Metadata
Spiritual Mentoring and Kingdom Building Discussion
Date: June 29, 2025 Participants: Gary Sheng, Victory Boyd Type: Phone Conversation Duration: Approximately 45 minutes Key Themes: Faith-based decision making, spiritual warfare, kingdom building methodology, regional principalities, apostolic calling
Executive Summary
This conversation reveals Gary Sheng's maturing spiritual discernment and decision-making process, particularly his rejection of a lucrative China school opportunity in favor of maintaining faith-based educational standards. Victory Boyd provides sophisticated theological mentoring on spiritual gifts, kingdom building methodology, and spiritual warfare strategies. The discussion demonstrates the deepening trust between them, with Gary identifying Victory as one of only 4-5 people he trusts with his complete spiritual thoughts.
Key Discussion Points
China School Opportunity Rejection
Gary's Standards-Based Decision Making:
"As I'm heating up with the Lord, why would I go backwards?... if I'm going to create a new school degree, it's going to be faith-based school. It's going to be a crystal future school that creates renaissance people."
Developing Kingdom Filter:
"I'm just getting better at having standards... all my decisions that are now flowing through is this advancing the kingdom of God."
Gary explained his rejection of a Shanghai school opportunity despite potential financial incentives, citing restrictions on critical thinking and religious expression. This marked a significant shift in his decision-making process, prioritizing kingdom advancement over financial gain.
Spiritual Gifts and Kingdom Roles
Victory's Five-Fold Ministry Teaching:
"there are prophets, there are teachers, there are evangelists... pastors... each role is an office, and each office is near, near, you walk in the office of Christ."
Gary's Apostolic Calling Recognition: Victory affirmed Gary's role as a kingdom builder:
"apostles, what they do is they are builders. They build systems and institutions for the kingdom of God... you're an apostle, right?"
Kingdom vs. Worldly Building Methods:
"when you're building together with the Holy Spirit, kingdom institutions... they're not built the same way as carnal institutions... Jesus built a system that lasted from generation to generation to generation, all simply by obeying the Father."
Victory emphasized that Jesus's approach differed radically from Silicon Valley empire-building culture, focusing on obedience and discipleship rather than rapid scaling and flashy growth.
World-Building and Creative Vision
Gary's Self-Identification:
"I'm a world builder... It's a complete universe."
Victory's Artistic Parallel:
"that's how I write music to like create a world... when they close their eyes and listen to the music, they're entering into another dimension."
Holy Spirit Inspiration Recognition: Victory validated Gary's Christofuturist concept as divinely inspired:
"that would come from like tradition or... from a textbook or from anybody like telling you that was, I believe something that the Holy Spirit gave you, you know, concept, terminology, culture that you're developing."
Serendipity vs. Divine Appointments
Linguistic and Theological Analysis:
"the word serendipity, you know, has connotations, right? It's like kind of like an atheist word... when people say serendipity, they're kind of like, oh, what a coincidence."
Gary shared his reconnection with a University of Wisconsin professor who had been his Uber driver, leading to philosophical discussion about divine orchestration versus random coincidence.
Good Faith Rarity Assessment: Gary's mentor observed that only 10% of people in impact work are both talented and of good faith, validating Gary's growing discernment about character and motivations.
Joe Liemandt Character Validation
Public Investor Criticism:
"the billionaire Joe insisted that he was investing in that guy's company for goodwill for the sake of the kids. But that was like the worst investor that was like clearly just obsessed with making money through the investment."
Gary shared how another entrepreneur publicly criticized Joe Liemandt despite being funded by him, providing external validation of Gary's concerns about Joe's true motivations.
Snake Behavior Recognition: Gary described a colleague attempting to cut him out of a Jewish school opportunity, demonstrating the prevalence of deceptive behavior in professional environments.
Spiritual Warfare and Demonic Strongholds
Judas Model for Dealing with Snakes: Victory provided profound teaching on Jesus's approach to untrustworthy people:
"I just think Jesus was modeling how to deal with snakes... any body can become a snake... everyone that's human can at some point be under demonic influence."
Greed as Spiritual Disease: Gary's breakthrough understanding:
"You know what you're helping me realize that greed is really a disease... It's a mental illness."
Victory's theological correction:
"I would say that it's a spirit... It will never be content even if it's overflowing because it's not about the human being. It's the spirit being that's working through the human being."
Strategic Spiritual Warfare:
"if somebody is... if you know somebody is not free from a certain, like a certain ailment... you just count up because... everything that God does, he's going to, for the most part, he's going to do it using humans."
Victory emphasized the need to work strategically with flawed people while understanding their spiritual vulnerabilities.
Regional Principalities and Spiritual Geography
Geographical Spiritual Influence: Gary observed: "I have to admit, like, I'm more lustful in Las Vegas."
Victory's explanation:
"there are principalities in certain, in certain regions that have a tight, strong hold... Chicago has a strong principality of violence... That's why you see like 30 people die every weekend from shootouts."
Policy Implications:
"let's say that the spirit stuff is... that you talk about is real. All these public policy people are not factoring that in."
Biblical Foundation - Ephesians 6:
"we wrestle not against flesh and blood... But our struggle is against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil."
Victory emphasized that spiritual weapons are necessary to fight spiritual darkness, not just laws and policies.
Greatness and Misunderstanding
Star Proximity Metaphor: Victory provided counsel on being misunderstood:
"the right people will understand that oftentimes when you see something great up close is going to sound delusional. Because you're seeing it up close... greatness is like a star. If you see a star up close, it's just, it's just ridiculous... But if it's far away, now it's in the perfect context."
Historical Examples:
"if you saw like Elon Musk in his early days or Steve Jobs in his early days and you saw them up close, it would be crazy and delusional... But now it makes sense. From afar."
Kanye West Case Study: Victory referenced her experience with Kanye West to illustrate how groundbreaking vision appears chaotic when observed closely but coherent from historical perspective.
Truth Sharing and Selective Disclosure
Intimate Truth-Sharing Circle:
"you're probably one of like four, five people right now that I'm willing to share almost all of my thoughts relating to truth."
Truth vs. Religion:
"I don't even want to say religion. I just think it's truth, right?"
Gary expressed his commitment to absolute truth over religious conventionality, demonstrating his growing confidence in spiritual discernment.
Evangelization and Jesus's Return
Universal Opportunity Theology: Victory's perspective on timing:
"I think he really wants every single individual to have had an opportunity... because he's having mercy on people that haven't received him yet and he's giving more time."
Obedience-Focused Ministry: Both agreed on the approach:
"none of us are called to, none of us can force other people to believe anything... I just need to be obedient."
This reflects a mature understanding that focuses on personal obedience rather than attempting to control outcomes or force conversions.
Prayer Ministry and Spiritual Covering
Comprehensive Prayer Coverage: Victory's closing prayer demonstrated pastoral heart:
"Lord, I pray that you would give him vision, give him eyes to see in the spirit, show him the next step... continue to provide for him, providing the right doors, the right alignments, the right people to align with."
Exposure and Protection:
"anyone that you want to expose within his circle that shouldn't be there, I ask that you expose these people and show him how to, um, remove him from his circle."
Orlando Mission Blessing:
"whatever your heart is, whatever your vision is for him in Orlando, we ask that that would come to fruition."
Strategic Insights and Implications
Gary's Evolving Leadership Philosophy
- Kingdom-First Decision Making: Rejection of lucrative opportunities that compromise spiritual principles
- Spiritual Discernment Development: Growing ability to identify people of good vs. bad faith
- Willingness to Be Misunderstood: Acceptance that revolutionary vision will appear delusional to many
- Trust Network Refinement: Identifying a small circle of spiritually aligned confidants
Victory's Role as Spiritual Mentor
- Theological Framework Provider: Offering biblical context for Gary's experiences and calling
- Spiritual Warfare Strategist: Teaching practical approaches to dealing with spiritual opposition
- Kingdom Building Methodology: Guiding Gary toward Jesus's model rather than worldly empire-building
- Prayer Coverage: Providing consistent intercession and spiritual protection
Relationship Dynamics
- Mutual Respect: Both recognize each other's unique gifting and calling
- Spiritual Alignment: Shared understanding of kingdom priorities and spiritual warfare
- Professional Boundaries: Clear framework for collaboration while maintaining ministry focus
- Mentoring Dynamic: Victory providing wisdom and spiritual counsel to Gary's emerging apostolic ministry
Key Quotes for Reference
On Decision Making:
"all my decisions that are now flowing through is this advancing the kingdom of God"
On Spiritual Warfare:
"your enemy is not the person, but the enemy is the devil and its minions, who likes to work through people that have demonic strongholds"
On Kingdom Building:
"the way of the kingdom is way different... God rarely follows formulas, like the Spirit of God. It's just the creativity that the Holy Spirit gives is like innovative"
On Greatness:
"that's what greatness looks like up close... Everything is delusional. Everything is like, you know, but that's what greatness looks like up close"
On Truth:
"I don't even want to say religion. I just think it's truth, right?"
Future Implications
This conversation reveals Gary's continued spiritual maturation and Victory's role as a key spiritual advisor. The discussion of regional principalities and spiritual warfare strategies may inform Gary's location decisions for future schools and conferences. Victory's validation of Gary's apostolic calling and world-building vision provides important confirmation for his emerging ministry direction.
The emphasis on kingdom building methodology versus worldly empire-building approaches may influence how Gary structures and scales his educational and cultural initiatives. Victory's prayer covering and spiritual guidance appear to be crucial elements supporting Gary's mission advancement.