"What if Jesus is Boring?"

“What if Jesus is boring?”

I remember seeing a post someone made a little over a year ago and asking myself that question afterward. The post was about a newly released song at the time, and the person was trying to challenge the popular notion that Christian music is boring.

The caption read:

“All of you that say you don’t listen to Christian music because it’s boring, you won’t see this one now, oh."

And honestly, I understood the point being made; to an extent, it was valid. I love music too, very much even, and my heart blesses the very first sound of music to have ever been created (special shoutout to God for that one, honestly). But even then, I couldn’t help but think beyond the simplicity of the point being made.

What if Christian music were boring?
Would listening to worldly music then become justified?

That thought sat with me for a while.

I went back then and wrote in my notepad, and these questions were deep-seething enough to help me see that I needed something much more to fuel my pursuit of Jesus and my quest to resemble Him. Something much bigger and more convincing than the mere fact that it is "sweet" to know Jesus or that being a Jesus baby was the happening thing and everyone should be it because of that.

I hope they do the same to you, too:

“Is our job as Christians really to make a statement?

Are we really here to prove that Christianity is not boring?

Is it really to show that we can carry a ‘title’ and still have fun?

"See me, I can have fun, but I'm a Christian."

"You see, Christian music is not boring, I told you guys."

"See, I'm a Christian, but I can live the life, viva la vida."

"I'm fun, I'm outgoing, I'm not boring, I can look chic and be chic," but is that it?

Is it all about making statements or proving points?

Because it's starting to look like it

Question: What if Jesus is boring?

What if He's not fun?

What if He doesn't want you to live the life? I'm not saying these are true, but what if?

What if He doesn't match your aesthetics? Will He still be your choice?

Do you have a greater conviction to tender if everything clean and pretty is taken away in one clean sweep?

If your struggle was more than just with your prayer life or study life, are you sure you'll still be good in Him?

Will you still do Jesus if your battle were flesh and blood included?

Do we really produce good music to prove that we are good at what we do?

Is that what the artists have in their minds?

If the only thing standing between you and God's glory is nice-sounding music, or clean pictures, or looks, can you let go?

I'm not even trying to promote mediocrity, but is God's glory at risk in your life because it doesn't come in a package you find attractive or excellent enough?

Sincerely, I don't have anything to say. I don't even know if I really have answers to these myself, but I think it's high time we start asking ourselves these questions.

Are you here to prove a point? Or is God's glory your ultimate?

Is giving your best all about how you look? Or is it about who you are offering it to?”

In all of these, my aim here is not to say that having fun as a believer makes you shallow; I’m also not here to preach sufferhead culture to you and claim that there is a look you must have to be tagged a ‘serious believer,' far from it, and if I did, that would make me a hypocrite, because I intend to enjoy this life and enjoy it well. I mean, my parents don’t call me the “most expensive child” just for fun o. I love life, and I intend to live it to the fullest.

But if we just base our faith in Jesus and our love for God on the fact that life being easy means God is good, then how sustainable is the Christianity we preach? Because there are people in some regions that don’t have nice-sounding music in their churches, there are some that have to risk their lives to be Christians, and there are some that have to hide and sneak around. Does that now mean that God isn’t good to them? Do you see where that thought process falls short?

Personally, I think this is such a timely period for us to discuss and ponder these questions. Especially in the wake of the recent happenings in our nation, Nigeria, and even the world at large. With people being beaten, battered, targeted, and killed just for the fact that they believe in Jesus and refuse to change their minds.

You know, every time I hear such news, I quietly say a prayer for those involved and for myself too, because not everyone will have the privilege to defend their faith with their life, but we still have to live as though that opportunity will come one day, and it is so easy to claim to be of something, but when that time comes, if it will, how sustainable is your faith, and what is it anchored on? Will I stand because I am rooted in the true knowledge of Him, or will I be too weak and fail?

It is general knowledge that what gives credibility to a system is its ability to absorb shocks, recover from disruptions, and adapt to new conditions so that it persists rather than fails. We usually call it "resilience." And history proves that the Christian faith is a resilient one.

I mean, kudos to Gamaliel for propounding that theory in Acts 5:39: “So my advice is, leave these men alone. Let them go. If they are planning and doing these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown. [39] But if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God!” Because here we are thousands of years later and the gospel that the apostles preached is still standing stronger than ever.

So, we know that the message is not weak, nor is the founder of the movement, and so if our faith falls short, if lack of good music is enough to chase people away, or if we have fleeting, chasing Christians, then maybe we need to take a pause and look at what we truly mean when we claim that we are Christians and what that entails.

No expositions this time or brain-tasking conversation, just a heart check from me to you this beautiful day: “What if Jesus is boring?"

I believe that when we genuinely answer this question, our approach to inviting people to be partakers of this family and our advocacy of Jesus would carry a much more resilient meaning.

If you made it up to this point, thank you. Now, I want you to take a moment to say a word of prayer over Nigeria and especially for anyone currently in captivity. God is Good all the time and He's good despite these, but He's also compassionate and merciful, and He's able to deliver every single one of them if He wills it.

Lord we know you are able and because of that, we are grateful. Thank you Jesus because testimonies await us and even these situations would be used for your glory.

Now, if this blessed you, don't hesistate to share this link with your friends and anyone you think would also be blessed, leave a comment for me too, we are working on making it possible to respond to comments so be on the lookout for that and you can start dropping your comments and questions and be surprised when I suddenly respond out of the blue.

Okay, byeee and see you in the next one.