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All roads lead to Branham The NEW Latter Rain Connections Lonnie Frisbee and the birth of Wimber’s Vineyard movement (excerpt from book on william Branham) One cannot understand the thrust of the Latter Rain development and influence after Branham without mentioning Lonnie Frisbee, who later became the main influence on Wimber’s Yorba Linda Calvary church to become a Vineyard church. John Wimber (a former Quaker) was a Calvary Chapel pastor who became associated with Lonnie Frisbee, a young hippie who had been a key figure in the Jesus People Movement at Chuck Smith’s Costa Mesa's Calvary Chapel as a teenager. Later, Smith hearing of the extreme Pentecostal practices that Lonnie was introducing had him separate from the fellowship at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. According to the book “Not by Might, Nor by Power: The Jesus Revolution”by his friend Roger Sachs published in 2012. He writes that as a youngster His grandmother brought him to a little Pentecostal church close to home, Central Bible Church. “ I was saved as a little boy and around my grandmother’s church, there were people who stood up in the meetings and shouted out with shrieking glossolalia—you know, the typical Pentecostal, fanatical, shrill utterances.” Frisbee also tells us his church, “ only believed in baptism for individuals who had reached a certain “age of accountability” and could understand what was going on. I asked for baptism, but they said I wasn’t old enough yet. Still, I became very involved in the choir and was heavily involved in church as a young man.” Later, as he grew up as a teenager, he began attending Kathryn Kuhlman’s meetings for years.” During his teenage years “For about seven years, I would go up to the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles each month to the Kathryn Kuhlman meetings. I witnessed undeniable miracles.”However, Frisbee was not living a Christian life.There are a number of similarities between Frisbee's life to William Branham that are both subtle and others that are concrete. Let’s begin with his unusual conversion as a young adult. During this time period Frisbee often took trips to the Taquitz canyon and dropped acid, one particular trip, “I was going into the desert and I was taking off all my clothes and said God if you are really real reveal yourself to me. and one afternoon the whole atmosphere of this canyon that I was in started to tingle and get light and it started to change and I’m, oh oh I didn't want to be there but the Lord identified himself he said I'm Jesus, he said I build nations and I throw them down it's better for a nation never to have known me but to have known me and turned their back from me that's one of the first things that God told me.” Jesus immediately responded to him (this immediate response he says continued in his life). In this story the Lord identified himself as Jesus .Saying to him, He buildsnations and throws them down,which had nothing to dowith what he had asked, ‘if God is real?’ The Lord is not into nation-building. God rules over the nations, the Lord only built one nation, the nation of Israel (Ps.33:12), to be a theocracy under him. So, this revelation spoken becomes questionable at best. This particular account contradicts another in his book. He states: much of the same except, “I didn’t hear an audible voice, but I knew that I was in the presence of God Almighty. Then I saw a radiant vision, clear as crystal. I saw thousands and thousands of young people at the ocean lined up in huge crowds along the coast, going out into the water to be baptized. I could see it! I knew instantly that Jesus was real and that the was calling me to follow him . As the Lord lifted up my eyes, I saw a harvest field of people. They were like a huge wheat field. I saw in the vision thousands of people in the valley of decision.” He also addsin another rendition in his book other details, “The power of the Holy Spirit surrounded me from within and without. Then I saw a light from heaven come down and ordain me, and I could hear him say, “Go in my name, for I have touched your lips with a coal of fire that burns ever before the presence of God. Proclaim to the people that I am coming soon .” In this story, a light from heaven appears. Lonnie’s experience is very similar to Joseph Smith with the light (the founder of the Mormon Church), and what William Branham experienced (when he was youth baptizing for the first time in the Ohio River.) A bright light suddenly appeared over his head and he heard a voice speak, “As John the Baptist was sent to forerun the first coming of Jesus Christ,” This experience put Frisbee on par with Isaiah, who was already a prophet at the time this happened. Except this was a much greater encounter, and call, as it included him to be like John the baptizer an Elijah. In an addition to Frisbee’s standard story, there is no Jesus who identified himself to him, no light. He hears, ”I'm gonna send you to the people and I saw a vision of thousands of people and they were wandering around in a maze of gray darkness bumping into one another with no direction or purpose for the lives and then the Lord showed me, there was a light on me, that he was placing on my life and it was Jesus Christ and I was going to go there the word of the Lord so I started to immediately look around for a staff because you know all prophets have staffs…” How does one immediately think of themselves as a prophet? (Did he hear stories from others?). Frisbee may have been sincere, and something spiritually took to him. But what, is the question? David DiSabatino in his movie ‘Frisbee: Life and death of a hippie preacher’ records Lonnie saying, “I took my LSD, laid down on the floor a couple of hours and when I could get together to get up, I got up as a Christian. Its just that simple…” Is it that simple? Can one become a Christian without hearing, accepting the gospel? Referring to a vision, being on LSD and having such an important calling without any repentance of his drug use and former ways does cloud this supernatural event being from the Lord. Would Jesus reveal who He is and not have him separated to be trained as a disciple, like it is always done in the Bible? This was clearly missing. God does not commission somebody who knows nothing about the Scriptures or him him, who is under the influence of mind altering drugs to be sent. We find that Frisbee, before his conversion(?) would read the Bible while tripping. On one trip to Tahquitz canyon, “ he pulled out his Bible and he got into a kinda yoga position and he says ‘We’re gonna read the Bible now.’ He was reading about John the Baptist and how John the Baptist baptized and he baptized us up at Tahquitz Falls, even though we were all on drugs.” Saying,“I kind of relate to John the Baptist down in the wilderness baptizing in the River Jordan… I can feel the presence of God coming down upon me and upon the person being baptized”(from video ‘Frisbee: life and death of a hippie preacher’). He Apparently saw himself being the Bible. Is it coincidental that Branham died in December 1965 and that shortly afterwards Frisbee was being spiritually groomed, getting involved in ministry in 1967 – 1968 with various similarities as William Branham had? There is a whole story behind a string of events in his life, but for brevity sake, we will stay on topic to specifically relate the Branham comparisons. On Kathryn Kuhlman’s influence during this same time period,he said,”The presence of the Holy Spirit would be so powerful that it overwhelmed me. I was drawn to those meetings like a magnet and longed for the gift of healing and miracles in my own life. I bombarded heaven with my petitions. …People were pushing wheelchairs around, rushing to get near the stage. There was excitement and anticipation in the air. I loved every minute and couldn’t get enough. Little did I know that God would answer my heart’s desire and there would come a day when I would be ministering alongside Kathryn Kuhlman at places like the Hollywood Palladium. There would also come a day when I would witness blind eyes open beneath my hands. This unusual and unique woman taught me about the Holy Spirit, and she is my absolute hero of the faith ” (Not by Might, Nor by Power: The Great Commission by Roger Sachs). As Frisbee carried this desire, he ”longed for the gift of healing and miracles in my own life.” Haight Ashbury, San Francisco After his canyon experience, he dropped out of high school to enroll in art school in San Francisco, and relocated to Haight Ashbury in San Francisco where all the hippies gathered. He said, “I had a mission in Haight-Ashbury.”He then met a former hippie named Ted Wise, who became a Christian that began a storefront-type ministry outreach to the hippies who were now flooding the city. At this time, even after his experiences in the canyon, Frisbee admits that his doctrine was confused. After his supernatural Jesus experience it was a mixture of ‘Christianity and Rainbow.’ Greg Laurie writes of Frisbee, ”Ted Wise encountered Lonnie Frisbee on the street one day, Lonnie was evidently preaching Jesus, UFOs, and Christ consciousness. He told Ted how he’d experienced the reality of God in the canyon a few weeks earlier . Ted discerned that his head had gotten a little messed up with drugs, and his theology was just a little mixed up too. He took him home, fed him, and invited him to come and live with the community. Lonnie studied the Bible with them, and over time embraced a more orthodox understanding of the gospel .” Time spent at Calvary Frisbee did not attend church before Calvary Chapel. But he did go to numerous Pentecostal meetings before he ever met Chuck Smith. Chuck Smith, deeply wanted to reach the hippies. Frisbee at a chance meeting hitch-hiking as he often did was brought Smith’s house and was introduced to Smith, they immediately bonded. Smith understood that Lonnie knew their language, what they think and feel.
Frisbeee says, ‘So I grew my hair down to here I grew a long
beard, …
I just had a whole beard you know at a nearly age and so I, I really
looked like Isaiah's grandson … I wore Saint Francis of Assisi shirts
with hoods on them and wore a robe and
This what Lonnie looked like at Calvary Chapel. He was dressed looking like a hippie, Smith let him loose to reach a lost generation. What little Lonnie did know, was used to reach out to those who knew nothing. So was born the hippie preacher, who would break up the fallow ground of a generation Lonnie was not able to fully comprehend doctrine as he continue to lean toward experience. Though his new Christian friends “allegedly steered Lonnie towards a “more orthodox” understanding of the Christian faith but a major problem still remained: His thirst for experimentation did not stop” (David DiSabatino, video on Frisbee’s life).
Previously before his hippie transformation, Frisbee appeared with host Casey Kasem’s Dance program, as part of the Shebang Dancers May, 1967
His wife Connie says, “He read something in the Bible and Lonnie could not read. He could not read or write until the day he died. ... He learned to read by reading the Bible. He was not literate”(Connie Frisbee Unvarnished', excerpt is from a 7-25-05 interview between Connie (Bremer-Murray and Mark Ellis).
Here is another similarity with Branham, being uneducated. Being part of the 60s drug culture, as a youth he was also involved with homosexuality. Up until this point, he looked clean-cut, and you would not suspect he was dropping acid. Once he went to San Francisco he met Christians who were formerly hippies, it is then he transformed himself to be a Hippie to reach them, or be acepted by them. “I did not trim the edges of my beard. In addition to being a hippy, I had taken a Nazarite vow, which meant I could not cut my hair, trim my beard, or drink any wine or grape products. It’s in the Old Testament” (Book, Not by might nor by power). Very few people in history have said anything of taking the title of a Nazirite. William Branham who was the premier Latter Rain Pentecostal healer while Frisbee was growing up did. He claimed to be a prophet, “born under a Nazarite birth.” Branham was also friends with another false Latter Rain teacher, Oral Roberts, whom Lonnie was greatly influenced by, whom Frisbee admired. Frisbee speaks of this in his book 'Not by might, not by Power,' He refers back to when he was a youngster at Central Bible Church, Lonnie went to his “ blind choir teacher and saying, “Mrs. Beardsley! Mrs. Beardsley! If you only have Oral Roberts lay hands on you, you can get your sight!” And then I cried ” (Book by Roger Sach’s). Lonnie's Christianity was shaped as a child by what he saw, believing it was true. ”I believe that God wanted to heal –– and could have healed—my blind choir teacher way back when.” Did Frisbee see or read about William Branham, the most famous Pentecostal healer, as he was growing up? At the time, Branham along with Roberts, were the two most influential men promoting the healing movement of the false Latter Rain, the only well known woman was Kathryn Kuhlman. Frisbee states, he”longed for the gift of healing and miracles in my own life.”From his book, ”Little did anyone know that in my adult ministry I was going to become a faith healer and that the Lord was going to open the eyes of the blind!”Admitting Back then, I was sure that the Lord was calling me to receive Oral Roberts’s mantle when he died ” (Oral Roberts died in 2009, long after Frisbee died). Since Frisbee knew of Roberts, we can assume he knew of Branham, maybe he also saw him on TV or heard him on radio. Learning from attending Kuhlmans meetings and knowing of Roberts were the steps that reinforced Lonnie to become self-deceived being under LSD for so long. During this time period, he stayed on a commune near San Francisco. At Age 18 Frisbee went into full-time ministry as he traveled around being witness for Christ. On his travels down the coast he met a man in Huntington Beach (at Teen challenge) that told Lonnie he would take him to Fullerton Foursquare, the pastor was Chuck Kruse.”And he was a rockabilly Pentecostal. A visiting evangelist from Texas on the platform. As they were having an altar call, Lonnie because he was dressed as a hippie was being singled out, they were “begging me to get saved, “Lonnie says he already born again” to them. From Roger Sach’s book on Lonnie’s life it further describes some other details we need to understand. At the “ … four square Church when I got baptized with the Holy Spirit and there was this evangelist from Texas he was kind of dressed like this, hahaha, and he was the kind of man you know Who through the microphone cord around and said ‘in the name of JESUS! You know and hes sweatin’ all over the place and where I got it you know I couldn't help but get it, it was like ten thousand volts of electricity but these people were falling down on the floor. Time spent at Calvary Frisbee did not attend church before Calvary Chapel. But he did go to numerous Pentecostal meetings before he ever met Chuck Smith. Chuck Smith, deeply wanted to reach the hippies. Frisbee at a chance meeting hitch-hiking as he often did was brought Smiths house and was introduced to Smith, they immediately bonded. ‘ S o I grew my hair down to here I grew a long beard, … I just had a whole beard you know at a nearly age and so I, I really looked like Isaiah's grandson … I wore Saint Francis of Assisi shirts with hoods on them and wore a robe and things like that.” Smith understood that Lonnie knew their language, what they think and feel. Lonnie at Calvary Chapel Frisbee became the face and main evangelist to hippies. He was a mouthpiece, speaking of Jesus, whether he understood much or not.did know, was used to reach out to those who knew nothing. So was born the hippie preacher, who would break up the fallow ground of a generation . The first time Frisbee met Kathryn Kuhlman after years attending her meeetings was when Calvary Chapel was invited on her show (‘’I Believe in Miracles’). He said, “I had attended lots of her meetings but had never personally met her”(Book Not by Might, Nor by Power: The Jesus Revolution). Lonnie was the hippies youth representative of Calvary Chapel interviewed by Kuhlman on her show (1971?). He spoke, “because these are the last days, God has chosen himself some prophets,” Lonnie also said that He was one of the prophets. Other Calvary Chapel members in the audience seem to agree with him. Frisbee claimed to Kuhlman that his sin had been totally washed from his heart by the “baptism of the Holy Spirit.” Which is certainly not at all what the scriptures tell us. Saying this shows he did not know doctrine well; we are not without sin (1 Jn.1:5). After a short conversation with Kuhlman, he goes on to say, “And so the message is that these are the last days and that Jesus Christ is returning really soon. And the prophet Joel and the prophet Peter said that in the last days, God would pour out his Spirit upon all flesh and that his sons and daughters would prophesy, and that his servants and handmaidens would speak forth the anointed word of God.” Frisbee presented the Prophet Joel’s prophecy, which he believed was currently taking place. He made it public that he accepted the fringe Pentecostal Latter Rain viewpoint that came from Branham, though many did not pick up on it (see Kathryn Kuhlman’s show ). Whether Frisbee was fully truthful when he met Chuck Smith is unknowable. Calvary Chapels never accepted the unbiblical practices of ‘slain in the spirit.’ His time at Calvary was short, as Calvary was a Word based Church and Frisbee was more focused on the spirit’s power and experience (the Latter Rain teaching). Frisbee tried to keep Smith from knowing he was doing slain in the spirit. But Smith eventually heard, and there was friction about Frisbee’s ‘Afterglow’ meetings. Smith learning of Frisbee’s spiritual actions in his church asked him to stop or leave. He was also having marital problems, at the time, he left in 1971 to Florida to get his life straightened out, which compounded his problems . Frisbee was later allowed to come back to Calvary Chapel in 1977, but could not do ministry as he once did before. Smith had him serving as a car parking attendant. He had been there for a few years. He then began to attend the Calvary church under John Wimber. We later find out from Frisbee, “Kathryn Kuhlman was definitely a wonderful spiritual mother and mentor to me. She had such a huge impact on my life. Before she died in 1976, she laid hands on me in a prayer of impartation.” Frisbee further states,“In fact, I believe that the anointing that is resting on my life can be traced directly to another woman of God—Aimee Semple McPherson .”He then speaks of the dichotomy, that “Chuck Smith taught me in the Word. Kathryn Kuhlman taught me in the Holy Ghost .” ”This unusual and unique woman taught me about the Holy Spirit, and she is my absolute hero of the faith.” Lonnie was so enamored by Kuhlman he dedicated his books (with author Roger Sachs) to her; not to pastors Chuck Smith, nor to John Wimber. Frisbee was attending Wimber’s church, when Wimber suddenly gave him an opportunity to speak and give his testimony at his evening Mother's Day service in 1980. What happened there is exactly what Chuck Smith wanted to avoid at his Calvary Church, the reason he had asked Frisbee to leave. This one service changed everything in Wimber’s church, as there was an outbreak of spiritual manifestations, including out of control speaking in tongues . Lonnie gave his testimony, having the people laughing as he related his Taquitz canyon experience. “He told the gathering, he took his clothes off, and screamed, ‘God, if You’re really real, reveal Yourself to me!” He also adds something he did not say previously. That, Jesus said,‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes unto the Father, but by me. I am the door of the sheepfold. If any man enters in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber, and the gatekeeper will not open unto him.’I always thought that all roads led to Rome, but He explained to me that He wasthe only way to know God. So I accepted Him (actually it was the call of Godthat I accepted because I had previously, with partial understanding, receivedJesus as an eight-year-old child).’(Not by Might, Nor by Power: The Great Commission by Roger Sachs). All these additions are dubious. Wimber recalls that Lonnie, “stops and says well that's it, he said you know the church has been offending the Holy Spirit a long time and he's quenched but he's getting over it and we're going to invite him to come and minister now come Holy Spirit and whamo”; Contrary to what some say, (including Wimber), Frisbee did not say “Come Holy Spirit.” What he did speak continually throughout his sermon insinuating that the Holy Spirit was coming (the power of suggestion was in full swing as he was priming the pump.) But at a certain point there was no more waiting, and it happened. But it was NOT the Holy Spirit. Wimber says: “ the next thing I know people are falling and bouncing ... are talking like Turkeys and one kid, … he falls and the microphone falls with him, you know it's laying right in front of his face and he's speaking in tongues, I mean I'm not talking about two minutes I'm talking about 45 minutes … and we're wading through bodies you know trying to get over to them… and Lonnie is going like a banshee you know he's running through the crowd and raising his hands and you know and I'm thinking he's pushing people over he's knocking down but he's not even touching them he's walking by them and he’s going wham, wham they're falling everywhere .” (Mother’s day, Wimber video) It all culminated, and began to hit everyone, and Frisbee declared this was PENTECOST. Frisbee speaking,“everybody stay in the atmosphere of prayer and expect the Spirit of God to move, … you say the name of Jesus four times and then repeat his name is as ointment poured forth, … everybody sing out loud … everybody 25 years old another come forward …”He continued to heavily suggest and repeat words of what is about to happen. “Let the power and the anointing of the Holy Spirit come on you right here let him move on you … look at me let the power of the Holy Spirit come on your whole body right now… the Spirit of the Lord is moving and great power that the Spirit of the Lord move over …I bless you in his name, receive the anointing … the Spirit of the Lord the power of God is coming on this guy… open your eyes watch, … this is a class of the Spirit open your eyes, the Spirit of the Lord is moving Spirit of the Lord is moving in Jesus name … let the power of God come in Jesus name …the anointing of the Lord fall hallelujah let the power of the Holy Spirit come … this is like Pentecost … that the Spirit of the Lord move over here in Jesus name” That is how it went down on Mother’s day at Wimber’s church. This taking place does not affirm the source is from God, especially when one does not see it practiced in the church anywhere. All spiritual experiences of power must be tested by the Word of God.The primary test if something is of God, is if it’s already in the Bible and is expressed, interpreted as it is written. Just because Frisbee said that this is “the manifest presence of God!”or,“Just ask the people what they experienced.” Doesn’t mean it’s of God. There are counterfeits and unknown supernatural influences that can mislead and deceive any one of us, if we’re not familiar with or discerning in God's Word alone. Actually, there are other explanations, that can certainly happen through the power of suggestion, (he was familiar with Hypnotic techniques), or be occult powers, new age mysticism that Frisbee was involved with, for he also continued to call himself 'a Mystic.' Carol Wimber wrote:“it was complete pandemonium.”She says, “I asked one boy, who was on the floor, “What's happening to you right now?” He said, “It's like electricity. I can't move.” I was amazed by the effect of God's power on the human body” (Carol Wimber, A Hunger for God. Kevin Springer, ed. Power Encounter, 1988). Was it God’s power? John Wimber was stunned and did not imagine these types of physical manifestations could occur. His initial reaction was to quit the ministry after seeing what was done by Lonnie Frisbee at his Church. Wimber recalls, “I was fit to be tied for days I was so angry, I was so upset I wanted to get out of a ministry I said no way am I going to put up, why that's absurd what God did of course.”What he says next is revealing:’I wasn't absolutely sure it was God but even after I was convinced it was God I had difficulty with it.”The power that was exhibited was never discerned by the Word. Wimber’s first instinct about what happened was correct, but he was eventually convinced otherwise. In prayer, he asked God if the seeming pandemonium that swept through the congregation was of divine origin. Meanwhile, apparently unaware of what had transpired at Wimber's church, a pastor friend from Colorado (Tom Stipe) called early in the morning saying he had been divinely instructed to call and to tell Wimber, “ I have a word for you; the Lord says, ‘ this is Me.’ Which assured him, settling the question he was wrestling with. Frisbee also affirmed all this as well. Frisbee introduced Wimber to a power, which eventually had them separate from Calvary Chapel. Wimber then aligned himself with Kenn Gulliksen Vineyard church. He later became pastor of the Association of Vineyard Churches. Wimber and Frisbee became a team, “John would speak and Lonnie would minister. They were the dynamic duo. Lonnie got up there and he’d wave his leather coat and the power of God would come and people would be falling all over these old pews in these Baptist churches. And Lonnie would start climbing over the pews and start laying hands on people saying, ‘Speak in tongues! Speak in tongues!’ And he’d hit them in the forehead and they’d instantly begin to speak in tongues ....” (Steve Zarit, Vineyard church member, quoted in Frisbee: The Life and Death of a Hippy Preacher). Frisbee describes, “ I wanted to have the gift of miracles so bad I could just taste it . I have dragged people out of wheelchairs––across platforms in front of thousands of people—and they didn’t get healed. I dragged them out of wheelchairs, and they were going, “Nooo!” And I was going, “Yes, you’re going to be healed—if it kills ya!” I literally dragged cripples out of wheelchairs. That’s how bad I wanted the anointing.” Wimber was convinced, being deceived, had him now seeking power, tht made him become more dependent on experience rather than Scripture, and he took it all to a “new level.” Instead, they reinterpreted the Word by their spirit experiences that were not found in the Word. This led him to practice pragmatism (if it works, it must be from God). His experience formed his theology. He did not use theology (the Bible) to approve what he experienced. After the many years, he commented in Charisma magazine in 1995, “ there is nothing in scripture that can support these kind of phenomena that I can see and I can't think of anything throughout the church age that would, I feel no obligation to try and explain its just phenomena, its just people responding to God ” ( Charisma Feb . 1995 p.26). His tolerant, non-discerning attitude allowed the Latter Rain run its course.Wimber later commented in an interview with Peter Jennings in 1996 that these manifestations were going on for 17 years (ed. Note since 1980). Jennings asked Wimber, “Are you utterly convinced it is the Holy Spirit?” Wimber responded t this time: “ No, I’m largely convinced. I believe it is a mixture of humanity and the Spirit. ” (video: In the Name of God, Peter Jennings). The question that needed to be settled was WHAT SPIRIT? Wimber, was a pragmatist, instead of standing on the Scriptures, he allowed experiences to shape his theology, or maybe it should be called feelology. He says, “It was in this environment, a small group of fifty people, that “I first tested my theories of power evangelism.” Testing theories, meant if it works, it is accepted as valid and from God. Genuine faith says that I only accept and believe what is based upon God's written Word, the Bible. From this Wimber came to the conclusion that the Gospel was largely ineffective without signs and wonders included. “Primitive peoples often need to see the superior power of the gospel demonstrated for them to believe” (Power Evangelism, p. 54). From this experimentation, the “third wave” emerged, which incorporated the Latter Rain practices from William Branham as acceptable and valid. They did not look to Azusa, but to the newer Latter Rain of the 40’s for their model of Christianity. This was later solidified when Paul Cain and the Kansas City prophets under Mike Bickle were united with them. As for Frisbee, he was found, as some suspected to still be involved in homosexuality. Lonnie said, “ after many rumors and accusations came against him concerning his sexuality he left the Vineyard. He later connected with Pastor Phil Aguilar of Set Free church, and became involved in a new ministry with Roger Sachs called Freedom Crusade.” In Wimber’s book ‘Power Evangelism,’ he refers to Lonnie not by name, but only as the “young man” whose preaching on Mother’s Day launched his church into a new movement that was strictly ‘of the spirit,’ (not of the Word). Today there is no mention of Frisbee on the Vineyards website. The same with Calvary Chapel. Frisbee’s name was edited out of the church's history in their early days until the recent movie ‘the Jesus revolution’ put focus back on him. https://letusreason.org/Popteach188.html . His friends and supporters continue to maintain a revisioning of his life, reinterpreting all the events removing anything negative. Wimber later fired Lonnie when he learned of his homosexual lifestyle. But what he had seen through Frisbee and others stuck and formed the Vineyard. Lonnie later openly proclaimed himself to be a prophet, having an apostolic ministry, something he believed all along. Ministering at Tom Stipe's Denver Colorado Vineyard church, time: 5:00:possibly 1980). Frisbee openly states what he always thought of himself, ”I'm a third world missionary my calling is apostolic in nature, I am a prophet that means that uh I experienced in my mind what the catholics call infused prayer with God and mystics experience this and it's called infused prayer with God us protestants don't know about any of that because it comes out in catholic theology but I am a mysticand I experience infused prayer with God and I'm a seer and the lord will go and you'll show me things in the spirit that are more real than what's happening in front of me .” Again there are similarities to how Branham operated. Before he died, we hear him say at a church illustrating his religious art, “We prophesied a redemption through the prophetic ministry, we prophesy that there is going to be a great anointing for apostolic authority and that is going to be once the Lord begins to put a light on it .” Here, he is discussing an outside apostolic/prophetic movement that was already at work within the Vineyard, later associated with a man named Peter Wagner who began the Nar, the new apostolic Reformation who went to wimbers church during the time the prophets were let loose. He mentions, “that there is an early rain and there is latter rain, we are coming into the time of the latter rain of God and there will be a special anointing for evangelism, special power gifts…”He then speaks of ”impartation… the power of the Holy Spirit.” With a lot of ‘I’s, He states, “I prophesy over your team, I prophesied that level of the anointing of God, that when you go to Spain that you will believe God for miracles … and I prophesied the supernatural and I prophesy the authority of a man on you and you will make wise decisions that follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.” He adds,“one of the things that the lord did is he gave me a fascination with miracles. And I went for seven and a half years to watch Kathryn Kuhlman(prior to Calvary Chapel) you know where miracles and I, I watched her, I go in and I watch her, and I say oh God I want to have that. ” Here you have his confession of his hearts desire for supernatural power, even before he went to the Canyon on the day he asked God if he is real! Before he met Chuck Smith. Frisbee continued saying: “Well God has my phone number”He does, but he never called him on the phone.He then speaks of a book “called Daughters of Bethany and there were seven ranks and twelve churches and as the lights were coming to individuals, the individuals were not coming to the light.” “And then an angel said to me you're one of the seven lights. And then he knocked me off the couch took me out of my body took me before the throne, (whispers) it was exciting I couldn't fill my mind…”Again another similarity to Branham. He then refers to another time when,” I got taken before a 90-foot Jesus and he was sitting on his throne gigantic(Just like the Jesus Oral Roberts described). “He was so big, how big was he? I couldn't see his face the clouds were covering it. I could only see this far and the lord said to me you are, you're going to bear an anointing of the holy ghost that's going to affect the whole church of Jesus Christ . I didn't believe, I, I, thought that I was dead, you know I was really terrified believe me. when you go there you're going to be terrified too (he then mockingly jumps up and down, speaking, oh Jesus blessed me, he's like…), It’s going to be a terrible day!” Is this what Scripture tells us it will be like, when we are going to be with the Lord, No. It’s going to be a day of rejoicing? The best day ever! Frisbee continued, “And I, I came before the throne and I was,”(he then starts screaming uncontrollably to make a point of how terrified he was). He says, “That’s what I did the whole time. So the Lord he says you're gonna be involved in a ministry that's gonna affect the ministry of the Holy Ghost all around the world in all the denominations of the church you're going to bring the power of Godthrough the denominational churches”(the people seemed to believe every word he is saying). (Lonnie Frisbee 1992 Christmas Eveat Shekinah Fellowship) underline mine. He was being puffed up as being so important. That he was going to affect the whole world. His life ended with none of this taking place. The works that Jesus did is reoccurring in the Church, showing that He's coming… For years after years after years as the church come down, the power of God growing closer and closer, till now it's just about to take on the image of Jesus Christ, His Church is, in the power of His resurrection. All the signs that He did has reoccurred in the church again. We're at the end time” (59-1126, Jehovah Of Miracles, Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, San Jose, Ca).
Wimber's books and statements showed him to be a spiritual pragmatist. Along with his friend Peter Wagner. On page XIX of the introduction in John Wimber's 1986 book, ‘Power Evangelism,’ he tells how Peter Wagner and his book, Look Out! The Pentecostals are Comingchanged his own thinking. Wimber wrote: “I had always avoided Pentecostal and charismatic Christians, in part because it seemed that often controversy and division surrounded their ministries. Also, my judgment of their ministries was colored by a presupposition that charismatic gifts like tongues, prophecy, and healing were not for today. (As a dispensationalist, I believed the charismatic gifts ceased at the end of the first century.) But in Dr. Wagner, I encountered a credible witness, an accomplished missionary and dean of Fuller Theological Seminary's School of World Mission, who wrote that healing and deliverance from evil spirits were happening in South America today. Further, he proved that these miraculous encounters resulted in large evangelistic harvests and church growth. His book forced me to reconsider my position on the charismatic gifts , though I was still skeptical of their validity today” Underline mine “Once I accepted the fact that all the spiritual gifts are for today I found a key for effective evangelism: combining the proclamation with the demonstration of gospel .... There is unusual power and effectiveness in this form of evangelism, which is the reason that I call it “power evangelism ” (Wimber, Power Evangelism. San Francisco: Harper & Row 1986, xx). After Lonnie Frisbee pioneered the Latter Rain and laid the groundwork for Wimber’s openness, everything was considered and little rejected.The floodgates of false teachings and greater unbiblical practices had entered into the Vineyard Church Movement. It was the latter Rain, which led to him to later accept the Kansas City prophets under pasyor Mike Bickle and prophet Paul Cain, a disciple of Branham. Wimber believed he did not need a Scriptural basis for the strange manifestations taking place that took place in his church. Subsequently, he later said in Charisma magazine in 1995, “There is nothing in scripture that can support these kinds of phenomena that I can see,and I can't think of anything throughout the church age that would. So, I feel no obligation to try and explain its just phenomena, its just people responding to God”(Charisma Feb. p.26). What also needs to be mentioned is that Wimber gave much credence to Roman Catholic sources for establishing the validity of miracles (Power Healing, p. 7). Latter Rain adherents, also called third wave, believe they are recipients of another Pentecost, a “spiritual second coming” of Jesus who incarnates into their “many-membered” body of believers. These believers will have miracle/healing gifts working fully in them, all types of signs and wonders; some that have never been seen. This spiritual return of Jesus will be birthed in the body of Christ, which is ‘the manifest sons of God’ doctrine, a distortion of Rom. 8 that implies we will all be little Jesus’. Where did these ideas come from? William Branham. Consider what Branham taught: that power and the manifesting of Christ would be restored. |
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things like that.”
Photo of Lonnie with Ted Wise at the San Francisco Novato commune before he
transformed himself as a hippie ending up at Calvary Chapel.
