Received Tuesday 17.03.98
I was walking in a wood up a slight incline and up ahead on the right was a wood cabin with a wide opening. As I approached I saw an elephant just standing there in front of this hut. As I looked I saw this was a friendly elephant - the kind that serves and is used to do tasks. It seemed at first alive and well, but as I continued to look I saw it was not moving. It is as if the whole scene was unfolding to my vision gradually, but it had been like this all along. I saw that it was facing me and to its left was the shelter, but its left shoulder, leg and big ear were missing. They were in the cabin by themselves. And yet the elephant stood quite straight and upright; the rest of it seemed well and alive.
Then it spoke and said 'sores, sores, sores' in a gentle, friendly, but moanful voice. And I felt this was how it felt and that sores must have grown in the areas apart from each other. It seems as if the elephant had been like this for a long time. Yet, it appeared alive and well in the rest of its body. But it was not moving and not fit for work.
As I awoke I asked the Lord who this elephant represented - was it me - was there some hidden work of healing that perhaps I needed, but was unaware of at this time? I had no reply - so I waited a little - remembering the different aspects of the dream and I then asked again - What is this about, Lord? In my spirit the words 'THE CHURCH' came.
Since I started writing down this dream another aspect has been highlighted to my mind: the Church is conscious of the 'sores', whilst the Lord is conscious of more important matters that need dealing with. Matters which need addressing before it can be fully effective to do His work.
Further, 6 days later (Monday 23rd March 1998) I had a revelation that the 'sores, sores, sores' the elephant spoke was what it considered the extent of the situation it was in. The divisions was only considered as such: just sores. The elephant did not consider the enormity which it really was in as anymore than sores. It is as if it did not recognise the divisions as the cause as to its inability to move and carry out tasks. In the dream I did not actually see sores: I only thought this must have been what there was when it mentioned this.
The divisions in the Church are in God's sight what spiritually makes it ineffective in a locality. These are not just divisions which stop it walking and working fully due to denominational divides, but also divisions created by those who are unwilling to allow those in their midst from sharing what the Lord is saying and not being treated as equals but instead isolated. They are seen as 'sores' or a nuisance whilst the Lord sees this treatment differently. When Paul spoke of not quenching the Spirit what he particularly had in mind was the preventing of those with a word from sharing it (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22). Allow these and then test the word. If it is not good it will be seen by all. If it is good all will be helped. But, if it is prevented the church will not work because the Spirit is quenched. If someone is prevented from sharing and leaders are not open to talk with them then the church is not working and is divided. It may be alive, but it is not working as our God would see it such that not just the church but the locality inhabited also misses out.
The Lord and the enemy, both, know that the Church divided in any locale is what prevents God's Spirit to manifest freely over that whole region; it is when believers bridge these divides in genuine love that the world knows we are Christians.
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