Understanding the Spirit of the World
Live from the Mecca of Mormonism
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH
This is Heart of the Matter
Where we are talking all about living as Christians in the age of fulfillment.
And I’m your host Shawn McCraney
Let’s have a word of PRAYER
Show 22A Spirits in the World
Taped May 12th 2020
Aired May 18th 2020
I want to share part of a concept that I have been churning on for years – even when I was LDS. I think I started in on this because I couldn’t figure out people who were really nice, friendly, and/or accomplished in this world, who couldn’t care less about God. In other words, what drives atheists, writers and artists, sports heroes or humanitarians, scientists who devoted their lives to cures of dreaded diseases, political leaders, business people – who are genius in their realm but again, are not really interested in the Kingdom of God or anything else.
I can think of some right off the top of my head whose work and skill blows my mind, but with whom I share nothing in terms of a devotion to faith; people like Adam Jones of Tool, Jackson Pollack, Stephen Hawking, Greg Graffin, Freud, Skinner, Rand, Marx, Brian Eno, Andy Partridge, Edwin Von Meisus, Camus, Fiona Apple, Franz Kafka, and thousands of medical professionals, humanitarians, poets, and business icons. What is it that moves them, what inspires them, allows them to create such masterful works of art and advances in science and literature and mechanics? I mean what drove or inspired Frank Lloyd to such profundity (for his day) but moved him to be such a complete jerk to those around him . . . etc. etc. etc?
The Concept of Welt Geist
I have come to believe that there is what Hegel called the “Spirit of the World” or Welt Geist (or spirit of the Age or Zeitgeist) and that that spirit is available, to some extent or more, to every human being to tap into relative to their interests and desires – no matter what they may be. I am not suggesting that this World Spirit is wrong or evil or bad in the sense that God is not pleased by the products of it but I am saying that the Welt Geist serves the ways and people of this world by and through its inspirations but the value of the results are limited to this material realm.
I think we all to some extent or another tap into this source – believer and not – but what makes the Welt Geist or Spirit of the Age frail is “its benefits and power” do not exist beyond mortality. An example of the Welt Geist in Jesus' life would have been his work as a carpenter. The designing, sawing, nailing – beneficial to this world and His life here – but not a factor in His eternities (unless he built our mansions above HA!).
Anyone – from a backyard gardener to James Hetfield of Metallica can tap into the power of the Welt Geist and produce wonderful products or ideas or contributions to the world through it. This occurs because we are made in God’s image and have the power of creation as an innate particle of our being. I think that the Welt Geist operates on a continuum – with polarized extremes – with some people using this force for dark and destructive measures (like Stalin) and others using them in light and positive ways (like the funny children's books of Dr. Suess or Calvin and Hobbes). But again, in the end, all of us operate and are fueled by the Welt Geist – with the results of our labors and their benefits applying to this realm.
Spirits in the World
(GO TO BOARD)
So, let me illustrate the Spirit of the World like this
SPIRIT OF THE WORLD
Dark | Light
Destructive | Positive
Third Reich | Martha Stewart
Another Spirit that seems to operate in the world is the Holy Spirit or the Spirit of God. It seems to call and move people to things that are not only beneficial in this world but also to heavenly matters and to things relative to the Kingdom of God. This Holy Spirit
Understanding the Role of the Holy Spirit
is calling to all and is getting people to look beyond the elements and benefits of this world and to surrender themselves over to the will of God. The Holy Spirit moves people to assist others in need, to give selflessly to worthy causes, to forgive and of course to believe in God and Christ. This Spirit gently leads and moves and draws people to greater heights of light and I believe can be said to be at work on people of all faiths.
(Draw a box to represent the Holy Spirit)
It moves us to believe and we will come back to this again.
Spirit of God and the Holy Spirit
SPIRIT OF GOD/HOLY SPIRIT
SPIRIT OF GOD THINGS
SPIRIT OF GOD THINGS
SPIRIT SPIRIT OF GOD
of the WORLD THROUGH CHRIST
HOLY SPIRIT “The Comforter”
Dark Light About For Like
Destructive Positive Him Him Him
Finally, and this is getting sort of hairsplitting but I think it’s an important hair to split, is that there is a Spirit of Christ or a Spirit of the Son that is a little bit different and distinguished from the influence of the Holy Spirit, not in terms of objective but in terms of power, focus and purpose. I say this because scripture, even Jesus referenced this expression of the Holy spirit, this Comforter, in some unique ways when he was on earth.
Remember what he said in John 16:7 about this comforter? He said:
“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.”
Now, we know that the Holy Spirit of God was already on earth and at work in many ways up until this point, right?
The Unique Role of the Comforter
It brooded over the waters at creation, and moved the Old Testament prophets to speak. It caused John the Baptists dad to reveal Johns name, and it fell on Jesus at His baptism. I mean even Peter uttered that Jesus was the Messiah by the power of the Holy Spirit. So, when Jesus says straight out in John 16:7:
Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you
It appears to me that this comforter, which is some sort of expression of the Holy Spirit, is somehow uniquely attributed to and through Christ himself. Listen to what Paul writes in Galatians 4:6 “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth
The Spirit Within
The Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
This spirit could not come unless Jesus left, this Spirit comforts us with the presence of Christ Himself, and this Spirit is what we have synonymously called the Holy Ghost – but I suggest that it is more. It is different than the Spirit of God that brooded over the waters and caused people to prophesy. It is the literal Spirit of God that somehow supplements some with the very heart and soul of the Jesus Christ, who once being incarnate, understands what it means to be in flesh and walking by faith.
The Presence of Christ
It is not by chance that Paul wrote in Romans 8:9: But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. I do not believe that there was a Spirit of Christ until after the incarnation. I think it is the ultimate Spirit that moves all of those who are His.
Paul writes to the believers at Colossians:
Colossians 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
Guiding Spirits
With the fulness of God in Christ Bodily post resurrection, this is the Spirit believers seek. Not just the influence of the Holy Spirit but the Spirit of Christ. Perhaps they are one in the same now, but perhaps not. Looking to the board, I tend to think that there are people who operate solely by the Spirit of the World, there are people who straddle the world via the Holy Spirit of God, but those who are truly Sons and Daughters of God have the Spirit of Christ in them, and therefore do not cannot relate to the Spirit of this world in full, but are more guided and moved by the Spirit Comforter – which only comes by faith in Christ.
(beat)
For whatever its worth.
Write your comments below! Let’s GROW together toward HIM!
