Dream about the Church

The dream took place in a hotel. In the morning I came downstairs where a lot of people were gathered in the hallways, by big windows, and doors. The walls and floors were white. There were others sitting at round white tables that were also next to big windows. Beyond the windows, a lot of people were milling around vehicles in the parking lot.

I sat down at one of the tables. Directly on the other side of that window, outside, were the others, also sitting at tables. They were all just looking at each other through that big window. Then I discovered something very odd. The people inside were scared to go to their cars because of the people who were outside. There was no reason for this peculiar behavior since the people outside were no different than the people inside. It was so ridiculous!

After I’d had enough, I stood up and loudly said to everyone inside “Do you see me? Do you see me?” Once everyone was looking at me, I walked through the door to the people on the other side. I wanted those who were inside to see that nothing bad was going to happen to me.

I started talking to those who were on the other side. I told them how scared the people were to go to their vehicles because of them. Quite a few of them stood up and said that they had no idea this was happening and didn’t want to be scare or intimidate anyone.

I tried to talk them into leaving but they didn’t want to move. I wasn’t exactly sure why they were there but I knew it wasn’t to make those who were inside scared. So after a while I went back inside to the people who were in the hotel.

That was the end of the dream.

First thing I do with my dreams is to recognize what the different things mean using the Bible, a book titled The Divinity Code, my own dream language, and the overall context of the dream. I ask the Lord for understanding and then sometimes the meaning comes into focus as it did with this one.

I came from resting with the Lord into a church that was religious (downstairs – not the upper room) and white washed (see Mt 23:27).

The people in the church are held captive by their own fear. Their fear is based on an unfounded lie that those who don’t follow Jesus will somehow harm them. Because of this, the church goers are unable to enter into God’s rest and are unable to operate in their calling and ministries. As a result those callings and ministries (cars) are going nowhere (parked) despite the hungry who are right outside the door.

Outsiders have no desire to attend church, but yet they are curious about it and about God (they were sitting at round white tables too). “Behold, I tell you, raise your eyes and observe the fields, that they are white for harvest” (Jn 4:35). The ironic thing is that the church goers are observing the fields. But yet, they are unphased by the fact that those who are ready to be harvested are watching them and waiting.

Are the outsiders who are unwilling to move seeing church members love each other? Are they seeing good works being done? Are they watching fruits of the Spirit in action?

Those in the white-washed church need to stop discussing the state of the outside world and do something about it.

A few years before having this dream I attended a church for a few months that quite literally fit this profile. The church was in a strip mall, so the entire back wall was glass windows with a glass door which was the entrance. It was also in a poor area of town. The people in the church were very afraid of those who were right outside their door. I personally heard the pastor call them demons. I confronted him a few times but was met with spiritual nonsense. Ignoring him, I often ministered to them, providing rides and food.

Some of the outsiders came into the church one Wednesday night while we were singing. I heard their drunken loud praises and turned to see them in the back row. I was elated that they had the courage to come in! One man even came right up next to me and bowed down on the floor to worship God. Putting my hand on his back, I prayed through tears for him. None of the other “insiders” joined me and sadly those men were ushered out shortly after that.

I’m hearing myself when I say this – the main reason for the church is not for those who are inside, but for the lost who are outside. Let’s go sit at those tables and talk about Jesus.