Jesus Revolution ?

[ThereRoseaLamb]

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.

 

[Magenta]

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 have attended many community church group meetings in people's homes over the years.
As a non-believer in my forties, first it was with female friends who were Christian who invited
me to do Bible studies with them. Because they were such awesome people, I agreed, though
I honestly have no recollection of getting anything out of those studies. As a Christian, these
meetings have always been organized through the church and are with people I have met
through my current church, churches I attended in the past (early days of my Christian walk),
or simply through joining a Bible study group after seeing a notification in a church where
I was attending a 12 step group (AA and/or NA). I attended that latter weekly study for five years,
though it was with people who were not born again, and even the ordained minister identified
as an agnostic. I went to maybe two of their Sunday services, but the church itself was far too
"progressive" for me (United). Still, I enjoyed the study (it was a critical analysis of the text),
the people, and the social aspect of it as well. We read from multiple versions and compared
differences. Another weekly Sunday afternoon meeting centred around praise and worship,
a reading, sharing session, the Lord's supper, and a monthly potluck. That particular pastor
was really a wonderful man who started Imago Dei here. He no longer walks this world.
Another pastor and his wife had after church (Vineyard) home meetings as well where we
would pray for each other and break bread together. My current church of the past decade
or so has multiple in-home community study and prayer meetings... And potlucks/picnics.

 

[Magenta]

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...

 

[ThereRoseaLamb]

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...

Wow, that is amazing, especially after the pandemic seemed to scare so many away for so long. I attend a little country church with mainly older folk. Sweet people, very giving of their time and money. But when an opportunity came for them to get into a bigger church, they didn't want to hear of it. Many had attended the current church most of their lives. Although I do understand their attachment, the church is very small and cannot possibly grow as is. I find that sad.

I'm excited to hear of churches that are growing, especially when young people are coming in and starting families. So many churches are just filled with church hoppers. They don't see any new people, no unchurched people. So your church is definitely doing something right in their outreach and services that is bringing people in. I love to hear that.

 

[The_Watchers_2017]

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

Me too!

And there's some really interesting questions people have and when you hear them ask them, you know you're about hear something stranger than what jws, Mormons, 7th day would be discussing.

 

[ResidentAlien]

I watched the movie; it has good points but unfortunately a lot of bad.

Someone watching it would probably start thinking about Jesus, but mostly about "God." This is about the only positive thing I could find.

It's clear from the get-go that its intention is to promote the idea of experiencing "God." A bunch of hippies simply trade one experience for another. There's an obligatory sinner's prayer at Greg Laurie's baptism; but other than that Jesus is conspicuously absent. The Jesus people have found the true God; but the "squares" are the religious Pharisees who put God in a box. This is very much the message coming out of the New Age church we see all around us. If someone wants to know where the Jesus people went, just look around at all the groups that promote experience over sound doctrine; look to the ecumenists who say that doctrine puts God in a box and the only way to attain unity is by the mutual experience of "God."

The film looks like it was made on the cheap. Large parts of it moved very slow and were excruciatingly boring.

 

[MrE]

Here is a link to the movie trailer—

https://christianchat.com/threads/j...mith-calvary-chapel-story.209767/post-5024031

When my wife and I first moved to So Cal from Canada we attended a Calvary Chapel for several years. We had actually visited many times prior and gone to services at several Calvary Chapels, Horizon (Mike Macintosh) and Harvest (Greg Laurie). I listened to Chuck a lot, and many of the spin offs- those mentioned and many others including Chuck Missler and Smith’s son-in-law — Brian Broderson who took over the Costa Mesa Calvary Chapel from Chuck.

Most of them are in various stages of discord and disarray. Broderson split off from the Calvary Chapel organization as did Chuck Smith Junior and his church in So Cal— can’t remember where it is- Dana Point?

The Smith family sued Calvary Chapel for not providing their mother (Chuck’s widow) with better home care using church proceeds.

It’s honestly a bit like watching a series of train derailments in slow motion.

 

[The_Watchers_2017]

I doubt the project management team for the Movie Jesus Revolution will be using the last 2 posts to encourage viewers to go see their film

 

[MrE]

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.

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.

 

[ResidentAlien]

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.

 

[soberxp]

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.

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

Every one has free will.they can say whatever they want.

 

[ThereRoseaLamb]

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.

Yeah I don't believe in setting dates, perhaps he's learned the same. Israel coming back to the land in 48 started God's time clock countdown. I'm pretrib. and I believe in the rapture. I just don't believe in setting dates. Seems from what others say here, he is sound on doctrine otherwise.

 

[ThereRoseaLamb]

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.

 

[MrE]

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.

 

[The_Watchers_2017]

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?

 

[MrE]

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?

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….?

 

[presidente]

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.

Why would you call him a false prophet because of that?

Misinterpreting other people's prophecies isn't the same as prophesying. Did he prophesy it would happen before 1981?

 

[The_Watchers_2017]

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….?

So there's not a real emphasis on Praise and Worship?

There's something about the idealism of Calvary Chapel that has felt different. But they preach the Word of God. They seem to be Sound Doctrine.
But you mentioned Chaotic. What do you mean by that? As in, they were chaotic?

I think personally, they fall in between Baptist and Pentecostal but I don't know anything about their Praise and Worship.

 

[ButterflyJones]

Is this it?

 

[Nehemiah6]

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

If you are referring to the Second Coming of Christ, that is exactly what is stated in Revelation 1:7. "Every eye shall see Him". But that a a distinctly different event from the Resurrection/Rapture.