The Church as you Know it is Disappearing!

"The Church as You Know it is Disappearing!"

8/11/2019

I had a powerful dream a few nights ago. I will share portions of the dream with you here, but the most notable aspect of it was that when I woke up I heard the Spirit clearly say these words: “The church as you know it is disappearing!”

Immediately I was reminded of the Scriptures. In Matthew 24, Jesus’s disciples are admiring the beautiful Jewish temple: its courts, structures, and architecture. Jesus turns to them and says: “Take a good look at all these things, for I’m telling you, there will not be one stone left upon another. It will all be leveled!” (Matthew 24:2, TPT)

A DREAM

In my dream, I was a Christian believer seeking a church home. I traveled to the location of a church I knew from my childhood, which was as grand and beautiful as the temple the disciples were admiring in Jesus’s time. The church I was familiar with was built of solid stone, was large and expansive, and had ornate stained glass windows. The nave (like an “outer court”) was very large and welcoming, and the ministers and choir all wore robes like priests.

When I arrived in my dream at the hilltop where this church should have been, I found that it was no longer there. In its place was a small community of houses, with one family’s home at the apex of the hill. I entered that home cautiously, still wondering what had happened to my original church “home.”

The people who lived here eyed me with suspicion. They had never heard of a church here on their land, nor were they able to direct me to one. The two parents and two children were eating dinner and were completely unhelpful to my quest; in fact, the father made it clear I should go.

As I exited this “house on a hill” - which was no “light” at all for me, a seeker - I saw in the street down below three women walking. One of them was someone I recognized: a believer named “Brenda.” With her on her right was a middle-aged woman dressed in white. On her left was another companion I could not see.

“Brenda” was exactly as I knew her in real life except for one distinctive feature: her curly hair was aflame - a beautiful auburn color that glowed as if on fire! I knew from the flaming red hair that she was a Spirit-filled believer.

(Note: The name “Brenda,” I discovered later, actually means a “torch” or a “sword!”)

I ran down to follow these three companions and saw them enter a hidden door which was underneath and to the left side of where the original church sanctuary would have been. They entered this unmarked door to worship, serve and fulfill their purpose as believers in a place the outside world would never recognize as being a church. In fact, while the family’s house at the top of the hill had been in broad daylight, the gathering place of the believers was obscured below in dim light. As I watched, I wondered if the believers kept their meetings private for fear of persecution.

AN INTERPRETATION

When I awoke the Lord began speaking, saying, “The church as you know it is disappearing! All that will be left is the cornerstone - the hidden foundation these ladies were walking towards in your dream.

Just as new ways of living are springing up everywhere today, so a new paradigm for the church will be necessary in order for the remnant to survive.

All is not lost, but the “grand” things you have celebrated in the past will be gone and the places you worship will be different; reminders only of an obsolete building or edifice that no longer serves its purpose.”

The Lord then began to speak about the condition of mankind in this hour.

“Many of those who live in this time will no longer know the way to Me; the church will be offensive or even unknown to them. Your desire for a church home will seem odd to them, an intrusion upon the life that they know.

“Families will be the center of attention, but those who are aflame for Me and My Spirit will still seek to gather together with My people, My remnant.

“You will need to look carefully for those who truly believe, but I will “highlight” them for you in the Spirit and open the way home. What you DO will not be as important as who you ARE, for it is your life in Me that will attract others to come home again, not the church or your works. Abiding will take precedence over serving; the internal Spirit-life over external works done for man.

“My house will not always appear to you as it has in the past. Be open to the new things which are but remnants of the old. What remains of the church is its cornerstone, Jesus, and when all else has disappeared I the Lord will still be there for you to seek and find.

“Do not fear the changes you see but persist in pursuing Me at all costs, even when you feel like an outcast. The wealth and glory of the previous church in America are passing away, but a new model for believing faith - one that comes out of a strong personal walk and local fellowship - is arising. It will not be visible to the world but to those who have eyes to see, the way will be clear.”