FIRE IN OUR HEARTS
AWAKE O ZION!
proval. As we took the cloth away, God polished the jewel and set it once more in Zion’s crown. Celibacy of course was nothing new. Jesus was the supreme example. Paul was also unmarried. Mystics like Augustine and St Francis who were great builders of brotherhood, saw chastity as an heroic virtue. The example, too, of people like David Brainerd and Amy Carmichael urged us on to higher things. ‘If I had a thousand lives,’ wrote the dying Brainerd, ‘I would gladly lay them all down for Christ.’52 We needed firebrands like these who were recklessly in love with God. As Watchman Nee wrote of one celibate woman who had greatly influenced him: ‘Immediately you detect a sweet savour of Christ... something has been broken and you smell the fragrance.’53 Celibacy was no easy road but as celibates knit themselves together into strong, deep friendships they brought a groundswell of vigour and inspiration to our church. They were worth their weight in gold. Unlike many charismatic scenes, among us it was the celibate brothers and sisters who began to set the pace. Our leadership included increasing numbers of men like Piers who were ‘travelling light’ and ready for battle. Indeed, throughout the church we had little intention of settling down to a fossilised lifestyle. As the year came to an end, vision increased for church planting and evangelism. Zion had awoken. God had made us a people. But now the cloud was moving on.
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