The Hospitality of Strangers with Patrick Mead

"Awkward and Uncomfortable." These were the words our speaker used to describe what goes on in Joshua 2:1-24.  "AWKWARD and UNCOMFORTABLE".

Our first keynote of Monday morning was lead by Patrick Mead, the senior minister at Fourth

Avenue Church of Christ in Franklin, Tn.  Here are my notes from his lesson.

A lot of people try to minimize what Rahab was but the scripture is plain and clear.  She's described as a prostitute and a harlot.

How awkward is it that we find spies of Israel in a prostitute's house?  Seriously, when was the last time any of us preachers visited a prostitute?  You better be bringing your elders along with you for witnesses because it's really gonna cause ripples in your church if you get caught hanging at the prostitute's house.

Not only are they there but she also LIES for them.  Now ask yourself, why would this prostitute lie for people she barely knows? (or maybe she KNEW them too well)  Why stick her neck out for spies from the rival country unless something really awkward was going on?   And just HOW did the king know they were with the prostitute?

So after she saves the spies, do you know what Israel did to her and her family?  In Joshua 6:23 they put her outside the camp.

God was seeking this woman, Rahab, who was special enough to make it into Jesus' genealogy, and yet Israel put her outside the camp.

Have our churches been guilty of treating the broken of this world like outsiders when God is seeking for them and trying to bring them out from the world and into His fold?

Joshua chapter two is a horribly awkward chapter but also a relevant chapter for churches today.
What is our attitude toward the prostitutes and broken individuals around us whom God is seeking?

Also, here's a special shout-out and thanks to the workers of the Starbucks on Lipscomb's campus for the free iced coffee they gave me one minute before closing time so I could stay awake to type these notes out for you.





Ashley and I are taking notes and sharing them here for the primary purpose of benefiting our church family at Washington Church of Christ, yet we won't limit God to just using these insights there.  May they be a blessing to all who read them.  Feel free to ask us questions about anything in our Lipscomb Summer Celebration notes.