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Don’t neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it. 3 Remember the prisoners, as though you were in prison with them, and the mistreated, as though you yourselves were suffering bodily.
Hebrews 13:2-3 HCSB
This is a tough command to follow in the age that we currently live. So many people make a living off of others by pretending to be sick, homeless, and poor. Some Christians have grown cold to any kind of request from strangers because of how many times they have been scammed. Others subscribe to the theory that you should always give to others what they ask and let God handle it in the end.
Interestingly, the early church dealt with a similar issue.
“Because of the free offer of hospitality, Christians had to watch out for people just masquerading as Christians so they could leech off the generosity of God’s people. As time went on, Christian leaders taught their people how to recognize these kind of deceivers.”
David Guzik
There is a balance to be found and the early church had to come up with a practical way to measure their hospitality.
“Let every apostle that comes to you be received as the Lord. But he shall not remain except one day; but if there be need, also the next; but if he remains three days, he is a false prophet. And when the apostle goes away, let him take nothing but bread… but if he asks for money, he is a false prophet. And every prophet that speaks in the Spirit you shall neither try nor judge; for every sin shall be forgiven, but this one sin shall not be forgiven. But not everyone that speaks in the Spirit is a prophet; but only if he holds the ways of the Lord. Therefore from their ways shall the false prophet and the true prophet be known.”
(From The Ante-Nicean Fathers, Volume 7, page 380)
I find this so fascinating. Even the early church had to set boundaries with their hospitality to make sure they were efficiently helping those who were really in need. There is nothing wrong with being generous. However, God also allows for us to have wisdom. He encourages us to test things in order to prove that they are genuine!