Two Missionaries Dream (Feb 2015)
Two Missionaries Dream
Dreamed February, 2015
The dream began with myself and a young sandy-haired man. We were traveling in my car out in the country asking people if there were any needs for prayer or Christian teaching.
We took turns going from door to door. Sometimes the people weren’t interested. At other times, they would invite both of us for a meal or coffee. At times, they wanted prayer but did not invite either of us inside.
Once, after going to a house and praying for someone, I came back to see the other missionary eating carrots. I asked him where he had gotten them. He answered, “From the garden. Want some?”
I replied, “You realize that is theft? Right? How can the Lord bless us when we sin like this?”
My friend mumbled a response. I added, “When they find out that you have stolen from their garden, they may not be very friendly to us or the gospel.”
We drove on as the other missionary finished chewing his carrot. The scene faded. I walked up a sidewalk which passed an enclosed play area. I could hear children laughing and playing. I considered going over to the fence and greeting them but changed my mind.
When I knocked on the house door, a couple in their fifties invited me in. After we had talked a few minutes, the couple invited my missionary friend and me in for a meal. The time went well. They even invited their grandchildren down from upstairs. I sang a song for them. I had a few strawberry mini-cakes with me that had been given to us earlier in the day. When I asked the grandparents if I could give them to the children as a gift, they happily acquiesced to my request. Not long afterward, the couple invited us to show them how to have home fellowships in their house. We promised to visit them again.
We got back in the car, and my friend took over driving. Not long after, I had a vision. During the vision, the Lord said to me, “That went well. The devil laid a trap for you, but you did not become ensnared in it.”
I watched a scene before me like a miniature movie. I watched myself going over to the enclosed play yard. Instead of children, I saw baby sheep. I fed them the strawberry mini-cakes. When I went to the door a few minutes later, the grandfather opened the door and yelled at me for taking liberties with his grandchildren. His wife yelled to her husband, “There are grapes on the floor upstairs! We don’t have any grapes! That strange man must have snuck upstairs and dropped the grapes, as he was sneaking around!” The grandfather yelled, “Leave now! Don’t ever come back!”
The vision faded. I told my missionary partner the vision and added that I didn’t have any grapes, just the mini-cakes. I opined that it meant that the devil could use false testimony against us. More than that, it would become like a power attack in video games, where a combo move increases the damage. Because the grandparents were already upset (about us giving food and talking to their grandchildren without permission) the devil used that to stir them up and tricked them into assuming that my intentions were evil. I counseled that we could not do much about false accusations but that we were responsible for our words and actions. If we as Christian workers steal, cheat, slander, or dominate others, we need to remember people are watching. When we do those things, it hinders the gospel and gives the devil room to have greater influence.
The scene faded. I had just finished ministering to a man and walked back to my car. It was gone. I prayed and waited. Just then I saw a large, white crew cab pickup speeding toward me along the sandy road. To my surprise, it entered a controlled spin and circled, creating a tiny sandstorm. The truck surged ahead, and then, slammed to a gravel-crunching stop. My missionary friend leaned out of the window. He crowed, “Look! I traded your car for this neat truck. I think it could come in handy.”
I sighed, then I replied, “It is a nice truck. And yes, it may come in handy.” I added, “You really should have asked first, as the car was mine. And I realize that you are excited, but you were just showboating with the truck. Is that really the impression that we want to be giving to the people in the area?”
I woke up. I thought about the dream. I think what it is saying can be summed up in that famous quote by St. Francis of Assisi, “Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words.” What that means is that our actions speak louder than our words. If we wish to preach the gospel, we must realize that our actions precede us.
That is, the devil, and people in general, are all watching. The devil will try to use our inappropriate actions and words to hinder our ministry as well as our reputation. People will look at the bad things we say or do to justify not listening to our message. While the Lord knows that many of us are children and that we will make mistakes, when we have been serving Him for an extended length of time, it behooves us to strive to mature. I also believe the Lord was saying that moral character is very important for those in leadership positions. Immature leaders are not only bad examples to the rest of the flock and community, but they hinder our prayers and can be used against us as we attempt to share the gospel to those around us.
Correlating Scriptures:
1st Peter 2:11-12
Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
Both people and celestial beings are watching us. Many non-Christians are looking for reasons to call us hypocrites. We influence the world around us with what we say and do. Both the good and the bad is being recorded for the time when Jesus judges our works.
I am reminded of a testimony I once read or heard.
A minister moved to a new town. Shortly after he used the local bus service to ride downtown. The new bus driver gave the minister twenty-five cents more back in change than he was entitled to receive. While sitting in his seat, the pastor thought about the extra quarter he had been given and whether he should keep it or give it back. At first, he decided to keep it, but when it was time for him to disembark, he decided to give the quarterback to the bus driver.
The bus driver smiled and said, “I know you are the new pastor in town. Just checking to see if you were honest. I’ll be at your church Sunday!” About a month later the bus driver came forward in the service to receive Christ.
Every day of our lives such simple decisions could impact the future not only for us but the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. The more we have surrendered our lives to Jesus, the more likely we will react to any given event in our lives according to the mind of Christ, rather than in a soulish, earthly manner.