Church of the poor - Jesus Army

We learnt from t
Continued from overleaf
Bugbrooke, Northamptonshire. We heard the Holy Spirit
telling us clearly: “Before you go out to seek souls you need
to ‘build the Body’”. For the first few years the prophetic
call was all about getting rid of our individualistic selfrighteousness
so that we could do that.
The Holy Spirit taught us that the uniqueness of being
God’s people is that it eclipses all the natural culture of
ambition, status, race or class divisions. Among the early
characters who joined us were some – mainly hippies
and drug-users – who made us realise that they were
more “scriptural” than we were! The 60s hippie movement
caught something of rebellion against materialism.
We, as a church, wanted true love and justice – so their
simple, sharing lifestyle echoed with us. They exposed the
self-righteousness and self-sufficiency within the rest of
us mainly middleclass churchgoers. We learnt from the
poor the dangers of the conveyor-belt of status and wealth
which is so false. Even though when they first arrived they
were into Krishna or whatever they showed a level of sharing
among themselves that challenged us. When we saw
their genuineness as they found Jesus we were convicted.
They were completely out front about their new faith.
We were people who loved each other and loved the
church so we started to get to grips with becoming of one
heart. One of the first things was to face up to the class
distinctions among us. We all went away together for a
church retreat and it got very practical. Those who wore
kaftans swapped them with people who wore suits and
vice versa. That brought home to us how much we live
in an “image”. The Holy Spirit also began showing us the
power that belongings held over us; how in society everyone
wanted a better car, a better home – and lived for that.
We saw the folly of it all – it’s all so meaningless.
So, as a church, bit by bit, as God showed us how to do
it, we became “the poor”.
Professional people sold all and put the proceeds into
the collection. One architect with a practice and a big
house – he sold the lot. It wasn’t just given “to the church”
in some abstract sort of way: it was given to each other. It
was a very levelling experience. We couldn’t wait to get rid
of stuff because possessions created such barriers between
us. I was self-employed, had a nice house, a car and three
building plots which I sold off. I never found it difficult.
I think we’ve done what the Holy Spirit told us to do.
The insistence on justice was essential for our core values.
I believe if we’d fudged that issue God wouldn’t have
blessed us as He has. Acts 2 is inclusive: “All were together
and had everything in common”. We knew that to be in,
we all needed to be in – no half measures. I think we’ve
maintained that integrity. New Creation Christian Community
is central to that.
And today? Well, in Jesus’ day the family would have
been the main source of security so I guess when He talked
about “the poor” He’d have been talking about those who
lived outside a secure family – like widows and orphans,
lepers, beggars.
In the 21st century, my definition of “poverty”, based
on my experience, is that it means those who have no
opportunity to escape the inevitable degradation of
powerlessness. You can’t just say, today, “the poor” are
people who haven’t had a nuclear family. That’s too
sweeping. It’s more likely to be, for instance, people
who’ve been brought up in that environment where
everyone around them has been on the dole. If you’re
talking about issues that have led to people being “the
poor” in the UK in the 21st century then you’d have to
say that the “Nanny State” has a lot to answer for. The
values of the “old poor” who looked out for each other
are becoming harder to find because, today, “someone
else” – the State – will do it.
So people expect to take and not to pay any price. Part
of our ministry to the poor is to turn this mindset around.
We’ve got gangs around us who’ve never seen the need
to work, but when they’ve come among us and worked
Jesus Life One/2008 Page 6
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