A Dream On Stewardship

Ride in a limo? Airplanes?

(This will be a long read! Please bear with me.)

Last night one of my dreams took place in front of our church fellowship, The Village Church. In the dream many people were inside the school wing and there was an opportunity to participate in helping get the new limousine ready to bless folks with.

A little back ground on me and limousines. When we had our church fellowship I was preparing to buy a limousine for the church. Not a new one but a nice one. (It even had a hot tub in the back!) My reason was (Other than it was kind of cool…) that I would chauffeur people for anniversaries and birthday parties in the church. And do special things to celebrate successes. Take elderly people shopping. (My wife tells me it was a better idea than the army tank I was going to buy.) But, “cooler” heads prevailed and I was asked to not do that.

The other little background is the road that leads to our fellowship was recently redone including a new bridge and the leveling of the road. (Proverbs 3:6) I see this as preparation. (Our church building is not on the main drag.)

What was happening in the building was that people were encouraged to participate in personal growth and kingdom growth. They had the option of “buying” a part of the limousine. (The end game was that all had ownership in the result.) I walked out to check this Lincoln limousine. Out behind it in the meadow were two small airplanes. (Last night I had 3 dreams about airplanes and flying.) I wandered about and even in the dream I felt this nudge from God. “This is reality. Prepare people for good things. Tell them about stewarding.”

I awoke as I heard people talking about “investing in the unseen” like the undercarriage.

As I often do I begin to process dream(s) and this morning was no different. First I felt this was more than a dream for Village, more than regional picture.

The Lord reminded me of this group of scriptures beginning in 2Kings 7:3. There were four lepers who were starving. (I will get to this shortly.)

There were key things that stood out in the dream and I list them here.

The Village Church-Our church fellowship is in a new season of goodness and wonder. But in the dream I think it is representative of the church at large. Of relationships, of the “one another’s” throughout the scriptures. That a “village” will help a city, change a nation. That there is a return to relationships and recognition that the “body of Christ” is part of Christ not just a name.
Helping with a new limo-A limo represents affluence or prosperity, comfort and class. But in the dream it represented the ambassadorial call to take ministry to the people. Not with arrogance but bringing the table of the Lord to people. The comfort spoke of seatedness wherein we are seated in “high places.” W we are not thinking too highly of ourselves for we are “kings and priests.” It also spoke of livery or legal possession. Vehicles often speak of ministry.
In the school wing-I think it is representative of what is taught. The teaching is being called into play. A true recognition of teachers is coming. They are the preface to miracles.
1 Corinthians 12:28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.
People could participate-we are an “everyone can play” kingdom. Jesus is calling us all to participate. Every part of the body is necessary for the function and arising of mature sons of God. (Romans 8:19)
Ownership or stewardship-we will learn to differ between the two of these. We will see that God has given us a holy calling. One that shores up the need for responsibility in the body of Christ.
“The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” (Ps. 24:1)
As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. (1 Pet. 4:10, NASB)
2 airplanes in the meadow-As mentioned before various modes of transportation often signify ministry and I think that the significance of this is the location. A meadow.
Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. John 4:35
(Is it possible that the white is significant of the shedding of the blood of Jesus?)
This is reality-That which we see from a heavenly perspective, including heaven itself, is that not more the reality than that which we walk about in?
People being asked outside-No longer are we seeing what is done as an “inside the church” job but a recognition of that which is outside.
Preparation for good things-So many have prepared for disaster, but have you prepped for good things? Have you cleaned the “garage” to accommodate the new ministry? The new work? Are you prepared for the harvest or have you hunkered down bemoaning the “world going to hell in a handbasket”? (You do know that handbaskets were for the decapitated heads of guillotined men and women?”) But we have a new head (Christ) we are growing up into. Our preparation ought to be for goodness and not despair. If you believe God is a good God giving good gifts why freak out? Get ready!
Educate about stewardship. (There is a difference between ownership and stewardship.) This is something I will pursue in coming days but suffice to say God has given us each sphere of influence. And like Eleazar, son of Dodo (I Chronicles 11:12-14) we have a bean patch to fight for. Not all battles are fought in the mountain tops but in the obscurity of valleys. Were the beans really that important? Perhaps not. BUT, these men had a keen sense of what BELONGED to God and what BELONGED to David, their king. That was it! Not the size of the field that determined their stand. No. But it belonged to those they loved and that made it worth fighting for. And they defended those patches like they were fields of diamonds! God blessed them with great victories and David remembered them with great honor.
Investing in the unseen-Too often people look about and determine their investment from that perspective. Or from a perspective of their destiny rather than seeing “heaven come to earth.” When I look out a hundred years from now that is what I want to build for. Oh, it does not mean there are not valley fights but the mountaintop reveals the destination. What you cannot see often is more important than what you do see.
Investing in the uncomely-The Bible talks about the uncomely parts of the body. (1 Corinthians 12:21-25)Are we bestowing the “abundant honor” upon these parts? Are we not seeing that which is called a “feeble” part is necessary? Stewardship often gives care and value to A) that not seen and B) that not “beautiful.”
Investing in the undercarriage of the “limo”-There is a shoring up of ministry and the people called into it. Clearly the ability to do is predicated upon a lot that is not “seen.” I am thankful for those who sow into my life behind the scenes. This is a critical for the kingdom to expand and the church to go forward.
Waking up-It is one thing to dream big or to have big dreams. It is yet another to awaken and accomplish what you have seen. The conversion of a dream is not like the lottery. You can see the lottery. (Or as a famous ad says, “you can’t win if you don’t play.”) But you will have to make steps.

This morning an old friend reminded me of a hardware store from our youth. This Switzerland born couple came to our small rural community. They bought a piece of property on a back road and they made it one of the most wondrous properties in the area. Complete with a pond, willow trees, swans and manicured lawn, I still remember the smells of the acidic fertilizers in my nose. They made this property their little piece of Switzerland. We ought make our earth like heaven.

Four lepers. Years ago my friend Jack Taylor shared from this passage 2 Kings 7. It is one of those teachings that never left my mind. “Can’t stay here. Can’t go back. Must go on. Got to tell somebody.” You need to read the story. Because the church clearly cannot be impregnated with the DNA of heaven and think it can go back or stay here. Impregnation connotes growth. Growth is a precursor to birth. And birth is a new creation. Your continued growth is because you were “born from above” and have to grow. Now the bigger question upon coming on such a collection of gems and treasures. (Like the lepers, their enemies had been scattered. You have authority as Jesus did over ALL the works of the devil. The devil is not strong but he is a liar. But you my friend are seated high above principality, rulers of darkness and all wickedness. It is time you TELL SOMEBODY.

Once we were darkness. Many say that darkness is absence of light, but anyone who ever studied darkness knows that it is a tangible substance. A force. Light is the absence of darkness. Darkness is not made up the way light is. Light struggles to go straight through darkness it is revealed. God was always there-so why wasn’t their light? And only when He spoke it? Dark matter? It is resistance to light. But we are more than overcomers. Seated above. Defeaters of darkness.

And so as I review this dream, I see that we are in a season that is calling us to care. Caring for one another as well as caring for what has been given into our life. Ministry is about being in relationship with Him and with others.