My Dream Part II

A few weeks ago, I had an incredibly profound dream that, I believe, was from God. In last week's blog post, "My Dream", I shared the details of it. If you haven't read it yet, I'd encourage you to read that first before reading this. You can click here to read it. Now that you've read it and you're probably a little freaked out, let me explain what I believe the Lord wanted to reveal to me (and has kept revealing to me) through this dream. To shortly preface, I'm not going to sit here and tell you that the world will end soon because...well, the world will end soon. But soon is a relevant term; and I believe it's the duty of every follower of Jesus Christ to keep this in mind so that we will live our days in a way that glorifies Him and cognizant of the fact that "soon" could mean He returns at any moment. I get this belief from Jesus' teaching in Matthew 25. Don't take my word for the fact that we need to be ready, take His (go read that chapter if you haven't).

The thing this dream impressed on me most is this: God is bigger than you and I believe Him to be. His Holiness hasn't been accurately reflected in the way we've been coming before Him - in the way we worship, pray, gather, live. If the way we (the church in general) has operated is any indication of the Holiness of the God we serve, we are in serious need of a re-evaluation. We've lost our wonder and awe of Almighty God, and we've replaced that wonder with explanations and justifications. Thinking we're right in our own eyes and our own minds, we've lost Holy reverence toward the God that commands nature, the God who created it, and the God that literally determines our next breath. Furthermore, and sadly, we've censored the work of His Holy Spirit by giving His due glory to worldly things like self-helps, medications, fad diets and lifestyles. We give credit to anything but the Holy Spirit. When friends around us, who are faithful and obedient in their walk, actually carry out the sometimes radical works of the Spirit - we want to question, doubt, raise concerns, laugh, and warn them not to be so "hyper-spiritual". Essentially, we tell the very Spirit of God to "chill out and shut-up". This is not okay, friends. It's dangerous. In short, we severely lack reverence for God.

I have a sweet friend and sister in Christ who is originally from Pakistan, where the majority of the population is Muslim. Her and I were having a conversation the other day about the holiness of God and the reverence we lack in the American culture compared to the culture from which she came (and many others around the world). In her country, if you're a Christian following Jesus, you are the minority; but the way they perceive Him and His word, worship Him, and honor Him tells a different story. They revere God, and that reverence is the catalyst in which their lives are lived out. She admits that it was hard being in America and living in a culture where the majority of it is "Christian" but our lives tell a completely different story. A couple of interesting observations she's made was that she used to cover her head when she would come to church here in America, and even take her shoes off when participating in communion. She admits that, however, in an effort to blend in, she stopped doing it because people around her thought it was weird. Did you catch that, people around her? We made the act of honoring and respecting God seem not normal and weird. She also finds it baffling that we have no problem putting our bible's on the ground. The living word of God is treated more like a used magazine, than a Holy book divinely inspired by God (those are my words, not hers).

Now you may be thinking this isn't you. You might be checking off the items on your Christian checklist in order to justify that what I'm saying simply isn't true for you. You may even be wondering where the grace is in my message. And that's fine. You can do that. But what I'm here to tell you (and myself), is that when this world ends and when Jesus does come back - our thoughts, our justifications, our explanations, and our feelings will no longer matter. Time will be up, and we will finally see the greatness of God in real, visible time. It's going to be an event like your eyes have never seen. When the stars that twinkle at night suddenly start falling from the sky, there will be sheer panic and terror. Jesus says this will happen (Mark 13:25). I felt the terror in my dream as unbelievers frantically raced to and fro for somewhere to hide, and I feel it again as I'm typing these words. When the day of the Lord comes, we will all be out of time.

If you want grace, here it is: We have time right now. We have time to change the way we're operating and viewing God. We have time to change the way we're judging His servants - our brothers and sisters in Christ - that are dutifully carrying out His commands. We have time to read the bible for ourselves, and get an accurate picture of who Christ is and who we are in Him. We have time to repent and turn from the error of our ways, and live life free and abundant in Him. We have time to tell others about Him, and how He's transformed our lives and how He can do the same for them if they'd let Him. We have time to wonder at the mysteries and marvel at the work of His hands - obvious in the things He's created. Let's fall down on our faces and worship Him. Not the way the world tells us too, but by the way His Holiness demands.

Hallelujah and Glory to God! Holy, Holy, Holy! Holy is the Lord God Almighty, the one who was and is, and is to come!

"For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the beginning of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened" (Romans 1:20-21, ESV).