Fire in our hearts - Jesus Army

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKE
That’s right,’ said Rufus. ‘But I’ve found Jesus. Glory! You’ve
got to come up and meet the Jesus People, Ralph.’
‘Meet them! I’ll come up and meet them!’ said Ralph looking
agitated. ‘And I’ll find out who’s raking in the money!’
Ralph turned up in order to sort Rufus out. Rufus had really
flipped this time. Christianity! Krishna had turned Ralph
off — but Christianity! It reeked of all that was middle-class,
imperialist and oppressive. Jesus was all right. He was for
the people. But the church! The church! It was the religious
facade of capitalist materialism.
Ralph sat next to Rufus in the upstairs lounge and sussed
them all out. Most of them were right straights, he thought,
but they looked pretty happy and liberated. Even Jess was
getting into it. It must be the first scene they’d ever agreed
on! Ralph smiled cynically. Then he felt uneasy. He was always
going on about being free, breaking out, being yourself.
But he wasn’t. He was bound up like everyone else — and he
knew it. Oh, but not God. That was old hat.
Out of the blue, a lady stood up. ‘The Lord tells me there is
a young man here who is very cynical. But he wants you to
know that he really loves you and wants to set you free.’
Ralph was stunned. He felt totally exposed — as if God was
looking inside him — and he started to crumble. After that he
didn’t say a word for two days. If he became a Christian, then
what about his ideals — equality, freedom, the brotherhood
of man?
In the end he turned it over to God and, as he surrendered,
a great peace came into his soul. The following evening he
listened in amazement as Noel quoted a political idealist:
81