This is a world where every day bad things happen. The media shows us horror story after horror story. It has been a long time since we hear about something good happening. Sin is celebrated. And anyone who condemns sin is called a bigot. We call good bad and bad good.
What the world needs is a revival. Sometimes when we see the stories of revivals from the past we can be reminded of the power of Jesus Christ. Here are six faith-based films about revivals that I recommend.
Jesus Revolution
My husband and I had a great date night. Dinner and a movie. The movie we saw was Jesus Revolution. It was a huge hit at the box office. The story of Greg and his wife falling in love reminded us of the start of our relationship. When we were first married my husband was a youth pastor at a small church that reminded us a lot of the church at the start of the movie.
We enjoyed the scenes of the pastor talking to his older congregation and the reaction they had to a growing number of young people coming into the church.
This movie was instantly one of my favorite movies. Not only is this a movie about revival. It is also a love story.
The movie tells the story of Pastor Church Smith, played by Kelsey Grammer. He is the straight-laced pastor of a small congregation. When a hippie street preacher Lonnie Frisbee becomes part of his church community everything changes. Lonnie is played by the Chosen’s Jonathan Roomie.
He is a charismatic Jesus follower. I did not know about hippie Lonnie Frisbee until I watched this film, and I later went on line to learn more about him. His story is fascinating, and I was glad the movie didn’t brush over the more complicated parts of his life.
We also see the story of the real-life Greg Laurie. We see his salvation and baptism at Pirate’s Cove. The baptism scene is the most powerful scene in the movie. We see a young man grow in his Christian faith and become a follower of Jesus Christ. These real events are an important part of American History we know today as the Jesus Movement of Southern California.
Today Pastor Greg Laurie is still part of a spiritual awakening preaching to crowds of people. This is a movie you have to watch.
What God Hath Wrought (Pastor Chuck Smith and the Jesus Revolution)
Once I watched the movie Jesus Revolution, I wanted to know more about Pastor Chuck Smith. I had known about the life of Pastor Greg Laurie, but I did not know about Pastor Church Smith. So, I wanted to watch this documentary to know more.
People Today need Jesus as much as they did in the 60s and 70s. The story of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa is a great story to remind us of what God can do if allow ourselves to be led by Jesus. We can tell our own stories of faith and the good news of what Jesus can do in their lives.
If you need inspiration this is a good movie to watch. If you are looking for Christian movies to watch with your youth group or small group, this documentary about religious revival and the movie Jesus Revolution are great options.
This movie has interviews with Chuck Smith, Franklin Graham, Tim LaHaye, and many others.
We also see the birth of Contemporary Christian music. Most successful Christian songs can trace their roots back to this Christian revival. We see interviews with “Jesus Music” bands like members of one of the first Christian rock bands “Love Song.”
Many of the “Jesus Freaks” became pastors of some of the largest churches in America, including Greg Laurie, Raul Ries, Jeff Johnson, Steve Mays, Joe Focht, Mike MacIntosh, Skip Heitzig, and others who talk about their experiences in the revival.
Asbury Revival: Desperate for More
This year I watched in real time the Asbury University revival. The revival took place at the same time as the movie Jesus Revolution was in theaters. I first heard about it on social media, and I loved watching the story unfold. On February the 8th 2023 chapel services ended, and some students continued worshiping.
The service lasts for 16 days. Non-stop worshiping. I was excited to see this new film come out showing the story.
This documentary shows footage from this chapel serves. We see the students, the staff, and the university administrators tell their stories of this great revival. This is a movie about Jesus and his power to save us. This is the story of the Holy Spirit moving in our world today.
I am very glad so many people were able to see this revival in real-time. This is the power of Social Media.
The Wasteland
This film tells a tale of hope, of redemption, and of revival.
The Wasteland is the journey of a man who trying to remember his history and travel back to a place he has long ago forsaken. It is a compelling allegory with application to our world today. The story is similar to the parable of the prodigal son.
This is the story of a man who walked away from everything and found himself in despair. But he finds hope when he returns to the life he once knew. The Wasteland is a story of hope. We can return to our lives. Hope never dies. God can always work a revival in the hearts of the people we are praying for.
For Pete’s Sake
This is a movie made by Billy Graham. It is the story of Pete, Marge, and their young son, Ronnie Harper. We see people trying to figure out life after the tragedy.
One cold Sunday afternoon the stadium in Denver is crowded. People are gathering to hear Billy Graham speak. These people hear about God’s love. The family dealing with tragedy finds hope in the words they hear Billy Graham speak.
This is a story to watch together as a family. To see how a family can grow together and recover together as a family with the help of Jesus Christ.
Sometimes when we see a large crowd in the pictures of a Billy Graham crusade we can be focused on the large crowd. But God sees each individual person, he sees the pain and the hurt each person is hiding behind their smile.
Billy: The Early Years of Billy Graham
Six years ago, I was on a business trip to North Carolina. While I was there, I had a day off and took the opportunity to visit the Billy Graham Chapel. It was an amazing experience. This was the first time I saw Billy Graham as a real person and not just an evangelist.
This is a movie that tells the true story of the early life of Billy Graham.
We see an investigative journalist who is interviewing Charles Templeton just days before he dies. We hear him tell the story of Billy Graham as a teenager living in North Carolina during the Great Depression.
I especially enjoyed seeing Graham visit Bob Jones College, today is called Bob Jones University. This is where I went to university. So, I found this part the most interesting. I remember hearing stories when I attended BJU about the friendship between Billy Graham and Bob Jones.
So many revivals sprung from the preaching of Billy Graham, but it all started when Billy Graham walked forward to the altar after hearing the song Just as I am. The gospel message is presented very clearly in this film. I highly recommend this movie