Fire in our hearts - The Jesus Army

FIRE IN OUR HEARTSON THE MARCHOur base was community. Zion was the rock, the centralground, the pearl. Evangelism was exciting, but as one evangelistsang:My heart is held and planted in Zion;And world and death and sorrowCan never part this bond we have.Sinners were coming home to Zion and the Jesus Peoplewere breaking out! But not without reverence for all God hadshown us. Zion, her ways, her very dust and stones, were stillour ‘joy and crown’.The results of the new thrust in evangelism were encouragingand of our target for 200 people that year, we gained175. Joining the Jesus People, even as a non-resident, wasquite a turnabout. It was ‘the world behind me, the cross beforeme’. Nurture was all-important, and those baptised enteredinto covenant, pledging loyalty to Jesus and the brotherhood.Covenant classes extended before and after baptism,and members were expected to be at the meetings, especiallythe weekly Agape.Fellowship houses were the focus of our work, though inOxford and Banbury, where houses were not established, weshared the Agape meal in our non-residents’ homes.Not everyone was ready for residential community. Indeed,for some families and those with unconverted partners it wasimpossible. Some would be unable to give the practicalcommitment essential to community living, but we did expectthem to carry the Zion vision.245