Did You Know Your Home Is An Embassy of the King?

So many people today are longing for a place where they are loved and encouraged. Your home can be that place.

In this weary and wavering world, the Apostle Paul exhorts us, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20). That isn’t just a command for when we’re in the workplace or out running errands. It’s a definition of who God has designed us to be. All the time. Everywhere. Even at home.

And if I am an ambassador for Christ … that makes my home an embassy.

Have you ever thought that your home may be one of your best opportunities to reach and influence people for Christ? So many people today are longing for a place where they are loved and encouraged. A place where they feel comfortable and not judged. Your home can be that place.

Yet too often most of us wait to invite others into our home until the right time—when the rooms are clean, a meal is ready, the children are well-behaved, or we have free time. 

But remember … our homes do not belong to us. They are given to us by God to steward for His purposes. Instead of waiting for the right moment, we should expect God to use our homes, His embassy, to put Him on display in the dailiness of life to anyone who enters or comes near.

Here are five ways to practically make your home His embassy:

1. Practice hospitality.
Hospitality is an attitude of welcoming, of having a purposeful open-door policy that invites others in as God leads. 

Friends of ours, Dave and Lida, empty nesters living in a four-bedroom home, keep their extra bedrooms clean and ready to be filled with whoever might need them. Dave and Lida heard of a patient who was traveling frequently to the local children’s hospital for specialized care, so they offered the patient and his family a free stay in their home for the duration of the treatments. It was a great gift of love and compassion for a little family dealing with big medical bills and stress. 

2. Love your neighbors. If you are like most others in America, you probably know only a few of your neighbors … and perhaps none of them. Instead of sitting in front of the TV after dinner, take a slow stroll down your street. Say hello to everyone you pass and look for opportunities to talk. 

Don’t hide behind your backyard fence. Let your kids play in the driveway and front yard too; invite the neighbor kids over to play in your yard. Trade lawn responsibilities when someone is out of town, collect mail, roll their trash can out to the curb.

Loving our neighbors is often easier than we imagine. The possibilities are endless. Ask God to help you get to know those He has planted near your home, His embassy. 

3. Keep an open-door policy for anyone who needs a listening ear. I’m inspired by a woman I saw in an online video who calls her home an embassy. She says she is always prepared for anyone who might stop by. She sees her home as a hideaway any time of day or night for anyone in need. 

4. Decorate with meaningful truth. In our home embassy, I have several of my favorite verses framed and hanging in various places. I have ornaments with the names of Jesus hanging on lamp switches and on a nob on a drawer. My front door always has a plaque or a banner with a verse or a reference to the King who reigns in my life and my home. It’s not hard to find or make these visual declarations that Deuteronomy commands. 

5. Host small-group gatherings. Sure, your church, local coffee shop and community buildings have plenty of meeting space, but inviting friends into your home is far more welcoming. We learn more about our friends and others when we spend time with them in their space. 

Next time you’re planning a gathering, birthday party, or family event, volunteer your home. It doesn’t mean you have to do all the work; you can delegate. 

There are countless ways to love those around you in the setting of your home. Even the smallest strides toward declaring your home a representation and refuge of our King will honor the One who has provided your family with a residence able to serve Him through serving others.