In December I posted a blog about my neighbor. I originally thought he was Indian because of his skin color and accent. I WAS WRONG! He’s actually Palestinian and he has an Arabic accent. He and his family is also Muslim.

Let me tell you, he and his family are THE BEST neighbors in the world. They put American Christians to shame. Their hospitality are several notches above ours. They’re not Martha Stewart by any stretch of the imagination. What they have to offer isn’t fancy, it’s simple. They make everything in their home at our disposal. They are redefining how I view “generosity”. Any time I walk into their home, they give me food and drink. I could go over there right now and ask for a loaf of bread and they would give it to me without hesitation. I could ask to use any of their power tools and they would loan it to me. They are practicing their beliefs at a level that far exceeds the average Christian. Quite frankly, it makes me a little jealous and envious.

Why is it that a Muslim’s faith is making me jealous?

From looking at growth projections of the world religions, I might not be the only one taking notice of Muslims. Some analysts have projected that the population of Muslims will surpass Christians in 2025.

When will Christians make Muslims jealous? How will Christians invoke that jealous? It probably won’t come about with our fancy mega churches, martha stewart hospitality, and big-budget productions. It will probably start with actually being a follower of Jesus (even when no one is watching). We need to make our relationships with our neighbors and strangers a focus. We need to listen to other people and hear their story without passing judgment. We need to do the things Jesus did. It’s all about proclamation and demonstration of the Gospel of the Kingdom.

If we don’t do these things, I’m afraid Christianity will become more and more irrelevant to the emerging generation.