Dale Cresap's blog

Do you have a title? Do you want one? Have you found that people identify with their titles and cling to them? Have you noticed that most of the characters in the Bible didn’t have titles, and many that you consider to be operating in a particular office were not recognized as such till after their lifetimes? Who has the authority to confer titles? The generally recognized rule is that one with greater rank can promote those below him, but the church is not a traditional power hierarchy.

Are you an evangelist? My Great Commission applies to all believers. Do you expect to get immediate results? Is that what you experience? You have no promise for this, and so patience and persistence are appropriate in evangelical work. Does this lead you to think of prospects as projects? They are smart enough to know if this is the case. Would you like being thought of as a project yourself? It isn’t necessary to objectify those people to whom you declare the good news of the Kingdom, in fact, it is better if you don’t.

Are you eager to die? What do people cling to more than dear life itself? Keep this in mind when I ask you to lay down your life and pick up your cross and follow me. What could I ask that is more extreme, shocking and demanding than this? Yet you know that I came to give you abundant life. Can these things be reconciled? Both are real, and there is a connection between them. You will eventually die, but you have to die before you die if you want to really live. Haven’t you already been through this cycle, and found that letting go of dead things opened the door for a larger life for you?

Is your church the center of your life as a Christian? Does it provide a community, instruction, discipline and purpose for you? What would you do if you were cut off from active participation, even if only for a while? Can you still lead a Christian life if you are temporarily deprived of opportunities to join together with other believers for common fellowship? For there are a multitude of reasons why this may be interrupted. Have you not already experienced this at some point?

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.