Dale Cresap's blog

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.

Do you know any insecure people? What characteristics do you see in them? Are they grasping and ungracious, clinging to titles and accomplishments, and trying to prove their superiority at the expense of others? Do you also know secure people who are characterized by peace and generosity and humility? Don’t you prefer the company of those whose lived reality is an expression of their known inner worth? If being secure is desirable, what is the source of security? Would you benefit by having more yourself? How do you go about increasing your sense of security?

Have you ever taken a leap of faith? When you go to school you learn according to a curriculum, which is a series of lessons broken down into steps where each one builds in a logical progression. The concept of steps is appropriate here since you have a secure footing on the next step before you release the previous one. This is a great approach for lessons, or for movement on even level ground. Have you ever had to go somewhere that you couldn’t get to with steps?

Do you want more stuff? But the things you own can be a burden. Have you ever found that their promise of a better life is not fulfilled? The alternative is to be content with what you have. There is Biblical support for this idea. Do you have enough? Have you ever faced a new task and realized that you could accomplish it with what you already have? This is called resourcefulness and it is the alternative to acquisition. It is better because you have less to store and maintain. Paul said that he was as one who owned nothing but he possessed all things.

Do you enjoy giving gifts? Do you find it rewarding to be thoughtful and generous? Are you familiar with the gift-giving dilemma of what do you get for the person who has everything? Do you see how this question applies to gifts that you would give me to an extreme degree? For I created all things. Yet I have told you what is on my list. The thing I want most from you is a broken spirit and a contrite heart. Have you seen these qualities in people and found them to be attractive? Yet they come at a cost. Do you know anyone you would describe this way that didn’t suffer to get it?

Have you heard the saying, ‘united we stand and divided we fall’? Are you aware that you live in a culture in which intense individualism is accepted as normal? Can you see the advantages of individualism? Can you see the drawbacks? If you pursue individualism without also pursuing community you will end up alone, alienated and isolated. You get to choose your community, and some are not for you, but this is not an excuse for rejecting all associations. So what are you passionate about? What cause inspires you? With whom will you stand united, and for what cause?