Navigating Christian Living in the Age of Fulfillment
Live from the Mecca of Mormonism, THIS is Heart of the Matter, where we are learning together how to navigate Christian living in the Age of Fulfillment.
I’m your host Shawn McCraney. Let’s have a prayer.
Family Administration and COVID-19 Adjustments
Show 14B Family Administration – Live Follow-up Tuesday March 24th PRAYER
So, while I am not really big on demonic control in this day . . . does anybody out there know a good exorcist? You know . . . for the community? The world? I mean, what the hell is going on? We’re gonna get to that in a minute. But first.
In the name of what’s best for the health of all, we have postponed our Sunday’s Best series altogether due to the virus.
I want to thank my friends Father Christopher Grey, Lee Baker (who was willing to drive out), Bob Burgeron, and Denver Snuffer for their willingness to participate, and I look forward to the day when we can do this again. Again, Sundays Best postponed.
Also, a heads up on the progress of the TVAR. I will have completed the first run through of the synoptic gospels (Matthew Mark and Luke) by May and we will make that available to you all with its associated Mark for a nominal price. We will be doing this to help establish the Mark and to finalize the trademarkability of it. Anyway, we will let you know. It is a huge task but we are making progress, amidst everything else.
We have a really important show tonight before we get to your comments. I hope you, our viewers and listeners, will forward it to four thousand of their friends as a means to get the message out. Ready?
The Lens of Biblical Interpretation
I want to talk with you about God and His impressiveness. I recently told my daughter Delaney that I see the world like a person who has cut two eye holes out of his Bible and holds it up to his face as a means to interpret the world – meaning all I see and hear and observe is colored by the contents and spiritual principles of this book.
Because of this, most of my views and opinions are colored in biblical black, white, or red. And because of this, my view of information presented to me is somewhat jaded, if you will, or tweaked. I admit it. I have sought it and I have chosen it, and this worldview allows me to better see situations around us than if I was to just try and discern them with my own meager intelligence.
Because of this fact, I want to share some of the things that are happening around us today through this lens that I have adopted over the last thirty or so years of my life. Some call it “magical thinking” or my connecting dots where there are none – but that’s okay. In the end, they ARE how I see the world, and in the end, I am often impressed beyond belief at the wisdom – even the humor – of the Living God.
Reflections on Birthdays and Perspective
To give you an example of this, the Bible is clear on the message that all of us are born into a fallen world of sin, that our natural births create natural men and women who are an enemy to God, and that this is why Jesus taught that all of us must be born again.
And because of this, I place very little emphasis or attention on the birthdays of human beings – unless they are the birthdays of children who don’t know any better. Otherwise, I find birthdays to be celebrating something the individual had nothing to do with, and something that will not get a person into the Kingdom of God – but actually stands in the way of them entering therein.
In other words, birthdays are something to be overcome, not rejoiced over.
Of late, we have been faced with a pandemic level of disease that has led to the infection and death of many – and apparently will continue to for some time. It makes me laugh that as a means to get people to wash their hands long enough to rid themselves of this horrible virus, it has been recommended that people sing the Happy Birthday song twice.
For those with a biblical worldview, this suggestion is so apropos! Think about it. As we wash and scrub our hands to remove a virus that kills people, we sing a song celebrating our natural births!
Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday to me, I’m…
Irony and Small Beginnings in Biblical Narratives
Scrubbing off a virus, that’s frankly deadly. Very IMPRESSIVE, the way I see these things working out on earth. Oh, I am NOT saying that God causes this stuff, but I am saying that there is great irony present in the things that surround us humans on this earth relative to God and what is important.
Additionally, I am not of the opinion that God creates things of destruction to punish human beings. But I do think He uses what is “on hand” to send forth some pretty IMPRESSIVE messages. For instance, I do not believe that God created the toilet nor that he inspired us to call it a throne but I do think there is great irony that the “King” of Rock and Roll (who I love) died on one.
In other words, I don’t think for a minute that God created a big old surplus of rain to cause Noah’s flood. I think he just opened up all the avenues of existing water to enter in that area of the world and let it do its thing. Similarly I do not think that God caused actual fire to fall down from heaven to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah but he just lit the existing bitumen that was surrounded the place which THEN torched the city with fire and Sulphur (brimstone).
Examples of Small Beginnings
In addition to this view, it’s also really impressive that God not only uses “existing things” to wake us up but these things are often really “small,” (comparatively speaking) at least initially.
Looking back to Moses' day, do you remember what happened with Aaron in Exodus 4:2? That the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" And he said, "A staff." And with that simple “pre-existing staff” God wrought some pretty great wonders among those people then – even wonders of destruction. Remember Samson in Judges 15:15, what he killed a 1000 men with? It was with “the fresh jawbone of a donkey,” not with ten thousand men with chariots and swords. One man. One donkey jaw. That is IMPRESSIVE and to me, that is humorous in the irony – not in the deaths.
Speaking of killing, remember David and Goliath? 1st Samuel 17. The men around David wanted to arm him with all sorts of weapons and armor but David “Chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the shepherd's bag which he had, even in his pouch, and with his sling was in his hand; and he approached the Philistine.” Interestingly David only used one of the five smooth stones to drop the giant. That is IMPRESSIVE and again sort of humorous when we think about it.
Further Illustrations
How about the widow and her only son in 1st Kings 17:12 who served Elijah on only a handful of flour and a little oil in the jar” right in the midst of a drought and did so continually until the rain fell? And then how the end of that drought began with a cloud the size of a man's hand coming in from the sea. IMPRESSIVE.
Remember that Daniel talked about a stone cut out of the mountain without hands that would fill the earth? Or how God introduced the Messiah through an unknown unshaven, wild and wooly desert nomad to confront the men of power and erudition who dressed in soft robes? Remember how Isaiah described the Messiah himself, that he would be as a dried reed without beauty that no man would desire anything of him? Or how that Messiah described the beginning of the Kingdom of God – as a mustard seed? The smallest of all the seeds?
How did Jesus feed the five and seven thousand? He started with a couple loaves of bread and a few fish – and fed THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS. IMPRESSIVE.
And of course, we recall what Paul said in 1st Corinthians 1:27-29: That “God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.
In my estimation, limited as it is, God seems to thoroughly enjoy using small subtle things that are already in existence among men as a means to show us His existence, and His power and His wisdom. Things that even naked to the eye in the shape of a tennis ball.
Observations on Recent Events
With spikes that started in a fishing village and has STOPPED the freaking world in its tracks!
I love this God. I love His ways, His wisdom, His desires for people to look to Him and live . . . not to mention the unique means he uses to get all of us to consider Him and to reconsider ourselves. We had an earthquake here in Salt Lake City recently. I don’t think God sent it or caused it – I think he let it and its natural existence in the pressures along established fault lines let loose but through it He send forth a small, simple gesture – so small, so relatively and materially insignificant, that to the unbelieving or the blind it might appear to be nothing more than a small stone in the forehead of a giant, the jaw bone of a donkey, or a tiny mustard seed.
What was it? Amidst all the shaking that went on throughout the day, the Salt Lake City LDS temple’s golden Moroni, which faces east blowing a golden trumpet, had that trumpet shaken from its inanimate mouth then right out of its inanimate hands and fall to the ground over a hundred feet below, LEAVING the golden idol with . . . Nothing. (beat) Nothing in its outstretched hand and nothing pressed against its puffed up inanimate cheeks and lips. Nothing. Take a look.
(SHOW PICTURE)
And while this was a very small thing, compared to the LDS churches 1.3 billion dollar shopping mall, or its 100 Billion dollar Second Coming Fund, or its seemingly endless Real Estate Holdings around the globe, it was something that was right in line with how the Living God works.
Symbolism and Messages
Do you see it? From the LDS official website we read:
In the scriptures, trumpets are used to sound warnings, proclaim news, and herald visitors. Moroni holds a horn to his lips with his right hand, symbolizing both the spreading of the gospel throughout the world and the long-anticipated Second Coming of the Savior, which will be announced by trumpet-blowing angels (and they cite Matthew 24:31 for biblical support).
However, in the face of this religious anachronistic, bloated written rhetoric that keeps good people glued to their false authority, doctrines and history, their missionaries around the world have been sent home, their billion-dollar mall has shut down, and their 100 Billion dollar Second Coming fund will do nothing to cause Jesus to make an appearance. It was a simple gesture that gently whispered to those with ears: All that you promote, all that you maintain, all that you preach to the world, is over, its empty-handed, and is no different than a trumpeter without a trumpet.
(beat)
Be patient, and just keep watching.
Moves to Online Platforms
Speaking of watching, this next segment is really important and I challenge all you social media people to get out and push for this. Now is the time – it really is. I want to start it off by touting the website, CHECKMYCHURCH.ORG
The site is phenomenal and full of really good insights, research and recommendations and I look forward to them getting enough attention to go nation and world wide. But for years we have been singing the tune that brick and mortar religion is over – based on a contextual reading of the Bible. In fact, the Bible makes it clear that brick and mortar religion was NEVER supposed to be once Jerusalem, the ultimate brick and mortar religion, fell. It seems to me that God is making this point abundantly clear – again as brick and mortar churches around the world have – closed.
All around the world – all over the United States – million dollar religious operations, stratified with unnecessary personnel, and gimmicks and shows have shut down like amusement parks infested with lice. That’s IMPRESSIVE, isn’t it?
Now ask yourselves, what has been lost as a result of this? Has the Holy Spirit abandoned the hearts of believers? Have true Christian souls abandoned Jesus?
What has been the result?
Okay, some fellowship has been lost. But that has been lost in every aspect of life, hasn’t it?
But what has been lost that individuals take with them to heaven? Not one thing. And anything that is worthy taking to heart and to heaven can be gained at home through the spirit, prayer, reading the world and online teachings.
Now ask yourselves – what are the big empires of material religion doing. They are all sitting there around the world in silence. Empty. Hollow. And hopefully NOT
A Radical Proposal for Churches in Times of Crisis
Being funded. It’s like God is saying to every living human being: Be still and know that I am God.
In the face of all of this here’s the part we need to promote and get behind. All around the world people are out of work. Here in Utah there is not a single restaurant open. No malls. No movie theaters. Airports are losing 22 BILLION dollars a DAY in revenue. People have been laid off or cut back and bills are going to start stacking up if they haven’t already. And most Americans have very little money stashed away for times like this so we are headed into some very hard times economically.
Liquidating Church Assets
How will we survive? I have an immediate suggestion. Liquidate the churches and give the proceeds to the poor! Wouldn’t that be Christian thing to consider? Wouldn’t that send a genuine message out to the world if one, ten, half or all of the so-called Christian empires did this? And think about this. Who built those mega churches that are sitting all over the world in silence? The local believing congregates built them, that’s who – through their tithes and donations. So doesn’t it make sense then, doesn’t it make Christian sense then, that the best thing these material empires can do, the most Christian thing that these pastors can do, is to sell off all their material assets and distribute them to those of their congregation (and others in the community) that are struggling right now and will struggle in the future?
Doesn’t it make the best Christian sense that these empires step up to the plate and empty their bank accounts as a means to help those who have helped them and those who are in need? Wouldn’t this be the GREATEST thing that churches could do right now in this crisis? To sacrifice their own material well-being for the betterment of human beings affected by this plight?
I tell you what, even though we here at CAMPUS have never taught or collected tithes, even though we don’t take collections, and we only rent the space we meet in every week, we will be the first ones to put all of our tangible assets – all of our supplies, all of our chairs, all of our art, refrigerators, microwave… anything we use to hold brick and mortar meetings – up for sale. From it all we might get two thousand dollars. But we will do it and we will distribute the proceeds to those in need as a means to set the example. We will empty our bank accounts.
Calling All Pastors
But you know, it’s one thing for churches that keep a low overhead and rent a space and don’t preach tithes, and teach people the Bible to liquidate, but what about all of those pastors out there that have preached tithes in the name of God and Christ, and built these now empty empires? I mean IF a church has preached tithes to its people, and the people have responded by paying tithes to their church, it ONLY makes reasonable sense that those very same churches, in the name of Christian goodness and generosity, liquidate all of their holdings, all of their useless buildings, all of their marble bathrooms and fixtures, and band equipment and give the money back to the community who helped create them, right?
Are you game, Pastors? Let’s do this together – like I said, CAMPUS will go first? But what about you over there at Calvary Chapel? Terry Long? Brother Dave Nelson at K2? Paul Robie who is over all the South Mountain Campus Churches? I mean bottom line, if you have been a pastor that has preached tithes to your people it seems to me that you should be a pastor that liquidates all that you have collected and saved in tithes and give it back out to the community around you.
The churches are silent and empty folks. They are doing they are accomplishing NOTHING. At least turn them into hospitals.
And if the pastors are not willing to do this if you are out of a job or you cannot pay your bills write your local church pastor today and ask for some real help. See what they say! Not just for a 20 spot but for real help to pay real bills. Because I can bet that they are personally living off the assets and
Faith and Responsibility
Saving you have contributed to – while you are struggling to make ends meet.
Write them – hear what they have to say in return. It will be revelatory.
So to all of you pastors out there with million dollar edifices, huge budgets, state of the art equipment; to you pastors out there whose assets are now sitting in silent anonymity – I give you the same advice to you that Jesus gave to the rich young ruler:
“sell all you have, give it to the poor, and follow him.”
WHEEEEEEEW.
Okay… so, to last weeks live shows…
Comments from the Audience
Patrick wrote Shawn is right on. We don't ever need to step foot in a brick and mortar church. I like to go to fellowship but it has nothing to do with my relationship with God through Christ. Davey Jones Thanks for your CORONACHAOS skepticism. STILL….if prayer works, why is CVid!9 still with us? Karen Cross Matt. 12:28 "If I cast out demons by the spirit of God, THEN the kingdom of God HAS come upon you. People just don't believe the bible when they look for a second coming. And what a huge relief to have washed out mormonism or this pandemic would be very frightening.
Bobby Johnson Awesome prayer. People need to stop freaking out. 3 Pigs "Obey, don't question the debate is over!" Jesus never said to Obey His Leaders and not question, but that's what too many churches AND the Corona Thought Popo command too. Being micromanaged is "Good News?" Hell noooo. Gotta lovvve manipulation through hysteria. Does that all sound too familiar? Embedded in our Cult-ture? If religions don't give it to you, politics and "science" will.
Faith Like a Mustard Seed
Got this email – interesting – from Clint:
Hey there Shawn, I’ve got a question that is childish I admit, but wonder what your thoughts are… First let me say I am a sold out born again Christian who believes the Bible stories and miracles to be literal… Jesus making the fig tree wither, Jesus and Peter walking on water, etc. But when I look at a rock and tell it to move nothing happens. So my question is this… Do I not have the spirit with me? Do I not have the faith of a mustard seed? Again I know it’s silly but Jesus said that if we believe anything is possible… Thanks for everything Shawn and God bless, keep up the great work!
It's a great question brother. Let me tell you why. A mustard seed is super super small. But faith the size of a mustard seed is one heck of a lot of FAITH. I mean for anyone to have that much would make them super powerful in the world, wouldn’t it – so powerful that we could tell a mountain to go to the sea and it would happen.
But we don’t see this going on around us do we? That is because genuine faith is VERY VERY rare.
So its not that you are not spirit filled. Nor does it mean that you do not love the Lord, but perhaps we might say that the MOST faithfilled human beings on earth probably have an amount of faith the size of the tip of an ants eyelash.
Then from last nights show we received the following:
“you would be good on the street, the truth is on the street”
Also got an email from Lindsay on the big Island in Hawaii:
It reads:
One comment – from Stephanie Smith who wrote: Good advice Shawn. And you know, that is all that it is – some advice.
We are living in an age of fulfillment where God is freely working through all individuals and all individuals have His Spirit to move and guide them through the trials of this life. He has been victorious through the life, death, and resurrection of His Son who came back to His own as He promised, saved his bride and reigned down judgement on the rest.
That age is over, and we entered into this age of victory, of personal responsibility, of freedom and liberty, and of hope.
This is an age where every single soul chooses whether they will receive His Son and walk by love or not. And this is the continuing age where God is still calling all to become and walk and love as His daughters and His Sons.
The choice is yours.
But the total solution, void of any and all religious interference, is God, through faith on His Son, by His Grace!
Hey! Check out CAMPUSCHURCH.faith if you are
Learning from Life-Altering Experiences
Looking to learn the word freely from the comfort of your couch.
And we will see you next week here on HEART of the Matter.
Be well.
Aloha Shawn,
My name is Lindsay Lindsey (but I go by Keiki) and I live in Kailua Kona Hawaii. I Have so much I want to say to you but I don’t know where to start. Nearly 2 years ago I sustained a brain injury in a car accident. The car accident should have taken my life. I get thanks to Abba that I live. But I give him thanks even more that my two sons were Not hurt. By that time my sons and I had traveled across America many times playing house concerts and fundraisers for going on two years. We called ourselves Mele’uhane… which means in Hawaiian language spirit of music.
Praise God I actually survived being thrown out of the truck at 85 mph, out of a head of the truck about 100 feet where I landed on the grass. It took more than an hour for the ambulance to get out to us on the I 80 Highway in Wyoming, and that’s only because of the 15 or more cars that saw the wind blew us off the road and made the call right away. That was totally a God thing to the max.
Personal Transformation Through Faith
I have been a believer in Christ almost all of my life. For the most part I felt I was faking it to make it, hoping at some point it would become real to me. As an entertainer I felt very highly of myself for far too long. Being a prideful Man to the max would be how I defined myself then. The night of the wreck I prayed of my son who was driving before I fell asleep. As we were on the road for so long I had made it my custom to pray over them the Abba will keep them aware and vigilant for the few hours I asked them to drive. The last words I said in my prayer that night was “Abba, I am ready for a change. Whatever change you want to make, I am in it was pretty sketchy there for a couple of weeks while I was in my coma. They didn’t know if I was going to live. When they found out and announced that I was going to live a young man named Daniel from my church back home prayed that I would receive the spirit of Paul.
It’s funny that the anoxia I experienced affected my eyesight as well as my speech. It also affected my balance and coordination skills. I praise God that my hands do work and I can walk fine; playing guitar and singing is now very challenging for me, but I can do it and I get thanks for that. My recovery will be fulfilled in time I believe to its fullest, just like Job. I did not write out of my sob story to say that this was the reason I had changed. Certainly the tragedy was the catalyst that brought forth my change. For a return home and went right into a rehab facility for two months. While I was there I had friends take me to my old church which I had attended before we left on tour. I was not getting fed there at all.
Finding Faith and New Perspectives
When I got to return to my family's house they had a good cable system so I began feeding off of Christian television. Joyce Meyer, Creflo Dollar, Joseph Prince, etc. My sister who is LDS had some missionaries stop by from time to time. So I looked up the Mormon religion. And my life has never been the same from that point… because I find you.
Initially I find some of the earlier stuff last year in October. I learned your birthday is October 2. Mine is October 22. I learned that you often call yourself a talking jack ass. Which I love about. I learned did you commissioned and in fact challenged your daughter to write music for the verses in the Bible, and I find Mallory’s music masterful. Just saying.
I learned perhaps most of all from you what it means to seek God in spirit and truth and to let it blossom me into a more loving person. See that car wreck was the best thing that ever happened to me. I believe I was spared defined the truth.
Gratitude and Generosity
that you deliver so excellently every week. I glorify God for the truths I have come to know and the freedom I have found in living in this most abundant edge of fulfillment. If you would, please send me me your correct address so that I can share some of my aloha with you with some gifts of the spirit. i’ll pray that Abba covers you and your family with health and wellness, that he fills you with joy and peace always. and I pray for your ministry.
Connection and Community
Currently Hawaii is on lockdown. But if you ever find yourself on the big Island of Hawaii you have a home with us here in Kona. here you will find that you have a brother from another mother. Ha. In hopes that you might one day call me up I wonder if I might leave my mobile phone number with you it’s 808-557-0044. You can also search for me on YouTube by looking up Keikilani Lindsey and or Meleuhane. I truly hope to hear from you.
Additional Notes
Bless, Keiki
P.S. Really really love C.A.M.P.U.S. And very much looking forward to the TVAR. I just recently made up this link on my Google Drive. Check it out. Hope you dig it
