Pastor Richard Waialeale
September 20, 2015 - W1538

Everyone has a dream. Did you know that if you have a dream, you could also become a dream releaser? Today, we will learn to understand or realize our dreams and how we can become a dream releaser by following just one simple principle found in the Bible, but first, let’s watch a short small group video taught by Pastor Wayne Cordeiro 

VIDEO - PASTOR WAYNE: Over a century ago, Emma Lazarus wrote her famous poem which is inscribed on a plaque on the Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…Send these, the homeless, tempest tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” Since that time, thousands upon thousands of immigrants have passed under the shadow of the Statue of Liberty. She gives an invitation to hope, a summons to new vistas, new horizons, and new seasons. I believe this poem should adorn the walls of every church, home, and office because its spirit has built our Nation and its spirit will build it still. Our homes and churches will burst with caged birds, as Emma Lazarus said, yearning to breathe free. She paints a stunning picture of a dream releaser—one who will not only invite but also nudge dreams to fly, taps cages and encourages freedom. The beauty of dream releasers begins in the heart and breathes into everything we do and say. “The one who does not love does not know God for God is Love.” (I John 4:8). God’s heart beats for His people. Love creates sort of a greenhouse effect that allows lives to flourish. It produces an atmosphere, a culture in which dreams could be released. That’s what happened to an Old Testament character named Joseph. His father, Jacob, made no bones about the fact that he loved Joseph more than all his other sons. Genesis 37:3, “Now Jacob/Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons because he had been born to him in his old age and he made a richly ornamented robe for him.” Then Joseph had a dream. Something about the assurance of being loved allows a person to dream and to uncover hidden potential. They have a confidence to go forward. It’s as if love awakens the faith to believe. Jacob’s love for Joseph released Joseph to be a dreamer. Love built an atmosphere for the young man to hear God’s plan for his future and to try it. Within this dreamer, God had hidden the deliverance of Israel.

Love can set dreams free, while its absence leaves the dreamers yearning to breathe free. The absence of love can shrivel potential like a hot Sahara sun, but when it lifts its golden lamp, dreams can begin to blossom even in the most adverse condition. That’s exactly what genuine love does. What would normally die would thrive and what would ordinarily wither, can blossom. Unconditional love freely expressed builds greenhouses for young dreamers. God is still calling for dream releasers today. There are millions of dreams that are held captive in the hearts of men and women. Each of us has a dream of what we can be for God. It holds the blueprint for their God-given assignment. It contains their passion, potential, and destiny. This dream will make a difference in the world—it may be raising a God-glorifying family, a business, or a ministry to change lives. Whatever the dream may be, the capacity to fulfill it lies within each of our hearts. But like caged birds, those dreams can remain imprisoned. Just imagine what it would be like if every dream in every church, in every family, were released. Wouldn’t God be thrilled? His greatest desire would be realized. Your greatest contribution depends on your response to this invitation. Would you be a “dream releaser”? Would you ask God to develop your heart to release the dreams that could be locked up in so many hearts? This world is crying for dream releasers. A generation is waiting for you. I invite you to pray this prayer with me. I must issue a caution; it will change your life. “Lord Jesus, make me like you. Please give me the wisdom to serve your people well. We pray the same prayer that Solomon prayed. Help me to begin to truly serve You starting today because up till now, I have really done nothing. Make me, God, a dream releaser. Grant me the insight necessary to lead others through the roadblocks that hinder them from becoming all that they were meant to be. I give You full use of my life for Your purposes and I will steward the trust that You have given me, in the Name of Him who created dreams to be fulfilled. Amen.” END OF VIDEO.

PASTOR RICHARD Waialeale: Dream Releasers is a small group series that is being released today. I want to introduce you to two young adults: Paul Brown oversees our High School ministry. Paul grew up in Nanakuli and is one of six children and does Dream Releasers. The other is Brady Huff. At eight years of age, Brady transplanted from Australia with his two brothers, Cody and Tracy, and his parents, Brett and Judy, to Hawaii with a dream and a hope of a new beginning. Brady is the dreamer, so I’ll start with him. Brady, in coming from Australia, what was your difficulty of transitioning in Hawaii?

BRADY: When we moved to Hawaii, my mom decided to home school us. It was a new experience for me as I had been in public schools. I was a shy, insecure person and home schooling didn’t give me a social life to talk with people and grow in that way. But I started going to OG Thrive (One Generation Youth Group). Being a very insecure person, it was difficult for me to see how God would use me to reach others, as it was so difficult for me to carry on a normal conversation. Then I met Paul. He was someone I really looked up to. He was in all the musicals, lead roles, and a leader in the youth group. He was someone who seemed to have his act together—whether or not that was true, I don’t know! I really respected him. One day he invited me to do devotions with him. That was so incredible to me to realize that someone actually likes me and said, “I want to meet with you and get to know you. I think you’re awesome. You’re valuable.” It just started to make a change in my life. Like, Wow! I had this family here and it started to give me confidence and now I even speak on stage!   If you know me, I’m not shy anymore. It was an incredible thing for me that Paul would befriend me.

PASTOR RICHARD: Paul, please tell us how you met Brady and how you were able to impact his life.

PAUL: We met at one of the musicals.   He was shy but really excited about life and said, “Yeah, let’s go!” to everything I said. He was excited about life. What was amazing is that that little spark just released everything—the potential that I knew was in him to change the people around him and, ultimately, the world.

PASTOR RICHARD: Brady, since coming from Australia, what is the one dream that came alive in you?

BRADY: It is definitely the ability to impact peoples’ lives. When I was younger, I wondered, “God, how can I impact others? How can I reach others when I feel I’m not worthy? I can’t do that. I don’t have the skills to talk to people.” It was incredible to see how over the years God slowly but surely began to give me confidence. Paul definitely helped me by constantly meeting with me every week for about four years at McDonald’s for devotions. Paul would say, “You’re awesome. Don’t tell yourself that you’re not worthy. You are! I can see what’s in you.” I remember the first time we went to McDonald’s for devotions. It was awkward. I just sat there and didn’t say anything. Paul tried to hold the conversation, persevering and believing in me to become the person I wanted to be to influence the lives of others. Today, I graduated from college and serve alongside a leader at OG Sunday nights. It is such a blessing to me.

PASTOR RICHARD: That’s awesome! These guys are both dream releasers. Someone said to me to watch out for Paul and don’t give him a mike because once he gets started he won’t stop! They are both dream releasers. Will you give them a hand?

Today, I want to tell you a story of a biblical hero. To me, he is one of the greatest dream releasers in the Old Testament—David. The story unfolds with David killing Goliath at age 15. Shortly after that King Saul puts him in a prime position in Israel’s army and David serves for seven years. God’s hand was always on David, and he became a victorious mighty warrior and the people sang praises to him each time they returned from battle. King Saul became jealous with envy and rage. During one of his psychotic rages, he tried to murder David. David escaped and met a group of men who wanted to follow him. This was when David became a “dream releaser.” He immediately formed a militia with the misfits. I Sam 22:2 (NIV) says, “All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him (David) and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.” The men gathered around David because they knew his heart and love for them. They were on the run from Saul for 15 years. Pastor Wayne said, “When you love someone, it opens a door for all kinds of things to happen.”

Several years go by and one night as they were about to go to sleep, three of David’s mighty men overheard that “David longed for water and said, ‘Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!’ So the three mighty men broke through the Philistine lines and drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the Lord. ‘ Far be it from me, O Lord, to do this! Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?’ And David would not drink it.” (2 Samuel 23:15-17 NIV)

Over the years, the three mighty men had been so impacted by David’s concern for them that they immediately suited up for action when they heard David’s sigh. Without David’s knowledge, they sneaked through enemy lines while the enemy slept and found the well that David desired to drink from; went through enemy lines again and returned to camp. They awakened David and gave him the water to drink, but David looked at the water and refused to drink.

Question. What would most leaders do when their subordinates risk their lives to get this water? Probably drink it. David not only refused to drink the water but instead he poured it on the ground as an offering to God! You might be thinking that’s terrible leadership. What was he thinking? What an idiot. That’s disrespecting what the three men did. That’s terrible leadership. Plus, he wasted the precious water. However, the Bible holds a different view.

Here’s what I believe David was doing that I want us to catch. David’s action with the water is one of the most astonishing demonstrations of effective leadership recorded in history. If we can capture David’s heart, we will see the power of a one-point message—Self-Sacrificing Love. What I believe happened that night when David was awakened with a jug of water in his face by the three men (who risked their lives getting this water), he had a flashback to when he first formed this militia of 400 despairing, bankrupt, ragtag bunch of men. He remembered the time when no one knew each other, when no one trusted each other, when no one opened up in the group.   The only reason they were all together was for the small wage David would give them at the end of the day.

This particular night when the three men risked their lives and held the water to David, he realized that all the self-sacrificing love that he so graciously poured into every one of them just paid off. I believe he remembered the early days of being a dream releaser when God whispered, “David I want you to love these guys. I know they are not the cream of the crop, but I want you to love them, as I love you. Love them as family from your heart. Make it personal: serve them, invest in them, inspire them, and empower them. David, I want you to pray for everyone by name.” God, in essence, said to David, “If you do this, you will discover the power of self-sacrificing love.

Someone once said, “You will not find the definition of success until you have helped people to succeed.” What God was teaching David and is teaching each one of us at New Hope is that it’s only through a small group of people that self-sacrificing love is at the very core of releasing people’s dreams. I Corinthians13:8, “Love never fails.” Love never leaves a heart the way it found it. Love changes people—bosses, employees, churches, etc.

David realized that from the very start God wanted him to love his motley crew, which eventually resulted in the supernatural transformation of the hearts of his 400 men who risked their lives for him. David turns to his men and, in effect, says I appreciate what you did for me and pours the water out and says I know that God deserves this provision more than I do because it was God who assembled this army together. It was God who prompted me everyday to lead you, build you, and love you. Look what He has done—He has turned us into family.” New Hope, God wants to turn us into family. Amen?

I imagine David said a word of gratitude to his three mighty men, maybe a prayer of thanksgiving to God, as he slowly pours the water on the ground as a sacrifice to the God who loves them and who we love.

How do you think this experience affected these guys? How many times would that story be told to the troops around the campfire? How did it affect the troops—their devotion and affection for David in the future? This is what New Hope is all about—self-sacrificing love. I believe we are all Dream Releasers. We are all created “in His image.” When God touches us with His love, the power of self-sacrificing love in us goes into the world, making supernatural transformations. You will see people who are insecure like Brady Huff who didn’t want to talk to anyone because he was so shy but when Paul touched him with the love of Christ, it changed everything in his world. Brady edited the entire Dream Releasers Small Group Series, along with Tim Savage and his video crew putting it all together. That’s what God is doing for this church. Dream Releasers Small Group is where healings take place and dreams become reality.

Dream Releaser is a small group where relationships begin, lives are changed, and healings take place at the cross of Jesus Christ.

STUDY QUESTIONS:

1. What is your God-given dream that you desire to be released?

2. In what way was Paul Brown a dream releaser?

3. What did Paul do to impact and release Brady Huff’s dream?

4. Share in your own words what Pastor Richard shared is the lesson David taught us about Self-Sacrificing Love.

5. Complete this sentence: Dream Releasers is a small group where relationships ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________