I am a vivid dreamer; when I’m awake and when I’m asleep. But those that are dreamt when I am asleep are often so bizarre! Come to think of it… some of those that I have concocted when I’m awake are pretty strange too. I most always recall my dreams and this morning was no different, however, the dreams are not always of a spiritual nature, but this one for certain was.
Last night’s dream left me perplexed about the many spiritual connotations. The setting was a Gaither Concert in my home town. Wouldn’t that be wonderful! The physical location kept changing in my dream. It began at my new church, First Baptist Church of Grantsville, but it was an expanded building. The venue was packed and the Spirit was amazing! But then the location visual changed to a gymnasium and later to a family picnic. I warned you my dreams were weird. As the concert progressed, the attendance lessened as well as spirit. The characters of the dream changed as well. The people in the beginning were Spirit filled friends and family who were enjoying the concert being performed by the original Gaither group that I have loved since salvation. The people were praising God and I could hear them singing the songs that give glory bumps! But then the performers changed to less or even unknown singers, the music became traditional hymns (which I love when sang with feeling) but these were being sung as though it was the funeral of heathen. It was sad!
The next setting was the picnic where many of my family, who have gone on to glory were attending. It was so nice to see them all and we were having a great time!
But the final scene was on a dirt road with family friends who were in a pearl colored stretch limousine on a dirt road and I was looking to go to their house for some reason.
As strange as that is, I’ve had weirder dreams. But none that left me pondering life the way this one did.
I don’t believe that the dream was prophetic however it did take my mind into the spiritual condition of mankind. When I say the dream was vivid and detailed, I mean right down to even the attitudes of the characters. As the desire of the people to hear the music lessened, their attitudes became apathetic, until at the end they had no idea why I had been excited to begin with. They were even questioning what salvation was.
My heart broke. These were people that I cared about.
And then I woke up, let the dog out, fixed me a cup of coffee and began to write it down with purpose. It seemed important to document.
“You’ll Get Over It.”
That’s what someone told my dearest friend Doyle Ballengee when he was first saved. He was so excited about his new life in Christ Jesus when a rigid, stiff necked believer told him “you’ll get over it.” With a sparkle in his eye, Doyle told me, “I never did!” In his seventies he was the most exciting Christian I had ever known. I met with him often for lunch at his home in town after his wife passed away. He would fix me the best beef stew and we’d have bible study as we met at his kitchen table. Praise God, I’ve not gotten over it either, and I owe much of my excitement to those who discipled me in the beginning.
That was the spirit of the people at the beginning of my dream. When the Gaither’s sang there were hands lifted and people praising and you knew you were in church! I remember going to my first Gaither concert as a new convert and thinking… this has got to be close to what heaven is like. Thousands of people, being kind to one another, glorifying God and enjoying life. It’s ironic that the last Gaither concert I attended left me saddened by some of the attitudes of the people. At that time I was done making the effort for others who didn’t appreciate the effort I made. They too had obviously gotten over it.
The Spirit Was the First to Go
The gymnasium concert was when my dream began to go south. People were walking out on the concert. I felt sorry for the singers, but my second thought was “Well, if you had sung it like you meant it, the people might not have left.” The music was dry. It was the lesser known hymns being sung without feeling, almost as if they were one step above recitation. Good grief, my stomach just rolled over!
Is that not many in the church today? It is those that would say to the excited new covert, “you’ll get over it” because they have. They no longer rejoice in the Spirit of God and He has left the building. I questioned whether I should write that. It’s offensive to think that God does not want to be in some churches. Even with His saved people. But they are deader than a hammer, so dead in fact that they don’t realize they died. The Spirit is waiting to be renewed but they’re too busy proving that they’re right.
They showed up. They went through the motions. They went home and nothing changed. If that’s the case in your church, either change it or run to one that leaves you better than when you got there and makes you concerned for souls. The Apostle Paul told young Timothy:
2 Timothy 4:3-5 KJV
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; [4] And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. [5] But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
Our work is the work of an evangelist. Whether or not you are the preacher, you should be concerned for the souls of this world, especially friends and family. And if you’re not, what you’re listening to may be interesting, but it’s not doing what God wanted the word to do.
The Spirit Moves the People to Go
2 Timothy 4:6-16 KJV
[6] For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. [7] I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: [8] Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. [9] Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me: [10] For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. [11] Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry. [12] And Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus. [13] The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments. [14] Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works: [15] Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words. [16] At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge.
I don’t know for certain, if any, significance of that stretch limousine in my dream. Other than the fact that it was really out of place on that dirt road. The people who were in it, were the ones who looked at me like I had three heads when I told them of salvation. They’d been at the concert unmoved, and now they were unchanged and it was breaking my heart. That pretty pearl colored limousine was a pretty ride, but it wasn’t taking them to where I wanted to go.
Paul’s departing words to Timothy hit me hard this morning. He tells the young preacher of the rewards coming to all who “love His appearing.” So many churches don’t even preach His appearing. Paul then tells Timothy to come and visit going further to say that there were people who let him down. I get that.
For those in the ministry if you have not been hurt by someone in the ministry, you’ve likely not been serving very long. Paul even called those out who did. So could I, but I’ll not. Paul also told of those who ministered with him. It’s more important to acknowledge that and encourage them but it’s equally necessary to realize when there are people who discourage you that you mark them and move on.
In the parable of the wedding guests, Jesus said this
Luke 14:7-11 KJV
And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them, [8] When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; [9] And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. [10] But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. [11] For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
In the final act of my dream, the limousine reminded me that my little Kia Soul that I call the “Soul Seeker” may be a humbler ride (which, by the way, needs prayer) but it is far better to sit in a humbler place, than to sit where you don’t belong.
