The Jesus Army Story

In 1973 the church had read a book called A New Way of Living by Michael Harper. It described the Church of the Redeemer in America who had been impressed by chapter 2 of the book of Acts and began to run their church in that way, sharing their possessions. Most evangelical Christians at that time emphasised a personal relationship with Jesus. We were encouraged to know Christ in a personal way, to be saved, to have a personal quiet time, to witness to our friends and tell them about Jesus. There was an emphasis on teaching and knowing the Bible. One Christian housegroup leader used to say, 'First there's me and Jesus, then there's Jesus and me, then there's just Jesus.' There wasn't very much emphasis on anybody else, just me and Jesus.

The church which we can read about in the book of Acts, in chapter 2 and chapter 4, was very much a body. They lived together, ate in eachother's houses, and shared their possessions. They were one in heart and mind. In Philippians 1:27, the Christians are told to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then Paul will know that they stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel. In Romans chapter 15, Paul asks that God will give the Christians a spirit of unity as they follow Jesus so that with one heart and mouth they may glorify God. The church needed a greater sense of unity.

There were times when the Jesus Army grew amazingly quickly and times when the worship and fellowship were absolutely wonderful. There were also times when it broke down. One September the growth rate was slow and the evangelism had been disappointing. A member of the church had a vision. A group was seen standing in a circle facing outwards ready to go and welcome in the lost. But at the very centre was a dark cloud where the enemy had gained a foothold. There was a lack of brotherly love in the church. They began to do various things that would bring the church back to life again. There were short 'brotherhood times' before going to work. The Agape meal was set apart as a time when members would discuss things from the Bible and share things on their hearts as they ate together. Everybody had to belong to a small group where they would be nurtured and shepherded. We can become too comfortable in our church traditions, even if those traditions represent things that are extremely precious and extremely Biblical. We can even be zealous for holiness but cool on inward experience. One man wrote in his journal, 'Do we really want the presence of God? Would it be too troublesome? We've got it nicely wrapped up. We are a well-ordered community. Rushing wind and tongues of fire? The awesomeness of God? Oh no! We're content to know him in a relaxed way; you know - the 'still, small voice.' Any church can be born in revival and become a denomination. It becomes routine. People learn how to behave as good members and become loyal. But there is no reality. We need joy, we need spontaneity, we need miracles, we need surprises of the Holy Spirit.

A leaders meeting was held on the farm at Cornhill. They considered why revivals didn't last very long. The church's real problem was overfamiliarity with God. In Isaiah 66:2 God says, 'This is the one I esteem, he who is humble and contrite in Spirit and trembles at my word.' The need to be humble is very important. Realising that you don't know everything. To be contrite is to realise that you are still an imperfect human being, that actually, you do sin, and there is sin in your heart. This disturbed the leaders so much that they suspended all their programmes for two months. Noel spoke of revival. Real desire was the key: prayer must prevail and obedience to the Spirit was vital. In past revivals there was freedom for the Spirit to move in a meeting and freedom for ordinary people to take part. The meetings ran themselves and ministers simply prayed. The large Jesus Army meetings had lost something of this spontaneity. There was great power in prayers, confessions and simple testimonies. They needed to preach the sinner's gospel, to concentrate on salvation and the cross of Christ and deep repentance. There were still lengthy hymns but there were also two line songs introduced proclaiming the name and the blood of Jesus.

Living in community isn't right for everybody. Many people in this country work at different times of the day. It is difficult to live in community if people are out at work while you are having your evening meal. If some people work dayshift and some people work nightshift it is impossible to get a real sense of community. Normally, people living in community must work the same hours. It is also impossible for somebody to live in community if their husband or wife is not a Christian. Some people are simply not ready to live in community. We work with people from children's homes who have had no parents who might have difficulty making friends and difficulty dealing with other people. When evangelism works properly it will bring the damaged and disturbed people into our church, not just people who are polite and respectable. Some people might not be badly disturbed but simply prefer to spend a lot of time on their own. Some people naturally are very quiet and solitary by nature and usually have only a few friends. Not everyone would want to have 20 other people around them all the time. Many of us also live a long way from the nearest Jesus Army community and feel that God is calling us to stay in our home towns. People who don't live in community belong to a small support group and have a caring brother or a caring sister. It is important to keep the sense of support and brotherhood even if a person cannot live in community.

One year the church had an especially successful time of evangelism. They spent eight months doing mission work in central England, while still doing their ordinary paid jobs. They sang the song 'God is keeping his soldiers fighting,' from the Salvation Army song book, but inspite of the successful programme and huge increase in converts many were getting very tired. The church was growing rapidly and had nearly reached its target of 200 members but many people felt drained and spiritually thirsty. Steve felt unreality was to blame and became burdened for the church. He had wanted to get married, but as he spent long hours with God, he forgot all about this. God became his passion. 'Sometimes,' he said, 'a stillness came on me. The brothers called me to dinner but I couldn't move. I'd read how Evan Roberts would spend hours lost in God. That was how I felt. Then a burden for holiness came upon me.' One evening the household went round claiming the power of the blood of Jesus over the rooms at the Farm. 'Bro,' Steve said to Noel, 'What we really need to do is to get low before God. The church needs to regain its first love.' 'I knew this was God's word for us,' Steve said later. 'It burned in me day and night and I cried out amongst the cattle, 'Lord restore your Zion!' I was jealous for God, and tired of our flippant ways.'

One night Rufus was leading the house meeting. 'Rufus, bro, you haven't got the word,' said Steve 'Genuine', as he stood up. 'Look, brethren, we've got to stop grieving God. Where is his fear? Can't you see his judgements among us? Brethren, our God is a consuming fire. Look how Ezra felt: "Oh my God, I am too ashamed and disgraced to lift up my face to you." (Ezra 9:6.) We ought to cry for mercy! We gotta let him plough us up! O God remove our reproach! God will make Zion beautiful again if we stop our arrogance and get low before him.' Everyone went quiet as an awe settled on the room for what seemed like hours. All was still, apart from a few whispered prayers. Some fidgeted and couldn't handle the silence. Outside the cold wind blew up clouds of snow. 'Right!' said Steve. 'I'm going outside. I'm walking once round the lawn out front to show God I mean business. It's got to be everything, brethren! If you want to follow me, then you come - but make it real!' One by one, they walked out into the snow.

One brother explained how revival came to a Jesus Army house. 'We rose and dressed, and found sisters calling on God. I felt a flood of the Spirit and fell on my face. "Lord!" I cried, "I feel like Jonah who must be thrown overboard!" It felt like white light. Sin was instantly exposed and you either broke down or hardened up. My sins were so many I thought they would bring judgement on the house. We continued praying for hours, and one sister all night.' The next evening after Agape, a sister wrote in her diary: 'We gathered as soon as possible. Even the children confessed their sins. The elders knelt in the middle and the children prayed over them...I feel different now and the joy of my salvation is returning.' She put down her diary and continued praying - in her sleep! 'That night,' wrote another, 'the Spirit kept rising within me. Tears came to my eyes and I got up to tell someone what was happening. Such gratitude was in my heart.' Amazed, Mike surveyed his new household and wept for joy. 'Everything was topsy-turvey,' he wrote. Sisters carried the anointing and leaders were humbled. The issues of blessing and judgement became so real. Everything was transparent - it was marvellous! As we knelt, praying and weeping, singing and rejoicing, I wished it would never end.' There were similar stories in other houses. They virtually forgot evangelism, and people prayed in the morning, at work, after lunch, and at night - they prayed any time, any place. The church studied written accounts of previous revivals and saw a pattern. There was always hunger for God, repentance and brokenness. These were always followed by the cleansing blood and the power of the Spirit.

Someone had a vision of an old leather chest which contained the many treasures God had given the church. A crowd of demons were trying to drag the chest away. Then a lion sprang in and scattered the demons. He sat majestically on the box and guarded the treasure. Some people were ordering him to go. They wanted a tame lion. But the anointing had come in wild and was renewing her. Pride and legalism were blown out. Brotherhood love and radical New Testament faith, remained and was made young. One preacher said, 'God is shaking us. A sword is passing low over the the body of Christ. The proud are being taken out.' In the climate of failed materialism people were turning to God. But only from a humbled church would God's river truly flow.

Youngsters were hungry for warmth and experience. They found God 'mind blowing', community 'amazing' and the music 'cool.' But it was love that kept them. Houses where love was weak stood half-empty. But houses where warm, inspired leaders devoted themselves to their 'sons' both grew and prospered.

Paul Raj arrived at the Jesus Army from India, took off his shoes, and worshipped. 'I've never felt God's presence like this in Britain,' he said. Then Paul, who was in revival back home, prophesied how God would use the church. The homeless, the drug addicts and the male prostitutes were finding God. But they needed fathers. Most books on revival were about prayer and spiritual warfare. But the father-heart was also vital. The Christians needed a fresh anointing to release them in love. It wasn't enough to minister from the platform. They needed to get deeply involved with people.

The church had grown by 450 new people and many of the members' teenage children were becoming strong Christians. But community had barely grown. Jesus, friend of sinners, was ever more popular. His passion for sacrifice was not so easy to inspire. The Bugbrooke estate began to fill up again. Many people were moving out. Many people felt discouraged in their spirits. The vision of main community houses as radical discipleship centres was intensified. Mike 'Rockfast' led a team giving practical and spiritual help to church businesses. The Jesus Army went into 1995 asking 'Lord, revive our church households' - from the roots up!

Steve asked God for a new spirit of prophecy in the group. They had experienced a renewed soaking in the Holy Spirit with ecstatic worship, laughter and people under the table. But Steve was hungry for more. He wanted the complete Acts 2 power package: dreams, visions and prophecy - plus a startlingly new community. As leaders we could motivate, push and preach the apostolic message. And we did. But the power of revival was personal encounters with the Lord Jesus and a prophetically awakened spirit. 'Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.' (Acts 2:17.)

Steve spoke about a bowl of oil and it was as if the angel had arrived and was pouring it all over people. People felt they were soaked in healing oil. Everyone was excited. They laughed, cried, prayed out or just shook and fell. Prophecy was unleashed; wherever this oil was allowed to flow there would be change. Eyes would be opened. Ears unblocked. Prison bars melted. There would be fresh oil for the lampstand and a new spirit of prophecy. This was what the church really needed. The newer units were smaller and stronger. Risktakers needed God to survive. Those who were settled in the established communities were becoming too comfortable. Their destiny depended on rejecting lukewarmness and being poured out for the nation. They planned an all-out offensive on the UK. The motto was: UK People, We Love You ! - the plan: to evangelise all major cities in Britain. As Michael Green observed: 'Paul's strategy was urban. He made for the centres. The Acts of the Apostles records his visit to city after city of importance. This was part of a definite plan for planting the good news in key positions throughout the Empire.' Mike 'Rockfast' saw a picture of arrows flying out from the centre of the church and hitting many targets in the nation. A new coach was sent to travel the whole of the UK for three years. It was called the UK Ignition Gospel Roadshow. Their commission was to 'leaven with the gospel the strategic cities and towns of the UK, recognising groups and planting church households.'

The church needed to get away from the idea of bringing people into church to hear the gospel. They thought that if they brought people to the community houses they would find life. Jesus' strategy was not to bring the people here but to go to them, in streets, shops, public bars or homes. There would now have to be a strategy of not building community houses but building congregations. Noel was nearly 70 and it was important that his leadership should be passed on to a younger generation. There would be several inspired leaders with spiritual sons who would bring the same kind of apostolic spirit into their own regions. They would reinforce the simplicity, sharing and sacrifice that was the heart of our 'Zion' vision. The shape of the future was going to be a church with a minority of community members. Sheffield would have to function as a mother church sending out small church-planting teams. These would produce a body of people whose future would be mainly in the hands of local leaders. Homes provided great opportunities to meet people and home-based cell groups could grow up into small congregations.

Noel was much impressed with a South American, Ed Silvoso, and his passion for city people. Ed Silvoso believed that, 'If you want to reach your city for Christ, you must catch God's heartbeat. Listen carefully and you will two sounds: none...all. None to perish. All to come to repentance.' His book, That None Should Perish, described a strategy of 'prayer evangelism' that had impacted whole cities in Argentina. 'Prayer evangelism' was systematic spiritual warfare that engaged the enemy in aggressive prayer whilst mobilising cell groups to penetrate into the neighbourhood.

In the early days of Christianity in Britain there were many monastries. Not many people would share the rigorous lifestyle of a celtic monastery where the monks had to get up very early in the morning for worship and then work on the farm, growing their own food and looking after the animals. But many people would be caught up in the wider movement. Celtic monastries were mission centres and a spiritual oasis in the desert. I have a vision of this country becoming like a spiritual desert, and as the world around us becomes worse and worse the church will be a place where the thirsty people go to find refreshment.