Every Chance You Get: Build A Bridge

EVERY CHANCE YOU GET --- BUILD A BRIDGE?

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Wade Martin Hughes, Sr.

TEXT: I love word artist that can paint with words…

1 Thessalonians 3:12 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:

1 Thessalonians 3:12 (NLT) And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows.

1 Thessalonians 3:12 (MSG) And may the Master pour on the love so it fills your lives and splashes over on everyone around you, just as it does from us to you.

**WALL: A STRUCTURE THAT SURROUNDS AN AREA AND SEPARATES, something build to hold back, barrier, hedge, fence, something to isolate, obstacle.

**BRIDGE: a structure to overcome obstacles, something that connects, something that joins together, TO CROSS OVER.

** BUILD: to make greater, to put parts together, unite, to develop, to increase, to make progress,

EVERY CHANCE YOU GET BUILD A BRIDGE… TEARS? IN THE MID 1980’S I PASTORED A SMALL MOUNTAIN MISSION CHURCH.

Galatians 6:7 (MSG) Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!— 8 harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life. 9 So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. 10 Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.

I had been concerned about several in and out, up and down young Christians. They were emotional and spiritual YO-YOs. I had been praying and teaching on a root structure that will hold through storms and droughts.

One night I had been praying for these young couples while I went to sleep. Later that night I dreamed: I SAW 20 FEET HIGH NEON LETTERS GLOWING IN FRONT OF ME… FOUR LETTERS… R… A… Z… E. RAZE? What did that mean? RAZE.

I WOKE LINDA UP AND WE TURNED ON THE LIGHT AND GOT THE DICTIONARY… we looked up RAZE. The word at that time was totally unfamiliar to me.

**RAZE: TO UTTERLY DESTROY, TO TEAR DOWN, TO BRING TO RUIN TO BULL DOWN. AS A BULLDOZER DESTROY A HOUSE.

I saw 4 families very clearly. I drove at 4 am and beat on a door. The couple came in the front room. I told them my dream. They agreed it was from God. We talked and prayed. They played church, they attended occasionally. That family got involved in deep sin. They hid from me when they saw me. They went through an ugly divorce, remarriage, broken, lost everything. He ended up at LaGrange Prison for many years. His crime was terrible. She died at a very young age, partying, drugs and alcohol, a sudden massive heart attack.

I drove several hours to go see him in prison. AS WE SAT AT A METAL TABLE, THE FIRST WORDS OUT OF HIS MOUTH WAS: PREACHER DO YOU REMEMBER THAT RAZE DREAM? He said I see RAZE every night before I close my eyes. I pray, I am forgiven --- but I THINK WHAT IF I HEEDED YOUR MESSAGE? I left the prison that day physical sick. I THREW UP. A prison guard came to ask me if I was all right? I said I COULD NEVER TELL YOU…

DO YOU KNOW WHY I LOVE LOVE? LOVE IS THE BEST THING ON EARTH? WHY? GOD IS LOVE…

1 Peter 4:8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

1 Peter 4:8 (NLT) Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.

1 Peter 4:8 (MSG) Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything.

There were two brothers that really hated each other. There had been many misunderstandings between the brother’s families. When the parents’ will was read the brothers had bad feelings about the division of the huge farm. Their children had some squabbles, the kids got over it, but the parents stayed angry. The quarrels were often and never any resolve. The families would not speak or even wave at each other. They attended the same church together but they would never shake hands or talk to each other.