Tracy and I just returned from a local theater where we watched The Jesus Revolution. If you haven’t seen it, or even heard of it, I would highly recommend it. It’s a true story of a time in the late 60’s and early 70’s where God transformed the lives of many thousands of public outcasts, commonly referred to as “hippies.” There was a huge generation gap in our country at the time, and it was affecting all walks of life, including the church. It’s funny how God works sometimes, particularly when it comes to His timing, as I actually blogged about this hippie move of God a few months ago (see All You Need Is Love) before I had even realized they were making a movie about it. Time magazine actually dubbed the name The Jesus Revolution as it made the cover story in 1971. This movement was—and continues to be—very relevant today. Yes, the names and dress styles may have changed, but the hearts of people who are looking for love and acceptance, are still very much the same.
Whether it’s a revolution, revival, outpouring, or awakening—what exactly is it, and why is it important? Meriam Webster defines revival as: an act or instance of reviving; a period of renewed religious interest often accompanied by highly emotional evangelistic meeting or series of meetings. That’s a basic explanation. But if I could put it into my own words, I would simply say it is a sovereign move of God. Why is it important? The Bible is jam packed with sovereign moves of God where He pours His presence out on people. Outpourings are very significant in church history (there is more detail on some significant outpourings in chapter 4 of my book, The River). But in a nutshell, almost every Christian church denomination known today has roots in a significant move of God. Why…why does God do it that way? I think He sees that we need it. We need to be revived from time to time because sadly, we get complacent. We have short term memories, and we forget about the goodness of God. Instead, we get “me focused,” and forget about loving others into God’s family the way that He intended for us to do. Let us not forget that God’s ultimate desire is that everyone would choose to know and experience His love.
There are pockets of God’s outpourings happening in escalated ways all over our country right now. Once again, as was during the Jesus Revolution, most of these shakings are central to the college age generation. These are the young soon to be moms and dads, the next professional workforce, public officials, pastors, teachers, and entrepreneurs. Many from this generation are non-churched or have left their family church roots for various reasons (that’s a whole other side topic and a rock or boulder that I love to turn over). But praise God, there is a stirring in the land and people are getting hungry for God.
Perhaps you have heard what has recently happened at Asbury College in Kentucky, where out of sincere hunger students started to linger in prayer and worship as they sought for more of God. For weeks, all other daily classes and activities were cancelled. The campus chapel soon could not contain everyone, and other building were opened-up. Why? Humility, repentance, and hunger for more of God. That same hunger has spread into the community and has expanded into other colleges across our country. God is stirring, He is shaking, He is calling people to draw near to Him.
Speaking about hunger: In 1993 I remember our pastor at the time, John Kilpatrick explain how he walked into the large recently built sanctuary as he was accustomed to do each Saturday night before services on Sunday. The church had seen some significant growth since his tenure. He had a good staff, and it was a healthy church. But still, on that night, he walked around praying in the dark, feeling empty and desperate for more, and he was concerned that the church (the body of Christ) was growing empty as well. He then did something so significant. He laid his church keys on the alter and cried out in desperation, “God, there’s gotta be more…there has got to be more!”
That hunger soon led to intense prayer services every Sunday night. For a year and a half, we prayed…not for a revival necessarily to come to our church, but we worshipped, took communion, and learned about intercession and then we prayed—diligently interceding—for schools, families, government leaders, churches, missions, etc. These prayers services were powerful. I personally learned and grew spiritually so much during that time. Then on Father’s Day of 1995, The Holy Spirit came in like a flood. That led to amazing Holy Spirit filled meetings night after night. It is estimated that 2.5 million people visited the revival in the following 5 years, with nearly 200,000 people giving their hearts to God. Others revived, set free from addictions, religion, and complacency. Pastors and leaders from all over the world attended, leaving refreshed and renewed, while bringing the hunger back to their own churches.
I have studied church history. I am intrigued with revivals, awakenings and the like. I can tell you that every genuine movement stems from sincere hunger for more of God. Friends, you can never go wrong by being hungry for more of God. That’s His desire for you. He longs for intimacy with you. Some say revivals are messy and people act out of flesh. I will agree to some degree. People are not perfect. But never should that be an excuse to not hunger for God and what He can do. Many…many will live with revival in their hearts—forever changed—as they continue to live hungry for more of God.
I want to challenge you today. Are you hungry for more of God? Listen, I know how tempting it is to fall into complacency…the business of life is often a struggle to handle. Work/life/balance is a common term and a valid concern even in the corporate world today. Finding margin and prioritizing things in life needs to happen. But where is your relationship right now with Jesus? You may realize that whatever relationship you have—whether personal or professional—will only grow and be healthy when you put time and effort into that relationship. And when you don’t, that relationship will suffer. It’s the simple truth.
Maybe your thinking, “Yeah, I’m a Christian…I believe in Jesus, I just have a lot going on in my life.” Let me ask you, how does that work with your other relationships? God yearns to spend time with you. He is always available for you, are you for Him? He longs for ways and opportunities to speak, lead and guide you in life. He is jealous for you. And please understand, I’m not suggesting that you jump into being involved in church activities. Although I believe serving and being connected to a local fellowship is vital, that’s just not at all what I’m talking about. If volunteering at a church is how you identify your relationship with Christ, you have been hoodwinked. A similar analogy would be to expect my wife to be fulfilled and pleased by what I put into our relationship, when all I ever did was give her gifts and acts of service. Healthy relationships require intentional effort. Spending time together, listening, talking, and sharing. God desperately wants to have that relationship with you.
OK, one last plug for the movie The Jesus Revolution. It’s in theaters now, and streaming will be available. Here is a link to the trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vmHFvnjPDw I also want to encourage you in this way…You know, I know a lot of people (my self-included) are hungry for revival. I believe the Bible is very clear that there will one day be an incredibly powerful move of God like none of us has ever seen or heard of before. Here’s the deal though, don’t wait for the big one or any type of encounter to happen before you decide to jump in. Jump in NOW! Why not? To have a personal revival, you may need to go back to the basics in your walk with Christ. And if you never have…invite Him into your heart today. I promise you; it will be the best decision you will ever make.
Blessings to you as you hunger today.
Blessed by The Best,
Mark
BTW: Feedback is always welcomed. What are your thoughts?
See You in the River 