Guest Writer, Randy Berdal
It was February of 1970 when my friend, Jim, came from Oakland CA to see me in Minneapolis. Jim and I had taken drugs together, but Jim was different now and was talking about Jesus. I had spent the previous 2 years experimenting with drugs and the occult. I was a drummer in a rock band but had recently left the band after my life had been threatened with a knife held to my throat. Jim brought a gospel tract with him that included this verse. “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit.” 1st Peter 3:18 This made more sense than all the eastern religious and occult books I had been reading. This answered my deepest need for hope, purpose, forgiveness and love. I placed my faith in Jesus Christ that night. Jim left his Bible, the tract, and the phone # of the group he had been living with in Oakland CA before he left the next day. Since I had not been raised in a Christian home and knew nothing about Christianity, within 3 weeks I had booked a flight and arranged to live in the Agape house, a Jesus People house in the ghetto of East Oakland, CA. At one time or another there were 10-26 young men at the Agape House from Puerto Rico, Mexico, native born Hawaiian, African American, Native American, a young Jewish/Christian believer rejected by his Conservative Jewish family, and some white guys. We had daily Bible studies and joined with the House of Pergamos, the Sisters house, in Bible studies.
Putting our faith into action in Berkeley and San Francisco
Several times a week we all went to Berkeley or occasionally to San Francisco to do street evangelism. The atmosphere in Berkeley was especially electric with young people searching and participating in discussions about the meaning of life. Thousands of youth from all over the country were there seeking truth, so presenting Christ as the answer seemed to be a normal activity. This experience changed my life forever. I loved being there as a Christian and being on the right side of the enormous social changes that were happening all around us. We would do street evangelism and bring seekers home that were hungry or needed a place to crash. We would offer food and often talk late into the night about the Gospel and our testimonies. Most left, but some stuck around for a few days.
This was not about church; this was about a relationship with Jesus Christ.
As in all revivals or in a genuine move of the Holy Spirit, not everybody gets saved, and not everybody changes in their new life with Christ at the same rate. My friend Scott from Wisconsin has a great story about that. During my year in Oakland, we invited most of our drug and rock band circle of friends to come to California to see and hear what Jesus was doing. Twenty six individuals made the trek out there. Scott came out, and on his first night there our house leader was preaching the Gospel to him in a very direct way while in the swimming pool at a Bible teacher’s home. I felt uncomfortable about it and thought that, “Hey this is Scott’s first night here. Just relax and we’ll have time over the next few days to talk about the gospel.” Scott left in a day or so without responding to the gospel. 15 years passed and Scott called me out of the blue and said, “Remember that night in the pool in Oakland?” I told him I definitely did remember that night . “Well,” said Scott, “last year I found out that I have oral cancer, and I remembered the message of that night. I’ve given my life to Christ, and I’m your brother now!” A seed that had been stuck in a crack in a rock, fell down into some good soil. Jesus told the parable of the sower and the seed in Luke 8:5-15 which demonstrated mixed results.
Seeds bearing fruit today!
Hundreds of thousands of people came to Christ during the Jesus Revolution, many remain walking with Christ, some do not, all of us have some repenting to do, and some waited years to respond to the seeds previously sown. As in Luke 15:1, all kinds of sinners came near to hear Jesus’ words. I was 19 years old when I went to Oakland in 1970. I’m 72 now and still walking with the Lord and sowing seeds in Jail Ministry or wherever I meet new people in my daily life. I am grateful to be able to say that the seeds sown in my life during the Jesus Revolution are bearing fruit today.
Randy’s Bio
Nine years experience as a manager in engineering, retail store owner/manager, and as manager of a transitional living program at Wisconsin’s largest homeless shelter. Versatile, able to excel with inter-personal relationships, provide support and encouragement to recovering addicts while simultaneously maintaining standards and achieving necessary goals.
Specialties: Demonstrating empathy to people in crisis or those making difficult life transitions, trained in non-violent crises intervention, CPR, Basic first aid, budgeting, and financial management.
Reflections by Richard
Friends for over 40 years!
Our wives go back more years!
Randy and I attend Trinity College, now named Trinity International University many years ago.
We both already had 60 credits and were able to complete our degree in one year!
B.A. Degree in Applied Christian Studies.
Spent a year of Mondays afternoons traveling to Trinity
Jesus Revolution in California in the 70’s Randy’s experience!
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