Dale Cresap's blog

Do you understand that there is no distance in prayer? If you hear of a need in a distant place, do you pray with confidence that the effect will be the same as if you were there in person? This is a widely held position among believers today, but it was not always the case. Consider the Centurion with the sick servant. I offered to go and heal the man, but the Centurion understood that this was not necessary; that I could heal him from where I stood. I commended him for his great faith and he was ahead of his time in the comprehension of spiritual reality. Are you prepared for a spiritual move to places that are currently ahead of your time?

Do you ever wish that you had lived when I did? Even if you don’t, how many believers have you met who have expressed this wish? Yet how many of the core teachings of the faith did I present to my disciples face to face that they didn’t get? They were uncomprehending about the other sheep not of this fold, the wineskins, and the fact that I must die. They were troubled when I told them I was going away, but I said that it was better that way because I would send the Comforter to lead them into all truth. You can see how they eventually ‘got it’ in the book of Acts. You live under these same terms. Can you see how much better this is? 

Do you describe your faith as a relationship with me? You are right. Do you notice that in most faiths deity is represented as a single entity? Yet in your faith deity is represented as a Father and a Son. There is also a Spirit, completing the trinity, and this forms the basis for relationship even within the divine being, and as this is revealed to you it forms the basis of the invitation for you to join this relationship. And so your fellowship may be with the Father and the Son, revealed by the Spirit, that my final prayer will be answered that all of these may be one, even as we are one. 

Have you ever been homesick? This is a typical response when people leave home, longing for a place you belong. This is understandable by everyone, but can you imagine being homesick for a place you have never been before? How could this be? Yet I have put eternity in your heart. You have never been there, but it is hardwired into your spiritual DNA. And so you may feel restless, and those who follow me are called sojourners, strangers, and pilgrims in this world, with hearts that are restless until they rest in me. Let not your heart be troubled by this. It will find its one true home. 

Do you think there are special blessings for those who tithe? You are right, but there are special blessings for everyone else too. For I make the sun to shine and the rain to fall on the just and on the unjust alike. It is in my nature to do so. So what is your motivation for tithing if you don’t get a special reward? Generosity can be your nature too. If you follow my example it becomes a characteristic trait of yours. So shall you be the children of your Father in heaven. Then you will be able to give for the right reasons, and be a cheerful giver. 

How do you discern your fellow believers? You do not assign people an eternal destiny; that is my job, and I do not subcontract it. Yet for the purpose of fellowship it is helpful to know where people stand. Do you do this on the basis of confession and affirmation? It is easy to judge people leniently if they have the right beliefs. It is easy to judge yourself leniently for your beliefs too. But I have already given you a different criteria. You shall know them by their fruits. You judge those outside your faith by this criteria, and they judge you the same way. What people do is a more reliable indicator of their true nature than what they say. 

Are you familiar with the crusades? These were wars of aggression by Christian armies. These episodes did not reflect well upon the practice of the faith, and left resentments that  linger to this day. You do not approve of Jihad waged by others, and they felt the same way about the crusades. Now there are no “Christian armies” with armor, artillery, and infantry, but do you still hold the same attitude that motivated the crusades? What is your attitude toward those outside your faith? The Great Commission is to preach the gospel to every creature. You are called to proselytize by persuasion, not force.

Landfills for garbage are a human construct. The concepts of scrap and debris and refuse do not exist in nature, in which there is a use for everything. Waste is a human concept. Which principle do you think applies in my Kingdom? Here we are not talking about material things to throw away or not, but are there aspects of your life that you would gladly part with? You see some parts of yourself as negative and hindrances, but I can use even those things for my redemptive purposes. Joseph told his brothers that what they meant for evil God meant for good. What aspects of your life do you reject that I do not see as waste?

Are you looking for truth or looking for error? If you accept the premise that if you seek you will find, then what would you expect to be the outcome of these two searches? Evil is present in the world, and you are to avoid it. The best way to do that is not to look for it. The Bereans searched the scriptures daily to see if this new message was true (not false). Do you trust in my goodness and my power to keep you from the evil one? I am able to keep you from falling, and no one will take you out of my hand. Go forth in peace and confidence being as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves. 

Can you handle the truth? Everyone thinks they can, but are they right? I spent several years with my disciples, and then I told them that I had more to teach them, that they could not bear then. Even then they could not handle the truth. Yet I promised to send the Comforter who would lead them into all truth. This same promise applies to you. Even after all the centuries of theological study, are you aware that you need the Holy Spirit to lead you into truth? This applies as much today as it did then. If you walk with a  conscious awareness that the Holy Spirit teaches you then you will be able to handle the truth.