The Lord has prophetically revealed that “It’s going to be the 1970’s again”. This was the decade when God mightily poured out His Spirit in America, that is known today as The Jesus Movement! People were coming to Christ in the crowds hundreds at a time. People were so hungry for God and they were responding to the powerful move and presence of the Holy Spirit. During this powerful move of God, Pastor Chuck Smith, of Calvary Chapel, was so hungry for the Holy Spirit and was just excited to watch and see how Holy Spirit was moving amongst the young people in his midst. As Chuck Smith’s daughter shares her favorite quote of her father, “I didn’t want to direct the Holy Spirit. I just wanted to find out how the Holy Spirit was moving and get in the boat and move with Him.” Holy Spirit was doing so many wonderful and awesome things in these moments.
The daily awareness and dependency upon Holy Spirit was one of the hallmark characteristics of the Brownsville Revival that occurred in Pensacola Florida in 1995. Every day people hoped that the Lord would come again, yet nobody knew if it was going to carry on for another day. Suddenly, the Lord would move again and everyone that was gathered was greatly encouraged that God was continually moving powerfully.
When you remember the culture of the 1970’s, many of the young people were against “the man”. They were burning their draft cards and rebelling against all things government. Suddenly, God pours His Spirit upon the young people who are rebelling against culture. If we don’t pay attention to how Holy Spirit is moving, we can become offended by God. Sometimes the very ones who have hurt us the most, whether that be our children, or possibly a co-worker, could be the very one that God decides to touch mightily with His presence. We can’t get in the way of God, or presume how He is going to move.
Darrel Mansfield, from the Darrel Mansfield band, was powerfully touched by God, and his transformation in Christ immediately took over the lyrics of the songs that he wrote. Other band members Raul Reese, Mike Macintosh, and Greg Laurie, were powerfully touched by the Lord and birthed beautiful ministries for the Lord because of those encounters with Jesus. As Mansfield describes, “we didn’t know the Prince of Peace. We didn’t know the Author of Love. We didn’t know the Creator. We didn’t know the Great I am, the First and the Last who would become the Almighty. But Chuck Smith did, and he was gonna teach us.” What is additionally encouraging, as Mansfield continues, is how Chuck Smith taught these men about the Lord, “[Chuck Smith taught Michael Macintosh, Raul Reese, and Greg Laurie…we were hungry, hungry for the truth, and he gave us the truth. And we were able to take those Biblical truths and put them into songs and go out into the highways and byways, and bring in the sheep.” The Lord was changing the music that was being sung, and reaching the hearts of thousands of young hippies. So many feel they have to suddenly leave the very place where God has found them in order to pastor. Where were you when God called you? Invite God into that place in your life and watch what He does. Continue to play your instrument for God, whatever that might be. If you’re in a political position when the Lord finds you, or in business, don’t leave the place where God has allowed you to be, begin to do everything differently as the Lord leads you. Carry out your relationships differently.
We can’t get offended at those who the Lord decides to draw to Himself and transform for His glory. We can’t be offended when we see the Holy Spirit moving. In the 1970’s Jesus Movement, one of those young hippies who the culture had marginalized was Lonnie Frisbee. What was so powerful in that moment, was that Lonnie soon met Chuck Smith and the crowds coming to Jesus soon followed. As Chuck Smith shares, “That is where we began to see this great influx, that is where we began our first communal house…at one time we had over one hundred Christian communal houses.” What was beautiful about Chuck Smith was that he was totally okay with being behind the scenes, simply watching how the Holy Spirit was moving through others. Another man shares, “the center for the youth was Lonnie, and Chuck was always kind of in the background. We knew he was the pastor of the Church…He would just allow the Spirit to move and if the Spirit was moving through Lonnie, and Lonnie was ministering, and the people were responding to Lonnie’s teaching, Chuck would just sit back and watch.” Its very important that we acknowledge and recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity.
Regardless of who people are that are touched by God, we need those close relationships of accountability that will see past our gifts and talents and ask us those difficult questions. We need people who genuinely care about us and ask us “how are you doing?” amidst all the crowds and spotlights. Just because God might be using us in our lives, doesn’t mean that we don’t need accountability in our lives. Everyone of us is the same. Why would any of us want to live life alone? We all need love and attention, close relationships with others to walk out this thing called life. We don’t have to be a part of every moment in what is happening. If God decides to move through our lives for a moment, what a miracle. Don’t think that you are a failure because you didn’t play every part. We must remove all the offense in our lives, and humble ourselves. All of us can get offended. If we don’t identify offense and get it out of our lives, it will divide us from God and our destiny. This is what John Bevere writes about in his book “Bait of Satan”. Now is the time for each of us to prepare the soil of our hearts in preparation for this mighty coming outpouring of God’s presence!
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