Shawn McCraney emphasizes the contrast between the acceptance and rejection of Jesus, noting that while he was embraced when performing miracles and seen as a king, he was ultimately abandoned and left alone at the crucifixion, symbolizing the loneliness that often accompanies the pursuit of truth. He encourages those following the path of truth, grounded in their love for Yeshua, to recognize the presence of fellow believers and the Spirit of Christ, even when faced with isolation or lack of support from family and friends.
Recognizing the linguistic evolution from Hebrew names such as Yeshua to the Greek Iesus and eventually to Jesus Christ illustrates the translation journey and diverse interpretations within Christianity; however, the essence remains that acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah and following the baptism in his name are fundamental beliefs for spiritual redemption and connection with the Holy Spirit. Understanding biblical translation history and its implications on faith highlights the tension between literal interpretation and cultural context, encouraging believers to reflect deeply on personal faith and its historical roots.
In Shawn's teaching, the hardened minds of the sons of Israel are unable to see the end of the obsolete Old Covenant because a metaphorical vail covers their hearts when reading Moses, but this vail is lifted when they turn to the Lord and experience transformative liberty through the Spirit. Through Christ, who is the image of the invisible God and the head of the church, believers are reconciled with all creation, seeing the fulfillment of all things through His sacrifice on the cross, thus enabling them to behold and become transformed into His glory.
Understand the importance of context and cultural nuances when interpreting religious names and customs; the meaning of "Jesus Christ" goes beyond being a mere sound and is deeply connected to historical and cultural significance. Knowing these contexts is crucial for a deeper comprehension of faith and religious practices.
- Heart of the Matter: Walking the Christian Road
- Understanding the Meaning of Names in Religious Context
Heart of the Matter: Walking the Christian Road
Live from the Mecca of Mormonism, Salt Lake City, Utah, this is Heart of the MatterTGNN’s original show where Shawn McCraney deconstructed religion and developed fulfilled theology., where we are learning together to walk the Christian road in the age of fulfillment. I’m your host Shawn McCraneyFounder of TGNN and developer of the fulfilled perspective—calling people to faith outside of religion.. Let’s have a word of prayer.
Recent Interviews and Open Invitations
This week, Seth and I are getting on Zoom where I will have the pleasure of interviewing the originator of a very popular podcast known as Radio Free Mormon. He’s been interviewed by John Dehlin in the past (which I haven’t heard), but I am suspecting we will cover some new ground. So, look forward to this interview popping up in the near future right here on Heart of the Matter. And special thanks to Scott Sanders and Danny Larson for setting this up. We are always interested in interviewing people who have a unique voice, perspective, or story to tell. I wish some of our critics online would be willing to come and sit with us and converse about things, but they don’t want to give the ministry any attention. But we extend the open invitation anyway.
The Price of Truth
I want to talk about popularity for a minute. And I want to look at Yeshua. When He was feeding the masses food, He was loved. When He was doing miracles for them, they rejoiced. When He attended their parties, they were happy with their Messiah, and when He entered into Jerusalem and were under the impression that he was going to be their earthly King, they came out and treated him as such. But when he fasted and went to the wilderness to be tempted, he was alone – nobody seems to be around praying for him. And when he went to the wilderness to pray, the people merely sought him to see when he was going to feed them again. When he taught things hard to be understood, they stopped following him, and when he was arrested, they abandoned him altogether. Of course, finally, he was left naked and alone outside the city gates to die – and even his own father, because of our sinMissing the mark of faith and love—no punishment, just lost growth or peace., left him alone. There is a price for truth in this world, folks. A very high price, and it often includes loneliness.
I want to encourage you, as a seeker of truth, a lover of Yeshua, a true son or daughter of God, that while the road you're on may be absent a lot of family or friends or supporters, you are not alone. There are both other believers out there experiencing the same, and you do have God with you by the Spirit of Christ.
Viewer Comments and Reactions
Last week's live show – called Goodbye Jesus – brought out some comments that are worth responding to – so let’s get to them right now.
Tamara C
The name Jesus casts stuff out! And it works. That's pretty powerful to me.
Stephanie Smith
I knew this would ruffle some feathers!!
Anthony Carlisle
The deal with Yeshua is he Yeshua Ha'Mashiach or Yeshua Bin Yoseph to you? Yeshua/Yehushua means "God saves", but it wasn't a super unique name, like Joshua today. It's the 'surname' that makes the difference.
EternalEntity
That Ethan guy will never find happiness if he keeps doing what he’s doing.
Thor Bradshaw
Thanos was awesome he was trying to make the world sustainable and we all deserve to die anyways ha.
EternalEntity
10:05 wrong because Mary would have been Miryan.
Maira Manwaring
What about Matthew 1:23, shouldn't we call him Emmanuel?
Patrick Leyerle
The name Jesus is derived from the Hebrew name Yeshua/Y'shua, which is based on the Semitic root y-š-? (Hebrew: ????), meaning "to deliver; to rescue."
Patrick Leyerle Continued
I'm not a legalist. I don't think God is mad we call Him Jesus. THREAD. Heart of the Matter has nothing to do with legalismRule-based religion is over. Faith and love—not law—define life with God now.. It has to do with truth. Patrick Leyerle @Heart of the Matter truth is important. You're right about truth. You have always inspired me to keep seeking truth. I will say though that miracles have happened in my life in Jesus name. Love you all lots.
NEW Kayelee Sabey
YWWH is pronounced: Ya-W-eh.
THREAD Anthony Carlisle
It's 'YHWH' or the 'Tetragrammaton'. Also, letters pronounced sound like "Yod Heh Vod Heh". There are no W's in Hebrew, why it's used modernly Idk, but it's a V sounding letter in original Hebrew script. It's unclear as to how it's definitively pronounced, so "God, Adonai, etc" were used in place of YHWH in the Bible.
NEW Dean Medcalf
I wonder what he thinks? I would guess, typical of the sons of man especially when time passes. I actually have no clue what he would think.
The Control and Interpretation of God's Name
Think God is not in control that he would let his son's name be taken in vain and destroyed? What kind of a God would he be then man would have more power than God.
NEW COMMENT Patrick Leyerle I've had miracles happen in the name of Jesus. Ya, it's about how His name was translated throughout history. But if God didn't want us to call His Son Jesus then He wouldn't allow if in his Bible. Heart of the Matter Then why did he allow other mistakes in his Bible? Patrick Leyerle @Heart of the Matter the Bible is not perfect. But it has the perfect Gospel in its pages. Good question for me to think on. ?
The Debate on the Name of Jesus
Lorrie Bell YESHUA (salvation) NOT JESUS Yahashua.. Joshua Actually AVRAM… then AVRAHAM.. Btw… Your Heart is the MOST CORRUPT….legalistic what? God IS A STICKLER for ALL HIS WORD… THREAD Google Play Now Mathew 7:2 (whoops!!! Looks like THE STICKLER has measure for you!?)
Lorrie Bell Google Play Now YES… In fact, I REMEMBER READING that God/YAH Says don’t add to or take away from His word… Shalom….
EternalEntity Are you a Jew?
Exploring Identity and Belief
Lorrie Bell EternalEntity actually Sephardic Jew who didn’t know.. but suspected it… My belief is That of Messianic 5+yrs (was raised a Baptist/Pentecostal…) It amazing what u find out if one Returns to Search our Scriptures in CONTEXT and learn from Hebrew mind .. rather than from the GREEK mindset we Western world has.. (not interpret Bible literally) The more you learn to realize You realize you don’t know squat…very humbling actually!
EternalEntity Lorrie Bell then you believe in a false Christ! The messiah has come repent and return to Jesus Christ
EternalEntity Acts 2: 38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Anthony Carlisle Baptized in the 'name'? What does that mean? What did the scribes translate & posit 'name' to mean? If you go w/ Yeshua Ha'Mashiach, that is "God saves through our Messiah", that makes sense. Iesus(?) Kristos, the Greek form, is where, through German to English, we got Jesus Christ, Jehovah also. "Christ" isn't a 'last name', it's more so a title or declaration. And from accepting that 'declaration' & being baptized unto The Messiah, the redeemer of humankind, the Holy Spirit follows.
EternalEntity Anthony Carlisle it’s not his last name but a title.. most people in those days didn’t have last names John last name wasn’t Baptist lol, you need to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ to enter heaven and if you are not then you will not be able to do so, you can get baptized in the name of Yeshua if you like it won’t do much good though unless they have the priesthood.
Google Play Now Give help, let us go down, and mingle there their pronunciation, so that a man doth not understand the pronunciation of his companion.
Ministers of a New Covenant
2 Corinthians 3:1 Do we begin again to recommend ourselves, except we need, as some, letters of recommendation unto you, or from you? 2 our letter ye are, having been written in our hearts, known and read by all men, 3 manifested that ye are a letter of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not in the tablets of stone, but in fleshy tablets of the heart, 4 and such trust we have through the Christ toward God, 5 not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything, as of ourselves, but our sufficiency [is] of God, 6 who also made us sufficient [to be] ministrants of a new covenant, not of letter, but of spirit; for the letter doth kill, and the spirit doth make alive.
The Glory of the New Covenant
7 and if the ministration of the deathSeparation from God—now overcome. Physical death remains, but it no longer separates us from life with God., in letters, engraved in stones, came in glory, so that the sons of Israel were not able to look steadfastly to the face of Moses, because of the glory of his face — which was being made useless, 8 how shall the ministration of the Spirit not be more in glory? 9 for if the ministration of the condemnation [is] glory, much more doth the ministration of the righteousness abound in glory; 10 for also even that which hath been glorious, hath not been glorious — in this respect, because of the superior glory; 11 for if that which is being made useless [is] through glory, much more that which is remaining [is] in glory. 12 Having, then, such hope, we use much freedom of speech, 13 and [are] not as Moses, who was putting a vail upon his own face, for…
Understanding the Unity in Names and Faith
The matter of how believers refer to key figures in Christianity, such as Jesus Christ, has sparked many discussions. Differing names and their implications continue to be a topic of interest, as seen in many exchanges between believers.
14but their minds were hardened, for unto this day the same vail at the reading of the Old Covenant doth remain unwithdrawn — which in Christ is being made useless — 15but till to-day, when Moses is read, a vail upon their heart doth lie, 16and whenever they may turn unto the Lord, the vail is taken away. 17And the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord [is], there [is] liberty; 18and we all, with unvailed face, the glory of the Lord beholding in a mirror, to the same image are being transformed, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
The Image of the Invisible God
Col 1
15who is the image of the invisible God, first-born of all creation,16because in him were the all things created, those in the heavens, and those upon the earth, those visible, and those invisible, whether thrones, whether lordships, whether principalities, whether authorities; all things through him, and for him, have been created, 17and himself is before all, and the all things in him have consisted. 18And himself is the head of the body — the assembly — who is a beginning, a first-born out of the dead, that he might become in all [things] — himself — first, 19because in him it did please all the fulness to tabernacle, 20and through him to reconcile all things to himself — having made peace through the blood of his cross — through him, whether the things upon the earth, whether the things in the heavens.
Exploring Identity and Worship
NEW COMMENT Rex Albright
Just call Him Christ, or do you want to change that, too?
THREAD
EternalEntity
He’s being foolish.. he listens to the atheists on the saviour’s name yet not on the rest of the things they say.. this stuff comes from people trying to destroy our faith.
NEW COMMENT EternalEntity
This is what can happen when you don’t have a church behind you.. you try and create your own religion we know him as Jesus Christ and that’s all there is to it your name wouldn’t be Shawn back then it would be Yochanan.
THREAD
Anthony Carlisle
Having a church behind you… to validate & presumably guide you… & just going with modern comprehension kinda sounds like "creating your own religion" to me.
Knowing the origins & what was of value to the Christian peoples then – like names, social culture, etc – would be more congruent to it being a sustained religion. Of course, things change, but the core should never be forgotten or dismissed.
EternalEntity
Anthony Carlisle how many people in the world know and worship Jesus Christ and how many know about worship yeshua Christus? Or whatever they would call him lol it’s trying to be elite.. do only the one who call him yeshua enter heaven and all the rest are damned?
Anthony Carlisle
Eternalentity –
Many non-English speaking peoples, especially outside the US, refer to him as Kristos.
How is having the desire to know God further & refer to the people of the Bible by their actual names an elitist ideal? An example, just an example – if one was to be baptized in the name of Eternalentity, but modernly you're called Constantdeity, sure the meaning is similar, but kinda different also. For some people, those small differences matter & can bring them to a closer understanding of God, helping to further fortify their faith, & comprehension of Biblical contexts.
EternalEntity
Anthony Carlisle “23 And he commandeth all men that they must repent, and be baptized in his name, having perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of GodGod’s spiritual reign—fulfilled and present, not political or future.. 24 And if they will not repent and believe in his name, and be baptized in his name, and endure to the end, they must be damned; for the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has spoken it.”
EternalEntity
Anthony Carlisle the scriptures speak for themselves I am only quoting from the scriptures.
EternalEntity
Anthony Carlisle “Verily, verily, I say unto you, they who believe not on your words, and are not baptized in water in my name, for the remission of their sins, that they may receive the Holy Ghost, shall be damned, and shall not come into my Father’s kingdom where my Father and I am.”
Faith, Names, and Understanding
EternalEntity
Anthony Carlisle I also say this is speaking of the highest level of heaven though so you people still receive.
Understanding the Meaning of Names in Religious Context
A level of glory if you are a good person and do not shed innocent blood or hate god in your heart
Names and Their Importance
Anthony Carlisle
Eternalentity – I understand the verses you're telling, all I'm getting at is what does the name "Jesus Christ" mean w/o context to the name's meaning? How does it differ from being baptized in "Eternalentity's" name if it's just a sound cluster coming out of one's mouth tagged to you?
The Role of Context in Names
Context to names, customs, social cultures, etc of that time may not be of much interest to most folks, but I'd say knowing is half the battle
