Hospitable: The mature believer is “hospitable”; he welcomes and cares for strangers. This is much more than how one entertains friends or hosts a fine meal. This is about helping whoever is in need, especially those outside your familiar circle, as the Good Samaritan did (Lk. 10:30-37). God calls all of us to love and befriend strangers in this way (Mt. 25:35, 40; Rom. 12:13; Heb. 13:2; 1 Pet. 4:9). There is a heartwarming biblical basis for this disposition. We were all once strangers and enemies of God ourselves, yet He redeemed us and reconciled us in Christ (Eph. 2:12-19; Col. 1:21-22; Rom. 5:8). We make room for strangers because God made room for us. Overseers are to lead the church in this with an open heart and an open house.[1]

Able to Teach: Mature saints come alongside novices with a teacher’s heart to help them learn and grow. This aim is central to being an able teacher and is seen in two ways. In the informal sense, each believer is to come alongside another to help them understand and live out God’s word (Heb. 5:12; Col. 3:16). They are to do this with patience and kindness (2 Tim. 2:24), like Jesus, who guides with a gentle and humble heart (Matt. 11:29). In the formal sense, this is what drives overseers toward excellence as formal teachers in the church (James 3:1). They seek the church’s good, and so wisely lead her to the truth and away from error (Tit. 1:9). Jesus was a teacher who faithfully spoke the word of God (John 7:17-18). May we all become more like Him and seek to win souls,[2] relying on the Father to draw them (Prov. 11:30; John 6:44).

[1] Our love of strangers is not limited to fellow believers alone. Jesus commands us to love our enemies, and Paul urges us to do good to all people, even beyond the household of faith (Luke 6:35; Gal. 6:10).

[2] Jesus spoke to win souls (John 5:34; Lk. 19:10; 24:47), so we should also (Col. 4:5-6; Tit. 3:1-5; 1 Pet. 3:15).