The movement that changes society

 

By J.E. Nickerson

For years I have heard about the Jesus People Movement of the 60’s-70’s. My mother was in high school during the 60’s-70’s and knew some people who identified with the hippie movement. We even read various books about the Jesus People Movement and the key leaders and figures of that period in church history. We also read about the counterculture movement and the radical ideologies of the 60’s-70’s. 

Last week, my mother purchased the Jesus Revolution movie and the Jesus Music movie. Both movies documented the creation of modern Christian music from the 60’s through today. I learned about the impact it had on the church and the culture of the day. 

These movies also showed me the struggles that society was experiencing during this period of history. The 60’s were full of social unrest, political despair and fear. People were looking for answers to the questions in their minds. Some chose to drop out of society and search for answers in drugs and free thinking lifestyles. Others looked to the church and only found rejection and criticism. But there were people who saw the needs of society and understood that only the message of God’s son, Jesus, and his death on the cross and resurrection, provided the answers for their social needs. The “revolution” of pop culture did not fill the void in people’s lives. It only made them more empty and left them searching for the truth. It was not until they came to Jesus, with their broken, confused and questioning minds and hearts, that they found the answers they were searching for. 

As a Millennial who is reaching out to the people around me, I see so many with similar questions. Our society looks to drugs, surgeries and the political leaders of our time for answers. But the solutions that are offered, only leave people with more questions. Some people who have tried the solutions offered, are left with scars both physically and emotionally. But the answer to their questions, the answer to their problems and the solution to their search for purpose and identity is found in Jesus. 

The answers that we all seek, are found in the words of a man who hung on a cross, rose from the dead and sits at the right hand of God. Only HE can give us the peace, identity, hope and purpose that we all crave. Drugs won’t give a good enough high, surgeries won’t heal the heart, and free thinking lifestyles won’t solve your issues. The only way you will find the answers to life’s questions, is found in a personal relationship with Jesus. 

While the Jesus People Movement had people who experienced problems and were not perfect, they all learned that only Jesus gave the answers to the problems they faced. He is the only person who can give you the answers you seek.