2020: Step Into the Third Missing Move of God
Prophetic Word for 2020
“step into The third missing move of god!”
We Don’t Need Another Jesus People Movement; We Need a Jesus Reformation
Many are crying out for another Jesus People Movement. Their intentions are pure and noble, but I’ve got to be honest—I don’t want another Jesus People Movement unless it comes with a moral and cultural reformation.
In the 1960s and 1970s, I believe we were meant to experience three unique phases of transformation; we hit two quite successfully, but missed the third. Allow me to briefly explain, as I believe history gives us a prophetic pattern for how to prepare for something that is coming—yes, I believe that something is “at hand.” The question is, are we ready to venture into something new, unfamiliar, and uncomfortable or will we default into what’s comfortable, familiar, and successful (according to natural human guidelines)?
The Charismatic Renewal of the 1960s
Up until the 1960s, the experience of Holy Spirit baptism and the fullness of Pentecostal power was widely reserved—more or less—to the Pentecostal denominations, most of which were birthed from the 1906 Azusa Street Revival. But as we all know, you cannot keep the Holy Spirit contained. Just as God would not allow Himself to be contained in a “box” for long (the Ark of the Covenant), so the Spirit was brooding in a mighty way in the 1960s, setting the whole planet up for an outstanding renewal.
During this period, no mainline denomination was safe from an “Upper Room” encounter with the Holy Spirit. Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, Lutherans—these traditional protestant denominations all, to some degree or another, experienced a fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit. Different leaders and churches in these denominations were being touched by God afresh. Many consider the key catalyst to the Charismatic Renewal being Dennis Bennett, an Episcopalian priest who was filled with the Holy Spirit, spoke in tongues, and became a testimony of what’s possible for all believers (Pentecostal or not). If Bennett could experience such a powerful baptism of the Holy Spirit, surely every believer had access! Truly, the Pentecostal paradigm was being powerfully confronted with the many unique denominations being impacted by this landscape-sweeping renewal. One of the strongest movements to emerge from this period was the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, which still has powerful impact and influence to this very day.
Bottom line: in the 1960s, the church experienced a corporate “Upper Room” outpouring that renewed and refreshed the Body of Christ.
The Jesus People Movement of the ’60s and ’70s
On the heels of the Charismatic Renewal, you had the Jesus People Movement. In many ways, these movements took place concurrently. Many date the beginning of the Charismatic movement to be April 3, 1960, when Dennis Bennett shared his Spirit-baptism experienced with his church, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Van Nuys, California.
As for the Jesus People Movement, it’s a bit harder to pinpoint an exact start date or specific catalyst that launched it; however, many would argue that it began in the late 1960s, early 1970s. If the 1960s was a period of renewal in the Church, I believe the late ’60s and ’70s, with the Jesus People Movement, was a revival. Renewal refreshed the church, while revival brought the unchurched and unsaved in to the Kingdom of God.
During this time, “make love, not war” was the mantra of the age, hippy culture was flourishing, and drugs were claiming the minds (and lives) of a generation. In the midst of the rampant sin, rebellion, and immorality, one could clearly see that an entire generation was desperate for something. What happened? I believe it was an Isaiah 6/Acts 2 moment.
In Isaiah 6, the prophet Isaiah encounters God in a powerful, life-altering way. This reminds me that great commissions are launched with great encounters. We don’t wake up one morning with the bright idea to go and change the world; we receive the call to be “sent ones” in those tenderizing moments in the fiery presence of God. This happened to Isaiah. This happened to Moses at the burning bush. This happened to John on the Isle of Patmos. This happened to the 120 in the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost. Great commissions are birthed with great encounters.
Following Isaiah’s encounter, the prophet responds to the commission of Heaven where God asks: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” (Isa. 6:8). Often, a sign that the Lord is seeking a “sent one” is the desperate cry of a generation. Remember the cry of the Israelites under Egyptian bondage. Their cry ascended to Heaven, and what was God’s response? Moses. Throughout history, we witness this cycle repeating itself. People would cry out and God would often answer that cry with a reformer, with a redeemer, with a prophet, with a judge, with a king, with a leader, with a Kingdom solutionist. God typically answers a cry by commissioning a “sent one.” The Spirit-empowered, Spirit-renewed church of the 1960s was the “sent one” messenger to reach and help rescue the lost ones of the late ’60s and ’70s.
The Children of Renewal: Souls
I’m convinced that the Jesus People Movement of the 1970s was the offspring of the Upper Room that was established in the 1960s during the Charismatic Renewal. What God did through a Spirit-filled ecclesia (church community) in the 1960s became a womb to birthing the millions of souls that came into the Kingdom of God during the Jesus People Movement. Remember, we don’t evaluate the legitimacy of Upper Rooms by manifestations or unusual spiritual phenomena. What do I mean? Obviously, there is the Upper Room in Acts 2 where the Spirit descended on the Day of Pentecost. That is the definitive “Upper Room” experience. However, as we look throughout history, we see Upper Room places, times, and seasons, where it seems that God pours out His Spirit in a powerful, unusual manner. These periods are often referred to as times of renewal and awakening.
On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit’s coming was accompanied by an array of unusual phenomena—a supernatural sound, a mighty rushing wind, tongues of fire, and the miraculous ability to communicate the wonders of God to diverse people groups spanning different languages (see Acts 2:1-4). Pentecost was unusual to say the least. How did the onlooking public respond to this outpouring? Take note, they were “bewildered” (v. 6), “amazed and astonished” (v. 7), “amazed and perplexed” (v. 12) and mocking, claiming those filled with the Spirit were “filled with new wine” (v. 13—which was quite true!). The point is this: we don’t evaluate the success of Pentecost based on what some “devout” people thought (v. 5). I mention the word “devout” because it sounds like the multitude of those present were religious in some capacity. I’m sure that one of the reasons people mocked the disciples and claimed they were drunk is because that measure of Holy Spirit outpouring confronted their religious paradigm. Either way, the tell-tale signs of Pentecost’s success were the birth of the New Testament church, the fulfilment of Jesus’ promise to send the Holy Spirit, and of course the conversion of at least 3,000 souls on that day (v. 41).
Likewise, the tell-tale sign of the Charismatic Renewal’s impact was the birth of the Jesus People Movement. I have no doubt these two movements are joined at the hip in the spirit, with the first being a renewal of believers and the second being a revival that brings the lost into the Kingdom of God.
It’s Time for the “Missing Third Move”
At the beginning of this explanation, I mentioned “three movements” that were meant to take place in the 1960s and ’70s. We saw two historical spiritual movements, but I believe we stopped short of the third, which was meant to produce a reformation.
Charismatic Renewal: renewal and refreshing of the church through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus People Movement: revival in the church impacts the lost and sees millions brought into the Kingdom of God.
I believe the devil entered the equation and strategically hijacked the reformation that should have taken place. He could not stop the momentum of renewal and revival, so he short circuited the possibility for societal reformation. Why is this important?
What could have happened is the redeemed souls of the Jesus People Movement decided to translate their zeal and passion for Christ through societal integration and impact. In other words, those who got saved during the Jesus People Movement become influencers in every sphere of society, bringing Kingdom impact to arts and entertainment, government, business, media, family, education, and the church. This did not happen. Why?
We believed we were living in a “late great planet Earth.” The dismal eschatological narrative (end-time theology) of the day was “buckle up and get ready—the rapture of the church is happening at any moment and you don’t want to defile yourself by being involved with areas of society and culture that are doomed to be destroyed by the anti-Christ and wrath of God.” That’s my interpretation anyway. This is not an attack against rapture theology; far from it. There are many who believe that Jesus will supernaturally remove Christians from the Earth in an event called the Rapture of Church, just prior to seven years of great tribulation being unleashed upon the Earth—and yet, these people believe that until that happens, we have a commission to be transformational Kingdom influencers. The issue of the ’60s and ’70s is really a timeless problem that Jesus prophetically addressed in the Gospels. It’s the concealing of our lights under a bushel. Pay close attention to Jesus’ language in His classic discussion of being “salt and light.”
You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.
You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father (Matthew 5:13-16 NLT).
You are the salt of the—what? The Earth. Not salt of the church or Christian community. Your saltiness, your life, is meant to have a flavoring impact on the world around you. If not, there is a rebuke waiting: “It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.” I propose to you that a Christian faith that has no measurable impact upon the world, society, and darkness around it is worthless and will be trampled upon.
Likewise, Jesus says we are the light of the—what? The world. Yes, a world that’s riddled with disease and pain, war and famine, chaos and crisis. A world where entertainers and celebrities occupy the pulpits of a generation, where sin is called “culturally progressive” and the new tolerance is “accept sin or be treated as a bigot.” The world is dark and often antagonistic toward the Christian faith. How will you choose to respond? We could disengage and let darkness continue to reign unchallenged and uncontested. Or, we could actually step into the reformational role that Jesus envisioned when He called us salt of the Earth and light of world. We cannot repeat the mistake of the Jesus People Movement, exalting spirituality to such a high degree that we lose our relevance to the culture around us. Yes, Jesus is returning. But I am convinced He is returning for a return on His investment. He’s made a sizable investment in us, His church. He’s given us His Spirit and I’m quite convinced that when the Son of Man returns, He will be looking for measurable signs of how a people, filled with the Holy Spirit, impacted the world around them.