Fire in our hearts - The Jesus Army

FIRE IN OUR HEARTSON THE MARCHOne young man turned up at New Creation Hall who fittedthe bill exactly. He’d even been a soldier. Mark ‘Warrior’ wastwenty-three, a muscle man and a rebel. He’d seen the worldin the merchant navy and his arms were tattooed and scarred.As a biker he’d smashed a lot of shop windows in Huddersfield,fled the law and crashed his bike. He’d lived with theHare Krishnas, and ended up in the Spanish Foreign Legion.He deserted, escaping in a yacht, but it ran aground, and hewas caught, flogged, imprisoned, and put to hard labour underthe scorching sun.One day, in preparation for a ceremony at the Spanishprison, Mark climbed a roof to fix a statue of Christ on to thecross. Alone up there, the eyes of Jesus seemed to pierce hissoul. ‘I forgive you, Mark,’ they were saying. He broke downand wept. On his prison bed, reading his Bible, the power ofGod came upon him and he was baptised in the Spirit. TheSpanish officers were so shocked by the change that theyoffered him promotion! He declined, and was released fromthe Legion.Mark arrived back in Huddersfield to find his family alreadyconverted. The parish church was good, but Mark felt like acaged lion. He wanted a twenty-four hour a day commitment.He considered Bible college or a monastery, but the churchsent him down to us! Mark wasn’t disappointed. He wrotelater:I walked into the Hall and the Spirit came on me again. I was oncloud nine for three weeks. They had a church gathering in atheatre and all I heard was Zion, Zion, Zion! But it was thebrotherhood that really amazed me.262