therapeutic or transformational?

Dale Cresap's picture

Do you expect worship to be therapeutic or transformational? It can be both. Therapeutic implies healing, and healing is available in my presence. My healing ministry is as active as it was on earth, and more so, being released from the limitations of time and space. Everyone needs healing at some time, but the purpose of healing is to restore you to a prior functional condition. I offer you that, but I want you to look ahead. The transformation I offer you will take you to a place you have never been before. Are you ready to go there?

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How Do I Walk in the Peace That the Prince of Peace Walked In?

Mark Virkler's picture

Bill Gothard teaches that anger is an inner alarm signal of rights I have not laid down, or if I did, I picked them back up again. I remember getting angry years ago when I was pastoring a church which was experiencing division. My reputation was being ruined by people gossiping and spreading untruths about me to people who had never even met me. The listeners would then take up a reproach against me, even though they had never connected even once with me. How unfair. I was ready to get angry.

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daily word - lessons?

Dale Cresap's picture

How do you select the books you read, your teachers, and other sources of instruction? Do you have a methodical process for this? Does it seem that you come across just the right thing at the time you are ready for it? Perhaps you are being led by the Spirit. Have I not promised  to perfect that which concerns you? You are constantly surrounded by lessons. When you are ready you will see them. Be alert, be aware, be attentive, be receptive and the lessons will find you. He who has ears to hear and eyes to see, let him hear and see. When I open doors for you walk through them.

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daily word - motivation

Dale Cresap's picture

What is your motivation for going to church? Do you go for your own benefit or for the benefit of the Kingdom of God? Is it possible to get both? How many people do you know who do not go to church because they don’t get anything out of it? I addressed this matter when I said that if you seek to save your life you will lose it, but if you lose your life for my sake and the Kingdom of God, you will find it. Is this passage a mystery to you?

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Muslims Coming to Christ Through Visions of Jesus

Mark Virkler's picture

Biblically speaking, vision and seeing in the Spirit are to be part of our evangelistic work. Not only did Jesus see vision all the time (Jn. 5:19,20,30), but look at the prominence of vision in the missionary work of the book of Acts. The scriptural evidence is overwhelming. Below is a listing of verses from Acts followed by testimonies on the web showing Jesus is still appearing in visions today, converting Muslims. We need to expect the voice and vision of God will be key in our evangelistic outreaches today. Evangelism is to be supernatural!

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daily word - awesome

Dale Cresap's picture

Have you ever heard of anything described as awesome? Have you heard this term being applied to every item of passing interest? Awe is a legitimate concept, but the term is applied far too loosely today. Things that are really awesome have a profound effect on you. Awesome things have an expansive scope and scary intensity that leaves you shook up and reminded that you are not the center and measure of all things. This is what the prophet experienced when he said, Woe is me, for I have seen the Lord. It is what you long for but cannot endure.

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daily word - examine yourself

Dale Cresap's picture

So let a man examine himself. You recognize this famous passage about the process of taking communion. This doesn’t have to be a grim review of everything you have done wrong. You may get more benefit from an honest evaluation of what is working for you and what is not, and deciding to do more of what is and less of what isn’t. How often do you take communion? The passage says you should perform this self-evaluation at these times but does not limit it to those. You don’t need to wait for a sacramental ritual.

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daily word - dish it or take it?

Dale Cresap's picture

Have you heard of people who can dish it out but can’t take it? This is no compliment. It implies that someone is eager to be critical, but unable to receive criticism themselves. In a world of perfect symmetry those who are eager to give criticism should be willing to receive it as well, and those who cannot receive it should refrain from giving it. Yet there is another possibility. What about those who are able to receive criticism but hesitate to give it? This would be a position of grace, one who benefits from criticism if it is justified, and refuses to react against unjust criticism.

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daily word - believe in people

Dale Cresap's picture

Do you believe in people? Have you ever heard a fellow believer say they only believe in God and not in people? This may sound very spiritual, but if you look beneath the surface you will find underlying bitterness and isolation. The greatest two commandments are to love God with all you have and your neighbor as yourself. The beloved disciple expounded on this to say how can you love God whom you have not seen if you do not love your brother whom you have seen? You can extend this same principle to believing, understanding that it is different from believing for salvation.

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daily word - frequency

Dale Cresap's picture

Have you heard someone express their difficulty in communicating with someone else by saying they were not on the same frequency? You knew what they meant, even if the frequency in question was not measured in megahertz. Different world views and assumptions affect perspective and make it hard to exchange ideas. Some radios operate only on one frequency, but most have a tuner to select frequencies. These are more versatile, and you can be more versatile if you can receive and transmit on more than one frequency.

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