‘Jesus Revolution’ a ‘real love story’ that brought Greg and Cathe Laurie to revival and each other
The love story of Pastor Greg Laurie and his wife, Cathe, is depicted in the new film “Jesus Revolution,” and now, 50 years later, Cathe is reflecting on the long-lasting love that she encountered with both Jesus and her husband back during the revival of the 1970s.
"Here we are 50 years later to have our young lives depicted in a major motion picture like this is really quite surprising for me,” Cathe told The Christian Post in a video interview. “I will be totally honest with you, I was a little terrified by the idea. In the beginning stages, when John Irwin was interviewing Greg and myself, he just wanted to know people who lived through this revival.”
“Jesus Revolution,” which is now showing in theaters nationwide, was inspired by the true story of the spiritual awakening that swept Southern California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The Kingdom Story film, in collaboration with Lionsgate, was directed by filmmakers Jon Erwin (“I Can Only Imagine”) and Brent McCorkle and produced by Kevin Downes. Erwin and Jon Gunn wrote the script after they decided to explore Greg and Cathe's love story with God and each other as a major premise of the film.
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"I'll be totally honest with you, I read the script and what these actors do when they bring the script to life is remarkable, because I was a little nervous reading,” Cathe revealed. “My parents are in this; my sister's life is in this. I'm willing, 'Here I am, Lord. Whatever you can use of me, I want to be available.' But at the same time, it is very personal.”
In the movie, the Lauries, who are best known for leading Harvest Christian Fellowship, represent a young, wayward generation that was lost. But after meeting Lonnie Frisbee, a charismatic hippie street preacher, this group finds themselves at the church of Pastor Chuck Smith which sparked this generation's Jesus movement.
"It's remarkable because it shows what God can do when He breaks through to a generation,” Cathe explained. “It was not organized. It was not orchestrated by a particular parachurch group. It was not organized by a particular church. It was a spontaneous intervention, I believe, of the Holy Spirit into a generation that was lost and searching.”
Cathe has been praying to see that kind of revival breakthrough for subsequent generations. The film happens to be coming out at a time when her prayers are being answered. Earlier this month, at Asbury University, a small Christian college in Wilmore, Kentucky, a small chapel service turned into a continuous prayer and worship gathering where students and people worldwide have been praising and worshipping Jesus around the clock. The revival has now spread to other campuses, churches and schools across the United States.
“Jesus Revolution” will now reach many others with a message of revival on the big screen.
"It is a real love story. It's a love story with Jesus, and it's a love story between Greg and myself, and what God did in our lives,” Cathe declared.
When asked what she advised church leaders to do to reach this generation, the founder and director of Virtue, the women's ministry at Harvest Christian Fellowship, said genuinely living for Christ is what will reach others.
"I think for us, first of all, we need to be authentically walking with Jesus, living in a real relationship with Him in order for us to communicate that to somebody else. And if it doesn't impact your joy, if it doesn't impact your compassion, if it doesn't impact your interest in outsiders, then I would question whether or not you're really living in that what we would call first love relationship with Jesus. And we need to return to that again and again and again,” she advised.
"Those of us that have been on the inside of church for a number of years, we can grow apathetic, we kind of have our little clique, we have our little group. We check the boxes. We go to church on Sunday, and we go out and we live our lives. But can I tell you, that kind of Christianity is not what reached me,” Cathe explained. “What reached me was a radical change in the person who was talking to me [who] was like, 'You have to hear what I'm going to say because this could change your life.'”
The California native said people cannot bring a move of God, but they can posture themselves in a way that allows God to do what He desires to do in the hearts of others.
"We cannot bring revival on our own. It's not by might, nor by power, nor by an organization, nor by a movie, nor by a program that we change culture. We change culture as we live authentically and the Holy Spirit Himself has to invade people's hearts and minds, she declared.
"We have to live authentically as Christians in a world that is watching and is very suspicious and as dismissed Christianity by in large, as judgmental and uncaring and hyper-political at times. We have to find ourselves living as Jesus did. Go back to the book of Acts, go back to the disciples, go back to Jesus’ life and His Words and His compassion for sinners. We need that in a world today where there's so much division and anger.”
Cathe and Greg have been married and working in ministry for almost 50 years. The success of their union throughout their time in ministry is credited to their intentionality of being one with Jesus and each other.
"I wanted Jesus first and in my marriage, and over the years, I've always wanted to come back, time and time again, to Jesus at the center, Jesus in between the two of us holding us together,” Cathe told CP. “The Bible talks about how can two walk together except they be agreed. Also, it speaks about that if one falls down the other will pick them up. In the book of Ecclesiastes, it says that a threefold cord is not easily broken. Let Jesus be that third cord that is binding your hearts and calling you together.”
The mother of two sons — their eldest, Christopher, tragically died in 2008, which inspired Greg Laurie to write a book to help those going through grief after suffering a loss, titled Hope for Hurting Hearts) — said marriage over the years and ministry “requires a bending in of your own desires, your own will, meeting your spouse in the middle” with putting Jesus “first.”
"This year, we’ll celebrate 50 years of ministry as Greg and I enter into our 50th year of marriage. Over the stages of ministry, life and married life, God has continually been faithful to call us back to each other and to Himself,” she noted. “Whenever we began to sort of go off in our own selfish directions, He brings us back and we still are at that, still having to do that daily surrender.
"Repentance is huge in marriage, [be] willing to say I'm sorry, I got that wrong. It was my fault.”
Cathe concluded her interview with CP by saying she doesn't always do things perfectly, but she and Greg desire to finish well.
“God will take you at your word if you're willing and you're saying, 'Lord, I want to finish well; I want my marriage to last. I want to build a legacy that I will not look back on and regret. I want this to stand the test of time,'” she instructed. "If we build on the right foundation, we build on the rock of His word. He will do it. He is able!”
“Jesus Revolution” is now in theaters and stars five-time Emmy winner Kelsey Grammer, “The Chosen’s” Jonathan Roumie, Joel Courtney (“Super 8”), Kimberly Williams-Paisley (“According to Jim”), Anna Grace Barlow and Nicholas Cirillo.
Jeannie Ortega Law is a reporter for The Christian Post. Reach her at: [email protected] She's also the author of the book, What Is Happening to Me? How to Defeat Your Unseen Enemy Follow her on Twitter: @jlawcp Facebook: JeannieOMusic
