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The  Irresistible Revolution

by Shane Claiborne.

Claiborne tells this wonderful story: My grandfather used to bale hay. He had gotten a brand-new truck and trailer and wanted to “break ‘em in.” So he and my uncle began stacking hay bales higher and higher, pushing it to the limit. Finally, they hit the road with the hay, my uncle driving and my grandfather riding along proudly. What they didn’t notice was that one of the hay bales was rubbing against a tire.

Before long, the hay bale caught on fire, then another and another. Eventually, the truck looked like a comet headed down the highway. Eventually, he looked in the mirror and saw the flames behind them, and they quickly pulled over and got out of the truck. This created new problems, since now the flames began to melt the back of the truck.

My uncle snapped, “Get back in the truck.” So they did. He began to swerve so the hay bales fell off behind them. But then the fields began to catch on fire. Pretty soon fire trucks were following along behind them, trying to limit the damage, and they finally managed to extinguish the inferno.

That is what the kingdom of God looks like. Christians blaze through this dark world and set it on fire with their love. It is contagious and spreads like wildfire. We are people who shine, who burn up the darkness of this old world with the light that dwells within us.

On the altar, belief and action kissed, and extremists for love were born. So, once again it is time for an altar call. We are not just laying our lives at the altar with nothing to pick up but we are also picking up an irresistible revolution that the world is waiting for.

The Jesus revolution is not a frontal attack on the empires of this world. It is a subtle contagion, spreading one little life, one little hospitality house, at a time.

Welcome to the revolution of little people, guerrilla peacemakers, and dancing prophets, the revolution that loves and laughs.