Dale Cresap's blog

You have heard it said that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Does this seem counterintuitive to you, except where ministry is concerned? For you live in a culture of acquisition that considers getting to be good, and more is better. But when it comes to ministry, wouldn’t you rather be the one sought out by those in need, providing them assistance in prayer, rather than the one declaring your need for others to minister to you? But people don’t sort into these fixed categories. Everyone will have needs and be in a position to minister to  the needs of others at various times. In this case it is blessed both to give and to receive. 

Do you look at everything as a spiritual experience? What about paying your bills? This may seem like the most mundane and least spiritual thing that you do, but it is an expression of your character and has a direct influence on your reputation in your community among both believers and non-believers. I spoke a great deal about money because it is an indicator of your values and your heart, for where your treasure is there will your heart be also. Do you think of your charitable giving and financial support of gospel work as a spiritual experience? I want you to manage the rest of your money and pay your bills with the same attitude. 

Have you found any verses in the Bible that give you comfort and caution at the same time? I warned that difficult times would come including false teachers who were so effective that if it were possible that the very elect would be deceived. The verse implies that it is not possible for the elect to be deceived and in this you should find comfort. Yet it also implies that it will be a close-run thing, and as such you are admonished to be diligent and vigilant. Stay on your toes for the threat is great and it will take all the discernment and wisdom available to you to stay in the truth. If you do this you cannot be deceived. 

leaving town for a few days.

Do you live in a Christian nation? You can be glad if you do, even if the definition of this is up for grabs. Different people understand it differently. Even if churches don’t receive direct government support it is easier for your life as a believer if you live in a culture where your faith is readily accepted. Is easier always better? My church grew and spread in a hostile climate. The situation you have now is rare in human history, and the pendulum can swing the back the other way. The nature of faith is such that it should endure whether in sympathetic surroundings or not. How well will your faith endure if it is not popular? 

In the Garden of Eden there was no effort required to obtain food, but ever since there has been. I use the imagery of harvest to refer to the work of evangelism as well as for the ingathering of food. I looked out at fields of grain and told my disciples that they were even now ready for harvest, and told them to pray that the Lord would send forth laborers for the harvest. This is an enduring principle and your time is always ready. This premise implies that there is effort involved but my yoke is still easy and my burden is light. When you are led by the Spirit your labor in my vineyard will bear fruit. 

I told my disciples that I had other sheep who were not of this fold. They didn’t get it at the time, but I was referring to you. Do you understand that this is an enduring principle in my Kingdom? Now that you are safely in the fold I still have other sheep who are not of this fold. Do you understand this better than my disciples did? I want you to rejoice in this, and enlarge your circle to include these sheep. This will require you to enlarge your comfort zone, but that will be beneficial for you even if you find it uncomfortable. My circle will always be larger than yours, and I look forward to the time there will be one flock with one shepherd. Help bring it about. 

What is the purpose of a church? Is it for you to join and be involved in, to support its vision and programs and ministry mission? Or is it to support you in finding your destiny and equipping you to carry it out? The answer is both. Have you ever been involved in a church that only emphasized one of these things; typically the first? That is a valid purpose, but it doesn’t exist in isolation from the second purpose. A healthy church will have a way in which you can serve, but it will look for a good fit for your own spiritual development. You can serve me by supporting the vision of your church, but in the economy of my Kingdom this does not conflict with having your own sense of purpose and vision and destiny. 

Have you ever heard of someone ‘going off the deep end’? This is a common expression and it is not meant as a compliment. It implies a loss of control. You have heard this used even in regard to the way people practice their faith. Yet do you want to go deeper in your Christian life? In this case depth is a good thing. So how do you go deeper in me without going off the deep end? I have provided safeguards for you if will use them. Recognize the authority of my word. Realize that I have given you people who can speak wisdom to you. You may recognize my voice even if it comes from unexpected sources. There is safety in a multitude of counsel. 

There was a garden of Eden in which I walked with Adam and Eve. Do you long for such a place? Yet they were expelled from the garden, and it was no longer available to them or their descendants. Instead you live in a world you refer to as fallen, in which you have to labor and toil for the earth to bring forth its fruit. Theologians have explanations for all of this – how it happened and what it implies – but don’t let that make you miss the most important point. For even in this fallen world I am available to walk with you in every place and circumstance of life whether you call your location paradise or not. 

Do you see a person’s appearance as a measure of their worth? You know that you shouldn’t, but you also know that attractive people find favor with others in ways that unattractive people do not. Intelligence may provide a better basis than appearance for considering others, but it is better still to recognize the worth of all people as intrinsic, for they are made in my image. And so you see the value of searching for and rescuing one who is lost regardless of their wealth or social standing. If you can see this in others, why is it so hard for you to see it in yourself? Why do you put so much effort into trying to prove that you are somebody?