Jesus Revolution ?

I took my family to see it last week. I wanted to encourage a desire for a revival.

My wife has said that God has told her that there will be a revival that takes place outside of the church (or maybe primarily outside of church bulidings) in which LGBT people, criminals, drug addicts, will come to Christ. Also, that there would be a revival in this Bible study we hae for youth in the community. Young people started showing up at our house, and we formed a Bible study. It was mainly my kids and non-church kids, though we are getting more church kids recently. We've had a couple of kids confused about their sexuality who have joined.

Anyway, back to the movie, from what numerous people say, Lonnie Frisbee had been molested as a child and was into the homosexual lifestyle, and fell back into sin later after this revival in the movie.

From what people have written who were there on Facebook and various videos, Lonnie Frisbee left before they moved to the tent. So that scene where Lonnie tries to give a word and Chuck Smith shuts him down, some say that never happened. He had gone to Florida to work on his marriage. He was with the 'Fort Lauderdale Five' in the the shepherding movement, and came back to Calvary Chapel where Chuck Smith put him to work directing traffic in the parking lot (directing some of the people he had led to Christ.)

I believe the part about Frisbee having a part in leading Greg Laurie to Christ is based on a true story, and also the part about prophesying about his preaching to crowds. The movie was silly about Chuck Smith giving the keys to the empty church building to Greg Laurie after he preached one sermon. He started a Bible study, I read, that grew into a larger congregation. And, yes he has massive crusades also where he preaches to really large crowds.

Also, from what I have read, Chuck Smith and the congregation were very outreach oriented. it is likely the part about people leaving the church because the Hippies came was made up by the screen writer for dramatic effect. The general gist of that part of the story is true.

The move present Lonnie Frisbee as being on an ego trip, with the way the actor talked, and they made it seem like this really big deal, crossing a line, when he says he thinks he is a prophet on the Kathryn Kuhlman show. I didn't see that part on the clip of the show on YouTube, if it even existed. It is possible the screen writer just put that clip on the Kathryn Kuhlman show. I have a fuzzy recollection of seeing Frisbee speaking at a Vineyard on a video saying he was a prophet. I think it was a Vineyard meeting.

I don't know if there was any kicking Frisbee out before he went to Florida with his wife to work on his marriage. That might have been fabricated.

Chuck Smith, though from a Pentecostal background, was a bit more conservative about 'Charismatic' type manifestations. The Vineyard congregatrions were a bit more open to it. John Wimber's congregation was a Calvary Chapel for a while, but it didn't fit with what Chuck Smitrh wanted because of the degree to which the Vineyard embraced some of these things. Lonnie Frisbee did preach at the Vineyard early on. Chuck Smith would teach the Bible verse by verse. Calvary Chapel had special meetings for gifts of the Spirit. Some may still do that. I think they call them 'Aglow' meetings or something like that. it might be a night service. I am not sure if all of them have a meeting like this.

So the film might be trying to capture some of the differences when it came to ministry philosophy.

Thanks for the info. I do recall in the late 70s and early 80s that many churches started having prayer meetings in homes. My parents were part of that. It seemed people were more comfortable to ask questions and learn in that environment and then move to the church as they matured. After while it seemed to die out, maybe people got too busy. But I do think it is a good way to reach out to people that don't attend church.

I will add about my current church family: there are so many young people, I have joked that
we are growing our church the old fashioned way, because some seem to join, get married,
and start popping out the babies. We have planted churches in other city neighbourhoods
as well and are gearing up to plant another in a neighbouring city. My own congregation
has more than tripled in size over the last five or six years...

I like the question-and-answer format, also .. It keeps it interesting .

I took my family to see it last week. I wanted to encourage a desire for a revival.

My wife has said that God has told her that there will be a revival that takes place outside of the church (or maybe primarily outside of church bulidings) in which LGBT people, criminals, drug addicts, will come to Christ. Also, that there would be a revival in this Bible study we hae for youth in the community. Young people started showing up at our house, and we formed a Bible study. It was mainly my kids and non-church kids, though we are getting more church kids recently. We've had a couple of kids confused about their sexuality who have joined.

Anyway, back to the movie, from what numerous people say, Lonnie Frisbee had been molested as a child and was into the homosexual lifestyle, and fell back into sin later after this revival in the movie.

From what people have written who were there on Facebook and various videos, Lonnie Frisbee left before they moved to the tent. So that scene where Lonnie tries to give a word and Chuck Smith shuts him down, some say that never happened. He had gone to Florida to work on his marriage. He was with the 'Fort Lauderdale Five' in the the shepherding movement, and came back to Calvary Chapel where Chuck Smith put him to work directing traffic in the parking lot (directing some of the people he had led to Christ.)

I believe the part about Frisbee having a part in leading Greg Laurie to Christ is based on a true story, and also the part about prophesying about his preaching to crowds. The movie was silly about Chuck Smith giving the keys to the empty church building to Greg Laurie after he preached one sermon. He started a Bible study, I read, that grew into a larger congregation. And, yes he has massive crusades also where he preaches to really large crowds.

Also, from what I have read, Chuck Smith and the congregation were very outreach oriented. it is likely the part about people leaving the church because the Hippies came was made up by the screen writer for dramatic effect. The general gist of that part of the story is true.

The move present Lonnie Frisbee as being on an ego trip, with the way the actor talked, and they made it seem like this really big deal, crossing a line, when he says he thinks he is a prophet on the Kathryn Kuhlman show. I didn't see that part on the clip of the show on YouTube, if it even existed. It is possible the screen writer just put that clip on the Kathryn Kuhlman show. I have a fuzzy recollection of seeing Frisbee speaking at a Vineyard on a video saying he was a prophet. I think it was a Vineyard meeting.

I don't know if there was any kicking Frisbee out before he went to Florida with his wife to work on his marriage. That might have been fabricated.

Chuck Smith, though from a Pentecostal background, was a bit more conservative about 'Charismatic' type manifestations. The Vineyard congregatrions were a bit more open to it. John Wimber's congregation was a Calvary Chapel for a while, but it didn't fit with what Chuck Smitrh wanted because of the degree to which the Vineyard embraced some of these things. Lonnie Frisbee did preach at the Vineyard early on. Chuck Smith would teach the Bible verse by verse. Calvary Chapel had special meetings for gifts of the Spirit. Some may still do that. I think they call them 'Aglow' meetings or something like that. it might be a night service. I am not sure if all of them have a meeting like this.

So the film might be trying to capture some of the differences when it came to ministry philosophy.

Chuck Smith consistently taught and wrote that the rapture would happen before 1981. He based this on the erroneous idea that the "fig tree" putting forth leaves, spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 24, was the rebirth of Israel as a nation. So would I call him a false prophet based on this? Absolutely; right alongside Hal Lindsey.

Chuck Smith consistently taught and wrote that the rapture would happen before 1981. He based this on the erroneous idea that the "fig tree" putting forth leaves, spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 24, was the rebirth of Israel as a nation. So would I call him a false prophet based on this? Absolutely; right alongside Hal Lindsey.

I think that is mostly accurate.

I’ve heard Mike talking about the early days with Greg and Lonnie. Most of these kids were 100% lost souls, heavy into drugs and the psychedelic LSD experiences that come from these hallucinogenic substances, making them extremely vulnerable to “spiritual” -out of body raptures of the mind. You have to accept it for what it was— a bunch of often-high, hippies exchanging the lsd-inspired experience for a religious facsimile. They traded drugs for the way ‘the spirit was moving them’ and at times it was a little bit of both.
Frisbee was a perfect example. A barely closeted homosexual, many people knew him to be ‘dating’ on Saturday night and preaching on Sunday morning. He died of AIDS.

Someone mentioned Keith Green and his influence on Christian music— (Maranatha Music came out of the Jesus Freak period). He was another drug culture hippie who grasped hold of Christianity in what most would call a radical way. He started his own ministry, bought several homes to provide free lodging to other hippies, and eventually moved his group to a commune in Texas holding all possessions in common. He died with two of his children in a private plane crash.

Some came in and became solid church members, some didn't. But you mention Keith Green and I believe his experience was 100% real. He had the Last Days Ministries and even put out a magazine.

Please don’t misinterpret. I’m not saying their experiences were not real. I’m saying they were influenced by the times, by the culture, and sometimes even by drugs. Keith Green was indeed “sold out” for Jesus as he understood that to be. His “Last Days Ministry” came directly out of the 60’s drug culture and the Jesus People/Jesus Freak movement and though they believed the return of Christ was imminent— and that was now 50 years ago.
Yet for Keith, it really was the last days for him.

So, you seem rather convincing taking into consideration your personal experience and seemingly 1st/2nd hand knowledge of both Calvary Chapel and the connecting Jesus Freak Movement, how legit are the typical Believers in that movement?

What Gifts of the Spirit do they promote?

Chuck Smith consistently taught and wrote that the rapture would happen before 1981. He based this on the erroneous idea that the "fig tree" putting forth leaves, spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 24, was the rebirth of Israel as a nation. So would I call him a false prophet based on this? Absolutely; right alongside Hal Lindsey.

In my experience Calvary Chapel members are faithful and sincere Christian believers. Very genuine in their journey, very orthodox in their beliefs. I describe the movement as the McDonald’s of Christianity. Very cookie cutter, and made for easy consumption— but perhaps not the healthiest choice.

They were probably the first Christian Church franchise of such scale. You could literally move to any town USA and start up your own Calvary Chapel, logo and all. It’s how it grew so far and so fast.

It’s Billy Graham like evangelism… say this prayer and you’re in and in forever. I’ll take mine to go…. and/or from the Drive-Thru. It will cost you almost nothing and fill your belly for a week.

- edited to address your second question which I inadvertently ignored.

The first time my wife and I personally met Mike Macintosh— we were introduced as being a firefighter/paramedic couple from Canada… Mike grabbed our hands and told us he had seen us in a dream— tending to a family that had been in a car accident. I walked away thinking…. How convenient. I wonder what he would have dreamed had we been introduced as a house painter and a waitress….?

Shall I say that the man in the Bible who says that everyone will see the coming of Jesus is a false prophet.