In September of last year, I received a dream from the Lord that convicted and blessed me.
I would like to say that I have always been faithful to God's instruction to us in this dream -- and in his word (most importantly). But the truth is, I haven't always been obedient. So, as I share this now, I find myself convicted all over again. God is gracious, however, to not condemn. Rather, with a pat on the head, he says, "Off you go."
This dream is about evangelism.
I was in a field. The sun was golden and low in the sky. There was a stage at one end of the field and a few people setting up musical instruments as if they might be preparing to lead worship. I was sitting on a boulder underneath a big evergreen tree watching two men in conversation, gesturing towards the empty field between us and the stage. I could see that they were discussing a problem that had to do with an event.
I asked if I could be of service and they invited me to make sandwiches. I made them and then took them into a building with two rooms. In one room was a long table with well-dressed people around it, eating a spread of food laid before them. Across the hallway was a room of convicted felons around a table. I noticed that the nicely dressed-for-church-looking people were eating to their hearts' content but that the prisoners had no food at all. This bothered me, so I began to take trays of food from the table and lay them before the prisoners, who were rather intimidating, with tough exteriors and lude behaviors. They began to eat voraciously. They were starving.
When I woke up, I heard in my spirit, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workmen are few" from Luke 10:2. It continues, "Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest, that He may send out workmen into His harvest." I asked the Lord, what do you want me to do? He replied very simply, "Feed them."
The field in the dream represents the harvest of souls for salvation that will happen before the day of the Lord and the judgment of the world. "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. ... as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming." (2 Peter 3:9.) The fact that the sun was so low in the sky means that the hour is late.
The sandwiches and basic food symbolizes the word of God. Jesus is called the bread of life in the Bible. This food is the good news of the gospel message -- that Christ died for the sins of the world and that anyone who believes on him will be saved.
The felons represent the lost. Those who do not yet believe in Christ because they haven't been witnessed to. The Bible describes the world as being in captivity to sin and under condemnation by God for breaking his law. Like prisoners, we are all guilty.
The well-off Christian table, ignoring the prisoners, represents our neglect of the responsibility that God has given us to share what we have. To witness. We are required "to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound." (Isaiah 61:1)
The tree that I was sitting under represents new life begotten in Christ. "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise." (Proverbs 11:20) The boulder I was sitting on represents the bedrock of truth -- God, "the Rock of my salvation." (Psalm 89:26) This is all the equipment we need to evangelize.
In Revelation, 2:5, a church is told to repent and do the first works -- evangelism. God wants to extend the mercy of the cross to all. His means of grace is the active witness of Christians. According to the dream, we have become comfortable and complacent in our church bubbles and are not reaching the lost with the urgency that we should be.
We can boldly declare our faith to all because God promises to reap a harvest from it. He's looking for committed kingdom workers. And there aren't many, as the men at the vacant event in the empty field were puzzling over. The invites hadn't gone out.
We don't have to pray for boldness. We don't have to wait to have it all together. We aren't to wait until we perceive a perfect "opportunity" in natural conversation. God gave us everything we need to share our faith in Christ the day we were saved by faith. We are called to simply extend the love and grace we have been given in Jesus to those we meet. We don't need to be intimidated by a tough exterior. God has prepared many hearts. The harvest is ripe! People are starving. Let us feed them the good news and trust that God will bring the increase.
Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.
Hosea 13:3
I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.
Matthew 25:36
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!
Isaiah 52:7