The Vine: Recent Episodes
Shawn
Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches”. The term “THE VINE” is two-fold. First it’s a representation of Christ as the Word of God made flesh. The main theme of the podcast is GOSPEL in nature. Secondly, “THE VINE” is an internet slang with an underlying theme of communication of the aforementioned truth. We as “branches” must remain in “the Vine” in order to bear the fruits of the Spirit which brings glory to the Father. The podcast will include various guests discussing the Holy Bible, their personal relationship with Jesus in their life experience, and how it relates to the issues of the world around us. This is not a podcast geared to tearing people down, but, to build up, edify and encourage! Topical controversial issues will be placed in the mirror of the truth that is conveyed in the Scriptures and discussed in monologue and dialogue style type of communication. A relaxed atmosphere where information and truth collide.
As some of you may know, part of the vision of this podcast is to take controversial subjects & put them in front of the mirror of Scripture to validate the extent of that truth, because God’s Word is indeed truth. Unfortunately, there are many divisive/controversial subjects that have been preached & taught from pulpits in today's church. Things taught from the pulpit should never be divisive or controversial if we simply study the Holy Bible within context, and don't believe the lies/half truths spewed from these pulpits which are rooted & grounded in religion & man-made traditions. For example, this church believes in tongues, that church doesn’t. This church believes in healing, that church doesn’t. This church believes it’s ok for women to preach, that one doesn’t. The list goes on, and on, and on, and on. The world looks at us & scoffs because denominationalism has caused nothing but division in the Body of Christ. It’s simply groups of people who gather together in the name of Christ with a system of belief that may, or may not, have its foundation established on the Holy Scriptures. Let’s face it, denominations are a politically correct Christianese way to support their respective system of unbelief in God & His Word. No wonder there is no power in this modern church-age to perform the same works as they did in the book of Acts. You see, denominations was NEVER God’s idea. It was a way the enemy crept in to deceive many to cause disunity in the body of Christ, His church. It makes sense, doesn't it? I mean, Satan couldn’t defeat Christ in His earthly ministry & especially couldn’t defeat Him in death! So, if the head of the church cannot be destroyed, he decides to attack His body, namely through deception. One of the subjects that really cause division is the belief that once you’re saved, you’ll always be saved. If you love God, serve Him and maintain relationship with Him that is true! However, what happens to those that do just the opposite? Today, I present numerous Scripture within context, and in the love of God, to expose a lie that is rampantly taught in today’s church, in this 16th episode of The Vine.
Blessings,
Shawn McNeaney
Here are a few links to men & women of integrity to assist in your walk with the Lord. They've really encouraged me in my spiritual growth & I think will encourage you as well! Enjoy!
Jim Martin Ministries: http://www.jmmgrace.com
Gary Carpenter Ministries: http://www.garycarpenter.org
Bronc Flint Ministries: https://broncflint.org
Legault Ministries: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPqfJZnkVZDwPghbDSrwMKg
Please visit & subscribe to the podcast "The Vine" with Shawn McNeaney on iTunes or Spotify.
Faith is a spiritual principle. Christians are spiritual people living in natural bodies. If we apply ourselves to develop and live by faith, we will begin to see more and more of God’s promises manifest in our lives and we will fulfill in greater fashion the call He has on our lives. One such applicable biblical principle that is foundational to developing our faith is to express it through confession. Confession is faith’s way of expressing itself. By confessing God’s word we are releasing His will. Ephesians 5:1 tells us to be, “…followers of God, as dear children” (King James Version). The greek word for followers is mimetes, which means an imitator (The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of The Bible, 1996). It is God’s will that I be an imitator of Himself. Seeing Jesus came to earth as the Son of God then it would stand to reason that I need to be an imitator of Christ because the Son came, and in the power of the Holy Spirit revealed faith. Because Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2) then it is absolutely critical for a child of God to operate in their faith as Jesus did in order for him or her to see the promises of God manifested in his or her life. In this 15th episode of The Vine I delve into the faith and confession message because this is absolutely foundational for any Christian because faith works when we speak, it is the key to our success, and when used with confession it has the power to change our circumstances.
Blessing,
Shawn McNeaney
It really doesn’t surprise me of the ignorance & deception in the Body of Christ. I mean, is there any sound doctrine out there? I’m being facetious of course. I know there is. I also know there are those that love God with all their heart & follow Him whole-heartedly. So I may be talking to the minority here, but the point remains…there has never been such a time as this for Christians to know the Word, the Scriptures, the Holy Bible. Jesus warned us what would come in the last days. And believe me we’re in the last of the last days. What am I referring to? I’m talking about how many so-called self-professing Christians who are in more support of Hamas & the Palestinians than they are with God’s chosen people, Israel. There are also a lot of pastors and leaders in the church that remain silent & don’t take a stand for what the Word of God has to say about the conflict in the Middle East. In this episode of The VINE I share a prophetic dream, the ensuing word from the Lord and its application to the modern day church.
Blessings,
Shawn McNeaney
Book reference: Murillo, Mario (2022). Do Not Leave Quietly (pp. 52-54). Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc.
This podcast was done out of necessity. There is an attack today against the Word of God such as we’ve never seen in the history of the world. The righteous standard & holiness of God declared within the Holy Scriptures is being bombarded from every angle. The common ideology of social culturalism continuously stands against the authority of God and His Word. The proponents of these social agendas have one purpose, to dethrone God & silence the voices of all the true born-again Christians that haven’t sold their soul to compromise in the name of humanity. The issues of abortion, gender dysphoria & same sex relationships, to name a few, are not political issues. They are moral issues in which the Bible has something to say about. Psalm 11:3 declares, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (King James Version). In this 13th episode of The Vine I continue with the series of ‘Real Christianity’ and discuss in detail of how to study the Bible to equip the believer so they may sanctify the Lord God in their hearts & be ready always to give an answer to every person that asks them a reason of the hope that in is them with meekness and fear. (1 Peter 3:15).
New Years Resolutions…I’m pretty sure we’ve all made them at some point in our lives. Even if we don’t label them as such. Admit it, you’ve always wanted to take advantage of a new year, a fresh start, another kick at the can, if you will, to accomplish specific goals that you’ve failed to follow through on in the previous year. Don’t misunderstand me, this an admirable motivation - to better one self! Today I’ll be sharing a new years resolution that is more practical & impactful, & to be continued throughout the years to come. Please grab a coffee, your Bible, a note pad & pen as we begin a journey into this 2024th year of our Lord on the 12th episode of…The Vine.
Bless you,
Pastor Shawn
Book Reference:
*Eldridge, John (2020). Get Your Life Back: Everyday Practices For A World Gone Mad. Nashville, Tennessee: Nelson Books.
Scripture quotations taken from the King James Version.*
It's one thing to hear & accept what the world states about their take on the person of Jesus Christ. It's a total other thing to hear & accept what church-goers state of their belief on who they think Jesus is. The definition of a Christian is this, Christ in you, the hope of glory! It's so mind blowing when you talk to different people within the church & hear their views/beliefs of who they think Jesus is simply by the way they talk. By their own profession you can actually tell what kind of a relationship they have with Him. The modern day Jesus that is portrayed by many Christians is not necessarily the Jesus of the Bible. In this 11th & final episode of The Vine in 2023 I discuss the mindset of the church regarding this Fake Jesus and compare that to the Real Jesus that we read in the Scriptures.
Reference for Stats on what evangelicals beieve:
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/state-theology-2022/
Be blessed,
Shawn
In light of recent events in the Middle East I have decided to , once again, not continue with my series on Real Christianity, but instead focus attention to events happening in our world. The vision of the podcast is to place world events in the mirror of Scripture, the absolute truth, where we see ourselves in the prophetic landscape of time. I encourage you to have a Bible in hand as I discuss many scriptures reflecting a prophetic message that God has established in the eternal now.
Blessings,
Rev. Shawn McNeaney
I remember as a kid growing up in the 70’s and watching TV. There were two TV shows in particular that would never be allowed to air in this day & age, All In The Family & The Jeffersons. Little did I know that watching these 70’s Sitcoms I would adapt racist language which I would ignorantly use in my regular vocabulary. The lead characters in these TV shows was a white man named Archie Bunker and a black man named George Jefferson. Both of these characters were racist against the other’s skin colour. It’s no secret that racism exists today and it is attributed, in my humble opinion, to learned behaviour & ignorance. Today I discuss Racism From a Biblical Perspective on this 9th episode of...The Vine. Be blessed!
P.S. I did make an error. It wasn't 6000 Jews in the holocaust, it was 6,000,00. I apologize for the slip
Rev. Shawn McNeaney
I remember watching a commercial on TV back in 1981 from the Army and the main tag line was, "Be all that you can be..." Well in this episode I go into some detail on what the Bible tells us on how we can be our best selves! Be blessed!
Rev. Shawn McNeaney
This revamped introductory episode explains the purpose of the podcast & gives a brief description of me, the podcaster. A message the Lord gave me which I believe is for the Body of Christ in general... Getting Things Done. Be blessed!
In this 6th episode I took a break from my series on Real Christianity. As led by the Spirit I share a message that I recently preached about a month ago but is not a live recording. I break down the state of our nation (applies to any nation for that matter), how we got here, where we are & where we need to go as Christians. As promised, here is the link I have referred to: https://rcg.org/realtruth/articles/316-cmd.html.
Be blessed,
Rev. Shawn McNeaney
Have you ever hungered for more of God? Have you desired to know the mysteries contained in God's Word? What about your calling? Do you want to discover God's ministry calling for your life? How about this...Have you been struggling with character flaws or sinful patterns in your life & you just can't seem to live the victorious life that Jesus promised? Believe it or not, it is very possible that what you need hasn't been taught in your church to the degree that I share with you as I will be discussing one of the most powerful, yet practical, ways you can begin to see changes in your life in this 5th episode of The Vine!
Blessings to you!
Rev. Shawn McNeaney
If there's one specific thing that brings division in the Body of Christ, it's the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues. Think about it for a minute. Why, within the church, the one single Body of Jesus Christ, do we have all of these denominations? Denominations have been created because this is Satan's way to cause division in the church. This was NEVER God's plan. They have done nothing but expose the unbelief in the lives of many believers. The church was ordained to be the extension of Jesus Christ's earthly ministry. In Mark 16: 15-18 Jesus tells us some of the things that believers in Him will do, namely, cast out devils, speak with new tongues and lay hands on the sick where they will recover. Why are we not seeing this as common place in the modern church? The main reason for the existence of divisions/denominations, for the most part, is the subject of the gift of speaking in tongues. Part 3 of Real Christianity will help the believer come to a greater understanding of why God has given this gift to the church and will also cover the types of manifestations of this Gift of the Spirit.
Blessings,
Rev. Shawn McNeaney
The VINE artwork: Created by Mikala McNeaney
Musical Interludes: Dan McNeaney
When a person receives Jesus as their personal Lord & Saviour, he or she receives a measure of faith to receive Holy Spirit which is a seal upon the believers heart guaranteeing their inheritance into the kingdom of heaven! However, this experience is not the fulness/infilling of the Holy Spirit. In the last episode I discussed that God requires ALL Christians to be baptized/filled with the Holy Spirit & according to Scripture, is an expectation of God after a person is born-again. Here in part 2, I discuss the purpose, proof, and how a person gets filled with the Holy Spirit. Be blessed!
Shawn McNeaney
Jesus promises abundant life to all who call on His Name (John 10:10)! Yet, in this modern age I do not see this promise manifested in the Body of Christ nor in the lives of those who identify as Christian. Arguably the biggest reason is because they have ignored the ministry of the 3rd Person of the Trinity, Holy Spirit. In this podcast I establish, within the context of Scripture, what the qualifications are to receiving the infilling of the Holy Spirit, that it is available to all Christians, and that this is a requirement from God to all His children. Let me be very clear. A person does not require the baptism of the Holy Spirit to go to Heaven. One only needs to receive Jesus as Lord & Savior (Rom. 10: 9-10). However, for the Christian to live a successful spiritual life & manifest the dunamis power of God they must have the infilling of the Holy Spirit. My advise to you...be like the Bereans & search the Scriptures I have presented & see if they be so.
Be Blessed,
Rev. Shawn McNeaney
I have been doing podcasts sporadically over the last 2 yrs. I speak on subjects that Holy Spirit brings to my heart because only He knows the hearts of the listeners. This would be referred to what Scripture calls, "A word in season". This morning, while I was in prayer, the Lord quickened my attention to a series of teachings I listened to a number of years ago. You see, I'm currently enrolled in Grace Ministries Bible College located in Dayton, Ohio. The professor, Dr. Jim Martin, taught a series entitled, "Laying the Foundations". While pondering God's direction in this podcast I heard, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". I knew what the Lord was referring to. I immediately contacted Dr. Jim Martin who gave me permission to use the material from Laying the Foundations as a basis for my new podcast series entitled, "Real Christianity". Here in Part 1 I break down in detail what it means to be a Christian. In todays cynical world Christianity has lost its relevance over the last number of generations. The church, for the most part, has been rendered powerless. I'm sad to say that the majority of Christians have a, "...form of godliness, but denying the power thereof..." (2 Timothy 3:5, King James Version). The church should be a continuation of the ministry of Jesus Christ when He was on the earth. If a Christian truly knows what happened at that conversion experience and can comprehend the totality of who they are in Christ I believe the church can get back to the Book of Acts way of ministering healing to a broken world, bringing glory to God the father through our Lord Jesus Christ! So please, grab a hot beverage of your choice, pen, paper & Bible and walk with me as we journey our way back to Real Christianity!
Be Blessed!
Rev. Shawn McNeaney