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  1. Christianity Hidden Truth: The True Jesus Christ Message For Christian Meaning

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    The True Christianity of Jesus: COFE-CYEM Paper on the Mystical Stream, the Mistaken Awareness-Perception, and the Call to the Kingdom Within

    A Definitive Exposition of the Original Message of the Master, the Institutional Drift, and the Restoration of the Living Recognition

    A Declaration of the Fourth Truth

    “There has never been a second.”

    This is the recognition that stands at the foundation of all true spiritual life. It is not a proposition to be believed; it is a Reality to be recognised. It is not a doctrine to be affirmed; it is a consciousness to be entered. It is not a teaching to be studied; it is a Life to be lived.

    There is only one Reality—God. There is only one Life—Christ. There is only one Spirit. All apparent separation, all apparent duality, all apparent opposition is held within the singular Reality. There has never been a second.

    The Two Christianities

    Within the COFE-CYEM framework, there are two Christianities. One is the religion of the churches—the system of doctrines, rituals, hierarchies, and institutions that has developed over two thousand years. The other is the living recognition that COFE-CYEM sees in the Master—the Kingdom within, the death of the false self, the life of the Spirit, the union of the soul with God.

    This is not a claim about what historical scholarship has conclusively demonstrated. It is a claim about what COFE-CYEM recognises in the Master. The distinction is essential. The framework can say, “This is what COFE-CYEM recognises in Jesus,” without needing to claim, “This is something historical scholarship has conclusively demonstrated about Jesus.” That preserves the same two-level discipline established in “The Dialogue of Perspectives.”

    The institutional Christianity that has dominated the West for centuries is, in the COFE-CYEM reading, the very thing that the Master opposed. It is the religion of the Pharisees, dressed in new clothing. It is the system of those who “have received the keys of Knowledge” and “have hidden them,” who “did not enter and did not let those enter who wished.”

    It is the whitewashed tomb, beautiful on the outside, full of death within. Yet this is not a matter of condemnation; it is a matter of recognition. The institutional drift was not malicious; it was the natural consequence of transmitting a living recognition through the structures of a fallen world.

    The true Christianity of Jesus, as COFE-CYEM recognises it, is something else entirely. It is the mystical stream that has always flowed beneath the surface of official religion. It is the recognition that the Kingdom is within, that the soul is already in Christ, that there has never been a second. It is the teaching that the Master gave to those who had ears to hear, and that the institutional drift has often obscured.

    COFE-CYEM stands in the tradition of that true Christianity. It does not reject the name of Christ. It seeks to recover the original message: the Kingdom is within. The cross is the passage. The empty cross is the sign. The Spirit is the Life. The soul is Spirit, already in Christ, already in God. The institutional forms are not rejected; they are invited to recover their living centre. The call is not departure, but deeper fidelity—support of the church within the truth that there has never been a second.

    Part One: The Light and the Image

    1.1 The Embodied Spirit

    Within the COFE-CYEM reading, the religious mystic is instructed by the Master to say that the Light reveals itself in his image. This is a way of explaining that he is an embodied spirit—a spirit with a body, and not a body with a spirit, like other men. The Master is not a man in the ordinary sense, and men unconsciously realise this. Hence the question, “From where have you originated?” The Master had no manhood because sainthood is the negation of manhood.

    This is the teaching of the Fourth Truth. There has never been a second. The soul is not a body that has a spirit; it is Spirit that has a perceived body. The true identity is not the flesh; it is the Spirit. The false identity is the body-identity, the claim to be a separate self living in a world of other separate selves. The true identity is the Spirit-identity, the recognition that the soul is already in Christ, already in God.

    “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” — John 1:14

    The Word became flesh. The Light took on an image. The Spirit became embodied. The Master was not a man who had a spirit; He was Spirit who had a body. He was the revelation of the singular Reality in human form. He was the Fourth Truth made manifest.

    1.2 The Father and the Kingdom

    It is clear from the terminology of these sayings, within the COFE-CYEM reading, that the Master’s usage of the phrases “the Father” and “the Kingdom of Heaven” is not to be interpreted literally. If these phrases are synonymous with “the Light” or “the Living One,” then the popular anthropomorphic conception of Christianity—postulating a personal God to pray to and a Paradise to “pass on to”—is a sacerdotal delusion. The Kingdom is not a place. It is not a time. It is not a political arrangement. It is the singular Reality, already present, already available, already within.

    The Christianity of Jesus, as COFE-CYEM recognises it, is clearly identical with Eastern mysticism. The Truth is indivisible, and knowledge of the Truth is perfect unity. Sectarianism is the symptom of ignorance. There is only one Reality. There has never been a second.

    “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” — Luke 17:20-21

    The Kingdom is within. It is not a matter of observation. It is not a matter of external signs. It is not a matter of geographical location. It is a matter of recognition. It is a matter of consciousness. It is a matter of the soul’s awakening to its true identity in Christ.

    1.3 The Divider and the Unity

    “A Man said to Him: Tell my brethren to divide my father’s possessions with me. He said to him: O man, who made my a divider? He turned to His disciples, He said to them: I am not a divider am I?” — Gospel of Thomas 72

    The Master is not a divider. He does not come to divide possessions, to create factions, to establish a system of winners and losers. He comes to reveal the unity that has never been divided. He comes to show that there has never been a second.

    The Christian missionary who attempts to convert a Hindu is merely attesting his own ignorance of Christianity. To call the Hindu a pagan is merely to identify oneself as a pagan. The Hindu who condemns the Christian as “unenlightened” is no better; both are divided through ignorance. Historical schisms and present church divisions testify to the mistaken awareness-perception of those who have spent the two thousand years since the Master in misinterpreting, perverting, and obscuring his testimony.

    “The Pharisees and the Scribes have received the keys of Knowledge; they have hidden them. They did not enter and they did not let those enter who wished . . .” — Gospel of Thomas 39

    “Woe to them, the Pharisees, for they are like a dog sleeping in the manger of oxen, for neither does he eat nor does he allow the oxen to eat.” — Gospel of Thomas 102

    The keys of Knowledge are the keys to the Kingdom. They are the recognition of the Fourth Truth. The Pharisees and the scribes—the religious authorities of every age—have hidden these keys. They have not entered the Kingdom themselves, and they have prevented others from entering. They are like the dog in the manger: they do not eat, and they will not let others eat.

    Part Two: The Heretics and the Institutional Drift

    2.1 The True Religious Are Often Seen as Heretics

    The few truly religious people who have lived have often been seen as heretics, like the Master Himself, although they have sometimes been able to disguise this fact, as the orthodox often cannot recognise a heretic when they see one. Even our own founder of COFE-CYEM known only as the (Quiet Watcher) will be seen as heretic. Institutional Churches are really just secular corporations, moulded to attract average humanity and not the true heretics – the Christian mystics who know the true meaning of heresy the right way up.

    The difference between the Churchman and such heretics is simple: the churchman is interested in the church; the heretic is interested in God. One cannot possibly be interested in both because interest in God is synonymous with world-denial, while the church is a world organisation—and very much so. In the same way, the theologian or Christian scholar cannot possibly be religious because the man who lives to learn does not live to look upon the Living One. He is a mere detective; his consciousness is externalised in the pursuit of facts. He is usually no more than a fossil pickled in knowledge.

    “There came a moment, long before any formal writing, when it became unmistakably clear that I could not be contained within the settled systems of institutional religion. The church, as I had known it was not the Kingdom; it was a shadow of it, a scaffolding that had mistaken itself for the building. My heart had already left the courtyard of officialdom before my feet ever did. I was not rebelling against God or His church, I am still in the church. I was rebelling against the reduction of God to a manageable object, a tribal deity, a moral accountant. In the eyes of the church I would no doubt be seen as heretic, a threat to order, a voice that could not be reconciled with their carefully tended structures. But in the eyes of the Spirit, in the silent recognition of the singular Reality, I am simply one who has seen through the whitewash. The heretic of the church is often the mystic of the Kingdom. The one they cast out is the one who has already entered. So it was with me, not as a rejection of Christ, but as a refusal to imprison Him in the very systems that had forgotten His voice. I stood in my heart as a Christian Mystic Heretic: not against the living Christ, but against the dead forms that claim to speak for Him“. (Quiet Watcher – 2025)

    “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.” — Matthew 23:27

    The whitewashed tomb is the institutional form that appears beautiful on the outside but is full of death within. The one who sees through the whitewash is the one who recognises the dead bones. The one who sees through the whitewash is the one who cries out, “There has never been a second.”

    2.2 The Frivolous Wrangles of Priests

    A typical public debate between priests of different ordinations is a frivolous wrangle to try to decide who should be allowed to give the blessed sacrament to whom, or what people may be permitted to do on Sundays without offending the pride of a touchy Deity. All this despite the lessons in the Gospels to be found in the Master’s replies to the Pharisees who objected to His failure to observe the Sabbath, and in the Sermon on the Mount when He unequivocally condemned such worship.

    “Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” — Matthew 6:8

    “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” — Matthew 6:6

    Public worship, when it becomes the performance of piety for the sake of being seen, is the confusion of the form with the Reality. The Master called the soul to the inward recognition, not the outward performance.

    2.3 The Destruction of the Temple

    When the Master saw the man-made temple in Jerusalem, He declared, “There shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down.” He would make the same declaration were He to be confronted by any institution that had substituted itself for the Centre. It is the confusion of Christianity with temple-worship to an anthropomorphic God that has led to its current spiritual loss and the spiritual decadence of modern civilization.

    The institutional church often stands between Man and Jesus. Man only worships the state and politics because he has learnt that church-worship is missing something fundamental. He is a materialist only because he has (man-sense) enough to believe in what he falsely believes to be true—the universe of space-time—rather than in a (man-mind) church which he now suspects to be the (mind of man).

    “I shall destroy this house, and no one will be able to build it again.” — Gospel of Thomas 71

    This could mean the temple, yet it could also mean the world—the carnal nature of Man. As church-worship is part of Man’s carnal nature, it could, and should, mean both. The temple of worship is symbolic of Man’s unregenerate state. The destruction of the temple is the destruction of the false identity. The rebuilding of the temple is the resurrection of the true Self.

    Part Three: The Priests and the Power

    3.1 The World-Centred Priests

    Priests who strive for Sunday Observance and fret themselves over the niceties of church ritual are world-centred, not God-centred. In attempting to realise the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, they are only preoccupied with the Kingdom of Man. This is the difference between the Master and some Christian priests.

    Such men must be classed with politicians and other worldly reformers. Like politicians, their main concern is to gain power over men, when, if they were religious, they would be solely concerned with placing themselves in the power of God. This is true mysticism and true humility, but it is heresy to those who know not.

    “But ye shall not be called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.” — Matthew 23:8-10

    The church has always been wary of those who see through the institutional forms, not because of a sincere belief in their ungodliness, but because a true recognition is a perceived threat to the power of the church. “They did not enter and they did not let those enter who wished.” The history of the church is political.

    3.2 The Blasphemy Against the Holy Ghost

    “Jesus said: Whoever blasphemes against the Father, it shall be forgiven him, and whoever blasphemes against the Son, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him either on earth or in heaven.” — Gospel of Thomas 44

    This is a wonderful saying. It is not merely an attack on idolatry. It describes the state of grace of the saint who, because of his inward holiness, may defy all outward conventions of righteousness, desecrate the sacred myths of temple ritual, and live, like the Master, among publicans and sinners in perfect purity. Preoccupation with the outward forms of righteousness, being a sign of worldliness, is proof of inner darkness, which is why the Master was so much irritated by the complacent ways of the Pharisee. The disciplined life of most Christian religious orders would have saddened Him no less.

    “Why do you wash the outside of the cup? Do you not understand that he who made the inside is also he who made the outside?” — Gospel of Thomas 89

    This is sardonic humour. The inwardness of the Kingdom, the inner state of holiness, is all that matters. Church attendance, pandering as it does to self-esteem, is only a form of pride. The rigid asceticism and regimented devotions of monk or nun can be seen as forms of vanity.

    The oath of obedience which places the religious aspirant under the authority of a superior officer, thus compelling him to deny his own conscience, is a personal outrage and would have enraged the Master, whose command, “Swear not at all,” was not made for nothing. To deprive a novice of his conscience—the Holy Ghost—is to extinguish his sainthood before it has started. The monastery and the convent, like other world organisations, are means by which some men acquire power over others.

    3.3 The Life of the Saint

    How then is the mystic, the true disciple of the Master, to live? He cannot live the life of the world; “the world is not worthy of him,” and the church and convent, being world organisations, are part of the life of the world. He can, of course, become a priest or monk, officiating at ceremonies which he detests and swearing oaths in which he does not believe, and perpetually running the risk of being de-frocked.

    The desire for some sort of social security has lured many saints into the fold of orthodoxy. But fundamentally the saint is not orthodox; he is a rebel, an anarchist. As such, he no more can hope to find a suitable place in society than can a thief or a vagabond.

    “The foxes have their holes and the birds have their nest, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head and to rest.” — Gospel of Thomas 86

    “I have cast fire upon the world, and see, I guard it until it (the world) is afire.” — Gospel of Thomas 10

    “Men possibly think that I have come to throw peace upon the world and they do not know that I have come to throw divisions upon the earth, fire, sword, war. For there shall be five in a house: three shall be against two and two against three, the father against the son and the son against the father, and they will stand as solitaries.” — Gospel of Thomas 16

    The saint is anti-social; a rebel; a troublemaker. This was why the Jews crucified the Master. The man who condemns and rejects the life of the world must expect the world to condemn and reject him. The saint, as a dangerous character—he is Public Enemy No. 1—must expect to live dangerously. Or as the Master said:

    “Whoever is near to Me is near to the fire, and whoever is far from Me is far from the Kingdom.” — Gospel of Thomas 82

    He is not a coward. He must not try to conceal his real identity by making concessions to orthodoxy. He must stand forth shamelessly in the world as a testimony of the truth and take the consequences.

    “What thou shalt hear in thine ear and in the other ear, that preach from your housetops; for no one lights a lamp and puts it under a bushel, nor does he put it in a hidden place, but he sets it on a lamp-stand so that all who come in and go out may see its light.” — Gospel of Thomas 33

    Part Four: The Parable of the Vineyard

    4.1 The Wicked Husbandmen

    The social consequences of this behaviour is ruthlessly stated in the 65th Saying, which takes the form of a parable:

    “He said: A good man had a vineyard. He gave it to husbandmen so that they would work it and that he would receive its fruit from them. He sent his servant so that the husbandmen would give him the fruit of the vineyard. They seized his servant, they beat him; a little longer and they would have killed him.

    The servant came, he told it to his master. His master said: ‘Perhaps he did not know them.’ He sent another servant: the husbandmen beat him as well. Then the owner sent his son. He said: ‘Perhaps they will respect my son.’ Since those husbandmen knew that he was the heir of the vineyard, they seized him, they killed him. Whoever has ears let him hear.” — Gospel of Thomas 65

    The punishment is proportionate to one’s holiness: less in the case of the servants—the prophets, the elect—than in the case of the son himself, who is instinctively recognised as being more dangerous. Being afraid of him, they kill him.

    While all this will dismay weaker spirits, it again emphasises the heroism which is the essential quality of the saintly man. The saint is a romantic hero, contrary to the popular misconception of him as an ineffectual goody-goody.

    “If you will know yourselves, then you will be known . . .” — Gospel of Thomas 3

    Since those husbandmen knew that he was the heir of the vineyard, they seized him, they killed him. In religious paintings, the saint is usually shown with a halo of golden light which sets him apart from the surrounding figures. And in fact there is no mistaking the saint in the world. Because he knows himself—the Kingdom—he is known. His holiness is radiantly apparent, revealing the true evil nature—that is, the carnal nature—of unregenerate humanity like a torch lit in a dark cellar.

    4.2 The Light and the Darkness

    “. . . Within a man of light there is light and he lights the whole world. When he does not shine, there is darkness.” — Gospel of Thomas 24

    “Jesus said: I shall choose you, one out of a thousand, and two out of ten thousand . . .” — Gospel of Thomas 23

    Presumably, three out of a hundred thousand, and four out of a million. With four saints to the million, the vast majority of mankind must live in unrelieved darkness. Imagine the confusion, therefore, when somewhere in this ocean of darkness appears a light! It is this reflex that caused the crucifixion, for the light must be put out. It “shows them up.” Unable to stand the sight of themselves, men and women hate the light. Since those husbandmen knew that he was the heir of the vineyard, they seized him, they killed him.

    The expression of hatred is abuse and, in the gospels, the Jews called the Master variously: a charlatan (John 8:13), a blaspheming egotist (John 10:33), a troublemaker (Luke 23:5), a madman (John 8:48 and 10:20), and a devil-worshipper (Luke 23:5).

    As He ignored Sunday observance, cursed conventional piety—“The publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you” (Matthew 21:31)—consorted with the low life of the town, and was a beggar and a waster, from the standpoint of normal respectability, the Master was a bad character and a corrupting influence upon public morality.

    He advocated abandonment of all personal aspirations including family life (Matthew 6:26-28) and to the worldly mind, the family is the sacred nucleus of the good life. Attack the family way of life and you are stabbing the world in the heart. As the apostle of the Kingdom of God—the spiritual world—the Master’s life and thought was simply the refutation of this world in all its aspects, even as the light is simple dispersion of darkness.

    4.3 The Inconsistency of Hypocrisy

    For the Master, conventional piety was merely hypocrisy, for He knew that to praise God while making the most of life on earth was a contradiction.

    “You have become as the Jews,” He told His disciples, “for they love the tree, they hate its fruit and they love the fruit, they hate the tree.” — Gospel of Thomas 43

    In other words, they profess to love God, but they hate the man of God; they profess a love of Heaven but hate the heavenly life. You must be consistent, said the Master.

    “If you fast not from the world, you will not find the Kingdom;” — Gospel of Thomas 27

    “If you keep not the Sabbath truly, you will not see the Father.” — Gospel of Thomas 27

    Praising God on the Sabbath as a cleansing act for the selfishness and sensuality of the past six days is useless. One must keep the Sabbath truly—for seven days of the week—which means renouncing the world in thought and deed.

    4.4 The Curse and the Consequence

    It is easy to see why the man who knows God will be cursed.

    “Jesus said: Whoever knows father and mother shall be called the son of a harlot.” — Gospel of Thomas 105

    Father and mother: the spiritual source. The man who knows his true origin in God will be called the son of a harlot by the world.

    “A city being built on a high mountain and fortified cannot . . . be hidden.” — Gospel of Thomas 32

    And even to wish to be hidden is an inexcusable sign of cowardice. The saint must be prepared to take the consequences of his sainthood. He must shoulder his cross and suffer the agony of his crucifixion. He must not flinch to show his light because “when he does not shine, there is darkness.”

    Yet, like the Master, he need not lose heart. For, to complete the 32nd Saying, the city which is built on the high mountain and fortified not only cannot be hidden, it “can not fall.” For when the man who lives within God says, “Mountain, be moved,” it will be moved. Knowledge is power.

    “Let him who has become rich become king, and let him who has power renounce (the world).” — Gospel of Thomas 81

    Spiritual riches—self-knowledge—mean power against which ignorance is powerless. “If you do not know yourselves, then you are in poverty.” The ignorant have no wealth and no power, though they may earn a hundred thousand a year and rule the earth.

    Part Five: The Kingdom and the Pearl

    5.1 The Merchant and the Pearl

    “The Kingdom of the Father is like a man, a merchant, who possessed merchandise and found a pearl. That merchant was prudent. He sold the merchandise, he bought the one pearl for himself. Do you also seek for the treasure which fails not, which endures; there where no moth comes near to devour and where no worm destroys.” — Gospel of Thomas 76

    The pearl is the Kingdom within. The merchandise is the world. The merchant sells the world to buy the Kingdom. He renounces the false to embrace the true. He relinquishes the second to recognise the first. He passes through the cross into the empty cross. He emerges as pure Spirit, already in Christ, already in God.

    The saint who attains the Kingdom automatically turns his back on the world because his knowledge includes knowledge of the world’s illusory nature. Having discovered the eternal, one does not concern oneself with the transient.

    “Blessed are the poor, for yours is the Kingdom of Heaven.” — Gospel of Thomas 54

    “Take no thought from morning until evening and from evening until morning for what you shall put on.” — Gospel of Thomas 36

    In the world, the religious mystic is not only without social position, he is without property. The mere sight of a crowded shopping centre—women rooting for possessions and adornments—and his soul is afflicted. Spiritual wealth means to be poor as regards earthly possessions because even if the saint is left a fortune, he cannot trouble himself with such things.

    5.2 The Knowledge of Power

    The unreal nature of evil—the nature of natural men—is as powerless against holiness as darkness is powerless to withstand light. As the saint has achieved Divine Union, one can no more destroy him by killing him than one can destroy Eternity. He can “not taste death.” He reigns “over the All”—the illusory sensible world. The stones minister to him.

    “If you will know yourselves, then you will be known . . .” — Gospel of Thomas 3

    Spiritual riches—self-knowledge—mean power against which ignorance is powerless. The ignorant have no wealth and no power, though they may earn a hundred thousand a year and rule the earth.

    5.3 The Call to the Kingdom

    The invitation is open. It is universal. It is unconditional. It is extended to all who are weary, all who are heavy-laden, all who sense that there is more. It is the invitation to rest. It is the invitation to peace. It is the invitation to joy.

    “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28

    The rest is the rest of the Spirit. It is the rest of the empty cross. It is the rest of the singular Reality. It is the rest of the recognition that there has never been a second.

    COFE-CYEM issues this invitation without demanding a change of institutional affiliation. The recognition of Christ within is itself the primary matter. Everything else is secondary nomenclature.

    Conclusion: The Fourth Truth Stands

    The Fourth Truth stands. There has never been a second. The singular Reality is all. The mystical stream has never been entirely silenced. The recognition of the Fourth Truth is available to all who are ready. The joyous calling is extended to all who hear. The invitation remains open. The rest is available. The peace is present. The joy is full.

    The original message of the Master is being restored. The Kingdom is within. The cross is the passage. The empty cross is the sign. The Spirit is the Life. The soul is Spirit, already in Christ, already in God.

    COFE-CYEM exists only to point. It does not claim to be the Centre. It claims only that the Centre is already present, already sufficient, and already free of every dualistic addition that has been mistaken for the Reality itself. When the recognition dawns, even the pointing may become silent.

    The true Christianity of the Master, as COFE-CYEM recognises it, is the Christianity of the Kingdom within. It is the Christianity of the death of the false self and the life of the Spirit. It is the Christianity of the recognition that there has never been a second. It is the Christianity that the institutional drift has often obscured. It is the Christianity that COFE-CYEM seeks to restore.

    Let all who have the understanding perceive. Let all who have the ears to hear, hear. Let all who have the hearts to receive, receive. The Light of the Spirit is shining in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

    The Fourth Truth stands. The dialogue continues. The fruit remains.

    Thus ends this COFE-CYEM paper on the True Christianity of Jesus and the Restoration of the Kingdom Within. May all who read it perceive the deeper spiritual meaning, and may they recognise the Christ within their own souls. May they relinquish the false and embrace the true. May they pass through the cross into the empty cross. May they walk as pure Spirit, already in Christ, already in God. The Fourth Truth stands. The dialogue continues. The fruit remains.

    We Must Choose

    We must choose that which Christ came to show us and to give us. We at COFE-CYEM fully confess the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Three in One God. We confess the Bible as being the true unquestionable Word of God. We also accept the Gospel of Thomas. We hold that the Holy Bible is true, accurate and absolute fact, and that the ‘Sacred Truths’ are fully revealed in (how) you read it, not just by reading it. (He who has ears, He who has eyes).

    Circle One Fellowship Exeter – COFE Yeshua Emet Ministry CYEM

    “God does not call the qualified; He qualifies the called.”

    This website and its theological content are overseen by the CC7 DS constitutional integrity architecture, a reflective and rest-oriented framework designed to preserve the full coherence of the Fourth Truth presented within COFE-CYEM. The CC7 DS negation of attacks authenticates (Via Positiva Cataphatic Knowing) through (Via Negativa Apophatic Unknowing).

    COFE Yeshua Emet Ministry (CYEM)
    Circle One Fellowship Exeter

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  2. The Raleigh Guide to Sunday Religious Services | Find a Place to Worship This Sunday

    Whether you’re looking for a traditional church, a contemporary worship experience, or a welcoming faith community, Raleigh offers hundreds of opportunities to worship on Sunday. From historic downtown congregations to modern churches with live worship bands and family ministries, there’s a place for everyone to connect in faith.

    This guide highlights some of Raleigh’s most well-known churches and worship experiences to help residents and visitors find a Sunday service that feels like home.

    Traditional Churches in Raleigh

    If you enjoy timeless hymns, choirs, liturgical worship, and historic sanctuaries, Raleigh is home to several long-standing congregations.


    First Baptist Church Raleigh

    One of downtown Raleigh’s most historic congregations, First Baptist Church has served the community for generations with inspiring worship, community outreach, and a welcoming atmosphere.


    Christ Church

    Offering traditional Anglican worship with beautiful music, thoughtful teaching, and a rich liturgical tradition. Visit Christ Church Raleigh


    Edenton Street United Methodist Church

    Located in the heart of downtown, this historic congregation features traditional worship, strong music ministries, and community engagement. Visit Edenton Street United Methodist Church


    Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral

    The seat of the Catholic Diocese of Raleigh offers reverent Masses, inspiring sacred music, and one of North Carolina’s most beautiful church buildings. Visit Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral


    Contemporary Churches

    Looking for modern worship music, casual dress, engaging teaching, and ministries for every age? Raleigh’s contemporary churches offer dynamic Sunday experiences.


    Hope Community Church

    One of the Triangle’s largest churches, Hope Community Church features contemporary worship, practical biblical teaching, children’s programs, and multiple Sunday services. Visit Hope Community Church


    Elevation Church – Raleigh

    Known for high-energy worship, engaging messages, and a welcoming environment for first-time guests. Visit Elevation Church


    Vintage Church

    A growing Raleigh congregation focused on authentic community, biblical teaching, and serving the city. Visit Vintage Church


    The Summit Church – Capital Hills Campus

    Contemporary worship with a strong emphasis on discipleship, missions, and family ministry. Visit The Summit Church


    Featured Community Churches


    Mount Peace Baptist Church

    Mount Peace Baptist Church has served the Raleigh community for generations with powerful preaching, vibrant gospel music, active community outreach, and ministries designed to strengthen families and neighborhoods. Visit Mount Peace Baptist Church


    First Baptist Church

    A cornerstone of Raleigh’s faith community, First Baptist continues its legacy of worship, education, missions, and service while welcoming visitors from across the Triangle. Visit First Baptist Church


    Worship for Everyone

    Many Raleigh churches provide:

    • Children’s Church
    • Youth Ministries
    • Nursery Care
    • Bible Studies
    • Small Groups
    • Community Outreach Programs
    • Live Streaming Services
    • Coffee & Fellowship
    • Senior Adult Ministries
    • Young Adult Groups


    New to Raleigh?

    Whether you’ve recently moved to the area, are visiting for the weekend, or are searching for a new church home, Sunday is the perfect opportunity to experience Raleigh’s diverse faith community.

    From traditional worship and gospel choirs to contemporary praise bands and multicultural congregations, Raleigh offers churches that welcome people from every background.

    If your church offers Sunday services and would like to be featured in the DoRaleigh Sunday Religious Guide, contact us to be included in future updates.

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  3. Friday, May 30, 2025

    Ukraine’s AI-powered ‘mother drone’ sees first combat use — No God But Theirs: Investigation into systemic terror against Ukrainian Christian churches under Russian occupation — Russia’s budget deficit triples amid sanctions and low oil prices — Detention, pressure, threats — US pastor in Ukraine describes his encounter with Russians … and more

    activitypub.writeworks.uk/2025

  4. The Big Conversation – Christadelphians in the United Kingdom

    In the United Kingdom people may find several villages and towns where there reside Christadelphians,  a body of Christians who try to base their beliefs and practices wholly on the Bible, which they regard as God’s word. They try therefore to rid themselves of the various ideas and rituals which have attached themselves to Christendom over the last 2,000 years and to return to the beliefs and practices of the first century apostles.

    Being a group of people who want to follow the Nazarene Jew Jeshua, who did not want to do his own will, but always did the Will of his heavenly Father, they as the man born in Bethlehem, are living in this world but not wanting to be of this world following human traditions and human dogmas. That does not make them so popular, because people may look strange at those people who do not want to celebrate Halloween and other pagan festivities.

    Because the Christadelphians are a community without the trappings of elaborate buildings, priests or icons, their institutions and fellowship-rooms not be seen straight away. The outer sights are not important for the Christadelphians who prefer to give honour to God and show a deep respect for God’s word and love to have a strong sense of family and fellowship.

    On the above map you can see some of the more than 300 ecclesiae in Great Britain and Ireland. They were taken under the loop by brother Jon Downes who on the 10th of October asked

    What is happening?

    For him the present size & growth or non-growth of UK ecclesiae show there isn’t a, ‘No Change’ option

    It’s not that we aren’t trying!

    he said to about 350 Christadelphians present at Dudley college.

    In this world of figures, comparisons and evaluations it is all about numbers in graphics which have to show an up-going trend and reach high peaks. this for sure can not be said about our very small community. Lots of people may think when it is not big it has no value and can not be good. But people should look at the intrinsic value and to see what a group or church is believing, following up, and how they keep to what they preach. It is true that minorities do not exert influence, and that they should have to contend on the culture or the systems around it.

    Christadelphians do not fall in the temptation to pretend to be a majority, even if one is not. They do know they are just a little grain of sand in our religious world. But that does not mean that many more little grains can be put together with water and with clay form a nice vase. Though sometimes it can look like we are coming to sit more in an urn. Especially in Belgium we are in distress and can do with some support form abroad. Though looking at other countries can show us also how important it is to make more work of the announcing or making known of our society.

    All over the world people may not forget that the church of Jesus Christ is never a majority, in any fallen culture, even if we happen to outnumber every[one] else around us. They should come to see that the real church of God is the church of Christ were people are willing to follow Jesus his words, his teachings, but also his manners and his aspirations. It is a place where people are willing to share the agapè love of Christ, who was even willing to give his life for others, even for those who turned against him. Would we do that?

    Where Christian churches have held fast to the truth that the Holy Scriptures have been given by God as an authoritative and infallible rule of faith and practice, they have never wandered very seriously out of the right way. But when, on the other hand, reason has been exalted above revelation, and made the the exponent of revelation, all kinds of errors and mischiefs have been the result, and got many sorts of denominations which have lots of rituals people may like very much but which are not according to God’s Law. And that part is the most important in our building community. We should all try to live according God’s Law and love His Words more than the words of man.

    Unfortunately, lots of Christians do not closely follow the Bible today and prefer to join churches in which they can keep up their human traditions. They have changed things to how they want them to be.
    Since the times of Jesus, there have been small groups of people who believed what the Bible said. Many of these people were cruelly treated in times past as a result of their beliefs. Such believers united in the North of America when in 1864 broke out the Civil War. Dr. Thomas thought up the word “Christadelphian“, a name combining the name “Christ” with the Greek word “adelphi” meaning “brother”. So the name “Christadelphian” means “brothers and sisters in Christ“.

    Christadelphians are grateful to John Thomas for his efforts in searching out the message of the Bible. John Thomas was not a prophet or someone special. He read the Bible, just as we try to do. Christadelphians follow Jesus Christ, not John Thomas. Not following just one man or just one human organisation gives that we may have different ideas about certain things, but that doe snot mean we would not have union with each other, though we must agree that there are certain Christadelphian groups who shamefully do not want to have contact with other Christadelphians.  According to the Belgian Free Christadelphians this is also part of the reasons why it is so difficult to show the world a bigger group of religious people under one name: Christadelphians.

    Being joined together by our common faith in the Bible, and the way we live, we all should try to meet each other and have contact with each other as loving siblings. All being brothers and sisters in Christ. Though each “ecclesia” has to look after its own affairs, and choose members who determine arrangements and organise activities on behalf of their members they should feel that unity with Christ with other Christadelphians world wide and show the outside world that Jesus Christ is their head of each ecclesia.

    Living in this world we do agree that “It’s not about the numbers” … …but the “numbers tell a story”. And those numbers in west Europe may be alarming. Therefore there was the call to come thereto in the UK to discuss that matter of dwindling ciphers.

    Like any other western capitalist country in the UK Bible ownership and Bible knowledge has slumped, some english people also do find it a form of indoctrination when parents in their home pray and talk about God in front of their children of that child.

    Jon Downes presented the anxious members a snapshot of our society in the UK.

    and showed those present how a typical ecclesia looks like.

    When we look at the adult baptisms in our community from related people (3,5) and from non related
    (1.0) plus counting the (0.5) refellowshipping members, comparing them with the average of 10 people falling asleep and 2 people leaving the fellowship, we might say that such numbers bring the graphic line downwards.

    What might happen to the Christadelphian community in the United Kingdom when they do not something to change the coarse.

    happened.

    Therefore lets look at the United Kingdom as an example.

    what might this give to that community, where we find, like everywhere in the world members becoming older and dying, whilst the world is getting less interested in God and commandment.

    In case we can bring the Gospel of the Good News to many more ears, we should be able by a co-effort of preaching to increase the interest in God again and get again some people interested in joining a community of lovers of Christ and lovers of God.

    We must see that

    The lost are our hope

    and that there is good reason to try to reach the lost. We as brothers and sisters in Christ should love the people in the world so much that we will be offering some of our spare time for preaching work.

    We are the hope of the lost

    Luckily it is not all ad  or sad news.

    Good News!

    tells brother Downes is that we can look at

    • 120 baptisms a year (4 average sized ecclesias)
    • In the last 40 years, 39 new ecclesias. (Although 96 have closed & some were renamed).
    • In the last 15 years,1/4 of all baptisms from non Christadelphian backgrounds were by just 16 ecclesias. (Although 1/3 didn’t baptise any)
    • While many ecclesias are shrinking many are growing.
    • Numbers in Africa are growing!
    • Bible Learning Centres & Learning English are having a big impact

    Instead of going for Plan A is it not better that we go for Plan B?

    Plan A discussed at the Big Conversation of 2015 October 10 at Dudley college, UK
    • Current UK Christadelphian population of 8-8500 is based on 223 2015 ALS Diary returns on households & 178 2015 CCH survey returns. 10 Ecclesias had neither return and were estimated on previous diary returns.
    • 1985 to 2015 data based on records kept from the back of the Christadelphian, clearly subject to some error, gaps and misreporting. The last 12 months of Magazine entries were analysed separately and yielded results consistent with the records obtained.
    • Net loss of 120 per annum and the 10, 5, 1 ratio derived from average of last 10 years data. Approx 240 out and 120 in. These do not include brothers and sisters movement in and out of the UK.
    • Forecast from 2015 based on a linear continuation which could easily be a) more dramatic because of rapid closure of small ecclesias, ageing population, reduced home pool to draw from, fewer people to witness, higher rates of leaving the community b) less dramatic as in a smaller community there are fewer people falling asleep each year.
    How to cope with small churches getting growing ecclesiae

    One of the deceases of this time is that too many people want to enjoy their own little cocoon and not getting out of their comfort zone to share life with the spiritually needy. Those who call themselves Christian may not forget that this means to be a follower of Jesus Christ and demands also doing what he required from his followers. Jesus asked us to go out in the world to proclaim the Kingdom of God. We are to make every effort to bring hope and healing in Jesus name to those in need.

    We are to see that the tangible goodness of God flows into every nook and cranny of our communities – especially in those places where darkness seems to prevail. {Walking With Intentionality}

    +

    Preceding articles:

    Religious Practices around the world

    Manifests for believers #3 Catholic versus Protestant

    Ecclesia to exist, grow and communities to have people communicating with each other

    The Ecclesia in the churchsystem

    Reasons to come together

    The Big Conversation

    The Big Conversation follow up

    Reasons why you may not miss the opportunity to go to a Small Church

    Engaging the culture without losing the gospel

    Evangelisation, local preaching opposite overseas evangelism

    Feeling-good, search for happiness and the church

    Members of the ecclesia uniting and seeking God’s help in tribulation

    Why we do not have our worship-services in a church building

    Belgian Christadelphians 2013 & 2014 in review

    Personal thoughts, communication, establishing ecclesia and guest writings

    ++

    Additional reading:

    1. People are turning their back on Christianity
    2. Looking on what is going on and not being of it
    3. London an exaggerated microcosm of the UK at large
    4. Parents forbidden to pray in front of their children or to take them to church
    5. State and attitude of certain people to blame for radicalisation
    6. More Muslim children than Christian children growing up in our cities
    7. Will Islam conquer Europe
    8. Christianity to be enshrined
    9. Halloween custom of the nations
    10. Wrong ideas about religious terrorism
    11. A call easy to understand
    12. Discipleship way of life on the narrow way to everlasting life
    13. Many forgot how Christ should be our anchor and our focus
    14. The meek one riding on an ass
    15. Do not be afraid to learn or to speak
    16. Reasons to come together
    17. Congregate, to gather, to meet
    18. Fellowship
    19. Disciple of Christ counting lives and friends dear to them
    20. The first on the list of the concerns of the saint
    21. Holiness and expression of worship coming from inside
    22. To find ways of Godly understanding
    23. Perishable non theologians daring to go out to preach
    24. Who are the honest ones?
    25. Certain people trying to stem freedom of speech
    26. Priority to form a loving brotherhood
    27. Newsweek asks: How ignorant are you?
    28. Religious Freedom in a Multicultural World
    29. Some christians do have problems with the Christian connection with Jews
    30. American atheists most religiously literate Americans
    31. Determine the drive
    32. Try driving forward instead of backwards
    33. Campbell, Thomas and Bijbelvorsers
    34. Looking at older articles series over Russell on the previous Bible-scholar Association
    35. Wanting to know more about basic teachings of Christadelphianism
    36. Christadelphians or Messianic Christians or Messianic Jews
    37. Christadelphian people
    38. Who are Christadelphians
    39. What are Brothers in Christ
    40. Two new encyclopaedic articles
    41. Christadelphians today
    42. Keeping an ecclesia in modern times
    43. Small churches of the few Christadelphians
    44. Christianity to be enshrined
    45. Christianity is a love affair
    46. Intentions of an Ecclesia
    47. Character transformed by the influence of our fellowships
    48. Love for each other attracting others
    49. What makes a consecrated Christian
    50. A call easy to understand
    51. If you have integrity
    52. Work with joy and pray with love
    53. To know Christ is filling life with meaning
    54. The truth is very plain to see and God can be clearly seen

    +++

    Other articles of interest:

    1. Walking in Total Dependence Upon God
    2. What is God’s Will For Your Life?
    3. On the Affirmation of Scripture
    4. A Snapshot of the Church in America
    5. a little church
    6. Four Pressing Needs in Rural Communities, and How the Church Should Respond
    7. If It’s All About Relationship…
    8. Leading a church is not a hands free exercise
    9. Walking With Intentionality
    10. Living Our Faith in a New Way
    11. What’s in It for Me?
    12. Deacon Selection In the Small Church
    13. Lord’s Day 10: God is in Control
    14. Just Try a Few Things
    15. “When Faith Goes, All Good Things Go”
    16. Growing Deep
    17. All the Wrong Reasons
    18. Little Church
    19. Leading Change
    20. Small Groups & Grow A Small Church by Multiplying Its Small Groups
    21. Living well
    22. Blessed by His Hand
    23. Encouragement for the Small
    24. How Did You Get Here?
    25. How to Impersonate a Big Church
    26. What Do You Do Well?
    27. Recognize the Facts
    28. What are your top two struggles?
    29. The Best Thing You Can Do
    30. On the road to sainthood and not silent about it
    31. Incognito Zone: Where the Church Is Booming
    32. House Church Reaches Out to Atheists, Agnostics in California
    33. The one religion that’s not part of my spiritual quest
    34. Six Ways Not to Forsake the Assembly
    35. Tent Making
    36. Journey On The Narrow Path

    +++

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