Dale Cresap's blog

Does your church have designated teachers and preachers who expound scripture and doctrine to the congregation? Do they have credentials specific to your denomination? How effective are they at reaching audiences outside your church? This is a more difficult task, for those outside are not versed in your theology and terminology. They have not already made a commitment to your principles and to your community. Paul was a pioneer, and had to adapt the presentation of the gospel to connect with an audience for whom it was unfamiliar. How well does your pastor do this? How well do you?  

What do you like to read? Some things are entertaining and some things are informative. The same question could be applied to things you watch. The things mentioned may be enjoyable, but there is another category. What have you encountered that is profound? These are things you can’t just plow through. Things that are truly profound resonate so deeply with you that you need to stop and ponder them. This makes for slow going, but it has the potential to transform you if you will fully engage with it.

I taught you to pray, and promised results. Does that mean that you are in charge? Do you ever wonder how your petitions interact with my sovereignty? You are my child, so the example of parents and children is appropriate. Parents are in charge of their children, and responsible for their provision, and care, and character development. Yet every parent knows that the desires of their children are a powerful influence, and parents will go to great lengths and make sacrifices to fulfill them.

Do you track your genealogy? Everyone has ancestors, but some people track their family tree back further than others. The more generations back the less likely you are to have known them personally or even know who they are. Yet their influence is still present in you if for no other reason that you wouldn’t exist without them. Do you have spiritual ancestors? You may think of me as the firstborn among many, but someone had to carry the light of truth down through the generations to you.

Do you notice a variation in beliefs even within your own group? Do groups outside your own appear monolithic, so that if you know one you know them all? This is easier to do the less you know about them, or the fewer individuals you know that belong to the group. But if you press on and take the time to get to know members of the group you will find that they are as unique and nuanced as you and your own group. Even atheists range from militant to hopeful skeptics. This can be understood in terms of the spectrum, such as visible light. Do you think I find this acceptable?

Are you among the least of these? In your culture of power structures these are not positions that people apply for. You may recall my story that the least of these were hungry and thirsty or naked or sick or in prison. They were on the bottom of society and had problems with the most basic of human needs. Those in these positions are usually doing everything in their power to resolve their problems and rise above their current situation. And yet I said that those who helped them were helping me.

My Word teaches you to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself. Do you see these as two separate commandments, or are they expressions of the same principle? In other words, is there a difference between the way you love God and the way you love your neighbor? There is additional guidance in the Bible to resolve this question. How can you claim to love a God you cannot see if you cannot love your brother whom you can see, who, by your doctrinal affirmation, is made in the image of God?

Do you want an answer for every question you have? Do you structure your questions so they will yield easy answers? This is a mistake. For you are judged as much, or more so, by the questions you ask than by the answers you accept. What benefit is it to have all your questions answered if you only address matters that are frivolous and superficial? Answers don’t come so easily for questions that are profound, but this is still the better path to walk.

Do you admire principles like courage, generosity, and gratitude? It is one thing to express affirmation of these values as detached abstractions. It is quite another to see them as embodied manifestations. Do you admire the people who can implement these things successfully? Does the open display have a profound effect on you that calls for a response? Leaders understand the value of leading by example, and virtue is contagious. If others let their light shine before men that their good works are visible to you, then go and do likewise, and let your light shine as an example to others.

Have you endured pain and suffering that you wouldn’t wish on anyone else? Even with this it is difficult to bear alone. Even without wanting another person to suffer the same way, don’t you find it comforting to encounter someone who has? Who else can really understand your situation? Who else can provide you the comfort of knowing that you are not alone? The Bible emphasizes my temptations and suffering so you know that I have the credentials to comfort you.