DREAM of FOOD & THE CHURCH (21.12.06)
Very busy, detail-filled dream.
I had invited someone I hadn’t seen in a while to visit and expected them to come with 2 or 3 friends. Instead, the person turned up with 60-70 laid-back, apathetic, noisy friends.
I was frantically trying to put together for them all, and time was passing rapidly – there was intense pressure.
My husband was in the kitchen helping to put together pizza type food on bread bases, we decided to serve it without heating as there was no time for this process.
My daughter suggested getting buns and letting people put it together themselves, but there was no time, and the people were not organized enough to be capable of doing this.
Lunch was late – about 3 p.m. in the afternoon.
I sat down at a table to eat with two city church leaders and the discussion turned to the church.
I asked both men “How do you define ‘church’?”
The first man gave an intellectual answer, using very lofty words that I couldn’t make sense of. He appeared to be answering on behalf of both, but I pressed the second man for an answer. At this the first man got up and left.
The second man grew increasingly uncomfortable, and said “I have to get out of here.” He left, tearing off his shirt and throwing it away as he left.
Are we ready for what is ahead in 2007? The pressure of time and numbers was so intense that we need to have food ready as there will be no time to prepare it. The time is late, and the Lord is wanting to give His servants food to have ready for the many who will come.
He IS going to re-define church, and those who hold to current understanding and mind-sets will become greatly disconcerted, even angry, at what they are presented with.
Right after the above dream I found myself reading the following:
Matt. 21:18-21 The fig tree.
Jesus had opened blind eyes, fulfilled prophecy by riding into Jerusalem as the king ‘ gentle and riding on a donkey, cleansed the temple of ‘buyers and sellers’, and again healed the blind and lame. The religious establishment were ‘indignant’!!
Now as he comes to the fig tree, it is covered in leaves – looking good – and yet he is disappointed that it bears no fruit, to the degree that he cursed the tree and it withered up.
Some rhetorical questions:
Is this what He found in Israel – something that had learnt to survive well and even look good, had enough to live on and get by, but had not borne any fruit?
Is He perhaps speaking to her?
Is this a picture of what He looks for in us – more than the ability to have found life in Him and sustain it – a desire and ability to bear fruit out of this life He has given us?
Is this a picture of the church today – looks good, but having no fruit, therefore no seeds, no ability to reproduce?
It is interesting that the fig leaves were what Adam and Eve chose to cover their shame.
Do we have anything to give to those who come looking – is there fruitfulness, something to eat in the church?
Very busy, detail-filled dream.
I had invited someone I hadn’t seen in a while to visit and expected them to come with 2 or 3 friends. Instead, the person turned up with 60-70 laid-back, apathetic, noisy friends.
I was frantically trying to put together for them all, and time was passing rapidly – there was intense pressure.
My husband was in the kitchen helping to put together pizza type food on bread bases, we decided to serve it without heating as there was no time for this process.
My daughter suggested getting buns and letting people put it together themselves, but there was no time, and the people were not organized enough to be capable of doing this.
Lunch was late – about 3 p.m. in the afternoon.
I sat down at a table to eat with two city church leaders and the discussion turned to the church.
I asked both men “How do you define ‘church’?”
The first man gave an intellectual answer, using very lofty words that I couldn’t make sense of. He appeared to be answering on behalf of both, but I pressed the second man for an answer. At this the first man got up and left.
The second man grew increasingly uncomfortable, and said “I have to get out of here.” He left, tearing off his shirt and throwing it away as he left.
Are we ready for what is ahead in 2007? The pressure of time and numbers was so intense that we need to have food ready as there will be no time to prepare it. The time is late, and the Lord is wanting to give His servants food to have ready for the many who will come.
He IS going to re-define church, and those who hold to current understanding and mind-sets will become greatly disconcerted, even angry, at what they are presented with.
Right after the above dream I found myself reading the following:
Matt. 21:18-21 The fig tree.
Jesus had opened blind eyes, fulfilled prophecy by riding into Jerusalem as the king ‘ gentle and riding on a donkey, cleansed the temple of ‘buyers and sellers’, and again healed the blind and lame. The religious establishment were ‘indignant’!!
Now as he comes to the fig tree, it is covered in leaves – looking good – and yet he is disappointed that it bears no fruit, to the degree that he cursed the tree and it withered up.
Some rhetorical questions:
Is this what He found in Israel – something that had learnt to survive well and even look good, had enough to live on and get by, but had not borne any fruit?
Is He perhaps speaking to her?
Is this a picture of what He looks for in us – more than the ability to have found life in Him and sustain it – a desire and ability to bear fruit out of this life He has given us?
Is this a picture of the church today – looks good, but having no fruit, therefore no seeds, no ability to reproduce?
It is interesting that the fig leaves were what Adam and Eve chose to cover their shame.
Do we have anything to give to those who come looking – is there fruitfulness, something to eat in the church?
No comments:
Post a Comment