Fire in our hearts - Jesus Army

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS
ON THE MARCH
Our base was community. Zion was the rock, the central
ground, the pearl. Evangelism was exciting, but as one evangelist
sang:
My heart is held and planted in Zion;
And world and death and sorrow
Can never part this bond we have.
Sinners were coming home to Zion and the Jesus People
were breaking out! But not without reverence for all God had
shown us. Zion, her ways, her very dust and stones, were still
our ‘joy and crown’.
The results of the new thrust in evangelism were encouraging
and of our target for 200 people that year, we gained
175. Joining the Jesus People, even as a non-resident, was
quite a turnabout. It was ‘the world behind me, the cross before
me’. Nurture was all-important, and those baptised entered
into covenant, pledging loyalty to Jesus and the brotherhood.
Covenant classes extended before and after baptism,
and members were expected to be at the meetings, especially
the weekly Agape.
Fellowship houses were the focus of our work, though in
Oxford and Banbury, where houses were not established, we
shared 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 was
impossible. Some would be unable to give the practical
commitment essential to community living, but we did expect
them to carry the Zion vision.
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