Fire in our hearts - Jesus Army

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE
things seemed to be looking up and the Sunday after-meeting
was attracting new people.
Dave was due to go to Africa on voluntary service, but before
he left he helped form a Youth Council. The youngsters
planned their own crusade, bought an old minibus, converted
the chapel lounge into a coffee bar, and formed a Commando
Team to go round the villages. It seemed the best thing yet.
But over in Malawi, Dave soon heard how it was all petering
out and the converts were going back to their old ways.
Verna visited friends in Ireland, who reminded her of the
promise that Pastor Barnes had given them back in 1951. A
pentecostal lady took her to one side. ‘Verna,’ she said, ‘you’re
a lovely sister, but you need to receive the blessing.’ Verna
longed for this ‘blessing’ — whatever it was!
By now, they had a great hunger for spiritual power. There
had to be a breakthrough. So in the summer of 1968, Noel
started a Saturday night prayer meeting in the manse. About
a dozen sought God and studied the Acts of the Apostles to
see if they could find the secret of the early church.
All through that summer and autumn they searched the
Scriptures. In Luke 24:49 they read how Jesus had told his
disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they were ‘clothed with
power from on high’. They saw how transformed those disciples
were after Pentecost when they were ‘baptised with the
Holy Spirit’ (Acts 1:5) and spoke ‘in other tongues’ (Acts 2:4).
They saw the radiance, the impact and the power of those
early Christians. This was what they needed.
Noel began to cry to God and search his heart:
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