Acts 18:3, “And because he (Paul) was of the same trade he stayed with them (Aquila and Priscilla) and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade.”
Hosting doesn’t come easy for me. I’m a minimalist when it comes to fancy details. My husband loves to have people in our home and gives me the extra nudge I need to open up our home often. He helps with the extra work so I can enjoy the visiting. We host best together.
Aquila and Priscilla loved having people in their home for the purposes of fellowship, worship, evangelism, and discipleship. They hosted the apostle Paul, worship services (Romans 16:3-5a; I Cor 16:19) and future preachers and apologists like Apollos (see part 3 of this series) in their home. How did Priscilla find time to host amidst her daily tent-making work? No doubt she kept things simple, yet meaningful.
Charles Keeler wrote The Simple Home in 1906 saying, “The ideal home is one in which the family may be most completely sheltered to develop in love, graciousness, and individuality, and which is at the same time most accessible to friends, toward whom hospitality is as unconscious and spontaneous as it is abundant.” I found this in The Simple Home: A Faith-filled guide to Simplicity, Peace and Joy in your Home by Sharon Handby-Robie written a hundred years later. She writes, “As an interior designer, what I hear from most people is that they just want a home that is pretty enough for them to feel comfortable entertaining, and easy enough to care for so that they don’t feel like a slave to it.”
I remember praying one day, while changing our 5th child’s diaper, that God would help us expand the size of our tiny home. We hosted many in our tiny home before the Lord provided for an addition where we now have a guest bed and bathroom.
A special joy has been to host missionaries and leaders of various International and National ministries including one last summer. This man attended a baptism service at a local river then traveled to the small-town church nearby where he shared about his world-wide ministry, visiting with folks long afterwards. I made scrambled eggs and popcorn to serve for a late supper. Our 5 kids enjoyed munching popcorn with this hero of the faith. How did Priscilla and Aquila make the Apostle Paul feel so at home around their table? I believe they hosted with great joy out of a strong love for God and others. Paul just may have had Aquila and Priscilla in mind when he penned, “Let all that you do be done in love.” I Cor 16:14
So much of what we do as ministry couples is a team effort, and I believe that hosting in our homes is one of those areas that are so key to reflecting Christ to those we serve. I never thought about Aquila and Priscilla using their home to minister together. Thanks for this encouragement, Denna!