The Battle of the Mind
Live from Salt Lake City, Utah, this is Heart of the Matter where we do all we can to worship God in Spirit and in Truth. I’m Shawn McCraney, your host.
Points from the Word
Before we get to our guests, how about a Moment – actually four moments – from the Word? This is going to be some tough medicine, but all of these points speak directly to our two guests tonight.
The Story of Legion
Point One: You have all heard the story of Legion – the poor man possessed by a number of demons who was running amok naked, breaking his fetters and cutting himself with stones. I’ve been in his shoes. But when Legion meets with Jesus, who casts the devils out of him, the man becomes a true disciple. When the town folk learn of the swine that ran down to the sea and drown themselves which the demons entered after being cast out of Legion, they wanted to know what was going on and verse 35 of chapter 8 of Luke says: “Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.” That line, “and in His right mind,” is all derived from a Greek word “sofron-eh-o” which means “sane, moderate, sober” and it comes from the word, “sofron” which means “a self-controlled, safe mind.” Sofren-eh-o is created from the Greek Words Sode-zo and phren. Sode-zo means “Saved, healed, delivered, protected, whole.” AND Phren means “The understanding, the mind, the feelings.”
So stepping back to the story of our demon-possessed man, we had a man who was not safe, was not sound, was not delivered and had his understanding and his mind utterly corrupted by the presence of the demons – whom Jesus cast out leaving him, as Luke describes, “in His right mind.” My mentor Carl Westerlund back in the day used to constantly say, “everything is in the mind.” It IS the battleground. I believe this. I also maintain that unless Jesus gets in there the human minds will forever remain somehow captive – either to its own fantasies and imaginations or to the influences from the demon-haunted world around us. Prior to receiving the Lord my mind was a wasteland of empty conjurings, wicked sarcasms, and ideations taken from the heart of humanisms. I thought I was so wise, so smart, so advanced, so original. But Jesus found me naked, out of my mind, and cutting myself with stones – and set me free. It is of interest that Paul says that we “renew our minds by the washing of the Word,” a process similar to psychological, emotional, and spiritual chemotherapy where the cancers of our corrupted ideas are eradicated by the ingestion of the Word. See that’s what happened to Legion here. He had a face-to-face meeting with the Living Word, the Word made flesh – who freed Him of his taskmasters, broke his chains, clothed him, and put him in “a right frame of mind.”
Point Two: In Luke chapter 9 we read the following at verse 49-50: “49 And John said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us. 50 And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for . . . he that is not against us is for us.” This is such a telling line – “don’t stop the man – he that is NOT AGAINST US . . . is for us.” If a person is not fighting against our cause but is with us in it (though he does not walk with us) “let him be!” Jesus says, “He is for us!” Isn’t that amazing. We don’t have to worry about those who walk a different path with Jesus – they are for Jesus – doing things in Jesus name, therefore leave them alone. This is my position in the faith – If salvation by Jesus is preached I’m leaving people alone. They are for Him. HOWEVER . . . and this is not known by many of you. If Jesus is mocked, I will clearly explain the error of the mockers' ways.
Focus on Passion
Point Three: Comes in the very next verses. After teaching this Luke tells us that from this point forward Jesus set His face for Jerusalem – meaning, He was “focused” on His passion. So focused that as they are passing…
Biblical Teachings on Acceptance
Through Samaria they didn’t give the Samaritans the attention that they wanted. And this made some of them angry. So much so that Luke writes:
Luke 9:53 And they (the Samaritans) did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. In this situation these were not even for Him, but wouldn’t receive Him – weren’t hospitable to Him. In response we read verse 54:
“And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?”
Do you notice that twice now the disciples sought to exclude and to even punish people who did not conform the way they thought they should? They forbade one guy from casting out devils in Jesus name and they wanted to wipe out the Samaritans who were unfriendly to Him and His cause.
But Jesus (verse 55)
Luke 9:55 . . . turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. 56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village. So while we do confront those who refuse Jesus we do it in love, as a means to save them from themselves, their ways, their chains.
Exploring the Impact of Mormonism
There are two reasons why I accepted the idea to have our guests on the show with me tonight.
First, I would guess that the majority of people who have fully bought into Mormonism (and then discover the truth about it) walk from God all together. The majority. Why? Mormonism so emphatically and repeatedly teaches that it “is the only true Church on the face of the earth,” that “its leaders actually do represent God and His will,” and that “its history and doctrines can be fully justified,” that when a person who has once bought into this stuff learns the truth they are brutally shell-shocked – and experience what I call a scorched-earth of the heart. As a result, and for some, nothing can ever be trusted again when it comes to God. This is one of the most devastating fruits of Mormonism – it literally ruins the hope and faith in some otherwise good people. I think as we speak with Joey and Andrew we will see this is exactly what happened to them. Of course, I personally consider this unfortunate, and feel Andrew and Joey have thrown the baby Jesus out with the Mormon bathwater. We’ll hear what they think about this in a moment.
The Future of Faith
But there is another reason I wanted Andrew and Joey on the show. What these gents represent is the future for many people – especially many Christian people and their children. This is something we have been warning you all about for a number of years now. What I mean to say is Joey and Andrew now, having been burned by the facts of their former faith, spend a tremendous amount of time “creating” what I would call an “amalgamated religion” (which I see as a very bad form of faith) and it's one based on a unique concoction of highly esoteric views, gods (lower case g) and imaginative fictions – it’s an almost anything goes religion – so long as it has a limited basis in biblical tenets.
Why do I say that what Joey and Andrew are doing will in the future steal some Evangelicals (especially teens and young adults) from the faith? Because the Evangelicals insist on teaching some really shaky approaches to the Bible to their children who, once they are exposed to alternatives and the reality of their parents' fictions, will embrace the Andrews and Joeys of the World and the fanciful ideations they whip up on weekly podcasts. I see this happening now through guys like Joe Rogan and other smart men who have simply shut the door on sound biblical tenets but have great ideas on other subjects.
Andrew and Joey's Perspective
By way of introduction, let me sort of highlight some of the things Andrew and Joey are about. From one of their websites we read the following description: “The Pulpit is a public service from the United Order of Deseret (the One True 501(c)3 that allows Ascended Masters, Andrew Sproge and Joey Scoma to share Lore Core conspiracies to help free the minds of all.”
Exploring the Journey of Joey and Andrew
Honey Buddies and overthrow fascism. Now to some, this sounds like comedy. A sardonic mockery of things – maybe. We’ll find out. Joey is a stand-up comedian – but one who apparently takes his stance as the reincarnated Joseph Smith seriously.
Their site hosts a number of shows they have done since 2016, talking about The Wachowski Sisters (who used to be the Wachowski brothers of the Matrix fame), Alain de Botton, Schopenhauer, and Scientology – “join them as they explore what it means to live in a world where Trump is POTUS and Hollywood is run by crypto occultists.” Their January 2017 show read – “we do have a great message from the prophet.”
Shows and Topics
And regarding Jesus, we read: “Jesus is a reincarnating space God (and the show is about) ‘a journey into the magical mystery that is Jesus.’” There are shows on “Cosmic journeys” and “Psycotropic Pharmacology” and then other stuff on “Harry Potter, high fantasy, ancient myths, Game of Thrones, Comic-Con psycho-pharmic…
The Pulpit is appropriately named as it is a living kickback against religious dogma out of the Bible but propagates dogma of their own. I personally find the foundation of most of what they talk about “not of a right mind,” and “the result of a scorched heart (as they are both former LDS people) but I want to speak with them on air because their approach represents the future and the alternative to Churched people (who learn about the truth of their institutional churches they once thought of God).
Joey and Andrew's Journey
So… Joey and Andrew. Tell us about your journey and purpose.
Questions: “Joey’s Mysticism and Andrew's Atheism.” Joey and the White Bitch. First show: Violent dog attack and a mystical encounter with the angel Gabriel. July 2016 Reincarnation and you. Seems like this was the genesis of Joey’s Joseph Smith Reincarnation story.
This ministry to the LDS has long maintained that why someone leaves Mormonism is as important as the fact that they do. In other words, to just attack Mormons with the falsities of their faith and remove them from the church is irresponsible and opens them up to being scorched forever. Jesus must come with the package, as there is a great danger in having what we might call an “empty heart.” Jesus actually spoke to this very condition in Luke 11.
Reflection on Faith
Luke 11:24 “When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, (due to a person leaving Mormonism) the unclean spirit walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, ‘I will return unto my house whence I came out.’ 25 And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. (He finds a heart empty, scorched) 26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”
My friends, I present to you Joey and Andrew – whom I love. See you next week on Heart of the Matter.
