There was a mighty move of God’s Spirit that took the entire nation by surprise. It was as sovereign move of God that drew millions of heart and souls to the Lord. It was so sudden, and so mighty, that even Time Magazine dedicated on their front page magazines to recognizing the “Jesus Revolution”. There was such a mighty presence of Lord’s Spirit, that people were simply aware of God and turning their hearts to Him overnight. This understanding brings us so much encouragement and hope when we realize the recent words the Lord recently made known to Greg Lancaster, “It’s going to be the 1970’s again!”
When we look around at the things happening in the nation today, crazy decisions being made in leadership, while people rioting in the streets of America, this happened the same in the 1970s. Today it’s ANTIFA, but in the 1970’s it was the hippies filling the streets. When you remember the moments of what the Lord did, as chronicled in the Time Magazine article, young people proudly wore the words, “Jesus is my Lord”. Chuck Smith, founder of Calvary Chapel, is seen carrying a paralyzed man to be water baptized. Lonnie Frisbee, who was mightily touched by the Lord, can be seen going after the Lord. Lonnie Frisbee was the hippie that was welcomed into Chuck and Kay Smith’s house, was like a match head that sparked what the Lord did in the Jesus Movement. It was during the Jesus Movement that people witness a Charismatic move of God that was sweeping over Catholics as one image captures a Catholic being baptized in the Holy Spirit. Messianic Jews were coming to Christ. Athletes were gathered in the middle of a 50-yard line, on the field, to come together in prayer. People are demonstrating repentance, clothing themselves with sackcloth and ashes. One woman can be seen in a building that was previously a strip club. How powerful is that! These were the days when Jesus Christ Superstar was being released. In the same Time Magazine Article, the question is asked, “Would Jesus Carry a Draft Card?” Would you be surprised to know that the military draft is coming back again? Jim Bakker prophesied that he saw the draft coming back and many young people crying, not wanting to be drafted. Imagine this powerful moving of the Lord happening AGAIN! Imagine a sovereign move of God that just TAKES OVER with no barriers and no boundaries! When a flood comes, there’s no stopping the water. Wherever it can move, that’s what happens.
Considering this mighty move of the Lord’s Spirit, would you be surprised to know that much of the “church” actually rejected what the Lord was doing? There was so much going on that people didn’t what to make of it. God was doing such a radical new thing, many weren’t sure how to approach it. As Greg recalls, Jack Hayford commented to “the Church itself was losing its place in general”. You have to understand the unprecedent events that were unfolding during these days. As Greg explains, “people that were in the Church were called ‘The Charismatic Renewal Movement’, and people that were in the world called it “The Jesus Movement”, because of the hippie movement. But the reality is, it was just a sovereign move of God that was going on”. So many people were getting saved in these moments, the traditional church rejected them. This is why we are coming to you this very moment, because we want to prepare our hearts and not reject this coming move of God’s Spirit. It easy to look over someone that has beat you, bruised you, and burned down that which is important to you. Do they hate the country? Do they hate what America stands for? Sounds familiar. But, these are the people that Jesus loves. It’s incredibly crucial that we have the Lord’s heart for the lost. As Greg underscores this important truth, “you can be hurt and you can miss the call because you don’t believe that God can actually save those people that hurt you.” Be encouraged not to let your heart be hardened. Ask God now the soften your heart to that which the Lord’s heart burns and years for. Take the time now to prepare for this coming awesome sovereign move of God!
John Ruttke was another one of those men who personally witness and lived through the Jesus Movement. He was one of those hearts that was mightily and powerfully transformed by the love of Jesus Christ. As a man who has experience and wisdom in his voice, he cries out to those who want to be a part of this next coming move of God, how to avoid the pitfalls and mistakes that his generation suffered and witnessed. “We’ve learned enough to go, ‘DON’T GO THAT WAY! GO OVER THERE! THAT TOOK TWO YEARS OF OUR LIVES!’” Ruttke continues to express what it was like when thousands upon thousands of people were coming to Christ. “In the Jesus Movement, if you read both the New Testament and the Old Testament, you were now the leader.” As people chuckle in response, he continues to recall the types of exchanges that people would seriously have; “Did you actually read the Book of Revelation? Okay, well then you’re an elder”. When Holy Spirit is fully present, things happen to simply work 
themselves out.
So many people have a deep heart cry to be a part of what God is doing. Imagine only have one gallon of gas in your car. How far would you go? Now imagine having ten gallons in your car. Imagine how much further you would go. If you know the Lord, you can hear His voice, and have given your life to learn about Jesus His commandments in His Word, you’re like the one with ten gallons of gas in his car! When we are the ones that have a history with walking with the Lord, we can help those don’t know Him yet. There are those who have to endure the pain of growing in their character. That’s a normal part of growing in maturity.
Think about this national sweeping, consuming, sovereign move of God happening AGAIN and you already know the Lord! How incredibly encouraging is this considering that one of Jesus’ last words to His disciples was to make disciples. As Matthew 28:19-20 reveals, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” So many people are going to be consumed with a hunger to know who Jesus is. If you are on who is walking with Jesus Christ today, you have answer within you right now and can be one of those leading people to Jesus and raising them up as disciples, just as Jesus commanded us all to do.
Helping to recall what it was like to find yourself in the middle of the Charismatic Renewal Movement, as Charles Simpson shares in his interview with Greg Lancaster, “it was like an explosion”. It’s so easy to have an opinion about something that we have never experienced. But, when we consider the words of those who have gone before us, and experienced such a sweet, sudden, outpouring of God’s presence, it helps us to shift outside of our limited mindsets of today. You don’t have to be caught by surprise when this coming move of God is here. Good surfers are always looking with expectancy that waves are coming, and when they see the wave coming, they start immediately paddling! Jesus said in John 8:31, “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.” If you find yourself in the middle of an explosion, all of your sensory perception goes out the window, and you simply rely on what you’ve been trained to do. Jesus commanded His followers to make disciples. For those who found themselves in the middle of Charismatic Renewal Movement, like Charles Simpson, Ken Sumrall, and so many other, that’s what they began to do.