Greg Laurie recently sat down with Ruslan of Bless God Studios to discuss his new film, “Jesus Revolution.” The film showcases the story of the Jesus Movement, a revival that spread across the United States in the 60s and 70s.
As part of this movement, God used key people to influence Laurie’s life, his coming to know Christ, and his start in ministry. Among these people was a pastor of Calvary Chapel, Chuck Smith, who followed God’s call to begin ministering to a group of “hippies.” Another key person was Lonnie Frisbee, a hippie turned evangelist.
“It’s not a movie about Lonnie Frisbee,” stated Laurie. “It’s a movie about the Jesus movement [in which] Lonnie Frisbee played a role. To not put him in there is to edit history. Chuck Smith played a role. It shows how I came to faith. Cathe came to faith during that time.”
“Lonnie did play a key role in the last great spiritual awakening in America,” Laurie began, going on to reflect on a time shortly after he became a Christian.
“Lonnie had prophesied over me when I was a young man,” Laurie recounted. As they were praying for some other people, “he turns to me, and he says, ‘The Lord just told me you’re going to preach to thousands of people around the world.'”
Laurie was dumbfounded. At that time, he hadn’t even preached a single sermon.
One might expect a film about revival to be exclusively positive. But Laurie took an honest and transparent approach to this story. Frisbee, the very person who prophesied over Laurie, turned away from God.
At the end of Frisbee’s life, Laurie was able to spend some time with him.
“Lonnie messed up,” Laurie said. “Lonnie fell away, but he also thought he was going to walk out of there and preach again.”
A Brief Friendship With Lonnie Frisbee
Laurie recalled that he spent only a short amount of time with Frisbee. Even before Calvary Chapel built a larger building, Frisbee had moved on.
“He was almost like getting the car started. You know, that little explosion,” Laurie said.
“He had moved off to Florida because he wanted to work on his marriage, and that’s reflected in the film. We show that Lonnie had his struggles. We show Lonnie was flawed. Everyone in this film was flawed,” mentioned Laurie.
“Jesus Revolution” is focused on a two-year period of time—including when Laurie came to faith. Ruslan offered, “The theme of God using flawed people was strong and beautiful.”
Laurie replied, “We’re just showing how God did extraordinary things in the lives of ordinary people.”
