Dale Cresap's blog

If you were to ask a wide variety of people about their least favorite aspect of their job, what would you expect? Would you be surprised to find the answer was paperwork? Who has a passion for filling out forms and writing reports? Have you noticed how little paperwork is involved in serving me? Churches have to keep financial records, but for the most part the things you do for the Kingdom of God don’t require you to fill out forms, relieving you of a tedious burden. Yet you can be sure that accurate records are being kept, even without effort on your part.

Do you make a distinction between natural and supernatural gifts from God? This is an artificial distinction and one that I do not make. For those who do it creates a two-tier hierarchy. Would you expect the ‘supernatural’ gifts to be more highly regarded among those who practice them? You don’t need yet another means to divide yourselves and confer honor and dishonor accordingly. When I walked among you what acts of service did I commend? I said that those who fed the hungry, visited those sick and in prison, and took in strangers were really doing it unto me.

What symbols do you associate with the Christian faith? The most obvious one is the cross, which is universally recognized by believer and unbeliever alike. Less commonly known, and more often by believers, is a simple fish outline. This goes back to the early church. Have you ever seen the Christian faith represented by a butterfly? You know enough about the life cycle of the butterfly to know that the metamorphosis it goes through is a complete transformation. It is reasonable to see this as a parallel to the transformation I offer the believer.

I ask you to give your body as a living sacrifice, and then I go on to draw a parallel and describe my followers collectively as one body, the Body of Christ. You are more than parts in a machine. Is there any part of your own body that you would cheerfully part with? No man hates his own flesh, but loves and cherishes it. You are highly motivated to keep your body intact. Are there those within the Body of Christ that you would be willing to part with? But I put them there for a reason, and they too have their purpose.

Do you understand the meaning of hope? When you want to go somewhere you hope that your car will start, but since you know it is reliable and have every reason to think that it will this may be better described as a reasonable expectation. Wishful thinking is a bias toward things you want to be true, but this is not a proper understanding of hope either. Hope is a spiritual concept and as such it is unexplainable. It touches the transcendent. It can be firm even without wishful thinking or reasonable expectations, in the face of adverse circumstances.

Do you like it when others are on your side? Who doesn’t like support? Is it possible for someone else to be more on your side than you are for yourself? How could this be? Yet it is true of me. Have you ever seen other people engage in self-destructive behavior? As much as this may astound you, have you ever engaged in self-destructive behavior yourself? How can you account for working against your own best interests? This is something I will never do on your behalf. For I have poured out my love and favor and blessing on you. I am on your side, more than you are for yourself.

What persuaded you to become a believer? How do you go about fulfilling the Great Commission? Do you see how these questions are related? What worked for you may work for other people too. How do you prepare for evangelism? By memorizing scriptures and developing air-tight closely reasoned legal arguments? Have you seen success with this method? Would it have worked with you? You don’t need to confine yourself to narrow approaches to evangelism. Think back to what finally convinced you to devote yourself to following me. You have my permission to use this same approach with others.

Have you ever had a broken heart? Is there anything more painful? Most people experience this at some time if they are functioning normally in a world where other people do not respond to your expressions of friendship. You can defend yourself against this pain, but the cure in this case is worse than the disease, and you will be changed in ways that diminish your humanity. So how do you deal with the pain of rejection? Have you noticed that a broken heart is similar to a broken spirit and a contrite heart? You could think of these as the same thing. Give them to me.

Have you heard people refer to themselves as being spiritual but not religious? Does this sound like a self-serving position that claims spirituality but evades any commitment for faith and practice? This may be true, but there is an element of truth in claiming this position. For spirituality is inherent and inescapable. I made you in my image so spirituality is a part of the package whether you claim it or not. Do you regard such people as enemies? I once told a man that he was not far from the Kingdom of God.

Have you ever contended for the faith? Have you ever entered a dialogue with an atheist or skeptic concerning your faith? Have you noticed that whoever is asking the questions controls the terms of the debate, and the other party is in reactive mode? Have you ever encountered difficult questions you couldn’t answer? Whoever is in the driver’s seat determines the destination. I put some effort into arranging this opportunity and you should not lightly refuse it. Some people are hostile but others who ask hard questions are real seekers.