yourtown4jesus.com

From the Archives…

I don’t know if anybody else noticed this, but I picked up on several references

to the Jesus Movement from several people at the National House2House

Conference in Dallas over Labor Day weekend.
According to Wikipedia.com, “…The movement arose on the West Coast of the

United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and spread primarily through

North America and Europe, before dying out by the early 1980s. The Jesus

movement left a legacy of various denominations and other Christian

organizations, an impact on the development of the contemporary both the

Christian right and the Christian left, and Jesus music, which greatly influenced

contemporary Christian music. The worship services in the Jesus movement

paved the way for the development of modern worship music…”
Following is an article God instructed me to write in June of 2001. As I read it –

especially in light of the Labor Day conference along with some recent

conversations – I found myself quite encouraged, that is, I felt courage rising

up within my spirit.
I was a year away from starting a Coffee Shop ministry that I facilitated off and

on for 3 years as college students came and went. It’s been over three years

since my last college gathering and I’m about to start another round, this time

in my home near the college, beginning this Thursday.
I pray that this archived article blesses, and motivates, many other readers as

well. Here it is. I titled it:
THE CALLING OF
THE NEW SPIRITUAL MILITIA

Following are some amazing statistics that I pulled off an Illinois Church’s

website. Some of you may be familiar with these statistics:
*Not one county in the United States experienced a net increase in church

membership last year.
*Over half of all churches in America did not win one convert to Jesus

Christ in all of last year!
*Church-planting in this country is at an all time low. Americans are planting

churches at a rate of 1,350 per year. However, the ratio of church closings is

3,750 per year and growing. 10.2 churches per day close their doors in the

United States.
*1500 ministers resign pastorates every month in America.
Almost 4000 churches in America cease to operate every year! Pretty grim?

How about YOUR nation? As with Gideon’s army, I believe this is God’s way

of purging those in leadership who would lap at the waters of the river of God,

like dogs, with no discerning of the times. He is closing the doors of many

Ichabod’s, many whitewashed tombs - preaching centers - and pulling church

leaders out of the game, so to speak. In some cases, He has sent them to the

minor leagues for some fine-tuning. In other cases, He’s using this time to bring

about healing for some who’ve been hurt so badly.
Oh, be assured that the Spirit of God WAS teaching them, for He is ALWAYS

teaching (therefore, we must be in a constant LEARNING mode). Instead of

listening, church leadership was too often content to “play church.” Many got

involved in “Churchianity” and all its trappings … programs, missions trips

(ignoring the vast missionary opportunities before our eyes), church government

issues, whining saints, relational and financial matters, pride, success, and secret

sin … and began to focus more upon advancing their OWN kingdoms than they

did on advancing the Kingdom of God. They can come back, those leaders … if

they repent (or when they’re healed). They may find that “church” is radically

different from when they left – and with fewer job openings.
They’ll find that, not only was God refining THEM, but He was refining The

Church as a whole.

The wind is a-blowin’ and there’s coming a change from the traditional “theater”

model of church, to which we’ve grown accustomed, to a militant army of

mobilized troops. Those who choose to do so will go from Spectators to Special

Forces in a short time. Just as Jesus did not have time to plant, harvest, sift, mill,

and eventually bake the loaves he needed to feed the 5,000, neither is there

enough time to send people through bible college and have them go-through-the-

mill as in days-gone-by.
Instead, God is miraculously accelerating the maturing process. We will begin to

see more and more new Christians go from Diaper-Soggers to Demon-Slayers at

warp speed. Perhaps, as I have, you’ve already seen some “baby” Christians

who seem very mature in the Lord. By the same token, I’ve seen 65 year old babies

in the Church, though they’ve been attending services for decades! They’re

getting older and passing away one-by-one just as the generation of Israelites

passed away, eventually leaving Joshua’s people.

The end-time soldier of God will be a flexible Faith Walker, unmoved by life’s

circumstances. We’ll be mobile, agile, and hostile to the ploys of demonic

entities, wielding the Sword of the Spirit with deadly accuracy, bringing death

to our enemies and life to our brothers and sisters in the faith. We’ll be discerning,

single-minded and Kingdom-focused. We’ll be broken vessels; wounded healers,

as it were, ready to encourage those who are weary and perform the ministry of

the Lord as called upon, instant in season and out of season. We will despise the

world’s trappings.

Many have been in training in secret places for quite a while now, being taught

by God Himself. Have YOU been one of these … alone with God for 5, 10, 20,

30 years?

The saints will still require training, equipping and releasing (whenever they’re

ready to step out). But shepherds don’t produce sheep. SHEEP PRODUCE SHEEP.

The child of God who is not ready, or willing, to enter the battle will be confined to

the existing church-setting, probably the nearest megachurch and the

denominational “house of worship.” These places will serve as spiritual holding

tanks, but some will choose to comfortably remain within its walls ad infinitum.

Make no mistake about it … the end-time army of God is not for children, the weak,

or the faint-hearted. The call to serve in this outfit is the call to PREPARE. The

irony is that EACH of those confined to the megachurch, or the comfy confines

of the denominational meeting house, will be only a decision away from being

launched into the thick of battle, regardless of age, gender, talents, resources, or

affiliation.

All it will require is one’s availability.

A JESUS FREAK REVIVAL

The Lord has placed the 70’s “Jesus Movement” on my mind lately. It was

referred to as such because Jesus was all that the participants talked and sang

about. It began in the late 60’s and continued until the mid ’70’s, more or less,

though I believe the Holy Spirit was probably up to something much earlier that

merely began to sprout at that time, and I don’t REALLY believe He’s finished

yet. The Jesus Movement is recognized as the infancy of the Charismatic

Renewal, described by many as a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Those

involved became known by the mainstream media as “Jesus Freaks.” The name

stuck. They were mostly teens who drew closer to Jesus in relationship and

reached out to touch others with the love of God.

And the world took notice.

The Jesus Movement began over 30 years ago. Was this just a “Protestant”

thing? Hardly! By most accounts, it began in ‘67 in a small storefront evangelical

mission called “The Living Room” in San Francisco’s Haight Ashbury district.

However, the exact same thing was taking place among Catholics that same year

at a ‘67 retreat for Catholic students at Duquesne University. Yes, God was

impacting the young people, regardless of camps. Though the novelty of the

renewal among Catholics has worn off in recent years, the charismatic style of

worship is now common in many parishes. And it’s STILL growing rapidly in

Asia, Africa and among numerous Hispanic and other new immigrant groups

in the United States. Once revolutionary, it has become fairly mainstream.

Musically, the Charismatic Renewal was quite inspired. Keith Green, Barry

McGuire, Terry Clark, Randy Stonehill, 2nd Chapter of Acts, Larry Norman …

this music was far out! It was characterized, in revived churches and among

the youth, by the “Praise Chorus.” This was a shift from songs ABOUT God

to ones sung TO Him. Like everything else in America, changes seem to start

on the West coast and move inward. A popular song of the day, “Little Country

Church” (by the group “Lovesong”) was actually about a small California

church pastored by Chuck Smith (I recall seeing magazines with “Pastor Chuck”

baptizing multitudes in the Pacific Ocean) that was impacted by this move of God

as thousands were touched by the Lord and empowered by the Spirit to go make

disciples.

That ‘Little Country Church’ eventually became the first Calvary Chapel and

grew into the large association of Calvary Chapels throughout the country today.

This was also the time when the Vineyard Churches began with John Wimber.

Many Foursquare and Assemblies of God churches were part of this renewal

and many people became Christians, especially among the youth.

The Gospel became especially appealing to those known as “hippies.” If you

were a hippy in the 1970’s, you’re in your 50’s about now, I’d guess. The

description of the early church found in Acts 2:42-47 appealed to these kids.

Gathering together for worship, common meals, the sharing of belongings, and

the expectancy of the miraculous, attracted these young people. Disenchantment

with the government, the Vietnam War, and a desire for purpose combined to

make them ripe for the Holy Spirit to reveal the Jesus they came to embrace. Yes,

Satan had his counterfeits (as always) and communal living, love-in’s, drugs, and

a whole lot of sin, remains stuck in the forefront of the minds of many regarding

the days of the “Jesus Freak.” Isn’t that just like Satan? Despite his best efforts,

many conservative pastors recruited hippie liaisons to their ministerial staffs and

found their churches radically transformed as a result of such gutsy moves.

A CALL TO ARMS!

Today, there is a new generation of “Jesus Freaks.” I talk with them all the time.

Teens who love the fact that Jesus was so revolutionary. They have an insatiable

appetite for things of God. The traditional church doesn’t appeal to them. They

don’t want the faith of their fathers. They want their OWN relationship with God

in their own way. Like the 70’s model, they are not impressed with government,

they detest war, and are looking for identity in a crazy world that seems to be

getting worse each day.

But they need leadership. They need yesterday’s radicals, the original “Jesus

Freaks,” perhaps, to mentor, train, and “father” them.

You still have what it takes, don’t you?

After all the times you pleaded with God in song, “O, Lord, please light the fire,

that once burned bright in me…,” doesn’t that flame still flicker within you now?

As dry as today’s spiritual climate is, that flickering flame is about all it will take

to ignite a full-fledged worldwide revival! God has taught you the things He

taught you, allowed you to experience what you experienced, because He NEEDS

you for such a time as this!

The devil says you’re too old, too fat, or too “un-cool.”

He’s a liar.

These latch-key kids have come from broken homes. They’ve been left unattended

and had success-oriented parents throwing toys and money at them for years,

guilt-ridden from the lack of attention they paid them all their lives while they sought

to keep up with the Jones’s (Beelzebub Jones, that is).

Now, the kids are getting to know Jesus, the One who said He’d never leave or

forsake them, and they desperately need to see His love exhibited by godly, mature

adults. They need spiritual “fathering.” OK… “mothering,” too. The Coffee House

scene still works, folks! I have one going myself on Friday nights.

In other words, God is raising up an army and He needs drill sergeants to report for

duty! Bad time to say “later, dude.” The time is NOW! If you remember Nancy

Honeytree’s song (one of my favorites), “Pioneer,” you know that, although you

began clearing a path 30 years ago, and there have been times over those three

decades that you may have entertained fear, doubt, confusion … you know down in

your spirit that Jesus has NEVER left you nor has He forsaken you. Fact is, even as

you were blazing the trail, the Lord was going before you.

You know the route, Christian. You’ve gone through the fires of divorce, bankruptcy,

sickness, war, prosperity and poverty.

This new “Last Daze” army needs your expertise.

So, fall in!

Maranatha!

Michael Tummillo
A servant of God
www.YourTown4Jesus.com

LITTLE COUNTRY CHURCH

(Chuck Girard/Fred Field)

D              D7/F#          G       Abdim
Little country church on the edge of town
A             G     D
Doo-do- do-dn-do-do-do
D             D7/F#         G         Abdim
People comin' everyday from miles around
    A                 G      D
For meetin's and for Sunday school
          A   G         D
And it¹s very plain to see
     G              D/F#    E7
It¹s not the way it used to be

D              D7/F#             G       Abdim
Preacher isn't talkin' 'bout religion no more
A                 G          D
He just wants to praise the Lord
D                 D7/F#         G       Abdim
People aren't as stuffy as they were before
A                 G           D
They just want to praise the Lord
          A    G       D
And it¹s very plain to see
      G             D/F#    E7
It's not the way it used to be

D                          D7/F#      G         Abdim
They're talkin' 'bout revival and the need for love
       A                G      D
That little church has come alive
D                  D7/F#          G     Abdim
Workin' with each other for the common good
A                G    D
Puttin' all the past aside
D           D7/F#             G        Abdim
Long hair, short hair, some coats and ties
A               G       D
People finally comin' around
D               D7/F#                 G     Abdim
Lookin' past the hair and straight into the eyes
A               G        D
People finally comin' around
         A     G        D
And it¹s very plain to see
      G             D/F#     E7
It's not the way it used to be

©1971 Dunamis Music