Fire in our hearts - The Jesus Army

FIRE IN OUR HEARTSCITY ON A HILLHe reflected on the past. Ten years had passed since he’dbeen baptised in the Spirit. After leading his college ChristianUnion, he’d thrown himself into youth work, and consideredbeing a missionary, but the fires had dimmed until he’donly been happy when out rock-climbing.Mick remembered how stunned he’d been in 1975 when hesaw the change in his sister. After moving to Bugbrooke withher husband, and then discovering the Jesus Fellowship, shehad bubbled over with enthusiasm. So Mick had visited thechapel and found God again.How he’d wept with remorse when he looked at his expensiveclimbing gear. Jesus had been pushed into second place— but no longer. Mick tried to bring the community inspirationto his church in Leicester but after eighteen months offrustration he left for Bugbrooke.‘You’ll never look back now,’ the Lord had whispered as hedrove down the M1. ‘This is the road to maturity.’Mick smiled as he remembered. It was true. He hadn’tlooked back. As he watched the morning shadows creep overthe frost, he thought of teas on the lawn, the bleating of sheep,learning Pete’s songs, community lettuce-planting, and meditationsin the garden. He’d shared his inspirations, his trials,his tears, his life. Now they were off to Warwickshire.The previous summer we’d received prophetic directionfrom Isaiah 54: ‘Enlarge the place of your tent... lengthenyour cords, strengthen your stakes’ (Is 54:2). We were tospread abroad, and bear ‘sons and daughters’. We’d receivedwisdom about ‘Mother Zion’ and recognised, as Paul wrote,that spiritual Jerusalem is our mother (Gal 4:26). In the atmosphereof love many came to spiritual birth amongst us.182