A conversation-fueled revolution

By Ron Tewson, Op-ed contributor Friday, July 14, 2023

The other day, I saw the newly released “Jesus Revolution” movie and found it affecting me far more than I had anticipated.

I was living in the San Francisco area when it all started, and the ripples of that movement changed me forever. So regardless of how many stars you choose to give the production, one thing is profoundly clear: it was a revolution fueled by conversations.

Churches are always looking for the latest methods to draw people to Jesus, which is a noble pursuit. I spent hundreds of hours as a pastor reading books, in meetings and attending seminars trying to figure this out. But in reality, I already knew the answer: spiritual revolutions are all about conversations.

The “Jesus Revolution” of the late '60s and early '70s had little to do with the churches. It wasn’t birthed through strategic planning, city-wide evangelistic campaigns, mass mailings, radio and television spots or creative events. It didn’t happen because people began inviting their friends to new and improved Sunday morning experiences with lights, edgy worship bands and energetic communicators. It sprang to life when everyday followers of Jesus began talking in their everyday lives about the Jesus they’d experienced and had changed their lives. It took flight on the wings of grassroots conversations.

In recent years, there have been an increasing number of worship songs calling on God for revival. As the band leads the congregation in yet another repetition of the lyrics, arms and bodies begin to sway with a growing sense of energy and emotion. Come on God, we’re serious about this: do something!

Yet when we finally take our seats, I can’t help but wonder just what it is we’ve been asking God to do. Is the lack of revival His fault? Does He no longer believe in John 3:16? Are we trying to twist His arm to do something He’s not interested in? Is He the problem?

Not a chance. Our God is the same yesterday, today and forever. Our God still loves every person and doesn’t want a single person to perish. But there is a problem.

As we read the New Testament, we discover something happened in the first century — a revolution if you will — because followers of Jesus didn’t just sing about Him but embraced His heart. They stepped into their new identity as His ambassadors, embraced the power of the Holy Spirit and started talking. And do you know what happened? Without technology, the printing press or the internet, the entire known world was reached with the Gospel. Revolution happened because people fell in love with the revolutionary Jesus and couldn’t stop talking about Him.

I sometimes fear that as we sing our songs of revival, Heaven weeps. As we pray for God to move in our offices, schools, neighborhoods and cities, the answer to our prayers is already in our offices, schools, neighborhoods and cities: it’s you and me. It has little to do with inviting people to our churches or placing a Christian icon on our desks or around our necks. It’s about being in love with Jesus in a way that creates an irresistible magnetism. And when it does, conversations happen, lives change and Heaven rejoices.

So let me encourage you to begin every day with a simple prayer I’ve prayed for years:

God, thank you for another day that You’ve made. I know You’re up to something today, and I know it involves loving people. So, I’m signing up to be used by You as You draw people to Yourself. Give me the wisdom to know when to listen and when to speak. And give me the opportunity to communicate the good news of the Gospel to those you love. Thank You for including me in Your story. Amen

Then walk out the door, expecting to be part of a revolution that is advanced through God-breathed conversations.

Ron Tewson is the President of the Therefore Project. He is also an author, husband, and father of five.