Hospitality and Acceptance in the Early Church

The modern church often emphasizes the importance of unity in a community. Members of the church are taught to accept and respect one another. This idea of unity derives from the teachings in the New Testament in the early churches. The disciples and apostles of Jesus were pivotal in spreading the faith and uniting people under the belief that they will be able to receive salvation by doing good. By spreading the faith, there were more people to serve and to be saved by God.

There were multiple instances in the New Testament where the apostles and disciples were found to be uniting people. In Paul’s Greetings, Paul offers God a warm welcome from everyone he encountered, even from those that are in Asia. The simple greeting from Paul to God outlines a more refined idea of unity. By including all the names of the people he encountered in his greetings to God, he indicates that he is united with all those that are involved in his life in at least the belief in God. He is willing to accept them without any regards to their race or denomination of faith. According to Paul, through God they are all connected.

The primary catalysts for obtaining the abundant amount of believers were the disciples and apostles of Jesus. They did this by preaching the word of God to the public. They told stories, performed miracles, and promised people salvation in believing in God. Paul, one of the twelve apostles, preached the gospel to Gentiles by telling stories of Jesus Christ. On his journey, he received refuge from various disciples of Jesus. The disciples were welcoming in that they offered Paul refuge for baptizing them. The hospitality given by these disciples illustrates how the church is an accessible place for all and that it provides a place of refuge to those in need.

Another apostle that contributed to spreading the faith was Philip. Philip, like Jesus, performed miracles on the public. Consequentially, people were more inclined to believe in Christ and God. In act...