Fire in our hearts - The Jesus Army

FIRE IN OUR HEARTSAWAKE O ZION!peared words like love, joy, loyalty. The more they sang, thelarger their hearts became. Eventually these all joined to formone great heart with the words: ‘The Fulness of God’. Thepeople now laughed and wept freely together. Some crept tothe outside but those of the one heart drew them in and kneltat their feet. Some of these joined the oneness but othersfled away into the darkness.The Spirit was working in our depths. Many who once feltrejection and loneliness now wept it all out. It was hardlysurprising that the jazzy choruses were giving way to gentleworship and songs that expressed the longings of the soul.At Ashburnham, the instruments would lead into spiritualsinging. Then individuals sang or improvised on their instruments.Alan’s old busking partner would pour his heart outon the electric guitar. Once he’d lived like a tramp, addictedto cough medicine. Now he sang in the courts of the King. Attimes a sense of the preciousness and depth of Zion spreadover the assembly like liquid gold. We were learning to breakopen our hearts and release the fragrance of Jesus.But what did the staff at Ashburnham make of it all? Forone young woman, meeting the Jesus Fellowship in full flightwas quite an experience:What struck me was the difference. It wasn’t just a conference.It was more like a life force! These people just flowed out. I feltI was coming in out of the cold and suddenly there’s this massivegreat bonfire. And I was being slowly defrosted! I stoppedswearing and forgot to use make-up. But the biggest surprisewas when it suddenly dawned on me that I wanted to be holy.149