The Revolutionary Mind

Walking through Boston for four hours of exploring and thinking will give you a chance to evaluate your heart and history. Our tour guide was a young man in his 20’s who held a master’s degree in American history, so our immersion into the sights and background of Boston was one of the highlights of our summer. As we wrapped up at a park that pointed our gaze at Bunker Hill, our guide said something profound: “The American Revolution and the War for American Independence are not the same. The war came to an end. But the American Revolution goes on today. We continue to defy history as a people who pursue freedom and justice, as a culture of laws and the pursuit of a just society.”

Men and women of that era pursued every available means for creating a new world, a new society. And for that pursuit, they gave up their resources, their safety, and many gave their lives. “Give me liberty or give me death,” was answered with death for many. They deemed liberty as WORTH the risk of their lives. It was the overwhelming mission to which they gave themselves fully.

So as we approach the Independence Day holiday, I think of Revere, Payne, Washington, Hancock, Henry, and so many others whose sacrifice made possible the life we enjoy today. And it leads me to another list: Paul of Tarsus, Luke, Simon Peter, Thomas, James, and John. These pursued a different mission of a revolutionary mind. They risked everything to proclaim the Gospel. When arrested in the streets of Jerusalem, Peter and John were brought before the religious court and warned not to speak of Christ again, under pain of promised punishment. They replied:

We cannot stop talking about the things which we have seen and heard.

This revolution was not a military conflict; it was a spiritual revolution. It was shocking to multiple cultures. Rather than vengeful violence, early Christians refused to respond with hatred and war. Instead, they fed the poor, took in orphans, forgave their enemies, and faced torture, imprisonment, and death. And when these consequences began to grow, their boldness grew. Their weapons were not arrows, swords, and knives; their tools were forgiveness, testimony, and grace.

The Roman Empire would crumble in the 4th century. Jesus’ KINGDOM would explode for centuries after the Roman Empire was no more. And it still advances in places where it’s illegal, where Jesus’ followers are arrested, tortured, and martyred. Their love, their obedience, and their forgiveness are revolutionary still today.

So, friends. . . are you a fighter or are you a spiritual revolutionary?