Heart of the Matter

Live from Salt Lake City, Utah, this is heart of the MatterTGNN’s original show where Shawn McCraney deconstructed religion and developed fulfilled theology. where we do all we can to worship God in Spirit and in Truth. I’m Shawn McCraneyFounder of TGNN and developer of the fulfilled perspective—calling people to faith outside of religion., your host.

Celebrating 500th Episode Milestone

Show 23
500 Emails for the 500th
June 7th 2016

Our prayer tonight will be given by:

Tonight is our 500th hour long program called Heart of the Matter. No big bands playing. No parade, no cake. Just another show. That’s really how it probably should be because the show has never been about what we have accomplished – it’s really been about trying to discover unadulterated truth. All the shows continue to reach people all over the globe for which we are so grateful to God for allowing us to continue on.

To date (and as stated) we’ve produced and aired 500 hour long programs. We’ve also recorded nearly 500 hour-long verse by verseTGNN’s Bible teaching series—book-by-book, through the lens of fulfillment and spiritual liberty. teachings through Matthew, John, Acts, Romans, Hebrews, James, 1st and 2nd Peter, and 1st John for our on-line church CAMPUS.

Publications and Additional Productions

Written and published five books including:

I was a Born-Again Mormon
If My Kingdom Were of this world then my Servants would Fight
Where Mormonism Meets Biblical
It’s Not the End of the World . . . and now
Knife to a Gun Fight

And a workbook called, The End of Material ReligionA fulfilled system of temples, rituals, and laws—replaced by direct spiritual relationship.. We’ve produced two short films aimed at reaching teens about sex. We produced five CD’s of over 55 original songs that have put the Word of God to music. We’ve been blessed to take a couple hundred people plus over the years into the waters of Christian baptism according to their publicly professed faith . . .

And we’ve personally seen the Lord reach hundreds of thousands through the ministry and help reach literally tens of thousands who were seeking to escape the Mormon Religion . . . (BEAT)

And through it all we have come to realize that the key component to the faith is love as it is defined by 1st Corinthians 13.

1st Corinthians 13

And with that I want to address something.

Addressing Doctrinal Beliefs

Last week we had a man call in the show and express an opinion – he wasn’t really sure about the need for Jesus shed blood in order to accept him as Lord and Savior. To Him Jesus was a good example that was sent to show us the way and the shedding of his own blood was unnecessary. He wondered if it was even barbaric.

Now prior to him sharing this thought I had spent a solid fifteen minutes explaining why I believe that the shedding of blood was absolutely necessary of the forgiveness of sinMissing the mark of faith and love—no punishment, just lost growth or peace.. The net result was that my view was confronted on the air by someone who was challenging my views which I deem very biblical and applicable to all people to this very day.

What to do?

First of all let me admit that it is not easy to have our personal beliefs discounted and admitting this opens the door possibly for more patience when they are. Let me also put this particular situation in perspective – the shed blood of Jesus is something I hold very dear and close to my heart – so close in fact that I cannot tease apart who He is and what He has done apart from the shedding of His blood; I cannot understand the love of God nor the love of Christ for God and Man apart from His shed blood. For me, to denounce or reject the need for His blood to be shed is to utterly denounce Him.

I say this because I am convinced that He is far more than just a good example for human kind to follow. He is our literal Savior by and through His shed blood which was untainted by sin and His obedience to the Father. Again for me there is no doubt to this and I hold it up and will forever teach it as fact.

What was difficult was how to react and respond to the caller (who happens to also be a personal friend of mine). I suppose what was most difficult for me was the fact that all my calls for love in the face of differences was put on the line – right there on the air.

So I have some decisions to make:

• Do I make the shed blood of Jesus and my understanding of it mandatory to my treatment of the caller? In other words do

Embracing Different Views Among Believers

I insist that he embrace my views in order for me to treat him as a brother?

• If this is so where is the right of every individual believer and follower of Christ to believe how they wish?

• And where is the patience and longsuffering exhibited if I demand he believe as I do right now at this point in his life (or ever)?

• Additionally, where is the fact that he (or I) may be wrong but just need time to grow according to the Spirit.

• And finally is (what I believe to be the correct view) of the shed blood mandatory for salvation? I mean how many people understand why His blood was required? Or how many people simply accept the phrase that “He shed his blood for us” without understanding why or what this really means? So, while I have personally placed a tremendous emphasis on the shed blood of Christ, and hold its import up equally with His deathSeparation from God—now overcome. Physical death remains, but it no longer separates us from life with God., resurrection, and perfectly life lived, am I to demand that others do the same?

Challenges of Subjective Christianity

What to conclude?

• Subjective ChristianityA direct, personal relationship with God—free from institutional authority, guided by personal relationship, faith and agape love. is very nice and convenient when people are generally open to allow others to see most things openly and do have much of a care for the rest.

• But it becomes VERY tenuous and difficult when someone steps into fellowship and expects to be treated with love and patience while challenging things that others hold up as not only apparent and true (like the need for the shedding of blood) but as self-evident.

• After the call last week we have to imagine now that others will appear in the future and challenge the actual existence of Jesus, His life lived, His death, and His resurrection. There will be those who call God an energy, and all sorts of other ideas.

Again the question – HOW TO RESPOND? Here is what I think:

Principles for Responding

We always respond:

1 – with patience, meekness, longsuffering, and with total trust that God is in charge by His Spirit.

2 – We respond by understanding that all people are at different places in their walk and they must be encouraged (not discouraged) and supported in their thoughts while they seek. That to greet them with demanded dogmatism will only serve to get them to retreat into their personal views and drift further from the truth and not closer to it.

3 – We respond by reminding ourselves that we have not all come to a unity of the faith by any means (nor on most subjects) and just because someone with an iconoclastic world view enters the fold does not mean they are alone. All of us differ on somethings somehow somewhere.

4 – And we ought, however, to the best of our ability, try and use a contextual biblical understanding to teach truth, to reiterate its points, and emphasize what it means in its messages – remembering however that while we do this to come to a unity of the faith there is a “better way” (as Paul said) and to seek that better way when differences such as this come up amidst those who claim Jesus as Lord. And that that better way is love.

5 – And we might remember that we are all individually accountable before God for the things we choose to believe and accept. That true believers seek Him in Spirit and Truth and this is not a sterile process – it’s messy – and we all come to the throne of God by faith and that faith comes by the hearing of the Word.

Open Dialogue and God's Judgment

6 – Finally we ought to try and let even our most personally precious and pure doctrines be openly challenged and even dismissed by others who lay claim to Jesus. That God is the judge – not us. And before we get to our emails tonight I had a

Important Meetings

Conversation with Matt Slick of CARM a week ago and we are going to get together again.

When?

Tuesday June from 7-9PM.

These meetings, whether you know it or not (or whether you enjoy them are not) are very, very important to the clearing away of the ridiculous and breaking ground for a unity of the faith.

So join us, June ___ Tuesday 7-9PM.

500th Program Celebration

And with that I want to use tonight – our 500th program – to catch up on emails we receive from all over the world.

Global Emails

EMAILS HERE