Fire in our hearts - Jesus Army

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS
Then we all need to be very careful of hearsay and gossip.
People who have specific criticisms should be encouraged to
speak direct to us. People should also feel free to join us on
the streets, or to attend our events so that they will know
what we’re about!
Roger: I notice, Noel, that you sense there are things where
you do need the forgiveness of your brothers.
Noel: There are bound to be cases where hurts have resulted
from our handling of situations and we are sorry about
that. We have moved quite fast and not everyone has been
able to keep up with us! So, yes, where we haven’t been sensitive
to others, we ask forgiveness.
But we are determined to respond to God’s word to build.
In the earlier days I was involved in denominational matters
and God said there should be a full concentration on building
the church. That has meant radical commitment on our part.
Working it through has at times been somewhat traumatic
but it has led on into fruitfulness.
Roger: Turning now to some of the questions that people
have asked about the Jesus Fellowship, how do you prevent
over-dependency on the leadership?
Noel: We see it as important that people develop their own
individual identity, ministries and gifts. We emphasise personal
devotions, Bible reading and so on. A personal walk
with God is vital. Speaking generally, while we do believe in
shepherding, I don’t think we produce an over-dependence
on the leadership. People soon realise that all leadership is
fallible! But we do believe in discipleship. Our aim is to produce
strong characters — strong men and women of God.
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