Jesus Army: Magazine - Prophetic Word

Some time ago, I read a book written by the German church leader Christoph Blumhardt, who died in 1919. He had an amazing ministry of miracles, deliverance and healing. But he so much despaired that he left the church for many years and went into politics instead.

He despaired because people that were healed and delivered were just as selfish and indulgent afterwards as they had been before. They were healed for themselves and instead of serving their Redeemer, they treated Him as a servant. To Blumhardt, the church at that time had no understanding that it was supposed to have a ministry to the poor. He had a massive ministry. But he left it all to join the Social Democrats. He felt they had more of a heart for the poor than the Church had.

When I read this, it confirmed what I'd already been thinking - that reaching the poor - the 'ordinary' people - isn't just a fad but a lifetime's calling.

Giving to the poor means a constant cross in our lives. We may have been happy to 'enter the kingdom with violence' (Luke 16:16), by violently cutting across our own selfish wishes. But now, are we violently living in this Kingdom which has cost so much to establish? Are we still willing to sacrifice ourselves for the poor and the ongoing call of the church? Or have we taken the healing peace of the Kingdom of Heaven for ourselves and said 'this is nice' and stopped doing violence daily to our selfishness?

As we settle, either through age or through losing the fire, I've noticed two things happen. First, we accept things in one another that we would never have accepted when we first entered the Kingdom. Second, we give in to temptation to step back from activity and accessibility.

I'm 56 years old now. I came to this church thirty-three years ago as a young man of 23. When the Holy Spirit came to us in power in 1969, we were a small Baptist church. We began to take on board and practice all that God taught us. As those early years developed, the love for one another - which was already overwhelming - became very sacrificial and it went very deep after a year or two.

One of the ways this was shown was in a lot of vulnerability to one another. We cast off the trappings of class and culture that divided us. We accepted disciplines like togging ourselves out in each other's clothes - the 'straight' wearing the hippy brother's kaftan - realising the superficiality of the things that separated us.

Barriers were broken down because the all-consuming passion was the cause of God's Kingdom - so anything that got in the way of the cause had to go. That's violence.

The battle, now, is to maintain that cause-at-any-price vision.

I think our danger is that there are people who have become measured in their commitment and they are relying on some extremely sold-out people to keep the whole thing going.

Some people have retired, hurt. They say 'I've been hurt by this, I've been hurt by that. I'm only going this far, now'. Then they've shuffled off to some easier life. They've failed to grasp that God's sovereignty is in their hurts. We used to see hurts as an opportunity to die to ourselves and go to the Cross to find resurrection life and not make excuses saying, 'I'm hurt, so where can I draw the line in my commitment?'

I hear many complain that their joy has gone - they are dry and it's all just a chore. The reason for this is they have stopped sacrificing, and stopped being accessible to their brethren. They have stopped being available and vulnerable to new people - stopped the violence to themselves.

Sadly, we've got our dignity back, somehow! God's call is for us to bring a grassroots revival - it's back to "brother sharpens brother". It isn't a big deal to be sharpened. It's a relief!

Recently, in our apostolic leaders' meeting, we spent time doing just that with each other. It was completely painless because we were already bonded in the knowledge that the cause is worth it, with no barriers between us.

The early years have had such a profound effect on me that I would now have difficulty in struggling over any major issue. For example, in the 1970s, when my wife, Norma, and I had the opportunity, we bought the cottage and parcel of land we'd been renting near to Bugbrooke Chapel.

A year or two later a friend I used to know before I was a Christian came and spoke to me, saying, "Hey, Kelly - you've really set yourself up there, mate!"

"Well, actually, we've just given it away," I replied.

"Kelly, you can't do that!"

"No," I said to him," I can't NOT do it!"

That was part of our violence - pooling all our money and possessions in the common purse.

That violence must still go on in my life - or I will lose what I've found. Nowadays, I feel God is telling me not to keep asking Him for 'first love' back, but instead, to show the love that breaks down barriers with others. Love that interacts with people at grass roots level and is involved so there's an openness and a willingness to teach and be taught. Love that isn't reliant on big campaigns. Love that is effective by being relevant in people's lives. Love that imparts the vision, one-to-one. Love that faces the disappointment with Jesus and sees it for what it is - God's challenge.

Rights and wrongs are never the issue. The issue, is giving our all for the cause of Jesus.

I'm encouraged to hear that some of our new people, who weren't around in those early days, are carrying just that same spirit - the violence of peace.

Kelly Batholomew is a Senior Leader of the Jesus Fellowship Church.