News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him. Matthew 4:24-25
Shameless plug: go see “Jesus Revolution.”
Yes, I know about the history Lonnie Frisbee and his struggles and sins. Yes, I know Greg Laurie is controversial. I’ve been part of Calvary Chapel and found it uplifting and true to the Gospel. Go see the movie, keeping in mind Matthew 4:24-25.
In two thousand years, nothing has changed. People still flock to Jesus, still come in large numbers, from all walks of life, when His word is authentically preached, when His word is presented in joy. The human race yearns to know that its deepest fears and hurts can be healed, that we are truly forgiven by God Jesus does that. Where people worship Jesus honestly and joyfully, you’ll find large crowds.
There’s an Instagram site I follow called @rugwashingasmr. In it, people bring their grimy, dirty, horribly stained rugs to this place where workers pressure-wash, scrub, steam, and restore to beauty these rugs that are seemingly beyond restoration. What comes out of the wash is beautiful, ready for many more years of meaningful use.
That’s what people flock to Jesus for: to be restored. To be cleaned up and brought back to meaningful life. To be made beautiful by God. That’s what people did during Jesus’ original ministry. That’s what the Jesus Revolution movie is about because that’s what the Jesus Movement was (and is) about. That’s what Jesus does now. You don’t need to be a 1960s hippie, or a drug addict, or a “Jesus freak” to see that what Jesus offers is restoration in a fallen, hurting world. People come to Him, looking for physical relief, and find that Jesus can offer that along with so much more.
If you don’t have a place to worship, I’m inviting you to mine, to Water’s Edge Church in Frisco, Texas. All are welcome and you’ll hear Jesus. If you don’t want to go there, find a Calvary Chapel. You’ll hear His word there, too. If you don’t want to go there, then just look for a church where they preach the authentic Gospel. Find a place that teaches how Jesus died and was resurrected to forgive you of all your sins. Don’t get caught up on details; don’t get sidetracked by people. Just follow Jesus. Match what you learn in the church against what it says in your Bible. Picture Him restoring you. When you do that, you’ll find He has fought a revolution in your soul that will bring you cleansing joy from the inside out.
For more reading: Mark 1:32, Mark 2:3, Mark 5:15, Mark 16:18, Luke 2:2, Luke 6:17, Matthew 5:1
Lord, I follow You alone. I worship You alone. I praise You alone.
Practical Proverbs 