Dale Cresap's blog

The Bible is a special message from me to you. It speaks with my voice and authority and has special status above all other sources in determining doctrine. It is the standard against which all others are judged. Yet the Bible does not contain me. In this sense nothing can contain me. The Bible is a created thing and as such you should be careful not to worship it, for the same rules apply to all created things. I invited those who thought that eternal life resided in the scriptures to search them and find that they testified of me. The proper response to the study of the Bible is to come to me and have life. 

Do you think of the justice system only in terms of courts of law and claims and lawsuits? Do you think of ministry to the poor as a matter of charity and mercy? You may think they have no legal claim for assistance, yet I told a story of a widow who came to ask for justice from an unjust judge, and she finally got it. Justice is a strong Biblical concept but it is broader than the one stated above. My word also teaches you to provide justice for the afflicted and needy. They may not have a case to make in court, but I want you to think of justice also in terms of kindness, compassion, and righteousness. 

Have you ever heard the admonition, ‘Don’t even think about it!’? In a climate in which speech is free and there is freedom of conscience regarding thoughts which are private anyhow this seems like a strong position. Yet it is exactly what I say to you about assigning people an eternal destiny. For I command you to say not even in your heart, ‘who shall ascend into heaven, and who shall descend into hell’. If you would follow my general commandment not to judge others this would be a good place to start. For I alone have the authority to assign eternal destinies and I take this exclusive domain seriously. Do and teach all I have commanded and let me worry about the outcome. 

Do you know people who talk all the time? They may have some interesting things to say but you can’t really have a conversation with them because that implies two people speaking. You may find such people wearisome and avoid them. Yet I am the Living Word, and I am always speaking. Yet I speak in a still small voice and do not dominate a conversation. Your overbearing friend may be hard to avoid, but I am meek and lowly in heart, and it is easy to avoid me. Those who understand the value of my words will seek me out, and sit at my feet, and listen carefully for they know that I alone have the words of life. 

You have my promise that you shall have whatever you ask of me in prayer. Do you consider this to be an amazing and extravagant blank check from someone with unlimited resources? How do you respond to this? Do you ask for as much as you can? My ability to give is unlimited. How great is your ability to receive? Would it be good for you to get everything you wanted, or would it leave you overwhelmed? Don’t let your desire for abundance turn into unfocused fragmentation. David said ‘One thing have I desired of the Lord’ and it was a good thing. Ask me for what you need to fulfill your destiny in me and you will get it with singleness of heart and purpose and vision.

Can you minister to me and not be aware of it? In the story of the sheep and the goats, I commended the sheep for very specific actions. I said that they provided me with food and drink. They gave me clothing and visited me. They were perplexed at this approval, and asked, when did we do these things? I replied that when they did them unto the least of these they did them unto me, and the converse was true for the goats. Note that there is nothing about doctrine, faith, or belief in this story. So it is possible to be kind to me and not know it, but it is better to do it with awareness, to see me in the least of these and minister to them as you would to me. 

I said that a prophet is not without honor, except among his own family and countrymen. This principle may apply to you even if you are not a prophet. This is similar to the proverb that familiarity breeds contempt. I am doing a great work of spiritual transformation in your life, but those who have known you all along may not be prepared to acknowledge this growth. The work I am doing in you enables you to minister life to others, but they may not be able to receive it. It is not beneficial for you to fight this principle I declared. Rather ask how far you need to go to be effective in the ministry I have given you. 

You know that you are saved by faith rather than works. Yet you should not assume that faith and works are contradictory and opposing concepts. Does your faith lead you to take action? It should. Do you find that the actions you take in faith serve to make your faith stronger and more real to you? James made a good argument when he said show me your faith without your works and I will show you my faith by my works, for one without the other is dead. The Bible is a book of faith but it is also a book of action. Faith is the initiator, but it does not grow without closing the loop with action. 

Does it appear to you that churches target narrow audiences? Do you see a wide variety of demographics in most churches? People tend to associate with those like them and are more comfortable that way, so even churches with a wide membership base will organize internally around age-specific groups for instance. Have you noticed that such distinctions are erased when a church is in revival? A true move of God has appeal across demographic lines and attracts young and old. It is possible to confuse cause and effect, but if you want revival look for ways to be inclusive so you may be all together in one accord. 

Movies, television and novels provide an entertainment experience through stories. Are you careful about the content of the entertainment you partake of, knowing that stories can have an influence on you for good or evil? The author may have a deliberate intent for this influence or not, but either way the stories will either affirm or deny the principles of life that I taught in my own stories. Do you understand that you have a story of your own? Let the stories that entertain you reinforce righteousness that they may support the narrative of my redemptive work in your own life.