Calling you into the dreams
Many ARC churches connected to the Ten Days Before Pentecost prayer focus with a mind toward opening to the influence of the Holy Spirit’s power in our lives. At the conference in April, I highlighted Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost and his reference to the prophecy of Joel (Acts 2:17-18):
17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams;
18even on my male servants and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
I have been thinking about these words for 3 months and wrestling with the Holy Spirit for greater insight into what this all might look like and whether or not God thinks this ought to be normative. Are dreaming, envisioning and prophesying a reasonable expectation for all of God’s people? The phrase ‘all flesh” would seem to indicate as much. And frankly, I believe it and am determined to proclaim that as plainly and graciously as I am able.
Here’s the central question: if the Holy Spirit lives in the soul of a believer, the same Spirit who was at the front end of creation and who lived in Jesus Christ – the very same Spirit – then can we open our hearts to the dreaming and visions and prophesying that Joel said would go beyond gender and generational restrictions and infuse every believer with the capacity to dream within the sphere of their giftings, to envision how God might use them to express His love and power to a deeply broken world, and to prophesy or speak out and act in such a way that the truth and grace of Jesus are revealed?
Believers who have “little” or more inward gifts must be called into this place of dreams and visions and prophetic action.
It’s “all flesh”, right?
It’s male servants AND female servants.
It’s old and young, unless I misread this.
Brothers and sisters, let’s not settle for the horror of being “consumers of religious goods and services”. Rather, we are a people, each gifted by the Holy Spirit to be fruitful on the common mission of God.
Believe this. Preach it boldly. And let’s trust the Holy Spirit to inspire and empower every believer toward fruit that will last.
In Jesus,
Ned