Dear Old Christian Men: Are You Ready To Dream Again?

6 MIN READ ◦ DOUG GILES

“It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind and…your old men will dream dreams…”

- Joel 2:28

The prophet Joel told the people of God, right after a massive butt-whupping Jehovah inflicted upon them for their rebellious heart, that he would, once again, pour his Spirit out upon all mankind.

Yep, God continuously showcases throughout his Word that no matter how we mucked things up, he’s a Redeemer and he will not let Satan have the last laugh.

I know that's hard for some gloomy Christians to read and understand, but God is not a fatalist. He's not some dour little negative end-of-the-world monkey. He’s not going to allow his people to merely limp along, dejected, because they lived a prolonged stint out of sorts with The King of Kings. Oh no, señorita. God’s the God of restoration and he’s here to kill, crush, and destroy the powers of darkness and he likes to use us chuckleheads to accomplish that task, ergo, he’s going to swoop back around and use us again.

Joel says “after this” (and again, that “this”, was a brutal ass-kickin’ God allowed the enemy to rain down on his people) God will pour out his Spirit upon all mankind.

Look at who gets a fresh dollop of the Holy Spirit:

It will come about after this

That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind;

And your sons and daughters will prophesy,

Your old men will dream dreams,

Your young men will see visions.

Even on the male and female servants

I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

- Joel 2:28-29

So, what do we have here?

Well, when God reverses the curse, he unleashes on his repentant folks the following gifts…

ONE. Our sons and daughters morph into prophets. This is epic. When we’re in the middle of horrendous discipline for our hideous life choices, it can leave those who are contumacious feeling a wee bit bleak about not only their lives, but also the lives of their kids. Never fear, God is near. God not only relents in his chastisement of the parents but he turns their kids into prophets. God is good, eh? Which means don’t lose heart, folks. He gives beauty for ashes and the beauty he gives here is he turns their offspring into prophetic demon slayers. Can you say, “boom?”

TWO. The male and female servants get a fresh dose of the Holy Ghost. How would you like your family’s workers to be filled to the brim with the Holy Spirit? Think about it. You wouldn’t have to install secret nanny cams. You wouldn’t be worried whether or not they’re beating the kids and/or granny with a wooden spoon while you’re out to eat. You wouldn’t have to worry if they’re putting Pinesol in your leftover Chicken Noodle soup. Or wearing your underwear while you’re away. They wouldn’t be doing any of that junk because they’re filled with the Holy Spirit.

THREE. Not only does God bless your kids by turning them into prophets and your workers into Spirit-filled zealots but he also hits the young dudes with holy vision. God zaps them with vision and we’re not talking about the natural ability to see, but rather he gives these previous Beavis’s unusual competence in discernment or perception; intelligent foresight. They have visions of what could be and should be that fuels their person and the church to holy positive change and biblical progress. Yep, they’re no longer solipsistic, iPostured, masturbatory, dipsticks with the vision of a myopic cyclops. Nope, now they see what God wants for his people in the future and they’re in hot pursuit of that Holy Grail to make it manifest on this planet.

FOUR. Last but not least, when God gets geared up to bring about a revival, a reformation, a revolution…yea…a renaissance…he green lights the dream machine in us old farts. Yep, the prophet Joel says when God goes afoot to flip a nation from filth to faith he does not just use the young ‘uns but he gives fresh aflatuses to the dudes with the grey pubes. This is cool. It is not just young peeps. It’s young and old. It’s a holy mashup of the green behind the ears and the grey within the ears. Also, it's a blend of blue collar workers and masculine young men. Please note: God didn’t say, “young males” will see visions. He did not say, “capricious young lads” will have visions, but young men. They are men, who’re young. They’re decisively masculine, not effeminate. Their masculinity is intact and has not been destroyed by drugs or CNN. That’s for free and you're welcome. Now I’ll get back to the old men dream dreams stuff.

A comedian once said after a dude turns fifty they no longer have dreams they only have nightmares and eczema. The Bible takes that notion to task not only in the Book of Joel but throughout the entire canon of scripture. The scripture is replete with God giving old guys and gals fresh vision at a ripe old age. Indeed, when they’re expected to start winding down God starts winding them up. That’s what this book is all about, my elder brothers. Namely, God ain’t finished with your saggy drawers. He’s not done with you. If you’re still sucking air there’s still hope that your latter years will exceed your former (Haggai 2:9). So, cheer up, man. Not only is the Bible a bountiful basket of aged warrior visionaries but we also have recent history of famous folks who didn’t hit their stride til they were up in age. For example…

Colonel Sanders of the Kentucky Fried Chicken fame was sixty-five years old when his finger lickin’ good recipe started taking arteries by storm. Same thing with Ray Kroc from McDonald’s. Though Ray was a little younger, he was no spring chicken when his vision for McDonald’s slapped this third rock from the sun. When most men would be shopping for white retirement loafers for their move down to Dania Beach, Florida these old men were dreaming dreams and just getting started.

The same is true about Harry S. Truman, Paul Cézanne, Ed Sullivan, Coco Chanel, Karen Blixen, Edward Hopper, Boris Karloff, Ian Fleming, Jonathan Swift, Piet Mondrian, Louis Daguerre, Ferdinand von Zeppelin and of course, Donald Trump was seventy-eight when he won his second term as President. All of the aforementioned were fifty shades of grey before they hit their stride in their various fields. So…what about you? Have you ever thought that instead of retiring, God might want to refire you, huh?

King David did not want a rocking chair on the porch kind of life when he got grey headed. Oh, heck no. Last time David pulled himself out of the war he ended up boinking Bathsheba and plotting her husband Uriah’s demise. Bad crap can happen to old fools who seek comfort over holy war. If you don’t believe me then read this book called the Old Testament. Back to David during his AARP days…

In Psalm 71:17-21, David prays the following…

O God, You have taught me from my youth,

And I still declare Your wondrous deeds.

And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me,

Until I declare Your strength to this generation,

Your power to all who are to come.

For Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens,

You who have done great things;

O God, who is like You?

You who have shown me many troubles and distresses

Will revive me again,

And will bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

May You increase my greatness

And turn to comfort me.

David wanted in the game, not out of it. David wanted influence into the current generation and not just hang out with the geriatrics who have one foot in the grave and another on a banana peel. David wanted to amply his voice, not have it diminished. David had seen God do some mighty things and he wasn’t going to be mute about it. He wanted to regale the new kids on the block with what God can and will do through them that believe. David wanted personal revival when he was grey headed. The only thing most old dudes want nowadays is someone to help them get the Nina Agdal screensaver off their phone before their wife sees it. Not David. David wants fresh fire in his belly. David wants God to increase his greatness to declare God’s power. That’s how an old man should pray. That’s what an old warrior should long for.

Clash Ministries is here to do two things, namely, put brains and cojones on Christians. Yep, our holy job is renewing minds (Rom.12:1-2) and emboldening hearts (Prov.28:1). Your generosity helps us throttle the enemy by equipping God's people to live bold, wild and free in Him. You are a vital part of this ministry and we could not do this without you. Thank you for your faithful gifts and partnership and remember to always ... stay rowdy!