Dale Cresap's blog

Are you familiar with the stories about the Road to Emmaus and the Road to Damascus? These dramatic encounters with me took place on a journey from one place to another. Neither was scripted in advance. In this way they had much in common and they were still very different. Have you had an encounter with me that fits either profile? You could have an unexpected encounter with me of a different variety altogether. Is this the characteristic of a believer, or is that more doctrinal? These encounters are transformative. You can’t arrange them but you can be open to them.

The New Testament speaks much about freedom. You are to stand fast in the liberty in which I have made you free, and whom the Son sets free is free indeed. If you continue in my word you will know the truth and be free. What does freedom mean to you? Having enough guns to defeat any tyrant or oppressor? But these passages were written in an occupied country and nothing in the context suggests a political uprising. Then what dimensions of freedom do these passages refer to? Do you know anyone in a state of internal bondage? Can anything more severe be imposed from without?

You have my promise that everyone who seeks the truth hears my voice. Do you see this as an open-ended promise that everyone will respond to the gospel message? Yet how many people do you know that seek the truth? 1%? Seeking the truth is costly and painful. It is easier to seek acceptance and approval. These are deeply felt human needs. Are they stronger than the desire for truth? The pursuit of truth may lead you away from the comfortable and familiar. Are you willing to take this risk and move forward not knowing where the path will lead?

Do you know the difference between wisdom and knowledge? Ignorance is the opposite of knowledge, and foolishness is the opposite of wisdom. You can acquire knowledge from books. Can you acquire wisdom from books? This is not as obvious but you may be thinking of one book that is a source of wisdom. What does it say? That if any man lack wisdom let him ask of God. If the fear (reverence) of God is the beginning of wisdom then the process of obtaining it is to know that you need it and to know where to get it. Do you have a conscious need for wisdom? I’ll give it to you for free.

I was crucified by others, but I still said that no one took my life from me but I had the power to lay it down and pick it up again. Do these statements seem contradictory? If you are to follow me then are you willing to participate in your own death? Do you understand that this is not suicide? Do you also understand that the dying referred to is not as a hapless victim at the hands of others?

Do you have the good fortune to have an education? Perhaps you should consider the concept of intellectual humility. Are you eager to correct other people? You can come across as arrogant and condescending even if you allow other people’s errors in expression to pass without comment. Your own estimation of your acceptance of others may not be accurate. How do they perceive you? Do you relate primarily to those at your own level? Your education should make you more able to relate to those outside of your circle rather than less. Be not wise in your own conceits.

Have you ever heard anyone say, ‘in my humble opinion’? This has become a stock phrase. Was humility obvious in the opinion that followed, or is this just a manner of speaking? How many people do you know who hold their opinions with humility? They should, because they are just that. They are internally generated and more akin to taste than to objective reality. Are your opinions a part of the essence of your being? The more strongly you identify with them the harder it is to hold them with humility and the more offended you will be with those who differ with you.

When I sent my disciples out in pairs to perform ministry, I gave them specific instructions. This was primarily about traveling light, to carry no more than the essentials with them; they were to seek lodging with those who were worthy to host them. Do you see traveling ministers following these guidelines today? The same principles could be followed in spirit even if not in letter. Do you see any advantages to traveling light? This keeps you mindful of your dependence on me. It also frees your mind to focus on the task at hand. Have you ever travelled this way?

Do you desire intimacy? There is a normal human longing for connection. Do you think of this only in sexual terms? That is one aspect, but the concept is broader and not limited to that. What are the barriers to intimacy? There are many, but one is the presentation of a perfect and complete image. This is a false way of presenting yourself, and there can be no intimacy without vulnerability. You need some acknowledged flaws and rough edges for people to hang on to. It isn’t easy to grasp a full inflated balloon. Can you let some of the air out of yourself so you can connect with others?

Do you think that “individual believer” is an oxymoron? Those who are lost are in a state of alienation and isolation, but believers are a part of a body, in particular, my body. You become your brother’s keeper and by entering into a relationship with me you enter into a relationship with everything else that is in relationship to me. Extreme individualism is the curse of the modern era. I said that it was not good for man to be alone, and this is still true. Do you view your redemption as being saved from sin?