“Most people who aren’t even Christians understand the Bible talks about the golden rule: To love thy neighbor as thyself. I think in a culture like we have today…hospitality is going to make a comeback for Christians.”

Gabe Lyons, founder of Q Ideas, highlights the importance of being good to our neighbors and engaging with the world around us.

Studies reveal that we live in a world that has a negative perception of the Christian faith.

“46% of Americans believe that religion is part of the problem, and 42% believe people of faith are part of problem. This anti-religion idea is so dominating the culture right now that when you say anything about your faith being part of what motivates you, it creates a problem.”

As Christians, how can we combat these statistics?

“Part of how we overcome that perception is as people get to know you. That’s harder to do today; it takes us stepping out and having some boldness, but also leading with love.”

We learn about other key areas to focus on along with leading with love; being neighborly and cultivating the gift of hospitality.

Hospitality is a large part of the solution; we just need to respond to the people that God nudges us to serve. Gabe offers advice on how to demonstrate hospitality and build it into relationships.

“Become a very hospitable person to your community, to your neighbors, to your friends; invite people into your home, cook a meal for them, engage in real dynamic conversation with them, build a relationship. If you do that, you’ve probably done more than a church is ever going to do to reach them.”

“It’s in the substance of that relationship and that foundation that you’re going to find, over time, there’ll be moments where they’re having a crisis in their life.”

It’s during these pivotal times that Christians can share the love of God with people who don’t know Him yet. Gabe elaborates on these opportunities,

“The times people are most open to hearing about faith is when they’re going through some crisis of their own.”

“And because you have already established a trusted friendship that was not contingent on them converting to your faith, then you have to positioned yourself better than anybody to get to speak into their life, to speak truth into their life to offer them good news.”

Gabe teaches us what he learned about hospitality from the people of Amsterdam.

“I got to spend time with the Dutch people who have been living under these kinds of secular circumstances for many more years than we are in America. What they have found is that beyond a church service, the way they’re finding people come to Christ is just through hospitality.”

We are all encouraged to step outside of our comfort zones, share the gift of hospitality with others, and develop meaningful friendships with the people that God places in our lives.

More advice on restoring the Christian faith in today’s society can be found in Gabe’s book, Good Faith.

Highlight: Are you hospitable?

Faith under fire