They bailed me out

 I met a person outside a church. He couldn't get the door to open, which I found strange because I knew this church personally and was certain they were holding a meeting right then and there, praising God. So, I approached him, and at the same time, I reached for the door to see why it was locked. But to my confusion, it swung open more easily than ever before. Now I was truly intrigued, and I asked him, "Why can't you open the door?"He smiled gently at me and said, "I have been here before, back when this church was new."

I looked at him, bewildered. "How could that be? This church is over ninety years old... and you can't be a day over thirty-five."Then, he looked straight into my eyes, and I found myself falling forward, right into his arms. He received me in a warm embrace, holding me softly and caringly as I managed to stay on my feet—otherwise, I would have collapsed to the ground. I wished I could stand that close to him for eternity. All my life, I had searched for the kind of love he expressed. My own father had loved me unconditionally, but he was killed when I was only six years old; yet even that could not compare to what was happening right here. I felt a warm embrace from heaven and couldn't care less about the other people walking and talking around us.Finally, I said, "Do you want to go inside now?"
"You see," he explained gently, "I am no longer welcome on the inside."I felt completely dumbfounded and didn't understand a thing. At that moment, an older couple approached, about to enter the church. They said, "Good evening" to me. I replied in kind and looked at the person next to me, but they didn't say a word to him—they didn't even look in his direction. A deep nervousness began to chill me to the bone, but he immediately intercepted my thoughts."I am the man they preached about when this church was new, and everybody loved me," he said.Since the elderly couple apparently only saw me, I started to tremble and shake. I turned to him and asked, "Are you an angel?"
"Yes, I am. The Angel of the Lord—and He who is speaking to you is Me, Jesus Christ. I am no longer welcome in the churches. They have bailed me out.""But that is insane!" I cried out.He looked deep into my eyes once more and said, "I have you, Thomas. I love you so much because you have given your heart completely. You do not care about the consequences of that kind of commitment; you simply follow my Word as I lay it out in your heart."I began to weep aloud. In that moment, I understood that all the time I had lived my Christian life outside the church walls was, in fact, the real thing. Those were the genuine encounters with heaven, just like this one, right here outside the church building."I love you, Thomas, because you are different. You are like me," he said, driving his point home. "Just as the Scripture says: as He is, so are we also in this world."As he spoke, he gently wiped the tears from my chin with his warm hand and began to walk away. Just then, a church usher opened the door from the inside and said, "Welcome!"
I replied, "I don't think so," and hurried away from the place.I could still feel the presence of Jesus and his wonderful smile. Filled with a profound sense of courage, I continued walking away from the church. When I got home, I told everyone that even Jesus doesn't go to the services anymore."What on earth do they talk about then?" my lovely wife asked with a knowing smile on her face. "It's about time you enter the scene," she added before we went to bed.That very same night, I had a dream—but that is another story...