John Fischer The Catch

Just Jesus

Posted on April 14, 2022 by jwfisch

(Click here for a video of John reading this Catch.)

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Series: Characteristics of the Jesus Movement for Today

The Jesus Movement unified believers. (It was all about Jesus.)

We are one in the Spirit we are one in the Lord

And we pray that our unity may one day be restored

And they’ll know we are Christians by our love

Father Peter Scholtes

When it’s all about Jesus, division falls away. No one cares if you’re a Baptist, Methodist, Catholic or none of the above when we are all following Jesus. The Jesus Movement unified believers in a way we could certainly all use again. When it’s all about Jesus, it’s simply all about Jesus. It’s not Jesus and Baptism a certain way. It’s not Jesus and premillennialism. It’s not Jesus and a set of rules. It’s not Jesus and no Catholics. It’s just Jesus.

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Posted in Jesus Movement | Tagged Jesus Movement, unity | 4 Comments

Jesus versus religion

Posted on April 13, 2022 by jwfisch

(Click here for a video of John reading this Catch.)

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Series: Characteristics of the Jesus Movement for Today

1. The Jesus Movement unified believers. (It was all about Jesus.)

“Jesus is just alright with me.” The Doobie Brothers (1972)

There’s a reason why it’s called the Jesus Movement. It was all about Jesus.

In 1966 a gospel group named the Art Reynold Singers recorded their song, “Jesus Is Just Alright.” In 1969, the Byrds covered it and then in 1972, the most popular version was released by the Doobie Brothers. Why did a gospel song about Jesus receive such mainstream attention? Because in 1969 and for a few years following (in fact, the Jesus Movement was pretty much flanked by the various versions of this song), Jesus was just alright with a growing number of rock and roll fans all over the world. Suddenly, almost overnight, Jesus was acceptable to people who formerly would not have anything to do with God, religion, church or Christianity. Suddenly Jesus was a different story.

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Posted in Jesus Movement, Worldview | 6 Comments

Going back and forth

Posted on April 11, 2022 by jwfisch

(Click here for a video of John reading this Catch.)

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It seems like of late there has been a spate of movie/video projects chronicling the Jesus Movement of the early 1970s. The Jesus Music (the movie) came out last year, and in the fall of 2021, the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College published online their Jesus People Movement Oral History Project including interviews with many of the players (among them, yours truly), and under production right now to be released Easter of 2023, is another feature length Lionsgate film Jesus Revolution starring Kelsey Grammar as Chuck Smith. Not to mention a number of lesser-known film projects out of Hollywood Presbyterian Church and Calvary Chapel and the 2004 CD “First Love” featuring many of the pioneers of the movement.

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Posted in Jesus Movement, new frontier | Tagged Jesus Movement, new frontier | 4 Comments

The awesome authority of prayer

Posted on April 8, 2022 by jwfisch

(Click here for a video of John reading this Catch.)

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“I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:18-20)

These are almost frightening words! They reveal to us the most attractive yet fearsome thing about prayer, and that is its authority. Prayer is a powerful force in the world of men and has done a great many things including:

Dividing seas and rolling up flowing rivers,
Quenching flames of fire,
Muzzling lions and disarming vipers
Bursting open iron gates
Conquering the strongest devils
Commanding legions of angels down from heaven
Bridling and chaining the raging passions of men and
Destroying vast armies of the proud.

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Posted in prayer | Tagged prayer | 2 Comments

There are no little prayers

Posted on April 7, 2022 by jwfisch

(Click here for a video of John reading this Catch.)

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We’ve been talking about prayer this week — big prayer —prayer against the forces of evil, prayer for suffering refugees, prayer for God to intervene in these destructive movements of history — prayer to send angels. It is important not to belittle the importance of this kind of praying. We play a role in God’s plan for the world. Why else would He ask us to pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven? That’s no small thing. “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people” (Ephesians 6:18). “Keep on praying for all the Lord’s people …” that’s a pretty big group right there! These kinds of prayers are significant and necessary for God’s work to be done in the world. Don’t let anyone sell you short on this. Your prayers are holding back the works of darkness and bringing light into the world.

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Posted in prayer | Tagged prayer | 7 Comments

A prayer for today

Posted on April 6, 2022 by jwfisch

(Click here for a video of John reading this Catch.)

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Seven years ago, when the world was in the grip of ISIS terror, we were led in prayer on one of our BlogTalkRadio podcasts by Pastor Doug Stevens. I stumbled upon that prayer recently and found it quite relevant to our situation today. I offer it again for your consideration, not only as a prayer to pray, but in support of the attitude it expresses, which I believe is just as important as the prayer.

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Posted in diversity, fear, Poverty & homelessness, war | Tagged refugees, war | 2 Comments

Kingdom refugees

Posted on April 5, 2022 by jwfisch

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“Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Matthew 8:20

We are stardust; we are golden

And we’ve got to get ourselves back to the garden – Joni Mitchell

There are over 26 million refugees worldwide fleeing such countries as Syria, Afghanistan, Venezuela, South Sudan, Myanmar and now Ukraine. Not to even begin to imply that our lot should even be on the same page as the horrible conditions these millions of displaced people are going through, nevertheless, there is a sense that believers are refugees, too, from heaven.

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Posted in kingdom of God, war | Tagged kingdom of God, refugees | 4 Comments

Send angels

Posted on April 4, 2022 by jwfisch

(Click here for a video of John reading this Catch.)

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War sucks.

I thought the picture of two corpses on the side of a suburban street with their roller luggage intact and the only thing standing after trying to escape, was bad enough. Then I saw a picture of a body covered up next to a bag of groceries spilled out on the street and that was too much. Stop. Lord, stop this insanity.

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Posted in Facing death, revolution, war | Tagged war | 6 Comments

The real Charlie Brown

Posted on April 1, 2022 by jwfisch

(Click here for a video of John reading today’s Catch.

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Later, Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other notorious sinners. (There were many people of this kind among the crowds that followed Jesus.) But when some of the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees saw him eating with people like that, they said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with such scum?”

When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call sinners, not those who think they are already good enough.” Mark 2:15-17

It’s so easy to think that once you are a Christian, you are better, or at least you’re supposed to be. After all, isn’t that the point? Isn’t that why we go to church and why we get busy doing “Christian” things and hanging out with “Christian” people, so we’ll be better? We’ll be in a better environment? Isn’t that why we send our kids to “Christian” schools, so they will have better friends and not those scumbags that populate the public schools? Isn’t that the way we think? What’s wrong with thinking that way?

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