The answer to this question may surprise you. What was one of Jesus’ strategies for evangelism? He did it over dinner. “The primary venue for evangelism in Jesus’ life was the meal,” writes Eugene Peterson. Why meals? Meals are natural and relational places for insiders to begin faith conversations.

Jesu set the example by regularly eating with “sinners.” In fact, he had a reputation as a heavy-eater: “The Son of Man came eating and drinking and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners’” (Luke 7:34). The Gospels are rich with examples of Jesus’ dining ministry (Matthew 9:10-13; Luke 7:36-50; Luke 14:1-27; Luke 19:1-10).

In Jesus’ culture, hospitality was a sacred duty. People believed that guests were sent to them by God. Meals were a place of intimacy, with the dinner party reclining on the floor, engaged in conversation with one another. Relationships were nurtured and built around shared food.

This simple act of eating turned the worlds of the religious conservatives upside down (Luke 15:2). In their eyes, this young rabbi and reputed Messiah was compromised by His dinner guests. “Why is your teacher eating with tax collectors and sinners?” they asked in horror. They believed that anyone eating with the religiously unclean became unclean (Mark 7:1-4).

To these religious conservatives, moral disease was like a cold spread through contact. For the conservative Jew, “Unclean people and objects constantly threaten to corrupt God’s holy [people]. Like literal physical disease, we may think of ritual impurity as contagious,” writes theologian Craig Bloomberg. Jesus wisely balanced being insulated from sin’s effects without being isolated from sinful people (John 17:15-18).

Insiders today can learn from Jesus’ model. For example, He didn’t set preconditions on who could attend the banquets. There’s no record of Him calling people to repentance when dinner conversations stalled. It doesn’t appear that Jesus gave his host a list of acceptable and unacceptable behaviors from the guests. Grace invites everyone to the table of truth. Meals became a symbolic banquet of salvation where outsiders are compelled to join (Luke 14:23-24).

Peggy and I have decided that our home is our key place of ministry. We have learned some simple lessons.

• Keep it simple. Sometimes we can overdo our hospitality. We make it so special that people do not feel they can reciprocate in the same way and thus never invite us to their homes. Sometimes a dessert (purchased at Kroger’s) is enough.
• Plan some conversation starters. You could identify 1-2 questions to enhance the conversation. We don’t want to interrogate people or create an artificial setting but one or two thoughtful questions can be conversation starters.
• Raise your “faith flag.” Ask God to give some natural opportunities to identify as Christ-followers. Prayer before a meal can be one source. A comment about how the Lord has helped in a shared situation is another. Meals are often bridge-building opportunities for the gospel.
• Equal housing opportunity. Sometimes we feel that our home is not “good enough” —we don’t have the up-dates of the latest HGTV reality show. We need to remember that our friends have unclean homes, dogs or cats prowling the rooms, or children running around the house. A spirit of friendliness can overshadow the downsides of any home.
• Be ready to sit in the “smoking section.” We cannot expect spiritual behavior from unspiritual people. Don’t allow language, preferences, or some inappropriate behavior keep you from people. If fact, you can probably expect being uncomfortable at times.

Consider living the Jesus way and invite people into your home for a meal or dessert. If this isn’t possible, meet over lunch, dinner, or a cup of coffee at an inexpensive restaurant. Turn food into a Kingdom encounter and watch the Lord build relationships that carry the weight of grace and truth.

 Is dinner ready?

Take time to reflect

• What are some natural opportunities to be hospitable to people?
• What encourage you to use your home for hospitality? What discourages you?
• Sometimes we can fear compromising situations. What can help you strike the balance between being insulated from sin’s effects without being isolated form people?