Fire in our hearts - Jesus Army

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE
The chapel fellowship was wary both of being restrained
by denominational tradition and of being ‘covered’ by one of
the new churches. The house church fellowships, being new,
were inevitably immature and some were very middle-class.
Noel had a good streak of the Puritan evangelical in him, and
was wary of an overbalance on liberty. Members of house
churches had discovered the joy of being ‘not under law’ in
their front rooms, but there was plenty of evidence for ruling
authority in New Testament churches. There was also the need
for holiness and costly discipleship.
The chapel quietly asserted its independence as radical Baptists.
The Lord was launching them out in a new direction,
and it was a joy to have the Scriptures for a compass, and the
Spirit blowing into their sails.
Towards the end of the retreat they began to plan a new offensive:
the Jesus Lives Crusade. Kelly, in particular, got excited.
It seemed that this little ‘body’ was being mobilised.
There was talk of a music festival and a convoy through the
villages. What’s more, they’d ordered a load of Jesus tee-shirts
in turquoise, orange and violet! JESUS IS LORD would soon
be proclaimed in block capitals from their chests and HAPPY
NEW LIFE IN JESUS from their backs. The times were certainly
changing. To cap all that, they had decided to drape a
red and white banner across the old stones of the chapel.
JESUS LIVES! it would proclaim — right over the chapel entrance!
Kelly winced as he thought of the reactions. He leaned back
in his canary yellow shirt and red leather waistcoat and let
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