
becoming. It leads to being. And being leads
us to welcome other people. Because of Christ,
we are sent. So in God's kingdom... People always
become participants. We become contributors and
servants or ambassadors might be a word. People
who were once welcomed become those who welcome.
People who were once served become people who
serve. People who were once invited become people
who extend the invitation. And the next story
is a story of that, a story of being and purpose
and service, a story of somebody that discovered
that God's invitation doesn't end at the table.
It begins there. This is a story of a lady who
left a nation where she was experiencing persecution,
and she arrived in Thailand with nothing physically
to give. She finds a church. She begins a discipleship
journey on her own, belonging, becoming. And
then she approaches her own community to see
what kinds of challenges or needs exist there.
And they help her come to an understanding that
there are certain ages within the refugee community
that don't really have access to education because
of their age and their status. And she says,
I'm an educator. I can help with that. And so
she begins serving those within her own community
who have been denied access to education. And
so for me, what a beautiful picture of the kingdom
of God. Not somebody just sitting on the sidelines
being defined by some sort of label. Not just
people known only by their circumstances. but
people using their gifts, serving other people,
building God's kingdom, reflecting Jesus. In
church, this is what happens when hospitality
does its work. Hospitality creates belonging.
Belonging creates becoming. Becoming leads to
being. I'm going to preach for another 20 minutes
until you say it, okay? And being. It leads us
to welcome other people because welcomed people
become welcoming people. And I think that's more
than just like a nice phrase and we'll get hats
and sell them to everybody later. But this is
discipleship. This is the gospel. This is the
kingdom of God. And so take a look back for a
moment at where we've come from this morning.
We began with the question, who belongs at God's
table? Not just the outsiders. Sorry, not just
the insiders. Not just the respectable people,
not just the religious, not just the successful,
but the invitation goes to the poor and the outsider,
the forgotten, the overlooked, the people that
nobody expected. And then Paul reminds us that
we were strangers, we were foreigners, we were
outsiders, and yet Christ brings us near. And
then in Acts chapter 2, we're reminded that belonging
isn't the destination, it's the beginning. God
welcomes us and then he transforms us. And then
Matthew 25 reminds us that transformed people
begin living differently. They welcome, they
serve, they make room, they extend the same kind
of grace that they've received. And so all of
that brings us to this moment. I want to invite
you to reflect on a few questions. If we are
welcomed, if I'm welcomed, how has Christ welcomed
me? If I am transformed or I'm being transformed,
who is God changing me to be? How is Christ changing
me? And if we're sent, who is God inviting me,
inviting you to welcome? I recognize that not
all of us may be called to the same thing, but
every one of us is invited to do something. Throughout
the morning, we've talked about this idea of
belonging. We've talked about the idea of becoming.
We've talked about the idea of being. We've talked
about hospitality. We've talked about God's invitation.
We've talked about making room for other people
because Christ made room for us. And so I want
to leave you with three simple responses. See,
some of us, some of us are called to give. We're
here to support ministries, organizations. Maybe
we can support people who are faithfully serving
displaced communities here in Bangkok. Maybe
people that are around the world. And so giving
is one of the ways that we make room for other
people. Not all of us can go and do something,
but all of us can participate. The second one
is this idea of grow. Say it with me, grow. Some
of us need to grow. Maybe today, is an invitation
to learn to build a relationship with another
person. To learn somebody else's story, to pray
differently, to step outside of your comfort
zone, to move from sympathy to relationship,
to move from knowing about people to actually
knowing people. So perhaps the next step for
you is simply to grow. And then there's others
of you that are in this room that might be called
to go, to serve, to volunteer, to mentor, to
walk alongside somebody, to join what it is that
God is already doing. And the invitation isn't
to go to pretend to be some sort of rescuer.
No, no. It's to go because you've been welcomed.
And welcomed people become welcoming people.
And so the invitation from Jesus to us today
is to not simply attend the banquet. It's to
help extend an invitation. It's to help make
room at the table. Because one day, there will
be people from every tribe, every tongue, every
nation gathered around one king. And until that
day, this is good, we have the privilege of helping
people find their place at his table. So whether
your next step is to give, to grow, or to go,
take a step. Take a step because Christ made
room for you. He made room for us. And now we've
got an opportunity to make room for others. Thank
you for tuning in to the ECB Sermon Podcast.
Whether near or far, if you are looking for community
or are in need of prayer, we welcome you to engage
by sending us an email to If God is calling you
to support our ministries, you will find giving
options on our website. And remember to join
us next week. God bless you.