Dream analysis has no place in Biblical thought. It’s a construct of Freudian psychology, developed by a man who was openly hostile to religion of any type. So please don’t misunderstand my article — I mention last night’s dream only to make a point about what sharing the Gospel.
It was one of my crazy dreams about Boston in which the places bear absolutely no resemblance to the way they are in real life. Nevertheless, John and I cut through a non-existent (in real life) red brick alley to get to one side of Quincy Market to the other so that I could get a cannoli. As we approached the cannoli stand, we saw a middle-aged woman with short blonde hair browbeating people to turn to Jesus.
John and I tried to reason with her, explaining that her only responsibility was to share the Gospel. We reminded her that the Holy Spirit would draw the elect to Christ in His time. She needed only to faithfully proclaim the Gospel.
She rejected our advice, screaming at people to listen to her and demanding that they become Christians. She was completely convinced that she could argue at least one person into the kingdom.
Predictability, people began avoiding her, and the vendors at the cannoli stand lost quite a bit of business. I’m not even sure whether or not I even got my cannoli — we were still arguing with her when I woke up.
As I said at the beginning of this blog post, I won’t try to interpret this dream. I don’t know why there was an alley, much less a red brick alley. I don’t know why the North End Bakery kiosk which (in real life) resides inside the colonnade of Quincy Market became a small outdoor cannoli stand. And those details, it seems to me, are more amusing than significant.
But the essence of my dream certainly reminds me that evangelism shouldn’t be about coercion. God calls us to present the Gospel, yes. But nowhere does He require us to secure conversions.
Evangelism scares us for many reasons. But the pressure to win souls shouldn’t be one of them. None of us needs to be like that frantic woman in my dream.
Oh — if you really can’t rest without an interpretation of my dream, pray for good weather so that John and I can go to Quincy Market and get a cannoli. Maybe we’ll even share the Gospel with somebody while we’re there!
The Outspoken TULIP 