“You don’t need to clean up your life and come to God. You come to Christ and He will clean your life up.” Greg Laurie
I finally got around to watching The Jesus Revolution
I must admit, I am a bit late to the party, but yesterday I finally watched Jesus Revolution. I am not much of a movie watcher to begin with. I find myself trapped in the same circle of movies over and over. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, North and South. Yes, I am a hopeless romantic. I had been told over and over by my friends that I just had to check out this movie. I have been laying around a lot with a virus so what better time to dive in and watch the movie.
When did the movie happen?
The movie was set in the late 1960s, a time when the nation was quite divided, much like now. Only they did not have the blessing/curse of social media. The kids of the time were not understood, they were looking for something, anything to give them meaning. Those entrenched in tradition wanted things like bygone days of the past, the young ones wanted a revolution. What better time for God’s spirit to move.
In my watching, I tried to gain understanding
I must admit, I am a Xennial and I don’t understand half of the things the younger folks do, nor their language. I do try to understand but I must say, I think. Yeah, no. But really, are we not all looking for our void to be filled with something larger than self no matter our generation? I will be the first to admit that there are some traditions that are worth keeping. They are benchmarks of society itself. But there is always room for improvement.
As the movie progressed, a thought was birthed
In the movie, a pastor was faced with a gaggle of youth who were completely misunderstood yet looking for something (hippies). They didn’t look like others, they didn’t dress like others, yet they were searching for acceptance to a certain group, namely the group that belonged to Jesus. There was but one pastor who was open to God’s calling. Said pastor decided to step across the line of tradition and shepherd the ship to a relationship with God.
The Jesus Revolution was born out of grace and mercy towards those who were different
Hence the Jesus Revolution was born. Could it be that we are facing a similar situation? I often wonder if the young folk of today need Jesus very badly. They are certainly searching through online chat rooms and forums for a sense of community. When I hear about all the areas that are open for young ones to pursue I get overwhelmed. I am doing great to stay with the 4 forums that I am on. Then add the others? No way. 4Chan, Snapchat, Tik Tok, etc..
I started to ask my Gen Z kids questions
I asked my Gen Z kids how many forums they peruse and how often. They showed me a brief glimpse of all of the chat rooms, posting sites, gaming forums, etc.. etc.. etc.. I did take a moment and look but wow. In each forum there were trolls. What media site would be complete without snarky and ugly comments, right? There were those who were looking for friends, others vying for attention, some looking for love and others just scrolling in awe of all that was around them. One central theme came to me. They were looking for a purpose, a way to know that they matter.
Is it time for another Jesus Revolution?
Is it time? Only God knows that but we should be ready to help those who have a need. I don’t know about you all but I can watch one reel and think, I need Jesus and boy do they. I can’t remember who I was listening to recently but they remarked that the younger generation is the “Sunday School Free” generation. They weren’t taken to church to learn the Golden Rule or any rules for that matter. Could there be a need? A need for community and acceptance? I think so.
The movie compelled me to pray and be a better human
As the movie continued on I was amazed at how many dark and downtrodden druggies and hippies came to Christ. The once traditional pastor accepted those misfits and they turned to Christ. They brought new music, new ideas and mostly a need to know and love Jesus. As he accepted more, more became believers in Jesus. As more became believers, the church busted at the seams. The church began to meet at the beach where hundreds of baptisms were performed a day. God was moving.
The movie showed the need for community
There were struggles with human nature and ego as the movie unfolded. But the central theme was a love and acceptance of others who want to come to Christ. As the movie ended, I thought, what can I do now? What can we as believers do? First and foremost, we can pray. I have felt such an urge more recently to pray as I have never prayed before. I am not one to discuss politics openly. I find it to be just, well, gross. Everyone has their opinion and that is just that. Just take a look at the comments section with your own discretion. You can not find a place more filled with scum and villainy. Rather, promote what we can agree on, that is a much better path.
What can we do?
Pray each day, pray when you are doing chores, pray when you are driving. Pray for a Jesus Revolution of our time. People need Jesus, it is apparent. Social media promotes self, self and more self. God promotes love and acceptance. God calls us to himself and when we do not accept, we find other ways to cope. It is evident a lot of folks are finding interesting ways to cope. Find a way to be Jesus to others each and every day. I leave you with a profound quote that I read yesterday: “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”
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