It's Time for Another Jesus Revolution | Igniting the Next Spiritual Awakening

Today's episode of A New Beginning is brought to you by Harvest Partners, helping people everywhere know God.

Learn more at harvest.org. And while you're there, browse our library of free ebooks designed to help you grow in your faith. I look at this young generation today, and it reminds me a lot of what was happening in the late 60s, early 70s.

This generation needs help. And Pastor Greg Laurie is praying the new film, Jesus Revolution, will help light a fire and bring this generation to Jesus Christ. We're going to do everything we can to change this course and call people to Christ and pray for a mighty spiritual awakening to sweep our nation and beyond. You may have heard the new feature film, Jesus Revolution, is opening this week. The preview showing took place last night, where Pastor Greg Laurie prayed with filmgoers to accept Christ at the close of the movie.

The official nationwide premiere is tomorrow. Get tickets at jesusrevolution.movie. But today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie outlines the reasons for this cinematic outreach and how the whole project came about. It's all about igniting the next great spiritual awakening. All right, let's grab our Bibles and turn to Revelation chapter three. Revelation chapter three, and the title of my message is It's Time for Another Jesus Revolution.

How many of you agree with that? It's time. So if you watch the news like I do, or you read a news feed, you know that America is at the crossroads right now. Literally, our nation is unraveling before our very eyes.

Why? Because we have rejected what God says in his word. We're sowing the wind, and now we're reaping the whirlwind. You know, the closest parallel time that I can think of to today would be the late 60s, early 70s. Yes, I've been around that long. I was born in 1952. Elvis was still singing. Marilyn Monroe was on the screen. You know, Ike was president.

You probably never even heard of Ike. And all these decades that have come and gone since then, I look at today, and I especially look at this young generation today, and it reminds me a lot of what was happening in the late 60s, early 70s. We have a drug epidemic that is sweeping our nation. But this whole drug revolution, this whole stupid mentality propagated in the 60s of turn on, tune in, drop out, that's where it all started. And we basically smoked a lot of marijuana and took LSD.

Here's what I find ironic. Those are the two most popular drugs again right now. Pot use is up so much now. More people smoke pot than cigarettes. It's become really mainstream with edibles and all of the things legalized in many states. And now experts warn of a cannabis use disorder that causes psychosis and addiction. So our young people have all of this happening to them, and then you add social media. That's like putting gasoline on a fire.

So everything is amplified. In many ways, it's not as bad as it seems, but it's right there in your face. Self-harm among young people is up 334%. Overdose is up 119%. Anxiety up 94%. Depression up 84%. The US suicide rate has increased 30% since 2000 and tripled for young girls. This generation needs help.

So here's what I want to say. We're not going to take this lying down. We are going to stand up and do everything we can here at Harvest to reach this generation. I know other churches are doing this too, and I applaud everyone that is. All I can speak for is this church. We're going to do everything we can to change this course and call people to Christ and pray for a mighty spiritual awakening to sweep our nation and beyond. Now we don't decide when a revival happens.

God does. We can't make it happen. We can't organize it, but we can agonize for it in prayer. We can prepare the ground.

Maybe I should restate it. We can prepare the ground. Get our hearts ready. Revival starts with you.

It starts with me. It starts with us as a church, but it begins right where we are. I was having a conversation with Pastor Chuck Smith some years ago, and for those of you that don't know Chuck, he is called the father of the Jesus movement, and he was just that man who was willing to take a risk, but he was right there at the epicenter of this great awakening. And I once asked Chuck, Chuck, do you think we'll ever see another Jesus movement? He paused for a moment. He said, would you stop asking me stupid questions? No, he didn't say that. No, he should have said that because I always was asking him questions. He said, Craig, I'm not sure if we're desperate enough.

Now that was some years ago. I think we may be desperate enough right now where we're really going to start seriously praying about this. Psalm 85 says, will you not revive us again that your people may rejoice in you? It's a prayer of the psalmist. Lord, revive us again.

I love these words from Habakkuk chapter three verse two where he says, I've heard all about you, Lord. I'm filled with awe by the amazing work you have done in this time of deep need. Revive your work as you did in days gone by. So I know you that are younger, you think, oh, that's cool, but that was then and this is now.

Your prayer should be, Lord, do it again. It's our responsibility as those who are now older to pass this on to the next generation. In Joel 1-3 it says, tell your children about it. Let your children tell their children and their children the next generation. My generation, one of our theme songs was Forever Young.

Just isn't work anymore. You know, we've gone from acid rock to acid reflux. You know The Who, the great band The Who, you know that song talking about my generation.

They've updated it to talking about my medication. See, that's, and you know the Beatles. How many of you have heard of the Beatles?

Well, the Ringo Starr is in his 80s and instead of singing, I get by with a little help from my friends, he's singing, I get by with a little help from the Pens. No, but seriously, you know, we've had our day and now it's time for the next generation to have their own spiritual awakening. Here's what's amazing. The Jesus movement was not a political revolution, though some called for that. Some are calling for it today. It was not a moral revolution. It was a Jesus revolution. In fact, it's, of all things, it was Time magazine that dubbed it Jesus revolution.

We didn't call it that. We called it the Jesus movement. But Time saw it was more than a movement. They saw it was a revolution. And the word revolution means upheaval, change. It means turning around, returning to something.

That's what it is. And so what are we returning to? We're returning to New Testament Christianity. We're returning to the faith that was given to us from the Lord, practiced by the early church.

So this great movement happened, no one can pinpoint it exactly, probably 1969, 1970, and all these people started coming to Christ. It was happening all around the country, but the epicenter was California. I want to see it happen again in California.

Because our state is so lame right now. I want something good to come out of California. You know what the number one export of California is right now? Californians.

I know this because I've gone to the places they're all going to. I just did a crusade not long ago in Boise, Idaho. There were so many Californians that have moved there. I said to them my job is to preach to the Californians and take them back with me home again.

They were very excited about that. But wouldn't it be great if we had a new export? Another Jesus revolution.

Lord do it again and do it here we would pray. God has given us a tool. A tool that we've never really had before and it's a really amazing tool. It's called a movie. And John Irwin who's become a good friend of mine came to me around seven years ago and we had lunch and he had this magazine with him.

He's in his 30s. He's a great filmmaker. He's made films like I Can Only Imagine. How many of you have seen I Can Only Imagine? Great film. Woodlawn. I Still Believe.

American underdog. Very talented Christian guy who makes films. So his little film studio called Kingdom Story Company has become a part of Lions Gate which is a major Hollywood film studio. And so he came to me seven years ago and said I want to make a movie about this this story.

This Jesus movement. And he heard that I was around back then. I said yes. I told him my story.

We got to know each other. He tried to make it. There were things that interrupted it and it wasn't made as quickly as we were hoping it would be made.

But now seven years later it's done. And I think the timing is 100% perfect for where we're at right now. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. We love hearing what Pastor Greg's teachings touch individuals and families.

Hi Pastor Greg. I want to let you know that I was saved at your Harvest Crusade last year along with my husband and my daughter. After hearing your recent message on anxiety my friend also accepted Jesus. Thank you for your continued commitment to the Lord and may God continue to use you to bring more people to him. We're so grateful to hear of the changed lives through Harvest Ministries.

And if you have a story to tell of how these studies have touched your life or that of a family member I hope you'll contact us today. Email Pastor Greg greg at harvest dot org. That's greg at harvest dot o-r-g. Well you've tuned in for a special program today as Pastor Greg is outlining the story behind the making of the new film Jesus Revolution.

Let's continue. There's this pastor I've referenced him already named Chuck Smith. Chuck pastors a very small church.

It's not doing very well and meanwhile the whole 60s counterculture is happening. Kids are freaking out. They're on drugs and Chuck meets this evangelist from San Francisco who's named Lonnie Frisbee. To his eternal credit Pastor Chuck Smith stepped out of his comfort zone. He let that crazy guy come preach in his church and before you knew it Christian music was beginning Chuck Smith and Lonnie Frisbee were like nitro meeting glycerin.

It was an explosive result. God used both of them and you know we're so divided in America. We're even divided in the church and we're divided over second and third tier issues and it's time for us to come together and pray together and work together and do something to change what's happening. There's an old country preacher named Vance Havner that once said if we're too busy using our sickles on each other we'll miss the harvest. And I think sometimes we're debating all these things when there's a lost world out there and of course the late 60s early 70s was a time of division as well. It's so bad right now that I read that 43 percent of Americans think we're headed toward a civil war.

This is crazy. We need God and we need another spiritual awakening. One writer put it this way and I quote, if all the sleeping people will wake up, if all the lukewarm people will fire up, if all the dishonest people will confess up, if all the disgruntled people will cheer up, if all the estranged people will make up, if all the gossipers will shut up, if all true soldiers will stand up, if all the dry bones will shake up, if all the church people will pray up, then we can have a revival. Well said right. When we look at the breakdown in culture we're quick to point the finger at Hollywood.

It's Hollywood's fault or it's because of these politicians in Washington D.C. and they may all play a role in it to some degree. But when God sees the breakdown of a nation He doesn't point His finger at the White House. He points it at His house. Second Chronicles 7 14 God says, if My people which are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then God says, then I will hear them and I will answer this prayer and I will forgive their sins and heal their land. You know we all gravitate toward the heal the land part.

Yes Lord heal our land. God says My people. That means you. That means Me. That means us. Oh they're all so evil. Look at the horrible things we're all doing.

Yeah maybe it's true. What about you? Do you need to humble yourself and seek His face and turn from your wicked ways?

Do I need to do that? That's a prescription for revival according to Scripture. Now if you're taking notes here's point number one of my message. The Holy Spirit was at work. The Holy Spirit was at work. There was a sense of expectancy in those services back in those days. No one was ever late for church.

Right? Sometimes we're late for church. We arrive late. We leave early.

No. There's a sense of what is God going to do. And this is what set the early church into motion. It was the Holy Spirit. God's Holy Spirit wants to work in your life.

The question is do you want Him to work? You know the Bible says that we should quench not the Spirit. So to quench means to extinguish something. Like extinguishing a fire.

Like when you go out camping and the camping trip is done and you extinguish the fire. Sort of reminds me of the beach. My favorite time of going to the beach is right after I arrive and right when I leave.

Right? The beach seems like such a great idea. When you get there you lay out your towel and you get out your book and then you know you've got your sunscreen.

You've got your sunglasses and this is going to be great. And five minutes fast and the whole beach is empty and some person comes and sets their towel right next to yours. It's like an entire beach. Towel right next to yours. And it even touches your towel.

I think that's against the law. And then it starts getting hot and you're sweating. Now another person sets up their little fort and now people are putting tents up on the beach. Full-blown tents. They set a tent up in front of you and of course that guy is having a conversation on his cell phone on speaker. So you're hearing the whole conversation and it's getting more crowded and then the seagull flies off with your lunch and then they come back for your small poodle.

Which isn't that big of a loss. But you say I want to go home again. So the happiest moment is getting there and leaving right.

But you know if you build a campfire on the beach you need to extinguish it. Sometimes God's holy spirit will nudge you. Why don't you do this? Why don't you say that? Why don't you go here?

And we say no. That's quenching the spirit. See God wants to fill you with the holy spirit. The Bible says don't be drunk with wine but be filled with the holy spirit. Speaking to yourself in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.

Singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord. So I love how the Lord says don't do this instead do that. Hey don't get drunk. No brainer. Don't do that.

Don't waste your time doing that. But be filled with the spirit. So we don't need the spirit. We need the holy spirit. Empowering us.

Filling us. Pastor Greg Laurie pointing out the important components of spiritual awakening that were true during the Jesus movement and how we can allow them to be true today to help usher in the next great spiritual awakening. Glad you're joining us today here on The New Beginning. And then we hope you're making plans to see Jesus Revolution.

Opening day for this film is tomorrow February 24th. Jesus Revolution of course refers to the Jesus movement and Pastor Greg you know that time quite well. You came to the Lord during that time.

Yes. You and Kathy fell in love during that time. The movie sort of walks us through that era. Yes a very young Greg is in this film played by Joe Courtney. Beautiful job on his part in his acting. It shows the story of young Greg with his mother Charlene played by Kimberly Williams Paisley. She was the bride and father of the bride and she's an amazing actress. She did an incredible job playing my mother. This tragic figure. This Marilyn Monroe look-alike who would hang around the bars and get picked up by men and the sad life that we had together which sent me on a search as a young man and it shows in a very honest and real way my search through drugs and other things trying to find meaning in my life and I eventually come to hear the gospel.

It's also a love story where I meet Kathy and the actress Anna Grace Barlow plays Kathy and it's she does such an amazing job and so it's a love story and it's a story of how two very unlikely characters came together. Chuck Smith played by Kelsey Grammer. Again Lonnie Frisbee played by Jonathan Rumi.

It was like Nitro met glycerin and a spiritual explosion happened as a result. So hey I can't show you the film but why don't you listen for a moment. Here's a scene from the film where Chuck meets Lonnie for the first time. So Chuck said to his daughter they were watching television and all the crazy hippies and and he wanted nothing to do with them and thought they all needed to get a job and get a haircut but his wife Kay had a heart for reaching them. So Chuck says if God sends me a hippie I'll talk to him.

So Chuck's daughter Jan runs into hippie evangelist Lonnie Frisbee and brings him home and so Chuck meets Lonnie for the first time and here's what happens. So uh tell me about yourself Lonnie and your uh people. My people.

I like the sound of that. You know it reminds me of the words of Jesus. To what then can I compare the people of this generation?

What are they like? I was up in San Francisco for a long time living in Haight-Ashbury on the streets all over and we did everything and everyone but that was the point. You see the drugs it's a quest. For what? For God.

How can you not see that? There is an entire generation right now searching for God. Man we thought acid was going to save the world. Thank you.

Thanks buddy. But that was a lie. As much of a lie as what we were rebelling against. And what brought you to that realization? I kept searching and searching.

I just finally got to the end of it and there was still a void. My people well they're a desperate bunch and desperation. Man there's power in that word.

What would it take for you, Chuck Smith, to be desperate? Jeanette tells me you're a pastor. Yes.

Currently. I know we must seem pretty strange. But if you look a little deeper, if you look with love, you'll see a bunch of kids that are searching for all the right things. Just in all the wrong places. So to answer your question, how do I describe my people? They're sheep without a shepherd.

Chasing hard after lies. And the trouble is your people reject them. So I ask you pastor, how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? We can only walk through doors open to us. And your church, well, that's a door that's shut. That's a scene from Jesus Revolution.

Chuck Smith, played by actor Kelsey Grammer, and Lonnie Frisbee, played by actor Jonathan Rumi. It's a movie you don't want to miss. February 24th is the official release of Jesus Revolution. Begin making plans now to bring someone with you to see this film. To get tickets, go to jesusrevolution.movie.

That's.movie, not.com. Again, jesusrevolution.movie. And thanks so much for partnering with us as we share the gospel in this innovative way. You partner with us as you support the film at your local theater. And you partner with us when you send a donation to support sharing the gospel. In fact, to thank you for your generosity right now, we want to send you the book that tells the story in more depth.

It's also called Jesus Revolution. We'll send you the book to thank you for your investment. So get in touch today. Our 24-7 phone number is 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300. Or write A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514.

Or go online to harvest.org. And one other thing, if we may. You may be familiar with 2 Chronicles 714, which says, If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Well, Pastor Greg is asking us all to follow that biblical direction, to humble ourselves and pray each day for revival in the church and a spiritual awakening in the culture. It's our 714 campaign. Would you pray with us each day at 714? At 14 minutes after 7, we're all praying for revival and praying that the movie Jesus Revolution would help light the fire. Thanks for joining us in that. Well, next time, more insights on what it will take for us to help usher in the next great spiritual awakening right here in our time. Join us here on A New Beginning with Master and Bible teacher, Greg Laurie.