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I awoke from a dream from the Lord the morning of August 27, 2020. I believe it was a message for Christians and certainly for me as well. It was a dream urging us to unlock the front doors of the Gospel message to others.

The Dream

The Rector

As I looked through a window I saw a lady approaching my house. However, she came to an open window and we spoke to one another.

She said, “I am the rector of the church across the street. We have decided to leave the front door unlocked instead of just the back door.” I invited her inside and she continued by saying, “That way, if someone walks by on the sidewalk and checks to see if they can come in the church, they will be able to enter easily.”

I responded, “Yes, that’s a good idea because if the door is locked, they will leave and walk on, looking for answers elsewhere– like through yoga or something.” She agreed wholeheartedly because I had understood her reasoning.

The Church

In the dream, I looked at the front of the church building. It was a small to medium sized structure with beautiful all-wood, cherry-stained windows. The sides of these tall windows arched from the bottom of the front wall to a point at the top. There were three of those windows overlapping each other making one large beautiful window on the front of the church. The door was to the right of the windows.

The sidewalk was close to the front of the church. Beautiful tall trees shaded the sidewalk and the front side of the church. The church building was deep so that the back door was situated far away in the hot sun. This church was located in the city but strangely, my home across the street seemed to be in a rural type neighborhood.

Be Open to the Lord

I believe the lady rector represents the Holy Spirit who is the supreme authority of the church. If we love the Lord, He will find the open window and dialog with us. We must invite the Holy Spirit in to give us counsel, willing to make whatever changes needed to please the Lord.

The Temple

The church building in the dream represents the Temple of the Holy Spirit, which is the Body of Christ. This is both each member of the Body of Christ and all of us together who make up the whole Body of Christ. I am speaking of the spiritual church, not the buildings or organizations where we meet, although it may apply to them as well.

We are walking temples of the Holy Spirit. Though our Kingdom is in Heaven, the Lord has positioned each one of us here on this earth in the city where people pass by us on a regular basis. These are neighbors, restaurant servers, the repair person, the homeless person, the bank teller and others we come in contact with.

We, God’s Temple, are beautiful in Christ! Our windows point Heavenward to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. People can see inside the beautiful windows. They might see the joy on our faces or the patience we have with others. Even in a greeting they may pick up on our genuine concern. They see the fruit of the grace of God in our lives.

When we are full of God’s presence, it’s like shade to those who pass by. They will sense hope and many will react positively. Some may not openly respond because of fear or doubt, but they will be curious. They will want to peer into the windows of grace. They may desire to walk into the same freedom we have in Christ. But if the front door is locked, they surely will walk on by.

Locked Doors

Why do people not want to have anything to do with Christianity? I’m sure there are many reasons for that. But sometimes, people get the impression that Christianity is about performance. They picture Christians doing their duty for God. It seems like a lot of hard work to “get into Heaven.”

Is the Message Clear?

Are we giving them the impression that they have to clean up their hearts before coming to the Lord? Do they feel unwelcome, like they don’t belong to our club? Everyone is looking for God’s love, but are they hearing the true message of the cross?

They may sense the love of God on the outside, but is the Seed of God’s Word being delivered to their hearts? Is it so hard for them to find Jesus, the Open Door, that they give up? If so, they will walk away and look for an open door somewhere else. They will find one, but it won’t be Jesus.

People are spending their precious time and hard-earned money trying one thing and another but never finding rest in the grace of their Savior, Jesus Christ. The world is wide open but we, the Temple, are often so closed up.

Ashamed of the Gospel

Many Christians are ashamed to share Jesus with unbelievers because their own love-relationship with the Lord has grown cold. They are confused about their faith so they are afraid they might bring someone else into their own chaos.

Jesus took our confusion, our chaos and our sin upon Himself when He paid the price for our punishment on the cross. He is alive, loves us dearly and wants a living relationship with us through the Holy Spirit. We don’t have to have everything figured out. In fact, we cannot figure everything out. But God requires us to seek a relationship with Jesus and by faith rejoice in what He has done for us.

The Gospel is God’s Power – Not Ours

…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23. NET

Many Christians and churches are so exhausted because they have been “working hard to measure up” to expectations rather than simply following the Holy Spirit. Everyone has “fallen short.” No one can “measure up” to God’s perfect standard or the standards that other people place on us for that matter! That is why Jesus died on the cross– to be punished in our place so we can become born again by the power of God’s Spirit.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. Romans 1:16. NKJV

Churches can easily “lock the front door” by making the Good News of Jesus a difficult riddle to be solved. But eternal salvation through Jesus is not hard work. It’s a beautiful, refreshing free gift from God! Jesus Christ died and rose again so we can be washed of all our sins and know God intimately! Because of Jesus we are safe in God’s arms. We can live on earth but be seated in the heavenly realms with God at the same time!

I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. John 10:9 NKJV

Wear the Door

Sometimes we “lock the front door” for the same reason we lock doors in real life– fear. We are afraid of what people might do if we share with them about Jesus.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 NLT

We have authority over the spirit of fear through the Holy Spirit. But we must keep our relationship with the Lord fresh and alive by spending time with Him. When we’ve been in the presence of the Holy Spirit, a fresh download of His love inside us is our motivation to spread the Good News.

The Simple Gospel of Jesus

The cherry stained windows represent the cross of Jesus stained with His precious Blood. As the beautiful wooden windows point upward, we also need to point to Christ. Let’s make Jesus, the Door, accessible and invite folks into a personal relationship with Him. Nobody should have to take a long walk through the hot parking lot, searching for a back door to find the true and simple message of Jesus.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. John 3:16-17 NIV

Wherever You Are

We have the hope of the world. People need to know Jesus now. For some, time is running out. Others live in anxiety and despair as this world seems to be growing darker. This is clearly a perfect time to share the love of God. He calls us to share the Gospel through many different means and tools. The way you share the love of Jesus will be unique and powerful as you allow God to light you up with His love in the secret place of prayer!

You are the light of [Christ to] the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; Matthew 5:14 AMP

Unlock the Front Door

Pray about how to be a blessing in your community and workplace so Jesus can shine through you. We don’t have to be best friends with everyone, but we can at least be friendly. Whether they are a Christian or not, many will be blessed by the cool shade of the Holy Spirit upon you. You will be hated by some. But then, there will be that curious soul who reaches for the Door handle. This will be your opportunity to tell what Jesus has done for you. Don’t let them find a locked door. Be ready to share the simple Gospel of Jesus Christ!

But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. 1 Peter 3:14-15 NLT

Jesus Christ loves you and paid the price for you to be forgiven by God. He wants you to be safe in His care for eternity. If you want to know God personally, click here: Meet Jesus. God bless you!