Last night I dreamt I was at a church service. Famous speakers then a skit with famous actors (I remember seeing Kirk Cameron !), putting on an almost perfect service. However, no one responded. I look around at all the expressionless people around me. Dead but not dead. You can see the deflated faces of all the people involved in the service. They were expecting something great to happen, but nada. They're baffled at how their great production yeilded nothing. Then we all was asked to stand up for a last worship song.
I closed my eyes singing to the tunes of Worthy is the Lamb. Then there I was, though my eyes were shut, I can see I was in a different place. Like when you close your eyes and they are opened to another world. It feels as though I was standing infront of the airplane turbine engine. I'm not being blow away, but the pressure was of that great. It was the sounds of millions and millions of voices joining me in worship (no people, just beautiful voices and the feeling of being lifted up). It was so overwhelming.
Then I turned back (eyes still closed but I can see the people around me), I saw the people in the church service, dead, stale, and lifeless faces. These people are moving their lips but they are not really praising. They were just there, killing time, filling time, showing faces. No one notice anything. Don't they know that when they're praising God, they are joining forces with the voices of angels praising ? No one went to where I went. I cried.
I sensed an urgency, so I screamed out loud between words, hoping the people can hear me, "DON'T YOU KNOW HOW MUCH JESUS LOVES YOU ? HE GAVE HIS LIFE FOR YOU !" I was thinking, this is all you can do for a god who has done so much ? I don't get it. I was mad and sad at the same time. These people showed up to a church service but they're not really there.
The voices of praises around me grew louder and louder, like powerful thunder, and I was swept in. It was beyond words, it was amazing. I don't know what song we were singing but we're praising alright. The voices around me viberated through my core, shaken me so violently. It was so overwhelming that my earthly self couldn't handle it. It was just too big, too great for me, if it makes any sense at all. I can't handle it so I opened my eyes. And I woke up.
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It was early, not yet 6 am. I lay in bed revisiting the dream I just had. Then I thought about churches, about the big churches that put on major productions every Sunday, glitters and all ! with all the "right" ingredients, like beautiful stages, lightings, plush seatings, and sounds and sermons and music...Then I thought of all the people there getting all pumped up, excited for Jesus but are they really "there" or do they just go with the flow ? When we think we're winning people to Christ but really we're just loosing them to all the pretty sights and sounds ? Churches nowaday is so grand, so "glamous" ! pardon me for a lack of better word. Some church makes me feel like I'm going to a concert, a musical production. Some churches have so many attendees that I wonder why they don't open another location. When a church is that grand, the lost who wandered in there can easily get lost and go unoticed, unseen, un-cared for.
People needs Jesus. We all need God to heal and restore our brokeness. They don't need all the pretty decorations and sounds. They need to be seen. Christians are Christ's arms and feet on this world. IF we don't extend His love to this hurting world, who is ? I don't know what God wants me to do with is. Maybe just a reminder to be faithful, to do my small parts. Maybe He has a bigger plan and it's yet to be revealed to me. Whatever it is Lord, ready am I. Ready I am Lord.
