God's Message Is Not Boring

God's Message Is Not Boring
By
Rev. Steve Ridenour
For Him Ministries

You know I hear all too often the many comments about Christian people being boring people. I don't consider myself as being boring. I don't consider my Christian friends as boring people either. My friends and I enjoy doing different things than a lot of other people, or maybe I should say that a lot of other people enjoy doing different things than my friends and I.

I enjoy going to concerts. I like standing up, and shouting, and singing songs of praise to my Lord and Savior. I enjoy watching all of the other people who are attending the concerts having fun, shouting, singing and dancing in praise. I get so much enjoyment out of being in the presence of all of these boring Christians. What! Christians having fun, and at a concert! No way! Yes way, and we have a great time! We sing praise and worship songs. We shout, "I love you Jesus" as we hold our hands up to God in praise. Some even get moved by the Holy Spirit to do a little dancing.

Now granted, these are not your typically thought of "concerts". These are Christian concerts with Christian artists playing Christian music. There are no drugs, there is no alcohol, and there is no violence. What there is, is a whole lot of brother and sisters in Jesus Christ who are there with one common purpose, to give all praise and glory to our Creator. They are there, and they are united in their love for Jesus Christ. And guess what? They all had fun, and I don't think that you would have found one person in the crowd of over a thousand that felt bored.

Now, I am no spring chicken and I will be the first to admit that I don't really care for the musical styles of some of today's music. I know for a fact that my parents didn't like the style of music that I listened to as a kid. They liked the big band sounds, and they liked the swing type music. Growing up I liked to listen to the good old rock and roll of the 60's, not so much for the messages, but for the beat. I still like that musical beat. The last Christian concert I went to was directed more to the teenage population. There was a style of music played called "Ska". There was some "heavy metal" and some "punk" styles of music, and honestly I didn't enjoy the all of the music. I did enjoy the messages in each of the songs. I did enjoy the fact that there were more than a thousand young people there, listening to the music ministry that each performing group had for the crowd. I enjoyed knowing that God's message was being presented to young people that might have otherwise never heard His message if it hadn't been for the music.

God's message is not boring. God's message does not have to be confined to the music ministry of the old classic hymns like "How Great Thou Art" or "The Old Rugged Cross." These are great gospel hymns, and I enjoy singing them. My grandmother also enjoyed singing them. However, times are changing constantly and the musical tastes and styles are changing with the times. The words will always be the same, but only to a different beat of the drum. I think it is a wonderful thing when Christian youth can listen to music with today's beats and energy and receive ministry through the music. I think it is a great thing when a young Christian can invite a young non-Christian to go to a concert where the music is Ska, punk, or alternative if that is what they like, and then the Christian message is given to them in the form of music. All of a sudden this non-Christian youth is presented with the fact that "Hey I didn't know that being a Christian could be like this."

You see being a Christian is not being boring. Being a Christian is being "like Christ." It is about living life with Godly morals, it is about loving your neighbor, and it is about telling everyone that Jesus Christ died on the cross for them, so that through Him they could be saved and live life eternally. If our young people listen to music ministry of God's love for them in the form of Ska, punk or country western what difference does it make? What matters is the message that they are receiving. Advertisers know the value and impact of packaging the product they are selling. Young people may not be rejecting the "product" of the Gospel, but the "package" it comes in. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:22, "I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some." The Gospel of Jesus Christ is too awesome to be trapped in what today's youth may consider a lackluster package.

Personally I enjoy a wide variety of musical styles. To satisfy my choice of Hip Hop, R&B, or Modern Pop, I listen to Mary-Mary, Out of Eden, or Kirk Franklin and God's Property. When I feel like listening to some rock and roll music, I can listen to Spoken For, Modern Day John, Petra or the Newsboys. When I want to soften things up I pull out some Ray Boltz, or Jackie Velasquez. All of these artists vary in their musical styles, yet each one of them present the same message of God's love for us. God uses each one of them individually for His purpose.

For Him Ministries is very involved in the Christian music ministry. During the past 3 months I have been working with approximately 20 Christian youth representing about 15 different churches in Laredo, TX to present a day long praise and worship event on April 28 called Godstock. There will be 9 Christian artists at Godstock, each presenting God's message to an expected crowd of 5,000 young people. Many of these young people might have never heard God’s message if it hadn't been for this music event. Many of these young people will come to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior at Godstock.

So the next time you hear a young person say that being a Christian is boring, think about what they are saying. Maybe the Christian people that they see are not showing the joy of having Jesus Christ in their lives. Show that person that being a Christian doesn't have to be boring. Truthfully, since I accepted Jesus Christ into my life, I have enjoyed my life more than ever. Now that I think about it, I have even enjoyed my Christian life when times seem to be difficult beyond reasoning. How can that be?

God's Message Is Not Boring By Rev. Steve Ridenour For Him Ministries

God's Message Is Not Boring
By
Rev. Steve Ridenour
For Him Ministries