Those crazy people who believe that God is not done with humanity yet! I am still praying for the next great awakening and I will tell you why I have hope. 50 years ago, in the turbulent 60s, political polarity, racial conflict, and radical activism were ripping our country apart. We even had our own pandemic called the Hong Kong Flu!!!
It was at this moment in history, when God began pour out his Spirit in what became known as the Jesus People Movement. The estimated size of the harvest varies between a couple hundred thousand and 2 million souls coming to Christ. The impact of this “baby boomer” revival has affected the church in mostly positive ways for the last generation. But now a new crisis is here.
As a non-partisan, passionate follower of Jesus, I have mixed opinions about what’s happening in our current, “woke” culture. As I see it, this generation is getting “woke” but they are still not “awake”. I believe a new great awakening is coming in which the woke will be awakened.
After listening to many of the leaders of the woke movement, I am fairly convinced that the majority of them hate “the system” way more than they love humanity. On the other hand, the majority of the newly woke are individuals who are driven by a “kingdom longing“ for true equity and justice on the earth.
In my case, this same “kingdom longing” was a precursor that ultimately drove me into the arms of Jesus.
- My first realization was we cannot change the world until we can change the human heart.
- My second realization was that I can’t change anyone else’s heart until I can change my own.
- My next realization was that I was incapable of being a truly good person without some kind of outside help. My deep exploration of world religions left me helpless and hopeless.
- I ultimately cried out to God for help and he led me to Jesus. I moved from being “woke“ to being awake. When I was finally able to view the plight of humanity through the eyes of Jesus and through the truth of Scripture, it all made sense. Now I can finally see the human problem clearly, but more than that, I can also see the solution.
To the Woke Ones, I commend you for your passion for justice and your commitment to the cause. But I caution you not to let your anger become resentment, which will soon poison you with bitterness. The final result of this bitterness is you sitting in the seat of judgment over everyone else and condemning them without the possibility of redemption. Instead, I invite you to look beyond being woke to becoming fully awake. I’m not talking about joining a religion, but engaging a deep relationship with the only one who is worthy to judge humanity: JESUS! Instead of judging, chose to love us and lay down his life for each one of us. It’s time to move from WOKE to AWAKE.
To the Awake Ones, I encourage you to stand strong in this season and keep your eyes on the prize. We must put our Heavenly Citizenship above the petty polarities of right and left. We are ambassadors for Christ and have been given a ministry of reconciliation. We must remember that, just as in the Jesus People Movement days, many of the protesters of today will be the proclaimers of the Gospel tomorrow. I encourage you to boldly engage the conversation. We are rescuing victims of a demonic mindset that has become a mental stronghold in the minds of many. Remember, the weapons of our warfare are not natural but spiritually powerful to dismantle strongholds and restore mindsets to the mind of Christ. Don’t lose hope in the harvest, but be prepared:
THE COMING HARVEST MAY NOT LOOK LIKE WHAT YOU EXPECTED.
