As we sit here in the midst of a chaotic and tumultuous culture, we can grapple with the fear, uncertainty, and absurdity of what’s going on (where do we start?) or we can step in and look for seeds of beauty, hope, and truth. Surely, the Lord has not given up on us. He in fact has never left the throne and is still working things out for His glory and renown. Do you believe that?

There are pockets of intercessors and believers still standing for truth and praying for a Jesus movement like never seen before in this nation. There are still churches submitting first and foremost to the Lord’s principles and His leading. We are crying out!

How perfectly you lead us, a people set free. Loving shepherd of Israel—listen to our hearts’ cry!… Break through and reveal yourself by coming to our rescue. Revive us, O God! Let your beaming face shine upon us with the sunrise rays of glory; then nothing will be able to stop us. O God, the mighty Commander of Angel Armies, how much longer will you smolder in anger? How much longer will you be disgusted with your people even when they pray?… Come back, come back, O God, and restore us! You are the Commander of Angel Armies. Let your beaming face shine upon us with the sunrise rays of glory, and then nothing will be able to stop us!… Come back, come back, O God to restore us! You are the Commander of Angel Armies.

Look down from heaven and see our crisis. Come down and care for your lovely vineyard once again… O God, the mighty Commander of Angel Armies, come back and rescue us! Let your beaming face shine upon us with the sunrise rays of glory. Then nothing will ever stop us again! (Ps 80:1-4, 7, 14, 19 TPT)

Lord, we need you!  Only YOU will do!

From one side of the battle, we don’t appear to be on the brink of anything but a total annihilation of government, history, society and certain freedoms in this country.  But God!

Let’s step back in time for a few moments.

The late 1960s marked one of the most tumultuous periods in American history. Anti-war protests reached a fever pitch, culminating in a near war-like confrontation at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. At the same time, the successes of the Civil Rights movement were threatened by the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in April of the same year. This underlying cultural friction combined with the sexual revolution and significant increase in access to psychedelic drugs to give rise to an emerging counterculture that rejected what it viewed as mainstream America. (Andrew MacDonald & Ed Stetzer, Talbot Magazine , 6/17/20)

The scene is so familiar to what we are walking through today.  We were in the midst of a deep civil rights movement, great controversy surrounding the Vietnam War (and in turn an onslaught against our soldiers who were sent over to fight), and there was a stir for something drastically different (many in hopes of escaping the present-day troubles) –  a counter-cultural movement.

The Woodstock Music Festival (August 1969) became “synonymous with the counterculture movement of the 1960s.” In an event almost haphazardly put together, almost half a million people showed up to a small dairy farm in New York for a peaceful celebration of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll.  This movement forever changed the course of pop culture, leaving an indelible mark on the music industry.

An equally powerful movement began on the opposite coast with the Jesus People Movement (JPM).  The young people flocking to Woodstock were pursuing the same things as those seeking Jesus in the JPM.  They were grappling for light and hope in the midst of a chaotic culture.  They were looking to numb themselves to the present-day struggles, with possible hopes of finding “truth” at the other end of it.

Across the various expressions, the JPM emphasized both the authority of Scripture and its accessibility to all believers. Many of its leading pastors and evangelists adopted a simple, verse-by-verse hermeneutic that instilled a belief that all Christians could, through careful reading, likewise understand and apply Scripture (10).

Even in their defining slogan — the raised finger and words “one way,” was an acknowledgement that in the midst of such pain, chaos, and uncertainty, it was solely through belief in Jesus that people could find the peace and joy they craved (12).

Colleges became centers for revival. Most famously, Asbury College experienced a revival during a chapel service on February 3, 1970 that lasted 185 hours (16). Asbury students almost immediately began spreading out to testify, sparking similar revivals in surrounding churches and on other college campuses. In one such revival, Asbury students led services at the South Main Church of God in Anderson, Indiana, with services lasting 50 consecutive days. (Andrew MacDonald & Ed Stetzer, Talbot Magazine , 6/17/20)

One day-long festival in Dallas in June 1972, sponsored by the evangelical organization Campus Crusade for Christ (“Cru” today), attracted as many as 150,000 people. (Larry Eskridge, The Conversation, 9/15/17)

The difference between Woodstock and JPM is JESUS!  Just like Woodstock influenced and transformed culture, specifically in regards to music, JPM influenced and transformed the Church, specifically in regards to how we reach those on the fringe.  A counter cultural movement desperate for something that was worth “selling out” for – and in the midst of the chaos, they found Jesus!

The JPM and other revival movements throughout history had immeasurable influence on the rest of culture. Therefore, in the power of the Holy Spirit, the Church must continue its agency of being an influencer and co-creators of culture as Andy Crouch argues in Culture Making. And it must continue to send people into public and private spheres as agents of transformation. (Oscar Merlo, “The Jesus People Movement: 50-plus Years Later”, Talbot Magazine, 6/17/20)

I love this picture of the Church “being an influencer and co-creators of culture.” We are meant to be “agents of transformation”!  This is a picture of a Church that is no longer on the sidelines or simply a quiet “lemming” following the masses.  This is about a Church that steps confidently into the battle, finds their voice and is unashamed of the Truth and hope that they carry.

In the early days of the JSM, it was more of a grassroots effort by a group of pastors, students, and born-again hippies (the “Jesus People”)—to serve the needs of and minister to the tens of thousands who descended upon the San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district during the “Summer of Love.” Coffee houses, shelters, and communes were part of what comprised the ministry to many who had nothing more than a sleeping bag and a few clothes.

The ripple effect became so widespread – spreading up and down the coast to cities like Seattle, Detroit and Ft. Lauderdale – that it gained the attention and cover of Time magazine.

According to a June 21, 1971 article in Time magazine, Jesus Christ was “turning on” young people all over the United States, because he was their radical. Christianity as a counterculture flourished. Pastors performed mass baptisms on the coasts of California while hundreds of young people watched. In Houston, eleven thousand teens chose to accept Christ as their savior after an evangelist visited their schools. Even popular musicians converted, as Johnny Cash, Eric Clapton, and Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary embraced the Jesus People Movement. (Christina Barnes Williams, “The Jesus People Movement and the Awakening of the Late 1960s” thesis, William & Mary, 2002.)

Just as with Woodstock and the “Summer of Love,” music was birthed in and flowed out of this movement – a sound more contemporary and “rock-like” than what was normal and mainstream for the Church – stirring up controversial changes.

JPM and the brightness of my screen reminds us that we are light in the dark places. That no matter the era or social condition, the Holy Spirit is working and uses broken people to fulfill God’s plans for restoration of the human heart. The Holy Spirit works in and through epochs of disarray. The Holy Spirit wind is the one that creates the movement; it blows where it pleases, and awakens the heart of the spiritually dead.

Things were not perfect in the JPM, but one thing is clear in our examination: the hearts of people were ABLAZE for the work of evangelism, and society witnessed the love of Christ.

Can the Holy Spirit do this again? YES! Some may be skeptical at this answer, but I propose you consider looking to the past for inspiration and into the future with aspiration. So, yes! Not in the same way, of course. But our Savior can do it again, regardless of our race or background, for He is sovereign. Yes! The Holy Spirit can do it in the contexts of universities, in our students, in our churches and in our lives… to compel us to pursue a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. To make our hearts sensitive to rekindling our passion for evangelism, and to continue faithfully preaching the transformative truths found in the Gospel of the Cross. It was, and it will always be, through the Holy Spirit and the eternal transforming Word of God that hearts will be brought to repentance. (Oscar Merlo, “The Jesus People Movement: 50-plus Years Later”, Talbot Magazine, 6/17/20)

Controversy is surrounding us every which way.  Anything that is against the mainstream media bent and narrative is deemed controversial, racist, unsympathetic, plagued by ignorant citizens consumed with conspiracy theories…  Are these louder voices and the mainstream media the loud minority?  Is there a silent majority sitting on their hands, downcast and claiming defeat?

Friends, we serve the God of the Angel Armies!  Every time we hear a bad report, or data that supports the public narrative…every time we hear a prophetic word that details our imminent demise…every time we have a conversation that seems to highlight offense, discord, disunity, and confusion – we need to pause and press in to the Lord.  Ask Him what we need to see, how we need to pray and where we need to go public with our voice.

“We just believe that the church has the ability to change the narrative,” Bethel musician Sean Feucht told Fox & Friends. “All of America has just seen these buildings burning and they’ve seen this destruction and the violence. And the news, the mainstream media seems to be infatuated with this. But, I’m telling you there is another story of what God is doing in these cities and the church is rising up.”

We are on the precipice of Glory!  We are carriers of His presence and called to bring His Kingdom to earth as it in in heaven!  I have heard story after story of revivals happening up and down the West Coast, of baptisms, miracles, and revival happening at the site of George Floyd’s memorial, of churches committed to not forsaking the assembly.

That should become the norm, the expectation, not the exception – the atmosphere should shift as we step foot onto the scene.

Even if…

Nothing changes.  We step into seeking nothing less than His Glory and praying for the veil to be peeled back.  Where darkness abounds, our light should be that much brighter!  As carriers of His presence, our light should pierce through and be undeniable to all those surrounding us.

Are we on the brink of the next Jesus People Movement?  My hope is in the ONE who spoke the world into being, our Creator, our Hope, our King…the name above all other names!

I’m praying for revival such as this nation has never seen before, an awakening that would reorient our view of ourselves, this world and our God – a move that would cause our hearts to beat in unison with the only One who can change everything.  Will you join me?

Article originally published at IFApray.org as “Are We on the Brink of the Next Jesus People Movement?”, 8/15/20