Dream of the Pilgrim
The Lord gave me a dream similar to John Bunyan’s, “The
Pilgrim’s Progress.” Although the dream was not as long, or as detailed, as
Bunyan’s dream, it was at least two hours in length. I will give a condensed
version of the dream. As the dream began, I was looking down upon a ship that
appeared to be from the Colonial era. Next, I found myself standing within the
ship talking to my wife, I explained to her that we were in Plymouth,
Massachusetts and the ship was a reproduction of the Mayflower. We then
discussed how America was founded as a Christian nation, as well as how most
Americans have removed God from sight and sound in order to pursue their own
pleasures. I also understood, that Christians are pilgrims passing through this
world, with the responsibility of sharing the Gospel with the unsaved.
Then I noticed a large staircase ascending into the air with
many rooms attached at different levels. I began to ascend the staircase and I
entered a room that resembled a ballroom, filled with people dressed in formal
attire. The Lord told me that these people were lovers of pleasure more than of
God, and most of them never read a single verse from the Bible in their life. I
then noticed that many of the people were carrying glasses of wine in their
hands, and most were drunk.
Next, I entered a room filled with men, drunk from the wine
of sin, and there was broken glass everywhere. Many of the men had passed out
and some were dead. Then the Lord said to me, “The wages of sin is death.”
Then I entered another room filled with men that had lost
all hope and they were very depressed. I felt their despair and it was quite
overwhelming, it gave me a strong sense of compassion for these men. The Lord
said, “This is the place of despair, and true peace is found only in a
relationship with me.”
Then I noticed a room
at the very top of the staircase, and it was very high in the air. I entered
the room, and I noticed a pulpit with three crosses engraved on it, as well as
altars for kneeling all around the room.
Above the room there was no ceiling, only a beautiful sky filled with
the golden light of God’s glory. The Lord said to me, “This is the place of
repentance and new birth.” I understood that if a person would repent of their
sins, as well as put their faith in Christ, that they would experience true
peace, as well as joy, and would discover the true meaning of life. Then I
departed the room and began to descend the staircase.
I then noticed a man climbing the staircase toward the upper
room. He was covered with leprosy, as well as stank with a pungent body odor
from sin. I felt unconditional love for this man and I would do anything I
could to help him. I did not care what he looked like, or the smell that came
from his body. I reached out my arm to
him and asked if I could give him a hand.
I helped pull him up, and I gave him a hug, and told him that I loved
him. I told him that I knew what was in the upper room and he replied, “Don’t
tell me, I must find out for myself.” Before the man ascended the staircase to
this upper room, I told him that things were going to get a whole lot better! The
Lord told me that after this man repented of his sins and experienced the new
birth, he would be healed from sin, as well as given a white garment.
I awoke from this
dream in tears, because I could feel the love that God has for his creation. I
understood that God loved mankind so much, that he was willing to leave his
throne in Glory and become a man and die on the cross for us. If we will
surrender all to the Lord, he will give us eternal life. To know Christ, is to
know true fulfillment. If you will allow God’s Spirit to transform you, you
will be a vessel that He may work through.
I love the parables
of the lost sheep and the prodigal son, because they show the love that the
Father has for us. The self-righteous Scribes and Pharisees were berating
Christ, because he received tax collectors and sinners, as well as ate with
them. Therefore, Christ told them several parables, which reflect how much he
cares for every single soul. (Luke 15:4)
"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does
not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost
until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders,
rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and
neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which
was lost!'
We all know John
3:16, that the Father so loved the world that he sent Christ so that we might
not perish, but have everlasting life. Christ is willing to leave the ninety-
nine sheep in the wilderness to search for the lost one. The same is true
today; Christ will do everything it takes to restore a backslidden Christian through
repentance. God’s Holy Spirit will convict a person of their sins, and the Lord
will even use tragedy, as well as blessings, to teach us his ways. This brief
life on earth is a school of hard knocks. We are exposed to both the kingdoms
of God and Satan; therefore, it is up to us to choose good over evil.
The parable of the
prodigal son relates to most of us. The prodigal demanded his inheritance from
his father and wasted it on rebellious living. Then a severe famine came upon
the land and he considered eating the pods, that were fed to swine. Then he
remembered that his father’s hired servants had plenty of bread, therefore, he
decided to return home to work for his father. There is no lasting peace in
rebellious living, for the wages of sin is death. God will supply all of our
needs, if we will live in obedience to him. True peace and fulfillment, comes
by making Christ our Lord, through keeping his commandments. Believing in
Christ, or saying an acceptance prayer, as well as being baptized, will not
save your soul, unless you are truly born again. We are all called to bear much
fruit for the kingdom of God.
When the prodigal son
returned home and was still a great distance from home, his father saw him and
ran to him and kissed him. The repentant son said, (Luke 15:21) “'Father, I
have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be
called your son.” 22 But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best
robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23
And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for
this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they
began to be merry.
This parable
reflects how each of us would respond to our wayward children returning home. I
love how the father ran to kiss his repentant son, and immediately put a robe
and sandals on him, as well as, a ring upon his hand. The ring was a token of
family membership; and reflects how our heavenly Father is willing to forgive
and restore, his repentant children. There is grace, for sins that are repented
of. When a person is truly sorry for their sinful lifestyle, God will blot out
all of their sins and give them a fresh start. Willful, habitual sins are known
as bondages and they will lead to spiritual death, if there is no repentance.
Those who keep the faith and endure unto the end shall inherit eternal life.
We should display the love of Christ toward those who are
currently living the prodigal lifestyle. I have witnessed self-righteous
Christians, who like the Scribes and Pharisees, looked down upon those who are
in a rebellious lifestyle. These modern day Pharisees also despise those who
attempt to befriend, or reach out, to those who are lost or backslidden. We should all have the same attitude as
Christ and be willing to reach out in love, to restore those who have fallen
away. If you will humble yourself before the Lord, he may send you out to
recover that lost sheep. I have said many times, that we should look beyond the
fault and see the need. God does not look at the outward appearance, but on the
heart and we should do the same.
It should not matter
if a person is poor, rich, or dressed in rags, we should display the love of
Christ for all of mankind. We should not judge a person based upon their race,
the length of their hair, or what kind of job or home they may have. I greatly
admire the late pastor David Wilkerson, who founded the Times Square Church in
New York City. Pastor Wilkerson, reached out to people of every race and
economic status and created a truly diverse congregation, that reflects his
multi-cultural city. It is very beautiful, to see people of different races and
cultures come together in unity, to worship their Lord.
The world is a mission field waiting to be harvested for the
Kingdom of God. The Lord is looking for people with hearts filled with love
that are willing to answer the call. I dreamed that there were two young men of
different races who repented of their sins. The Lord was both their judge, as
well as their probation officer. One man had been, delivered from drug
addiction, the other from pornography. The Lord had them each; write a letter
of repentance to him. I placed my arms around both of them and prayed for them.
I felt tremendous love and compassion for these young men. The atoning blood of
Christ, is able to wash away all of our sins, if we will turn from them. The
Lord desires for his children to take the message of redemption to the entire
world.
You may be the only Christian in the life of someone, and
you have the ability to throw a life preserver to a person drowning in his, or
her, sin. I woke up from this dream to a song from Sandi Patti entitled: “Upon
This Rock.” The lyrics from this song have a powerful message to them. The song
is concerning being a reflection of Christ, a rock that God can build his
kingdom upon. Christ told Peter that he was a rock to be built upon. Like
Peter, we are to be a rock to a lost and dying world.
The Lord called me to
the street ministry at the age of sixteen. I spent many years sharing my faith
on the streets of Little Rock, Kansas City, as well as New Orleans. Later
years, I served the body of Christ as a pastor, as well as an evangelist. I
heard the life stories of many people, from many different backgrounds. I heard
of tragedy, sickness, sorrow, depression, as well as joy, from ordinary people.
The Lord gave me a heart of compassion for people because I asked for it. The
Lord will also give you a heart for people if you ask him to.
The Kingdom of Heaven
consists of ordinary people. God is not impressed with the successful, popular,
or best-looking people; he is looking for ordinary people who are willing to
make him Lord of their lives. I have talked to many people who felt that they
were beyond hope, because of the wicked things that they have done. The truth is
that God is willing to forgive us of all of our sins, give us a fresh start, if
we will confess our sins to him and turn away from them. If a person backslides
away from Christ and repents, there is restoration, because of the atonement
that Christ provided for upon the cross. If we fall, we should get back up,
repent, dust ourselves off, and press forward in our relationship with Christ.
Never give up, learn from your mistakes, and continue to grow in Christ and
produce good fruit. When the Devil reminds you of your past, remind him of his
future. Your past is under the blood, and is forgotten by God.
Consider the parable of the wedding feast (Matt 22:1-14).
Christ taught that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a king, who arranged a wedding
feast in honor of his son. He sent out servants to invite people to come. Those
invited, made light of it and mistreated, and killed his servants. The king
sent out his armies and destroyed the murderers, and burned their city. Then he
sent his servants to go out into the highways, and invite as many as they find,
both good, and bad, to the wedding. The wedding hall was filled, but the man
who did not have on a wedding garment was cast into outer darkness, where there
is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Christ said, “Many
are called, but few are chosen.” If you belong to Christ, then you are
commissioned to go out into the world, and compel all to come to Christ. The churches
consist of both wheat and tares. It is the Lord, who will do the separation in his
timing. The tares will be removed and cast into the fire of destruction. This
teaching of Christ, should remind all of us to keep our spiritual garments
clean for the wedding feast of the Lamb. Christ is returning for a bride
without spot or wrinkle. God’s Word teaches us that if we continue in willful
sins, then we deny both the Father and the Son. We must allow God’s spirit to
purify us.
If we truly believe that the Bible is the Word of God, then
we should do everything within our power to persuade others to believe also.
Like Simon and Andrew, we are called to be fishers of men (Mark 1:14-18). God’s
Word teaches us that we are sinners in need of a savior, and Jesus Christ is
the only way of salvation. Apart from Christ, there is no hope of eternal life,
only damnation.
(Luke 16: 19-31)
Christ taught us a parable about Hell. Hell, also known as Hades, or Sheol, is
the abode of the spirits of the dead awaiting the resurrection. Christ taught
us that Sheol is divided into sections, separated by a great chasm. The
righteous go into Paradise, also known as Abraham’s bosom, and the wicked into
prison, or torment. After the second resurrection of the dead, there will be
the great white throne judgment. The righteous will inherit the Kingdom of God,
and the sinners will be cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death.
Death and Hell, will also be cast into the lake of fire. I believe that the
original Greek language of the New Testament indicates that this is the destruction
or extinction of the unsaved. The prison of Hell will also be destroyed at this
time. A proper translation of the Greek indicates a final and irrevocable
decree, not eternal torment.
(Rev 20: 11) Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat
on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found
no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God,
and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life.
And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were
written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and
Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one
according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of
fire. This is the second death 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of
Life was cast into the lake of fire.
The illustration of
the rich man being in torment and Lazarus being comforted, should shake us to
the core (Luke 16: 19-31). The rich man was dressed in nice garments, but
refused to have compassion on Lazarus who was covered in sores, as well as
begging for bread. When they both died, Lazarus was carried by the angels to
paradise, to be comforted, and the rich man was tormented by a flame in Hell.
If we believe that Hell is a real place, we should do everything possible to
persuade everyone we know to accept Christ in order to escape this place of
torment. If we saw a child about to walk
out in front of a semi- truck, would we not try to save them? Or if we noticed
a burning car with people inside on the side of the road, would we not also try
to save them? Every day we are among those in danger of Hell fire. Do you share
your faith with them, or do you try to fit in with the crowd in order to please
men rather than God?
This life is like a vapor in comparison to eternity. Our
lives are in God’s hands, and we don’t know when we will depart this earth. If
you were killed in a car wreck today, are you prepared to meet your maker?
God’s Word says that today is the day of salvation. This means that we have no
guarantee of tomorrow, and we need to make Christ our Lord today. We must enter
by the narrow gate that leads to eternal life, because wide and broad is the
way that leads to destruction. God’s Word says that the soul that sinneth will
surely die. This destruction is the second death.
We should live a life worthy of an ambassador for Christ,
because the world is watching. We need to be the salt of the earth, letting our
light shine before men, that they may see our good works and glorify our Father
in Heaven. Let us all pray that the Lord of the harvest will send us out.
After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also,
and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He
Himself was about to go. Then He said to them, "The harvest truly [is]
great, but the laborers [are] few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to
send out laborers into His harvest. Go
your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves (Luke 10:1-3).
