Number 1

Here now is the first piece of Memoirs of a Jesus Freak, published by Earthen Vessel Publishing in 2016. I am doing this because of the attention the Jesus People Movement has garnered. I hope to present one segment after another over the years, yes there will be about 320 of these. All short.

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Memoirs of a Jesus Freak

Second Edition

Dedication

This book is again dedicated to the families of those involved in the leadership of the Jesus People Movement. Awakenings are not always pleasant; there is “collateral damage,” and that was cer­tainly the case with the JPM. While there is glory accrued to God, there is also tragedy. Why this happens is little understood, and there are no easy answers.

In my own case, I want to dedicate these memoirs to those who lived through them with me directly and personally, my former wife Roberta Kay Philpott, my oldest daughter Dawn Doreen LaRue, middle child Grace Marie Reed, and son Vernon Robert Philpott.

Acknowlegments

What began as a simple personal story of my involvement in the Jesus People Movement morphed into something much larger. Friends encouraged me to include biographies of those men­tioned in the memoirs, and what I thought would be perhaps a dozen or so swelled to thirty-five at last count. Thanks to all of you who took the time and effort to compile a bio and find old photos. This is not something easily done, because it forces the writer to talk about dif­ficult realities.

For Stephanie Adams who collected and wrote many of the biog­raphies, we owe a great deal. Some bios she compiled by means of internet sites, some were submitted to her via email, and others she collected in direct contact via the telephone. Many bio submissions required revisions along the way (some by the named subjects them­selves), and Stephanie handled them with aplomb.

My own thinking about the Jesus People Movement started with two visits by Larry Eskridge, the first seven years ago and the second, two years later, when we talked about the JPM. Larry’s book, God’s Forever Family: The Jesus People Movement in America, published by Oxford University press in 2013, stirred up a great deal of interest in the movement. Larry also contributed a foreword to these memoirs, for which I am very grateful.

To Michelle Shelfer, gifted with many talents, one of which is catching the smallest grammatical or spelling flaw—thank you.

For Katie, my wife, who is the editor, cover designer, format maker, constructive critic, and prime mover and shaker of Earthen Vessel Publishing—thank you very much.

If you are wondering about the photos on the front cover, here are the answers:

The background is a camera photo of one page of the manuscript for Two Brothers in Haight, an unpublished book that I co-wrote with David Hoyt (and plan to publish later this year). More than any other character in this book, David deserves an extra amount of thanks for contributions over several years—stories, photos, and discus­sions about our times together on the streets of the Haight-Ashbury, throughout the Bay Area of San Francisco, the East Coast of the U.S., and over the “pond” to England and Europe.

The group photo is one of Joyful Noise performing in 1971 at San Quentin State Prison in Marin County, California. We changed person­nel often during the band’s tenure, and I no longer remember every name. We had great fun bringing a folk-like brand of Christian music to audiences around the country. I describe more of our escapades in chapter 15. Suffice it to say, I wish I could thank each member of the band for making such a joyful noise amidst the adventure that was the Jesus People Movement.

Luke 22:1–13

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.

1.              We are looking at events which occur during the final two days of Jesus’ life here on the planet.

2.              Jesus’ enemies, the religious leaders, are seriously seeking His death. The problem they faced was that the Jewish people held Jesus in high regard.

3.              Then, Judas, one of the Twelve, experienced the working of Satan, possibly even indwelling him. (See John 6:60–71, 12:1–6, and 13:21–30, which may help answer this question.)

4.              Judas had connections with the religious authorities, among whom would be Roman military people, and he worked with them on how to betray Jesus into their hands. And much of Judas’ motive had to do with being paid to do this. This treachery on the part of Judas may never be completely understood.

5.              The very next day, which scholars mostly agree was Thursday, the day the Passover lamb had to be killed, Jesus sent Peter and John to make ready for Him and His Twelve apostles to celebrate the Passover meal. They asked Him about where this would be done.

6.              Jesus told them they would come across a man carrying a jar of water as they entered the city of Jerusalem. (This would be significant as women did this work, not men.)

7.              Peter and John were to follow this man to the house to which he as going and speak to the master of that house and ask  where He and His disciples were to eat the Passover meal.

8.              At that Jesus says, this master will show Peter and John a large upper room already furnished. And there they will eat the Passover meal.

9.              The question remains, was this a miracle or a plan prepared ahead of time by Jesus?

Luke 21:28–38

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage.

1.   Now just a day or two away from Jesus’ going to the cross, Luke says He is teaching His disciples, and others, in the temple.

2.   Here first is the parable, or an illustrative comparison, about a fig tree, all trees really, coming into bloom. The appearances of the leaves signal that summer is coming close when there will be fruit and flowers.

3.   Then Jesus refers back to those things He had said as recorded in Luke 21:20–28 concerning the temple and the city of Jerusalem itself, and the tumult that will be taking place, that is the wars, harsh weather, diseases, and other terrible events. He is teaching that when these events are evident then they are signs that the kingdom of God is close at hand.

4.   Jesus now asks His disciples not to be terribly troubled about the events that are coming, but to take care for themselves. They must guard against being overcharged with anxiety that could lead to depressed states of mind, even drunkenness.

5.   The disciples are to stay alert, praying for relief and deliverance, and asking for strength to escape the effects of all that is happening in the world.

6.   Almost as a close now, Luke summarizes the last hours of Jesus ministry stating he continued to teach in the temple and camping out at night on the Mt. of Olives.

Gospel Meditation

Luke 21:20–28

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.

1.         Jesus, in the last few days while on the planet, explains that Jerusalem would come under attack, and it did in about thirty-eight years from then by the Romans, and it would be tragic for those inside the city.

2.         Then Jesus says, “until” the times (here the word is Kairos) of the Gentiles are completed, Jerusalem will be trampled down. This gives way to many conflicting ideas, and here my view is that Jesus is speaking of the end of the world, also known as The Second Coming.

3.         It is here that Christians, over the centuries, have come up with different ideas, and these in opposition one to another. Most healthy it is to not insist on one single point of view, but be open to various scenarios.

4.         Jesus now turns to the arrival of the Son of Man, meaning His return at the end of the age.

5.         There would be “signs” or indicators of this return to planet earth, even His return to the universe as indicated with the phrase, “sun and moon and stars” in verse 25.

6.         He says that on the earth nations will be perplexed, likely meaning confused and disturbed by events, people even “fainting with fear” thus indicating very turbulent times. Yet, in the midst of such indiscernible conditions, the Son of Man will arrive with “power and great glory.”

7.         Then we will look up, “raise your heads” because our salvation is coming near.                      

Gospel Meditation

Luke 21:5–19

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.

1.         Luke introduces this segment by stating that Jesus is hearing people talking about the Temple, how wonderfully adorned it was. And indeed it was according to the account of it given by Josephus, even more incredible than the seven wonders of the ancient world. For example, there were stones there that were 45 by 11.5 by 12 feet, and weighing 570 lbs.

2.         This event likely took place within the Temple’s grounds, and Jesus says that a day will come when not one stone will on be top of another, in other words, the Temple would be completely destroyed. And we know this took place under the leadership of the Roman general Titus in 70 AD, at the conclusion of a 4 year war with Rome.

3.         Jesus then, being asked when this would take place, without directly answering, warns that they are not to be led astray as many would come saying that they were the Messiah, and indeed history authenticates this statement by Jesus, some 26 of these in that century.

4.         Jesus goes on to say that there would be wars and political turmoil, but this does not signal the end.

5.         In the next segment, Jesus says that there will be wars and persecution of His followers, and we are to use this as an opportunity to “bear witness.” He even says that Christians will be hated, but that we would endure this.

GOSPEL MEDITATION

Luke 20:41-21:4

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.

1.         Jesus, speaking to a group of Sadducees who seemed to have been saying that the Messiah was actually a descendant of King David, thus merely a human being. Jesus quotes Psalm 110:1, a Psalm of David which refers to the Messiah as the Jehovah God, thus negating the idea that the Messiah was only human and not divine at all.

2.         Next then Jesus warns not only His disciples but a wider audience of the duplicity of the Scribes, these the lawyers, synagogue rulers, and more, that their religion is for show only and not real and actual. He ends this warning with a most solemn warning, that these hyper-religious showmen will receive a great condemnation.

3.         In both cases, the Sadducees and the Scribes, Jesus is reaching out to them as He knows their fate unless they turn from their ways and humble themselves.

4.         This third story now takes place, very likely, some time later than the above confrontations, and takes place, as thought by most commentators, in the Court of Women in the Temple. Placed there were 13 trumpet shaped receptacles for people to drop offerings of money into.

5.         Jesus calls attention to a very poor widow who they can observe dropping in 2 coins (leptas–worth 1/8 of a penny) Jesus commends her and teaches His disciples an important lesson.

Gospel Meditation

Luke 20:19–26

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.

1.         Members of the religious establishment, consisting of the scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees (Matthew and Mark include the Herodians), these groups that were most often opposed to each other, band together in an attempt to trap Jesus and see then that the Romans deal with Him.

2.         These antagonists were watching Jesus carefully, hoping to find a way to bring charges against Him. Already these had gone to Judas Iscariot and enlisted him to find a way to arrest Jesus.

3.         Now, only two or three days before Jesus would be arrested and then crucified, Jesus’ enemies ask Him if it is right to pay tribute, or a tax, to Caesar. The Romans were severe about this and monitored this closely.

4.         Jesus asks that a denarius be shown to Him, and the  Roman coin, and probably with the likeness of Tiberius, the current Caesar, on one side of the coin, and with “Pontifex Maximus” on the reverse side. 

5.         He then says to give to Caesar what is required, yes paying the tax, but give to God the things that are God’s.

6.         If Jesus had said “No” to paying the tax, the authorities would look at Jesus as a traitor and law breaker. If Jesus had said “Yes” to paying the tax, many of the Jewish people would be angry at that, especially the religious authorities who would have lost the most.

7.         Jesus’ antagonists became silent at that point.

The Gospel Meditation

Luke 20:9–18

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.

1.         Only a day or two remains before Jesus will be crucified. Many Jews are listening to Him teach and preach at the Temple in Jerusalem. Here is a parable in which Jesus describes what will take place in years to come.

2.         The parable concerns a man who planted a vineyard, hired others to care for it as he left the area for a lengthy period of time. Later on the owner of the vineyard sends a servant to those who are caring for it to receive some fruit from the vineyard.

3.         The first of these servants sent is beaten and sent away by the tenants of the vineyard. A second servant is also beaten and treated badly. And even a third servant is wounded and sent away.

4.         Finally, the owner of the vineyard sends a beloved son, whom the owner hopes will be welcomed. But no, this son is cast out of the vineyard and killed.

5.         This tragic event results in the owner coming and destroying the tenants and giving the vineyard to others.

6.         Those hearing the parable protest, and then the owner of the vineyard quotes Psalm 118:22, which speaks of a stone that is rejected, which nevertheless becomes the chief stone, even the most important stone, the cornerstone, which will bring horrible judgment upon the tenants of that vineyard.

7.         This parable is understood to refer to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 A.D. And this may be seen as a last-ditch effort on Jesus’ part to warn His fellow Jews of what is about to unfold in their future history.

Gospel Meditation

1 Timothy 1:18–20

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.

1.   The Apostle Paul, a former Pharisee, is writing to young Timothy, this is the first of two epistles (letters). He starts off with a warning about false teachers troubling churches. The problem seems to be those who are still clinging to the Law of the Old Testament.

2.   Paul admits that formerly he had been a “blasphemer” as he had strongly opposed those who acknowledged Jesus as Lord and Messiah. Others were now doing this as well and causing grief among those early believers.

3.   Paul knows Timothy will be, and likely was already, having to face the same from people like Paul had been. He writes to encourage him then, that he “wage the good warfare.” Indeed, it was warfare, demonically inspired, and what was then remained and remains today.

4.   When someone who acknowledged Jesus as the Christ yet does not hold to the faith and “a good conscience,” these make “shipwreck of their faith.” Paul names two such persons, obviously somewhat well known to both Paul and Timothy, a Hymenaeus and an Alexander.

5.   Paul goes so far as to say that he “handed” them over to Satan with the hope that these two men would correct their views and ways and return to being true Christians. This handing over is a way of saying the two men were put out of their congregations.

April 24, 20