Dream Again

Subject: Don’t Give Up on Your Dreams

by Rick Welborne

Genesis 37:5 (NLT)
⁵  One night Joseph had a dream… 

Proverbs 13:12 (NLT)
¹²  Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life. 

Acts 2:17 (NLT)
¹⁷  ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. 

--Today with God’s help we are starting a series called Dream Again.

--I will be the first to admit that it has been difficult to focus on dreams promised either recently or years ago because of all that is going on in the world.

--At the end of last year (actually the whole year) we had one of the most divisive presidential campaigns in US history. The war continues with the country divided between right and left.

--Whether you think your side won or not, the truth is, our country is divided and the hostility is running high. It is hard not to get emotionally tied up in that. Constant negativity and accusations in the media.

--Cyber-attacks are increasing daily, Harvey, Irma, South Texas, South Louisiana, The Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Florida, Mexico, and then, most recently, Los Vegas…59 dead and over 500 injured…many critical. 

--Pray for your President and all those surrounding him…so many disasters to try to manage when you are being attacked on every front. Pray for mercy, grace, and wisdom.

--Even though we can all give thanks for God’s hand being on us through Irma and for Him protecting us… storms have a way of being draining, distressing, expensive, and the worst to me…disorienting. 

--Before Irma we had never lost our electricity for more than 12 hours so it was hard for me to relate to people walking around in a zombie like state…what is wrong with these people? Then, it happened.

--You are tired, you are very much inconvenienced by the lack of comforts we have grown to expect, a/c, water, and easy access to whatever you need…fuel!

--You keep telling yourself and even telling the Lord how blessed you are…we lost electricity but some lost lives and some lost everything…now you fight guilt for whining.

--Sometimes storms and life leaves us in a bad place even when the lights come back on…things pile up and we forget to take the time to worship and to cast our care on Him for He cares for us.

--I don’t know about you but when innocents are buried in the rubble of an earthquake, when people are drowned because of flooding, when people who are just having fun and are killed…it affects me.

--I find myself, in the middle of the night weeping and broken, praying over and over saying “God please rescue these people”. Do we care enough to pray when they are perishing…souls lost or saved for eternity.

--I was so glad that the Grants were here after Hurricane Irma to do the Sunday morning and night services…I was exhausted from limbs and trees. I love and thank God for those two. They spoke God’s Word to us…to me.

--Beth Grant told us that night…Through this storm, by experiencing this storm, God was going to give us a voice like never before…in other words…He was going to give us the ability to dream again.

--I have been asking God this week to speak to me about His dreams for me, my family, and for you…the church of Jesus Christ…three things He spoke to me.

1. Don’t worry! Your dreams will be fulfilled!

--When the Lord first spoke those words to me I must admit that I was not very excited…I was about as excited as a one legged man in a hiney kicking contest.

--God had forgotten the world was going to hell in a hand basket, that I am praying for a prodigal, that I am praying for finances, praying for family situations, praying for hurting people in the church.

--I felt the need to remind Him what all was going, obviously He was surprised and apologized immediately…

No, He did not do that, He simply said “I know…dream again and don’t worry! Led me to these verses:

Philippians 4:4-8 (NLT)
⁴  Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!
⁵  Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.
⁶  Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
⁷  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
⁸  And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 

--Rejoice…I say it again—rejoice…I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall be continually in your mouth. Why does God have to keep reminding us of this…because life is tough and draining.

Habakkuk 3:17-19 (NKJV)
¹⁷  Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls--
¹⁸  Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
¹⁹  The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer's feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills. 

--Not only does He tell us to rejoice and to worship Him…He goes on and tells us that in whatever situation we are in we must be considerate, gentle to everyone. Really, God, I don’t feel real nice.

--Oh, I need to be nice because You are coming soon…that is really a great reason. Don’t worry…pray! Sounds good and it even sounds spiritual but it ain’t easy when life is tough.

--Spirit filled people like to say…Pray thru…which my interpretation of that was always that we stay at the altar until we have some kind of manifestation of God’s presence…I think it can be that but even more!

--My interpretation is that when we are in a tough situation…we worship, we treat people right, we recognize the soon coming of Christ, we don’t worry, and then, we pray until we get thru the situation.

--Worry has never changed anything but prayer has moved mountains…You are dreaming again and there is a mountain in the way…worry want move it but prayer can. 

Matthew 21:21-22 (NKJV)
²¹  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,'

it will be done.
²²  And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

--Once we gain God’s peace thru worship and prayer God’s peace comes. Then, we can think on those things that are true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.

2. Never forsake your God given dreams! God will fulfill them!

Genesis 37:5 (NLT)
⁵  One night Joseph had a dream… 

--Joseph, as a teenager, had a dream that his brothers and his parents would someday bow down to him and obviously they were all so happy about that…might have been better to use wisdom about his dreams.

--But you see, God dreams are that way, they are so exciting and so beautiful that you cannot keep them to yourself. Note: There will always be those who will try to kill your dreams.

--When I was a youth pastor in South Louisiana…we were on a mission’s trip to Mexico…I was on the backside of a mountain praying for the evening service…also begging God to let me be a missionary there.

--God spoke in 1982 and said you will go back to La. You will eventually become a lead pastor and when you do, your mission will be to make that church a great missions church. You have heard that part of the story.

--Listen because this key…when I got back to La. I did not immediately start looking for a church to pastor. God had said I would eventually become a lead pastor…it was not something I had to force. Just be faithful!

--Soon after I returned I was invited by the A/G leadership to come to the District for an important meeting…I had no idea what was happening…I asked my lead pastor to go with me because I was under His authority.

--He already knew about the meeting…I was so humbled when those men of God began to share one by one how they saw God’s hand on my life and how God was going to use me in the ministry. I was shocked.

--The Superintendent led the other leaders (20) to lay hands on me so that God would anoint me to be whatever God wanted me to be…they said I would hear from them soon about my future…OK! I did but what happened?

--I received a letter from the GC that my license has been pulled by the La. District and they were serving me notice. I immediately contacted my Superintendent to find out what was up.

--I found out how Joseph felt when he was thrown in the pit…I asked my leader if I had misunderstood the meeting I just had with them. No, it all happened the way you say but I changed my mind.

--You called me to a meeting, I came. You and everyone else laid hands on me (with you leading the prayer) and invoked God’s blessing on me to be used in a mighty way. Yes, but I changed my mind.

--I would be dishonest if I told you I handled that gently because I was confused and angry. He warned me to calm down and I encouraged him to be honest and keep his word. They pulled my license. 

--Someone got to the leader and questioned him so he told me to re-fill out all my papers for being licensed and I would be re-instated. A month later…sorry I lost your papers…do it again. Happened again. 1983 moved Fla.

--Left La to come to Fla SEU to finish my degree. No longer licensed with AG going to an AG school to get an AG degree…many offers to go to other denominations, they said I was crazy for staying. God said stay- dream!

--Got married in 1984 and it was still not resolved…can’t be an AG pastor unless you are licensed or ordained. Met a Supt from Ohio and became friends…told him my story…He, Milton, and I went to Fla Supt.

--Funny…I told him my story and told me I was lying…that couldn’t happen. It did happen. Who was in the meeting when they laid hands on you…I told him…I know this guy…I will call…everything was confirmed.

--PFDC Supt tells me to fill out their paper work and he would fight for me…not kidding…I did the paper work and they said they lost it…I almost did too…had to meet with them and do the paper work again.

--We were almost resolved to the fact that me being ordained in the AG was not going to happen…so close to giving up…no correspondence for months and one night at 10PM Supt calls:

--You have been fully re-instated with the AG and will be receiving a formal apology for the years you have been put thru this…I did. Their words humbled me:

PFDC Leadership: At a time when many are walking away from the AG and many are walking away from the faith, you have remained faithful and we thank you. You remained faithful in serving and ministering even when you did not have our formal blessing. Many of us in this room would probably not have stayed. Again forgive us and thank you.

--They laid hands on me and prayed for me. In Jan. 1989 I became youth pastor here and in 1991 I became the lead pastor…Dream again…First thing I planned (with Margaret Belew) Missions Convention. 

--Today we celebrate having 200 family units supporting 166 missionaries…this will be a banner year for Life!

Psalm 105:17-21 (NLT)
¹⁷  Then he sent someone to Egypt ahead of them— Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
¹⁸  They bruised his feet with fetters and placed his neck in an iron collar.
¹⁹  Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the LORD tested Joseph’s character.
²⁰  Then Pharaoh sent for him and set him free; the ruler of the nation opened his prison door.
²¹  Joseph was put in charge of all the king’s household; he became ruler over all the king’s possessions. 

3. When God fulfills the dream! Shout! The Lord has done great things for us!

Psalm 126:1-6 (NKJV)
¹  When the LORD brought back the captivity of Zion, We were like those who dream.
²  Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them."
³  The LORD has done great things for us, And we are glad.
⁴  Bring back our captivity, O LORD, As the streams in the South.
⁵  Those who sow in tears Shall reap in joy.
⁶  He who continually goes forth weeping, Bearing seed for sowing, Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, Bringing his sheaves with him.