The Carpenter

I came across this picture of a burning candle with an opened Bible in the background. The room around the candle and Bible is completely dark, yet light and truth are beautifully displayed in the midst of darkness.

The great prophecy of the ancient Hebrew Prophet Joel, quoted by the Apostle Peter on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2, told of three age classes of people, and that through them God would do a remarkable spiritual thing just before what Joel called “the day of the Lord” ….the end of time. Joel said, “…your sons and daughters will prophecy….your old men will dream dreams…
Your young men will see visions”.

Nowhere in this powerful treatise of Joel, nor anywhere else in scripture, are the recipients of these spiritual happenings told to remain silent when God brings these things into their life. Quite the contrary, God always speaks with purpose. It’s time to speak…it’s time to listen…it’s time to act……Last night I dreamed a dream.

Now I preface the telling of this dream, by emphatically stating not all dreams are spiritual or prophetical in nature. Our subconscious psyche and the signals produced in the brain’s bank of memory can trigger the phenomenon of dreams, many of which are nonsensical and even humorous in nature.
Nevertheless, God can give dreams, for in scripture, Joseph, the Apostle Peter, the Apostle Paul, and even a Midianite soldier in Gideon’s day all experienced dreams that came from God.
Last night I dreamed I was sent on a journey, and as I started the journey, a voice spoke to me and said, “This journey will be hard, with many distractions, but don’t stop until you meet The Carpenter.”

I remember going through floodwaters that were very dangerous, and I remember being in a society where people were monitored and constantly questioned by police and authority figures. I also remember holding a brown Bible I couldn’t let go of. A voice in the dream kept saying, “Don’t stop; you have got to reach The Carpenter.”

In the dream, I started sharing the Bible and the redemption story, and the people were so kind to me and receptive and clung to my words of hope as if they had lost all hope. But what really shocked me was the fact that they knew nothing of the Bible at all, no scripture knowledge whatsoever. There were a few who said they had heard of The Carpenter but had not met him. I just kept sharing, and the love I felt from them was so very real.

Finally, I reached the steps of a large home, though the image of that home was a place of white and flawless light. I felt total, indescribable peace, and the voice in my dream said, “You have reached The Carpenter.” I then awakened.

I realize by sharing this that I have made myself vulnerable by my transparency. Some may laugh, which is their sophisticated way of brushing off or having to accept anything that may reflect the supernatural and doesn’t fit the narrow perimeters of their personally decided Christian narrative, though I don’t see anything in the dream I had that conflicts with scripture.

Some may say a leader should be less transparent about a matter such as a dream. Others may say the prophecy of Joel, quoted by Peter on the Day of Pentecost, is not for this day and time.
My response to that is this….What kind of God called leader, who is a follower of Jesus, and filled with God’s Spirit, can be silent when God speaks to him? God did not call us to dignity….. He called us to obedience.

It is high time, indeed way past time, for leaders in the body of Christ to stop being so concerned about their own personal image, public relations, political correctness, and how things will affect their vote-getting status, and be obedient, spirit-empowered soldiers of the Cross of Jesus Christ.

Finally, one more aspect of my dream…during the entire dream, I could hear the words of an old chorus from a Gospel song I used to hear many years ago. Most of the time, it was sung in the smaller churches I evangelized in and accompanied with an acoustic guitar. I had not thought of it in years. Here are those beautiful chorus words I heard in my dream…..
“There’s a light guiding me, I can see Heaven’s
glory, And it holds me steadfast in His way and His love.
He’s guiding me through temptation and evil,
There’s a light guiding me to that Heaven above.”

Folks, it’s time to focus on following the light and reaching the Home of The Carpenter. At the end of the day…nothing else will matter.

General Director

Dr. David M. Griffis