The Jesus Movement

This is the cover of Time Magazine, published on June 21, 1971, it’s a drawing of Jesus with this title: The Jesus Revolution!

A poor choice of words, because a Revolution means, “a forceable overthrow of a government or social order.” Revolution implies bloodshed and brute force and what happened from 1969 well into the 1980’s was not a forceable overthrow, it was a groundswell movement that captivated the Nation.

I was saved six months before the Time Magazine’s article was published; I was in the beginning of this incredible Movement. I saw what life was like in 1969, as a sophomore in High School, the Nation was being ripped apart at the seams. Race Riots, Protests against the Vietnam war, Haight-Ashbury Music and Hippies, the Assassinations of major Political and Religious Leaders, Kennedy (2) and Martin Luther King. In upper New York state at Yasgur’s Farm over 400,000 people, mostly young, escape all this insanity to attend the famous Woodstock Rock Festival. Billed as “an Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace and Music,” with no reported acts of violence, it made the history books, but when it was over, they all returned to harsh reality of life.

With thousands of disillusioned hippies, the time was ripe for a change, a real change and it happened like greased lightening. One by one and then groups turning into thousands of young people, of which I was one, became Christians. In Huntington Beach, CA, where I spent a fair amount of time surfing, you could see the changes in the Surf Shops, they were hanging pictures of Jesus and playing Christian Music.

It was an unbelievable time where it seemed the whole world was turning to Christ. As I wrote about in my book, Fired Up, I went out witnessing every night and on weekends, teenagers were coming to a Bible Study in my home. Sometimes there were up to 60 people in my study, depending on certain conditions, like if the surf was up, then some would be at the beach for some lacked commitment. Yet, there was excitement in the air, an energy that you could feel it.

Could this revival in Kentucky at Asbury University be the start of another Jesus Movement? I hope so, some are critical of it, for a variety of reasons, but we should not be too hasty in our judgement. In Acts 5:34-39, The great Gamaliel, a teacher of the law (Paul sat under him) held in honor by all the people, stood… and said, …”if this is of man, it will fail, but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God! I realize this was said about the Apostle’s preaching, but the principal stands. Let God judge this and pray that genuine conversions to Christ will take place.

For me, I am delighted to see young people confessing their sins, singing praises to God and hearing from the Scriptures. If this is the beginning of another Jesus Movement, I pray this time that most will find their way into Biblical churches across this country and proved to be Christ’s disciples by keeping in His Word. It’s no wonder why the time is ripe, we are living in another time of insanity, greater insanity than the 1960’s, for you can’t trust Government, Science, or Financial Institutions, we were Locked Down trying to prevent catching the disease and given Vaccinations that have proven deadly. They’re fearful of the non-existing Global Warming and can’t go into the cities for the fear of being assaulted. They look at a future of no hope and loneliness, isolated by social media and scared to death by flat out lies in the News. Let us pray that thousands turn to Christ in true repentance and faith towards Christ, He is our only Hope.

Let it be true Lord,

John