Fire in our hearts - The Jesus Army

FIRE IN OUR HEARTSAWAKE O ZION!logical castle in the clouds, he was cementing together humanlives, and that meant pain. Our independence was deeplyingrained. Only by embracing the cross could unity be established.‘Individualism has been the bane of the churches,’ wroteMichael Harper. 23 The Redeemer Church had confronted thisproblem and got down to the nitty gritty of committed relationships.We read of how they cut down their activities, entereda phase of building and got criticised by other Christiansfor being introverted.In Britain, too, the charismatic scene was muddled aboutcommitment. ‘The movement is robust, but amorphous,’ observedMichael Harper. ‘It majors on individual piety and spiritualdrive rather than the creation of a new corporate dynamic.’24The first Christians were ‘one in heart and mind’ (Acts 4:32),standing ‘firm in one spirit, contending as one man’ (Phil 1:27),and ‘with one heart and mouth’ they glorified God (Rom 15:6).But in our day independence prevailed and many of us werecoloured by it.Were evangelicals overbalanced in their emphasis on a ‘personalrelationship’ with Jesus? Did books idealise individualsuccess stories? Did too much stress on grace lead to lawlessnessand lack of authority? The problem taxed our heartsat Malhamdale. For many it was a case of ‘blood, sweat andtears’. New converts faced less of a problem. They jumped inat the deep end!In community the self-life gets exposed. Reserve, self-righteousnessand self-love are painfully revealed. Love of possessionsand the insistence on personal guidance, worldliness,98