John Wimber, US, Pastor

May 11. John Wimber. Prior to his conversion, John was part of a Los Angeles musical group called the Paramours, who later became the Righteous Brothers. But his life then was anything but righteous. He described himself as a beer-guzzler, a drug-abuser, and a chain smoker.

After his conversion in a Quaker church, John became best known for his leadership in the Vineyard churches, churches with both evangelical and charismatic roots.

Between his conversion and his tenure at the Vineyard, John led multiple Bible studies and taught at a seminary. In 1977, John planted the Calvary Chapel of Yorba Linda. On this date in 1980, the Holy Spirit fell on Calvary Chapel. In 1982, Calvary Chapel was renamed Anaheim Vineyard, and it became the flagship church of the Vineyard movement, a movement that spread first across the US, and then across the globe. Here’s his story.

Christ calls us to die, so we can live.

On his knees, John Wimber scrubbed the oil residue from the inside of another barrel.

It had only been a few months since he was John Wimber—the accomplished musician, known for touring the Las Vegas nightclub circuit in various show bands, his successful arrangements, and for his role in the creation of the The Righteous Brothers.

Now, he was John Wimber, the man who worked at a manufacturing plant and cleaned oil from the inside of used barrels.

One day, an old friend of John’s from the music business heard that he was working at this manufacturing plant and decided to pay him a visit. Everything John touched seemed to turn to gold. So expecting John to be climbing the corporate ladder, the friend arrived and asked for directions to John’s office.

The visitor followed the directions to the back, behind the plant. Certain he had taken a wrong turn, he looked around for help and found an employee bending over, cleaning out an oil drum. Again, the visitor asked for directions to John Wimber’s office.

“This is my office,” John said. The man hadn’t recognized his friend beneath the layer of oil on his face. “What are you doing, man? Have you lost your mind?”

“Yes,” John said. “I have lost my mind, and I don’t believe I’ll ever find it again.”

Months earlier, John was sprawled out on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably as he’d encountered the love and forgiveness of Christ. It was there, face-first on the ground, that he determined to spend the rest of his life living for Christ, no matter how much it cost him.

Then John’s pastor taught on Matthew 13:45-46. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it” (NIV).

John knew he had found the pearl of great value in his new relationship with Jesus Christ, but he wondered how much of his life he really had to be willing to sell for it.

John decided to pray about this question, and the Lord showed John that he had become too preoccupied with his lucrative musical career and the prestige it offered him. John realized that if he really wanted to put Christ first in his life, he had to be willing to sacrifice anything that he valued more than his new relationship with Christ.

Shortly after, John quit his job and let all his contracts expire, which effectively ended his musical career. Then he accepted the only non-musical job he could find: a thankless job at the oily manufacturing plant. Even though this sacrifice cut to the depths of John’s pride as a man, he knew that God was with him.

About this season, John said, “If God’s got me nailed to this cross for my good, I’m not going to climb down off the cross and wreck the whole purpose of this painful experience. I’ll just go through it, until he’s done with me.”

“I’m change in his pocket.” Wimber would often say, “He can spend me anyway he wants to.” Where is Jesus calling you to step out in faith and rely on Him? Do you trust that Jesus has the best intentions for you? Christ calls us to die, so we can live.

“History and Legacy.” Vineyard USA. Accessed August 8, 2020. https://vineyardusa.org/about/history/ “John Wimber.” Vineyard USA. Accessed August 8, 2020. https://vineyardusa.org/about/john-wimber/ Wimber, Carol. John Wimber: The Way It Was. Hodder & Stoughton, 1999, p 71. “John Wimber.” Vineyard USA, vineyardusa.org/about/john-wimber/.

Story read by Chuck Stecker