Heart of the Matter Broadcast

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. . . .

Show 1: Counterfeits
January 1st, 2008

…and I’m your host, Shawn McCraneyFounder of TGNN and developer of the fulfilled perspective—calling people to faith outside of religion.. Happy New Year – or whatever.

Heart of the Matter Announcements

LIVE STREAMING VIDEO

IN-THE-HOUSE TONIGHT

This year of 2008 is going to be the year where the HEART OF THE MATTER shout-outs end. If this offends you I do apologize. It is getting to the point that I am missing people I love and care about – people who deserved the blessed title of “shout-outtedness.” So let me just say, that if you watch the show, or pray for us, or send us information, or help support us financially, or have a birthday – we love and appreciate you, and we shout out to God for you daily.

Learning the Truth About Mormonism

I Was A Born-Again Mormon. This is the thing that started it all. You can buy it at Sam Wellers, Utah Lighthouse Ministry, right across from the ball field, Christian Gift and Bible in Sandy, CCSLC bookstore, Christ Evangelical in Orem, Gift of Grace in Springville, Oasis books in Logan. Listen, let me say something here about www.utlm.org. This is the place online to check your facts about church history. This is the place to learn the truth about Mormonism.

The LDS church today is working very hard to redirect the media, internet traffic, and inquiring minds to their own website so they can tell the world what they believe. “Well,” you may say, “that seems only fair and right, Shawn. It’s their church, they should be the first people you go to to learn about their religion. When you want to learn about a Ford, ya go to a Ford dealership, don’t ya? Would you go to a Chevy dealer to learn about a Ford?” (beat) Yes.

Now, there are people and places we do go to directly to hear their side of the story. If an institution were known to be true, honest and forthright, yes, we go to them. But the LDS Church has not passed this litmus test – presently or historically. We all have to agree that there are organizations where you will get the straight shot by going to outside sources. The mafia. Governments – especially despotic governments – they’re going to lie and cover-up. Sinister Corporations often have things to hide lie. This is why there are investigative reporters and third-party policing groups.

Now “maybe” the LDS Church is doing better in this area of late. But in my opinion, they are worse. It used to be they openly and proudly admitted their practices, beliefs, and desires. Now they’ve embraced the worst of all public stances – Orwellian doublespeak. Anyway… go to www.UTLM.org. I mean, we love our site too, but for information that can be trusted, UTLM.org is the place.

Upcoming Events

Next Week . . . right here in Salt Lake City . . . we are going to hold our January “Traveling Pastor” get together. When: Monday Night, January 7th. Where: Downtown SLC at the Denny’s on 5th South and 250 West. Time: 6-8pm. What: Fellowship, meet, eat, and greet. Then we are going to go to an “undisclosed location” and have our open, non-denominational baptism for any and all who want to publicly accept Jesus as Lord and Savior of their lives. (Repeat details)

Also, BOISE IDAHO, we’re coming to your neck of the woods. So look for details on February’s Traveling Pastor February 3rd and 4th in the greater Boise area. Go to www.bornagainmormon.com.

Romney and Mormonism

On the Romney Trail: Jill H. sent this article which was really interesting. (summarize article) On a similar note, thanks to internet investigator John M., there was an interesting article in the SLTribune everyone should read. We have been adamant that if Romney were elected President, it would be Mormonism that would in the end win and rule. (Summarize article)

Considerations on Temptation and Strategy

PRAYER PRAYER PRAYER

Imagine for a minute that you are Satan, the dark side, a being who seeks 24/7 to lead human beings – the souls God has created – to an eternity of misery. Over time, you are going to come up with some strategies. After the fall, Satan hit Adam and Eve’s first born son with a grand sinMissing the mark of faith and love—no punishment, just lost growth or peace. – cold-blooded murder. Not much panache. Not much by way of strategy. Not too creative. Just plain old anger, jealousy and hateful rage.

With time and experience, the most cunning of all devious crafters – develops a plethora of new approaches to manipulate and ultimately capture the hearts of men. Idolatry started off as a staple of wooden figures and has blossomed today into all sorts of strange gods – living, breathing, dead and inert. Lust? Pretty natural stuff.

Understanding Counterfeits in Spiritual Contexts

But he’s gotten us to lust after incomprehensible things in this day and age. Then, with the so-called progress of civilization – came some of “darkness’s” best works – His counterfeits – subtly crafted methods which bear the appearance of truth and light but are nothing but a valueless, hollow outward representation of the real thing.

Makes sense though, doesn’t it? I mean, if you were the most wiley, cunning, truth-twister in the universe wouldn’t it make sense that in the face of a so-called “advancing civilization” you would try and produce something that most closely resembles God’s plan but in reality is an affront to it? Wouldn’t you strive to develop a system of beliefs that appear holy and good and right which are in fact antithetical to God’s ways? That would be ingenious. And it is exactly what the darkness has done.

In the manual that exposes counterfeits and counterfeiters – the Bible – there are two terms that describe “knowing.”

Ginosko versus Epignosis

Speaking of SALVATION in John 17:3 Jesus said: “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” The word “know” here (that they might know thee) is the Greek word Ginosko. And it refers to the salvation experience. Salvation is not merely a mental understanding, nor is it limited to an emotional experience, it is a knowing experience.

Now we’ve talked before about knowing on this show and I’ve said that it can only be attributed to knowing truth with a capital T which is Jesus . . . who is the Truth with a capital T. Meaning, we can only say we truly know what is true. And Jesus is the only True which we can know.

But there is another word that is used in the Greek and it describes the freedom, the liberty, the absolute indescribable deep relationship believers can have with God -and that word is epignosis. It is knowledge above and beyond the knowing that comes through salvation. Epignosis describes our deep rooted understanding of God. It is not a description of salvation, and epignosis comes only through understanding God through the study of His Word. Writing to people who have already been saved, Peter and Paul say, using this hyperbolic word epignosis:

Eph 1:16-18 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints”

2nd Peter 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord

Remember, the apostles here are speaking to people who have been saved, and they use the word epignosis to describe that deeper relationship that brings peace, joy, and comfort which lesser instructed believers in the word have yet to come to possess.

The Gift of Freedom

Remember that phrase “that lesser instructed believers in the word have to come possess.” This peace, joy, rest, and assurance culminates in one revolutionary word: FREEDOM. Jesus words, “And you shall KNOW the TRUTH and the TRUTH shall set you free” were not in vain. Freedom in Christ. You see, the doctrines taught by Jesus and those presented in the Word always point and lead to one thing – liberty, freedom, and peace in CHRIST.

Not in the world.
Not in religion.
Not in a man or a woman.
Not in Joseph.
Not in Gordon.
Not in your pastor.
Not in Shawn McCraney.

In Jesus Christ. And the manual teaches it. Believers study the manual. They experience more freedom and peace. And once they understand the manual (and here’s the tie in to our discussion tonight) they can spot a counterfeit to this gift of epignosis a mile down the road.

Why do you suppose the informed Christian world at large, the Bible scholar, Jesus loving, peace-filled bible readers have always called Mormonism a cult? Mormons will comically tell you it’s because they are jealous of the LDS’s rapid growth and success. Manual readers know that true Christianity will never be a world success. The reason the manual reader have always resisted Mormonism is because they’ve been freed and see the counterfeit. How? What is the core issue that tips us off? The loss of peace and whole trust in Christ. The loss of peaceful liberty in Him alone.

Listen: 2nd Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Liberty

Galatians 5:13 ¶ For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

In a prophetic utterance of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah said:

Isaiah 61:1 ¶ The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.

Knowledge of God

Knowledge of God – epignosis – produces both release and total reliance in a life of a believer. Release from the bondage of sin, institutional rule, sects, cults, philosophies, diets, drugs – you name it and total reliance upon Him and Him alone. The more studied you are in the Word of God, and all the revelatory declarations He gives us from His mouth to our heart, the more freedom you possess AND . . . AND . . . and the better ability you have at discerning a counterfeit system when it comes down the pike.

Now counterfeiting is truly a bane on society. It is a pathetic, ugly, leech. In March of this year, the US Chamber of Commerce revealed the findings of a study where they tracked three product-groups that originate from Brazil. Clothing, sports footwear, and toys. This study revealed that counterfeiting of these products alone deprived Brazil of 9.3 billion dollars of tax revenues in 2006 alone.

Think about your own work and business. How would you feel if you labored endlessly to create a liberating product – a cure for a disease, a new dress, a piece of art – and some counterfeiter knocks it off, mass produces it, and sells it to the yearning public in an inferior state. Imagine that you dealt in historical documents and some fraud sold you a counterfeit.

Counterfeit Systems

Now imagine – just imagine – how God feels about people and systems that have counterfeited and pirated His system, and are pushing it out to the masses as the real McCoy. And their system does the opposite of His – it traps, and ensnares, and imprisons the creations He sent His son to free! Watch out. When it comes to the unadulterated message of Christianity, the general rule of thumb is this: Liberals tend to diminish from the original and the cults tend to add to it.

Liberals tend to say, “Oh, Jesus, he was a good man. But all religions are good.” “The Bible. It has some good advice. But so does the Koran, and the this, and the that . . . in fact, my mystic fume healer Star told me yesterday that she saw me in her tapioca skin softener.” Whatever. But the cults (and I usually don’t use that term but am tonight for our discussion purposes), they generally add to their counterfeit. With them, the Biblical message of Jesus is NEVER enough.

Teachings and Mormonism

What do the Jehovah’s Witnesses say of Jesus? Scientologists? Christian Scientists? What does the Mormon doctrines say of Him? He is never enough. Last Sunday, in a ward in Southern California, a member of a Bishopric came into the primary (that’s where the Children are kept) and said the following:

“ “

There is always more. But Mormonism is unique because they are not satisfied with producing their own counterfeit system to Jesus with other books, other doctrines, and other practices, they have had the audacity to take the original manual and totally mind-screw their members on what it says!

SO this year, instead of continuing on with Church history, were are going to take the main biblical verses the LDS use to support their errant doctrines and teach you how badly they have been misapplied. I received an email just last week from one Michael McVey, an ardent defender of the Mormon faith and extreme critic of me and our ministry. He writes: (READ IT)

We’re going to spend the year addressing these horribly errant teachings the LDS have heaped upon their members and hopefully help to you speak with your LDS family and friends, and hopefully help our LDS listeners understand the manual that always leads to freedom. If you have some verses

Understanding LDS Missionary Discussions

If you have encountered terms frequently used by LDS members that you don't understand, you can forward them to shawn@bornagainmormon.com. This is an invitation for those who seek clarity, especially on the essential verses often used by LDS missionaries in their discussions. These topics include:

1. The ontology of God
2. War in heaven
3. Pre-existence
4. Creatio ex nihilo
5. The two scrolls in Ezekiel
6. Satan
7. Virgin birth
8. Atonement in the garden
9. The Cross
10. Apostasy
11. Bible as the Word of God
12. Apostolic succession
13. Prophets
14. Revelation
15. Temples
16. Jerusalem
17. Joseph Smith in the Bible
18. Polygamy
19. Blood atonement
20. Baptism
21. Laying on of hands
22. Gift of the Holy Ghost
23. Priesthood authority
24. Other books of Scripture
25. The Church
26. The Body of Christ
27. Worshipping Jesus
28. Grace
29. Faith
30. Works
31. Jesus as God

And on and on.

The Role of the Bible

We live in a world of counterfeits. Everything has its frauds and fakes. The Bible can be trusted as the manual to know the differences. The Bible points to, leads to, and testifies of Jesus. It does not teach or point to Joseph too. The Bible is about the Jews, not the Mormons. The Bible teaches the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not Mormonism. It is of and from the old world and provides us clear understanding on issues men have twisted and contorted to meet their needs. Stay tuned.

Alright, let’s go to the phones:
(801) 973-8820
(801) 973- TV20

Please, first time callers, have a question ready, and turn down your television sets. Also, we welcome any and all LDS callers – unless you have been calling and making yourself a nuisance. You know who you are.

Regular Gatherings and Announcements

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LORD’S WORD

NEXT WEEK

MONDAY NIGHT

Tonight, we meet again for our regular Pastor in the Pub. We’ll see you next week here on Heart of the Matter (wiggle finger).