The “Jesus Revolution” Movie Reminds Us That God Uses Imperfect People to Change the World
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God uses people that don’t fit in our neat boxes, and this has been the case from the fall of man. Consider Abraham, the father of many nations, who lied about his wife in order to protect his own life (Genesis 20). As the story continues, we see Jacob (who is the Father of Israel) steal his twin brother's birthright (Genesis 27). We meet Moses, who is the great redeemer for the Israelites, forced to flee Egypt because he kills a man out of anger (Exodus 2). He later loses his chance to enter the Promised Land because he does not follow God’s instructions (Deuteronomy 1).
Moses was called because God’s people were enslaved by the Egyptians. God used Moses because he was willing to leave what he knew in order to break the chains of bondage that had been placed on the Israelites. Jesus was a similar leader that ministered to the outcasts, children, sick, widowed, cripple, and poor. He saw the unseen and overlooked people groups in the community and made a point to speak to them and alleviate their suffering through compassionate signs and wonders.
The Jesus Revolution began in a group of people that the more dignified of our nation wrote off as troublemakers. God revealed to the leaders of this revolution the truth, that the hippie movement was a symptom of a hurting, searching, and broken generation. Those who embraced the unchurched, addicted, and lost were the ones that got a firsthand seat to witness God work in a mighty way in that generation.
I wonder now which groups would desire to be seen by the church? To find a home rather than wonder about this life feeling homeless? In our community, we see God finding his way into the prisons, changing lives through the power of the Holy Spirit and his word. We have an incarceration crisis in our country and I wonder if God wants to flip the script in our jails through revival that starts in those we’ve literally locked away rather than making an effort to meet their needs or usher them towards healing.
God’s leaders love Jesus, first and foremost, and his people. It’s so easy in our modern world to use our platforms as a place to glorify ourselves rather than use it as a way to point the world back to Jesus. This is why when we have moral failures of leaders, churches crumble. Their ministry was about them, their brand, their voice, and not about a people seeking first the Kingdom.
Lonnie Frisbee was able to leave the movement he sparked, and it kept growing! Leaders should not be so vital to the work of the Lord that if they are taken out of the picture the work ends. Then the work is about them and not Jesus. When we love Jesus and love others, we see a body being built in unity for God’s glory. There are arms and feet that rise out of our ministries that activate the abilities of others and bring more of the world in contact with God’s love. In this digital age where followers, book sales, and YouTube channels are a means to influence and gain money, we have to be cautious about allowing one person to inform too much of our faith. So often we learn that secret sin has tainted their hearts. God builds communities, movements, and speaks to generations. Let’s open our ears for a call that comes from many to follow him.
Jesus' Revolution and the characters God uses to spark a renewal of faith can inspire us to think big when it comes to how God desires to move in our own time. He isn't looking for a perfect generation, just a hungry one that is willing to seek him and his Kingdom first. Let’s get ready, he is coming back.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/spukkato
