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The apostle Paul said it this way: “I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise” (Romans 1:14). Recall that he had been brought up in, and participated in the strictest Jewish tradition. As a Jew, it would have been unthinkable for Saul of Tarsus to associate with Greeks and Barbarians. However, as Paul, the saved sinner (Christian), he was “indebted to all people everywhere. Because of what Christ had done for him (and for all of us), Paul felt obligated to teach the gospel to everyone he met. His driving force was, ” …yea, woe is unto me , if l preach not the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:16)! Those groups mentioned in the above passage afforded Paul the opportunity to continually carry this out.
As our guests, we are indebted to you, first of all, because you have done us the great honor of accepting our invitation to visit with us. That is a very “friendly” thing for you to do (Proverbs 18:24).
Second, we are in your debt for the same reason that Paul was indebted to tnose in his day. We are just normal people who have been blessed to know “the grace of God that brings salvation” (Titus 2:11). We, too, have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus (Ephesus 1:17). Because of that, we also understand the ongoing need to be “ambassadors for Christ,” pleading with all whom we meet to be “reconciled unto God” (2 Corinthians 5:20).
Third, we are in your debt because you have come “under our roof.” That allows us the opportunity to show you Christian hospitality (Hebrews 13:2).
Thank you for being our guests!
J. Brooks Boyd Jr.
Livingston church of Christ
Livingston , TN