Dale Cresap's blog

Are you politically correct? Most believers do not consider themselves bound by these novel social conventions and some react strongly against them. The term implies a rigid mindset and opposition to individualism. Are you religiously correct? This may be a new phrase for you but it should not be a new concept. The same idea was previously known as legalism. Those who are religiously correct pride themselves on holding a narrow set of beliefs and following a narrow set of rules that their group defines, maintains, and enforces. This creates a strong division of judgment and exclusion that I did not intend. If you can see the problems with being politically correct then you should be able to see the problems with being religiously correct. Would you have considered me to be religiously correct in my own generation?

Do you try to reproduce your image in others? Most people would claim they do not even if their behavior would indicate that they do. Who do you know that doesn’t express support for their own opinions, who doesn’t try to persuade others to agree with them, who doesn’t show favor to those who respond? Paul asked others to follow him, but only as far as he followed me. I invited those who responded to my message to follow me. Does this sound too simple? Yet it was me I wanted them to follow, not you. Do you see yourself as a friend of the bridegroom? Can you decrease that I may increase? Can you let your light shine so that men may see your good works and glorify me?

Have you ever heard anyone say, that when they talk people listen? Does this sound arrogant to you, that someone would assume that an audience would gather whenever they had something to say? Then would you expect to find humility in reversing the statement? When you listen do people talk? Sensible people will not speak until they have an audience and feel safe, particularly if they have something sensitive to share. Are you eager to hear people’s stories? Do you make them feel safe to confide in you? Don’t worry about being neglected or overlooked yourself. There is a crying need for those who will do this and they will come to you.

Did you struggle under an oppressive past? Have you now broken free of it? Are you really free of it? Some people who have been liberated from the yoke of bondage spend the rest of their lives living in opposition to it. So it becomes just as strong an influence in reaction as it was in oppression and still dominates them. Have you seen this effect in people who can’t move forward even though the oppressive forces are released? I have released you from your past and make all things new. Don’t resent your past for it got you where you are today. The more you are able to recognize that what others meant for evil (or even for good) that I can use for good, the more you will benefit from it.

Do you see any benefit from suffering? The Bible speaks about suffering in connection to faith at great length, but it is still the experience that most Christians would do anything to avoid. Do you see any positive outcomes from it? For one thing, it establishes authority in a way that classroom credentials cannot match. Consider Paul who had the advantage of an advanced academic background and said he counted it all as dung. Yet when he had to silence his detractors he said, let no man trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of Jesus Christ. In other words, you can shut up because I’ve paid my dues and have the scars to prove it.

If your brother has a claim of justice against you, go to your brother and be reconciled to him before you bring your gift to the altar of the Lord. This emphasizes that reconciliation has priority even over ‘spiritual’ tasks, because reconciliation is a spiritual task. What if you have a claim of justice against your brother and he will not come to you and repent? Can forgiveness be extended only if it is sought by the offending party? You can extend forgiveness to your brother even if he does not seek it. This does not bring about reconciliation, but it does release you from the burden of bitterness that comes from unforgiveness.

Do you consider yourself to be teachable? Consider what this means. I said that if you continued in my word you would know the truth, and the truth would make you free. You may recall that this statement was not popular with the audience it was spoken to. Perhaps they were not teachable. Being teachable involves more than the ability to acquire and organize and recall information. Someone who is truly teachable will examine their own life in the light of the truth they discover and change to align with it if necessary. This is much more difficult than learning facts. But what benefit is it to learn the truth if you are unaffected by it?

Do you know that in the legal system some defendants are given immunity in exchange for their confession and testimony? Even in plea arrangements confession is usually part of the deal in exchange for a reduced sentence. Do you see the same dynamic in operation in my kingdom? If you confess your sins I am faithful and just to forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. In this case it doesn’t depend on the decision of a prosecutor and applies to everything. Do you think that defendants should not be given leniency in return for their confession? What about you?

Have you heard that everyone has a story that would break your heart? Do you know that some got theirs in church? I meant for my church to be a place for healing and giving life. Not everyone finds it to be this way. I refer to my people as sheep, and those who care for them as shepherds. This is the only responsibility of the shepherd. Some people who complain about churches are actually reflecting their own issues with my dealings in their lives. You should not try to accommodate them. Yet you can structure your church so that no criticism against it will have a valid basis.

Is your faith robust? Do you understand this as something that is hard to break? You may apply this term more often to physical objects or systems, but it can also be applied to faith. You face challenges to your faith from the circumstances of life and from unbelievers, and you can expect this to increase. You may have acquired additions to the basic simplicity of  the gospel and find that these more complex concepts are harder to defend. Examine your beliefs to determine which are essential to your faith that you are willing to stand for, and which you can let go. This will make your faith more robust. There are some hills you don’t need to die on.