Fire in our hearts - Jesus Army

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS
ON THE MARCH
would yet be a ‘city sought out’, a clear trumpet sounding in
the nation.
We were reaching into our destiny. Yet still we were lacking.
What of deeper purity and sanctification? And what of
greater power? We continued to hear interesting things of
the ministry of John Wimber and Reinhard Bonnke, but were
reserved about the spectacular: what some called ‘being slain
in the Spirit’, and so on. It was intriguing, ‘But,’ we asked,
‘does it build the church?’
Nonetheless, some of us, like Bill ‘Truthful’, were keen to
see God’s power demonstrated in such ways. When Bill prayed
over a drug-dealer at the end of March For Jesus in London,
the guy was floored by the Holy Spirit!
March for Jesus, held in April 1988, and organised by national
Christian leaders, was a new departure for us. We frantically
learned Graham Kendrick’s songs and sent 400 ‘soldiers’
down to London to join in the March. Enthusiastic, combat-jacketed,
original and noisy, we marched past Gerald
Coates, Roger Forster and the other charismatic leaders. A
few eyebrows were raised, but they had known we were coming
and we felt accepted. The response from fellow Christians
was heartening.
‘Hey! You look great! Who are the Jesus Army then?’
‘You heard of the Jesus People... or Bugbrooke?’
‘Bugbrooke?... Bugbrooke!! (You could see wheels turning
rapidly in their minds.) The smiles faded and returned: ‘Well,
good on you! Praise God! Times are changing!’
They were. It was time to bury differences. The harvest
was great and we needed to join hands for revival. Our warm
(if cautious) reception encouraged Noel. His seat in the of-
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