We’ve been hearing the term Jesus Freak since the late ’60s. A term coined to be a slur against the people of the Jesus Movement, these Believers took the term for themselves and wore it with pride. Indeed, there was much going on in the country at the time. The youth were raging against the status quo in general. There was much to be angry about and people were feeling more desperate as the Vietnam war raged on. There could be no greater time than to present Jesus as the answer, and the Jesus People got busy doing just that. But what is a Jesus Freak today?
Jesus Freaks had different ideas about worshipping Jesus than their parents. The traditional stiff, cold church didn’t fit their vibe. They wanted to see a church that looked more like the original church of the apostles’ day, not the organ-playing, suit-wearing kind.
What Is A Jesus Freak In Today’s World?
Today’s Jesus Freak looks a lot different than the ones that came before. That doesn’t mean there aren’t groups of young people who are fiercely committed to sharing the love of Christ anymore. They are out there. They’re just sharing Jesus in other ways than they did before.
A Jesus Freak is different than your average church-going Christian. There are plenty of Christians that will share something of God every now and then. What is a Jesus Freak in today’s world? It is someone who is driven to share the love of Christ. They have something different. There is a spark in them that can’t be quenched. They aren’t wondering what anyone thinks about them when they share Jesus. It isn’t a concern when people heckle them or even verbally abuse them for daring to share the gospel.
The average Christian might evangelize at times, but they usually have to get over the fear of being rejected first. This doesn’t mean they don’t love Jesus. They just are in a different place of understanding what they have in Christ compared to the Jesus Freak.
What Is A Jesus Freak About That’s Different?
The Bible says, “Taste and see that the LORD is good, blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him. Psalm 34:8 NIV
Taste is one of the five senses. Everyone knows this. But there is a lot more to taste than meets the tongue. All of the other senses are involved in some way that creates the experience of tasting and seeing for yourself whether or not something is good to eat.
Before we taste something, we look to see if it is appealing to us. I never had guacamole for the longest time because I couldn’t get over the color. The sight of it made me want to gag. But one day someone challenged me to try tortilla chips and guacamole. I politely refused. Before I knew it, a chip with a big glob of guacamole was being foisted into my face. “Try it,” they demanded. Feeling left with no choice, I gingerly opened my mouth, closed my eyes, and prepared to be disgusted. To my delight, guacamole was delicious! I wanted the whole chip bowl to myself. For the next several days, I told people about my experience with guacamole. I asked them if they ever tried it. I went on as I marveled at what the experience was like. I am sure I bored more than a few people about my guacamole adventure. But I wouldn’t be stopped. Guacamole was amazing and everyone was going to hear about it.
Seeing Jesus As A Full Sensory Experience Is A Gift
When we taste something the other senses add to the experience. Most people smell something before they open their mouths for a bite. Does it smell sweet? Do you get a spicy aroma? When we chew, we observe the texture and hear the sounds. Is it crunchy? How goes it feel? Did you know most people object to the texture of a food more than the taste? All this informs our palate about how we feel about the food’s experience.
We experience Jesus in much of the same way as my experience with Guacamole. First, we see Jesus in action. What do His people look like? What was around us when we accepted Christ? Next, we move in closer to observe what we find appealing about Jesus. Can we smell His aroma coming off his people? We then make a decision to be open to what this Jesus thing is all about, and then we have the full-on experience once we experience the Holy Spirit for ourselves. We hear God’s voice call us and then we respond. A person who has fully experienced all that Jesus is can’t help but share it. Just like my guacamole experience. The full-on Jesus Freak has had an encounter with Christ they want everyone to know about.
What is a Jesus Freak doing more than anything? Getting excited when they hear that someone wants to know about their experience with Him! Try and stop a Jesus Freak from talking when someone brings us Jesus’s name. The difference is plain and simple. If you are a Christian, but can’t really point to having a Jesus experience like what I described, ask Him for one. God loves to show up when we ask Him to.
Are You A Jesus Freak?
Now, more than ever before, people need human interaction and community. The harvest is ripe for the picking! People are desperate to find grounding in today’s tumultuous world. You can be that mooring by helping them understand their anchor is Christ.
Ichthus VerseWear was created for the person who wants to do more to share the gospel but isn’t really sure how to do it. If you want people to have what you have in Jesus, you have to tell them about it. We’ve devised a way for you to wear an icebreaker to do just that. Let others know what you have in Jesus. Let us help feel comfortable sharing your faith with our t-shirts.