Dale Cresap's blog

Do you know of people who describe themselves as spiritual but not religious? In times past how many people do you know who refused to identify with a denomination or even a faith tradition? Yet spiritual independence has become prominent. Is generic spirituality adequate? It is too easy to create me in your image without the structure and tradition of an established faith tradition. Remember that you are created in my image rather than the other way around. Transcendence is a great place to start your spiritual journey, but can you finish there?

Are you familiar with the passage about the Kingdom of Heaven suffering violence, and the violent taking it by force? Do you find this to be a difficult passage? Does it seem impossible that the Kingdom of Heaven would suffer violence? Ponder the potential meanings of this and consider the second part of the passage. Is violence toward the Kingdom of Heaven rewarded? You could rephrase this as spiritually aggressive. Think of this in the context of the promise that you will find if you seek, and the thing of highest value should be your first priority.

Do you think of the Bible as being true? Do you view this as being an accurate historical record of real events? Is there more to truth than that? The Bible claims to be living and powerful. That is a stronger claim than being an accurate historical record. So the question is not just whether it was true when it happened, but how is it continually true and true now? Moses encountered a bush that burned but was not consumed. What does that imply for you? Jacob wrestled with God. So did Job. Have you? I fed five thousand. What does that speak to you now?

Do you like quick and easy results? I offer you the promise of transformation, but I do not promise that it will be quick or easy. Is this something you want? Are you as interested if you know going into it that it is a long and difficult process? How much of your identity can you put up for grabs at any one time? Five percent? Are you willing to stay with it for the duration? Consider my love for you and the magnitude of my investment in making this promise. Are you convinced it is available because you have seen people in whom the change is a reality?

Are you an evangelical? This implies evangelism, and this is the commission of every believer whether they identify as an evangelical or not. Can you be an evangelist and remain in church? Hopefully the people in your church are not in need of an evangelist. This implies that you must go forth bearing the good news of the gospel to those who have not yet received it. And so the Great Commission begins with the word ‘go’. Where will you go? You may not have to travel to distant lands.

Is there a default faith? Atheists would claim it as theirs, for they reject all belief systems. The flaw in this argument is that they are making an affirmative claim for a negative assertion. The rules of reason and logic reject this, because it isn’t possible to prove a negative. A more accurate description of a default faith would be that of one who is seeking, because they do not claim to know. In the absence of a fixed belief they are in a position to examine and consider anything they find. Do you find this concept in the Bible? Seek and you will find.

Are you an apostle? Do you know any? Apostles are rare, and there are only a few who hold this title and office. But even if you don’t you can act like an apostle. Are you willing to be regarded last behind everyone else? Are you willing to be a spectacle unto God, and unto angels, and unto men? If you are cursed do you bless and if you are defamed do you entreat? Is an apostle the highest office? Yet I said that he who was chief among you should be the servant of all. This was not addressed specifically to apostles, but to all my followers.

I was Jewish as were my disciples, but most of my ministry was performed as an outsider. I found much to criticize in the practice of Judaism at the time, and my followers founded a new and distinct faith. Is there a progression in organizations that start out fresh and vibrant and become rigid structures? The Christian Church has been around for hundreds of years now. How true is it, would you say, to the founding vision? In Revelation I spoke to seven churches some of which were already in need of correction, and much time has passed since then.

You have heard that you can pick your friends but you can’t pick your relatives. Does this imply that your friends form a more agreeable and uniform group than your relatives? You can pick your church, but you can’t pick the people in your church. Yet the principle of selection still applies because the other people in your church picked the same one you did. Would you expect to find more beneficial diversity among your friends, family, or church? Are you aware of the ways groupthink will limit your comprehension of the truth?

Have you been through a faith crisis? Have you been through a transformative experience? Did you see these as being the same thing? Are you used to growth as steps in a journey, and regard your progress as passing milestones and see this as an accomplishment? But this is not the path of transformation that you really need. If you are willing to go here, you can expect it to feel as though your world is collapsing rather than enlarging. You will feel the loss of those things that are holding you back before you emerge into a larger reality. Don’t hold back out of fear.