Genesis 37 introduces us to the character of Joseph, the son of Jacob. He was one of 12 brothers, and he was his father’s favorite, which caused a lot of division in the family. He was considered a “dreamer” (not a term of endearment) by his brothers due to the dreams he shared with them. “Listen to this dream I had: we were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it. His brothers said to him, ‘Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?’ And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he said.” Joseph’s dreams were challenging for them. In later years, Joseph’s dreams enabled him to persevere through slavery and persecution to become the prime minister of Egypt. Joseph, the one despised by his brothers, became the one who saved them. Joseph saw his dreams fulfilled.
In the life of the church, dreams for the future can be helpful. Studies tell us that between 75-90% of churches are either plateaued or declining. These studies confirm that churches are losing ground in the eternal battle and the expansion of the kingdom of God. Many of these churches have lost their ability to dream. They have had their dreams shattered.
Churches and their pastors have had at least four dream busters.
While there are many dream busters, there are also dreams that lead to success which encourages the church and the leadership to pursue God’s plan. Let’s take a look at some of those components.
It is time for leaders to begin dreaming. It is time to help the dream busters to become dream supporters. When these two things happen, the local church will move out of a plateaued state.
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