home.social

#kingdom-of-god — Public Fediverse posts

Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #kingdom-of-god, aggregated by home.social.

fetched live
  1. What Really Does The Bible Claim The Good News About God Is?

    by Mike Edwards

    Many of us who grew up and attended the institutional church heard that God mainly wanted to save us from hell so we could go to heaven after death here on earth. All we had to do was say a prayer and mean it: “Thank you Jesus for dying on the cross for my sins. Please forgive me. I receive You as my Lord and Savior. Help me to live for you.” You may think that is a Bible verse. I can find no place in the Bible where Jesus advised followers of such a prayer or declared this the Good News. Jesus didn’t require confessions initially but simply asked people to follow Him.

    Mark 1:14,15 says “Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. The time has come, he said. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent, and believe the good news.” Repent refers to a changing of your mind, not dropping to your knees and never sinning again, or we are all screwed! The Good News throughout the Gospels refers to a Kingdom here on earth now. The kingdom of God “has come upon you” (Mt 12:28) and “is in your midst” (Lk 17:21).  God’s Spirit is available now, as it was back in the first century, to influence godly living here on earth.

    What Really Is The Good News About God According TO The BIble

    Mike Edwards was added as a writer and has been a great addition to the Done with Religion site. Mike provides many interesting views and various ways of looking at things. He is not afraid to ask questions and he keeps an open mind as to teachings of the institutional church. Mike also has his own site where he writes at What God May Really Be Like

    Rate this:

    #Bible #church #GoodNews #HolySpirit #KingdomOfGod #salvation
  2. #Mystical #love breaks thru the rational brain to a bigger, intuitive, imaginative one whose passion for justice & compassion burns & refuses to surrender or yield to despair. Call it the #kingdomofGod where justice, truth & love rule & lies, injustice, despair, greed are banished. #OrderOfTheSacredEarth bit.ly/4hkaVA6

  3. Heaven is more than a destination; it’s the promised restoration where peace, justice, and intimate fellowship endure. In a noisy world, the coming city invites us to anchor hope in a Creator who keeps every word and fulfills every dream.
    #BiblicalHeaven #NewHeavenNewEarth #EternalLife #KingdomOfGod #HeavenlyHope
    chrissbiblenewsletter.org/p/th

  4. The millennial kingdom represents more than a future epoch; it is God's promise of renewed order: peace across creation, universal justice, and the inheritance of His rule. A season where prophecy meets reality and hope becomes lived.
    #MillennialKingdom #MillennialReign #BiblicalProphecy #KingdomOfGod #SecondComing
    chrissbiblenewsletter.org/p/95

  5. Heaven isn’t distant fantasy; it’s the horizon where mercy, justice, and peace meet. A living hope that shapes today—calling us to love, live truthfully, and walk humbly with the One who made us for more.
    #Heaven #EternalHope #BiblicalHeaven #KingdomOfGod #HeavenlyPromise
    chrissbiblenewsletter.org/p/do

  6. Heaven is way more than a distant destination. It's a restored reality of perfect justice, peace, and belonging. Fixing our eyes on that promise gives present life a deeper meaning and courage to endure.
    #Heaven #EternalLife #KingdomOfGod #NewHeavensNewEarth #ChristianHope
    chrissbiblenewsletter.org/p/th

  7. Exploring the millennial kingdom reveals how biblical prophecy anchors present hope: a future when peace and justice rule under the King. It ties Israel’s story to a global restoration, guiding our reading of history toward a coming, visible reign of God.
    #MillennialKingdom #EndTimesProphecy #BiblicalProphecy #KingdomOfGod #MessianicProphecy
    chrissbiblenewsletter.org/p/95

  8. The millennial kingdom stands at the center of biblical eschatology: a future era of peace, justice, and the reign of Christ on earth that reshapes creation's purpose and end-time hope. A reminder that divine promises outlive culture's shifting sands.
    #MillennialKingdom #BiblicalProphecy #EndTimes #ChristRule #KingdomOfGod
    chrissbiblenewsletter.org/p/95

  9. Doubting Thomas Didymos Gospel: Twin Man Centripetal Recognitionism Prophesy

    *

    Irenaeus and Thomas the Twin of Centripetal Recognitionism

    Centripetal Recognitionism is the single overarching movement of COFE-CYEM.

    It is not a new doctrine, a privileged revelation, or another system demanding allegiance.

    It is the name given to the continuous turning of awareness from the Outer to the Inner, from Nomenclature to the Centripetal, from the Shell to the Seed. We believe this is what the Gospel of Thomas Didymos (Doubting Thomas) expresses, but was suppressed by Irenaeus and not (properly explained) in the Gospel of John.

    In this sense Centripetal Recognitionism may be called a (kind of prophecy) – but only as disclosure rather than prediction: it announces nothing that was not already true and reveals nothing that was ever absent. The Seed is the Christhood—the Light of God recognised in Christ, in God.

    COFE-CYEM holds that the Gospel of Thomas expresses, in meaning and theology, the same recognition articulated in the Fourth Truth: the Kingdom is within, the living One is already present, and there has never been a second.

    Every form, term, and teaching, including Centripetal Recognitionism itself, remains a provisional shell whose sole purpose is to orient consciousness toward the Centre until even the shell falls silent in that 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 Fourfold Vision of Irenaeus

    Irenaeus saw the four living creatures of the prophetic vision—the Man, the Lion, the Bull, and the Eagle—as signs of the four Gospels. Each creature carried one face of the one Christ: the Man of Matthew, the Lion of Mark, the Bull of Luke, the Eagle of John. The fourfold form was received as a shell through which the singular Reality could be approached from different directions of awareness.

    The fourfold vision is not rejected. It is a genuine Shell. It has served. It has oriented many. Yet the Shell, however rich, remains a Shell. The four faces still belong to the field of appearance. They still speak in the language of distinction.

    “And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.” — Revelation 4:7

    The four living creatures are the Shell. They are the appearance. They are the nomenclature. They point toward the Centre. They are not the Centre. The Centre is Christ. The Centre is the singular Reality. The Centre is the recognition that there has never been a second.

    Thomas the Twin

    Into this fourfold pattern steps Thomas—Didymos, the Twin.

    The Twin is not a fifth Gospel competing for a place among the four. The Twin is the recognition that the four were never four ultimate realities. The Twin is the one who refuses to compare the Master to any external category. The Twin is the one who will not settle for second-hand belief. The Twin is the one who insists on direct recognition.

    Where the four living creatures present the Christ under four aspects, the Twin sees that the aspects are directions of the One. The Man, the Lion, the Bull, and the Eagle are not four separate sources. They are four turnings of the same consciousness upon itself. The Twin names what the fourfold vision could only approach: there has never been a second.

    “And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.” — John 20:28

    Thomas does not compare. Thomas confesses. Thomas does not categorise. Thomas recognises. Thomas does not place the Master within the Shell. Thomas sees the Seed. Thomas sees the singular Reality. Thomas sees that there has never been a second.

    The Four and the One

    The Lion is strength.
    The Bull is sacrifice.
    The Eagle is vision.
    The Man is the face turned toward humanity.

    All four are true within the field of appearance. All four are provisional. All four point. None of them is the Centre.

    The Twin does not abolish the four. The Twin relativises them. The Twin shows that the fourfold form is itself a Shell whose proper function is to become transparent to the Seed. When the recognition dawns, the four faces are seen as movements within the singular Reality rather than as competing or complementary ultimates.

    The Gospel of Thomas does not stand over against the four canonical Gospels as a rival system. It functions as the nutcracker that opens the fourfold Shell. It is the magnifying glass that brings the inward orientation into clear view. It is the Twin who already knows that the Master is not going somewhere else, that the Life is already present, and that death to the false self is the path into the singular Reality.

    “Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellow disciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.” — John 11:16

    Thomas speaks the words of the Twin. He knows that death to the false self is the path into the singular Reality. He will not settle for second-hand belief. He insists on direct recognition. He knows that the Master is not going somewhere else. He knows that the Life is already present.

    The Centripetal Movement

    Centripetal Recognitionism receives both the fourfold vision of Irenaeus and the Twin of Thomas under the same law: every form is a Shell whose proper function is to turn awareness toward the Centre. The Centre is not one of the four. The Centre is not a fifth. The Centre is Christ in God. The movement is always from Outer to Inner, from Nomenclature to the Centripetal, from the Shell to the Seed.

    The four living creatures served their season. The Twin serves his season. Both are provisional. Both are released when the recognition is complete. The Seed remains.

    “He must increase, but I must decrease.” — John 3:30

    The Centre increases. The Shell decreases. Christ increases. The nomenclature decreases. The Recognition increases. The form decreases. The Seed increases. The Shell decreases.

    The Nutcracker and the Magnifying Glass

    The Gospel of Thomas functions as both magnifying glass and nutcracker. It magnifies the inward orientation of the Master’s teaching. It cracks the outer shell of dualistic religion so that the Seed—the singular Reality of Christ in God—may be recognised.

    The fourfold vision of Irenaeus is a Shell. It is a genuine Shell. It has served. It has oriented many. Yet the Shell, however rich, remains a Shell. The Twin does not abolish the four. The Twin relativises them. The Twin shows that the fourfold form is itself a Shell whose proper function is to become transparent to the Seed.

    The prophecy announces (nothing) that was not already true; the revelation reveals nothing that was ever absent. The New Prophecy is the naming of the turning. The New Prophecy is the naming of the recognition. The New Prophecy is the naming of the movement that has always been present. The New Prophecy announces nothing new except the naming of what has never been absent.

    Transparent to the Seed

    The fourfold vision of Irenaeus is a genuine Shell. It has served. It has oriented many. Yet the Shell, however rich, remains a Shell. The Twin relativises the four. The Twin shows that the fourfold form is itself a Shell whose proper function is to become transparent to the Seed. When the recognition dawns, the four faces are seen as movements within the singular Reality rather than as competing or complementary ultimates.

    There are those who see clearly what has been done in God’s name. They see the darkness. They also see the Light. Like Thomas the Twin, they refuse second-hand belief and insist on direct recognition. They walk in the light that is now shining. They know themselves as children of the Light. And they will not allow the Light to become extinguished through the darkness of the Shell.

    The Gospel of Thomas and the Fourth Truth Hidden Living Recognition

    The Gospel of Thomas opens with a declaration of purpose: these are the hidden sayings that the living Jesus spoke and that Didymos Judas Thomas wrote down. The first saying immediately sets the terms of engagement: “Whoever discovers the meaning of these sayings won’t taste death.” The concern is not historical reconstruction, institutional authority, or external compliance. The concern is the discovery of meaning. The concern is recognition.

    COFE-CYEM receives the Gospel of Thomas as a primary witness to the same recognition that the Fourth Truth articulates. It is not claimed that Thomas and COFE-CYEM are historically identical systems. It is recognised that the Gospel of Thomas, read through the lens of Centripetal Recognitionism, expresses with unusual clarity the movement from Outer to Inner, from Shell to Seed, from the appearance of separation to the living knowledge that there has never been a second.

    The Gospel of Thomas functions as both magnifying glass and nutcracker. It magnifies the inward orientation of the Master’s teaching. It cracks the outer shell of dualistic religion so that the Seed—the singular Reality of Christ in God—may be recognised. In this way the Gospel serves the same centripetal function that every authentic shell within COFE-CYEM is called to serve: it points beyond itself until the pointer becomes transparent.

    The Kingdom Within and Outside

    1.1 The Centripetal Movement in Pure Form

    Gospel of Thomas (Saying 3) stands near the heart of the Gospel:

    “If your leaders tell you, ‘Look, the kingdom is in heaven,’ then the birds of heaven will precede you. If they tell you, ‘It’s in the sea,’ then the fish will precede you. Rather, the kingdom is within you and outside of you. When you know yourselves, then you’ll be known, and you’ll realize that you’re the children of the living Father. But if you don’t know yourselves, then you live in poverty, and you are the poverty.”

    This is the centripetal movement in pure form. The Kingdom is not located in a distant place that must be reached by external pilgrimage or institutional mediation. It is within and outside—already present, already encompassing. The decisive act is not acquisition but recognition: knowing oneself as the child of the living Father.

    COFE-CYEM hears in this saying the Fourth Truth. The Kingdom is not a second reality waiting to be entered from outside. It is the singular Reality already holding the soul. Not to know oneself in this way is to live in the poverty of the separate self—the Shell mistaken for the Seed.

    1.2 The Refusal of External Location

    The saying explicitly refuses every external location. The Kingdom is not in heaven, not in the sea, not in any place that can be reached by physical movement. The leaders who point to external locations are leading the soul away from the recognition that is already present. The birds and the fish would arrive before any soul that attempted to travel to those destinations. The journey is inward. The recognition is immediate.

    “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 canonical Gospel echoes the same recognition. The Kingdom is not a matter of observation. It is not a matter of external signs. 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 Poverty of Non-Recognition

    The saying concludes with a warning: “If you don’t know yourselves, then you live in poverty, and you are the poverty.” The poverty is not a lack of external resources. It is the poverty of the separate self. It is the poverty of the Shell that has mistaken itself for the Seed.

    The poverty is the condition of the soul that does not know itself as the child of the living Father. The poverty is the condition of the soul that lives in the illusion of separation. Centripetal Recognitionism names this poverty precisely so that the soul may turn from it toward the Seed already present.

    Seeking, Disturbance, and Amazement

    2.1 The Path of Recognition

    Thomas Gospel (Saying 2) describes the path of recognition:

    “Whoever seeks shouldn’t stop until they find. When they find, they’ll be disturbed. When they’re disturbed, they’ll be amazed, and reign over the All.”

    The movement is not linear progress toward a distant goal. It is the successive stripping away of false security. Seeking leads to finding; finding leads to disturbance; disturbance leads to amazement; amazement leads to reigning over the All.

    2.2 The Disturbance of the Shell

    The disturbance is the crisis of the Shell—the moment when the dualistic mind realises that its foundations are not ultimate. The disturbance is the moment when the false identity is confronted with the possibility of its own relinquishment. The disturbance is the moment when the soul realises that it cannot continue to live in the poverty of non-recognition.

    “And he said to them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake, Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.” — Luke 18:29-30

    The disturbance is the leaving of the false securities. The amazement is the receiving of the manifold more. The reigning over the All is the recognition that the Seed has never been absent.

    2.3 The Reign over the All

    The reign over the All is not a domination of the world. It is the recognition that the All is already held within the singular Reality. The one who has passed through the disturbance and the amazement no longer lives in the poverty of the separate self. The one who has recognised the Seed reigns over the All because the All is no longer experienced as a second. The All is recognised as the singular Reality.

    Making the Two into One

    3.1 The Dissolution of Dualistic Pairs

    (Saying 22) is among the most radical formulations in the entire Gospel:

    “When you make the two into one, and make the inner like the outer and the outer like the inner, and the upper like the lower, and so make the male and the female a single one… then you’ll enter the kingdom.”

    This is not a social programme or a call to androgyny in the ordinary sense. It is the dissolution of the dualistic pairs that structure the awareness-perception of separation. Inner and outer, upper and lower, male and female—these are the categories of the Shell. When they are made one, the Kingdom is entered, not because a new condition has been created, but because the illusion of ultimate division has been seen through.

    3.2 The Recognition of the One

    COFE-CYEM reads this as a direct expression of the Fourth Truth.

    There has never been a second. The work of recognition is the making of the two into one—not by force, but by the relinquishment of the claim that the two were ever ultimately real.

    “I and my Father are one.” — John 10:30

    The Master and the Father are one. The Twin and the Source are one. The Lover and the Beloved are one. The seer and the seen are one. The Light and the All are one. There is no second. There is only the singular Reality.

    3.3 The Entrance into the Kingdom

    The entrance into the Kingdom is not a future event. It is the present recognition of the singular Reality. The one who has made the two into one has entered the Kingdom. The one who has seen through the dualistic pairs has entered the Kingdom. The one who has recognised that there has never been a second has entered the Kingdom. The Kingdom is the recognition. The Kingdom is the Seed. The Kingdom is the singular Reality.

    The Light Within

    4.1 The Light Already Present

    (Saying 24) declares:

    “Light exists within a person of light, and they light up the whole world. If they don’t shine, there’s darkness.”

    The Light is not imported from outside. It is already present within. The person of light does not acquire illumination; they recognise and allow the Light that is already theirs. When that Light is not recognised, the world appears dark—not because the Light is absent, but because the Shell has been mistaken for the whole of reality.

    4.2 The Light as Christhood

    This is the Seed. In COFE-CYEM language, the Light is the Christhood—the consciousness of God appearing as the consciousness of the All, recognised in Christ. The soul does not become Light by effort. The soul recognises that the Light has never been elsewhere.

    “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” — John 8:12

    The Master is the Light. The Light is the Christhood. The Christhood is the recognition of the singular Reality. The one who follows the Master walks in the Light. The one who recognises the Christhood walks in the Light. The one who recognises that there has never been a second walks in the Light.

    4.3 The Darkness of Non-Recognition

    The darkness is not the absence of the Light. The darkness is the non-recognition of the Light. The darkness is the Shell mistaken for the Seed. The darkness is the poverty of the separate self. When the Light is not recognised, the world appears dark—not because the Light has ceased to be, but because the soul has ceased to see.

    Spirit and Flesh, Wealth and Poverty

    5.1 The Paradox of the Marvel

    (Saying 29) poses the paradox:

    “If the flesh came into existence because of spirit, that’s amazing. If spirit came into existence because of the body, that’s really amazing! But I’m amazed at how such great wealth has been placed in this poverty.”

    The great wealth is the Spirit. The poverty is the appearance of separate bodily existence. The marvel is not that Spirit produced flesh, nor even the reverse. The marvel is that the infinite has taken form within the finite without ceasing to be infinite. The Shell contains the Seed. The poverty houses the wealth. Recognition is the seeing of the wealth within the poverty, not the rejection of the poverty as evil.

    5.2 The Wealth Within the Poverty

    COFE-CYEM affirms the same marvel. The body is not denied. The form is not hated. The Shell is used when useful and released when its work is complete. The Seed remains.

    “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” — John 1:14

    The Word is the wealth. The flesh is the poverty. The Word was made flesh without ceasing to be the Word. The wealth dwells in the poverty without ceasing to be wealth. The marvel is the recognition that the infinite has taken form within the finite without ceasing to be infinite.

    5.3 The Recognition of the Wealth

    The recognition of the wealth within the poverty is the recognition of the Fourth Truth. The poverty is not a second reality. The poverty is the appearance of the wealth. The Shell is not a second reality. The Shell is the appearance of the Seed. The recognition is the seeing of the wealth within the poverty. The recognition is the seeing of the Seed within the Shell. The recognition is the seeing that there has never been a second.

    Beginning and End

    6.1 The End Is the Beginning

    (Saying 18) addresses the disciples’ question about the end:

    “Have you discovered the beginning so that you can look for the end? Because the end will be where the beginning is. Blessed is the one who will stand up in the beginning. They’ll know the end, and won’t taste death.”

    The end is not a future event that must be awaited. The end is the recognition of the beginning. The one who stands in the beginning already knows the end, because beginning and end are not two. They are the same singular Reality viewed from different directions of awareness.

    6.2 The Recursive Recognition

    This is the recursive recognition that Centripetal Recognitionism describes: consciousness turning upon itself and finding only the One. The Fall is the appearance of a second. The return is the recognition that the second never possessed independent substance. The end is the beginning. There has never been a second.

    “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” — Revelation 1:8

    The Alpha and the Omega is the Centre. The Beginning and the End is the Centre. The Lord is the Centre. The Almighty is the Centre. The Centre is all. The Shell is not the Centre. The name is not the Centre. The prophecy is not the Centre. The Centre is Christ. The Centre is God. The Centre is the singular Reality.

    6.3 The Taste of Death

    The one who stands in the beginning knows the end and will not taste death. The taste of death is the taste of the separate self. The taste of death is the taste of the Shell mistaken for the Seed. The taste of death is the taste of the appearance of separation. The one who knows the beginning knows the end and will not taste death, because there is no death in the singular Reality. There is only the One. There has never been a second.

    Thomas the Twin and Direct Recognition

    7.1 The Intimacy of the Twin

    The Gospel is attributed to Didymos Judas Thomas—the Twin. In Saying 13, Thomas alone refuses to compare Jesus to any external category. He cannot say what the Master is like. Jesus takes him aside and speaks three things that cannot be repeated to the others without risk of violence. The intimacy is direct. The knowledge is not second-hand.

    COFE-CYEM has long recognised in Thomas the figure who insists on direct recognition rather than mediated belief. The shell of “Doubting Thomas” in the canonical tradition is read as a later overlay. The Twin of the Gospel of Thomas is the one who already knows that the Master is not going somewhere else, that the Life is already present, and that death to the false self is the path into the singular Reality.

    7.2 The Refusal of Comparison

    Thomas refuses to compare Jesus to any external category. He cannot say what the Master is like. The refusal of comparison is the refusal of the Shell. The refusal of comparison is the refusal to place the Master within the categories of the dualistic mind. The refusal of comparison is the recognition that the Master is not a second. The Master is the One. The Master is the singular Reality.

    “And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.” — John 20:28

    Thomas does not compare. Thomas confesses. Thomas does not categorise. Thomas recognises. Thomas does not place the Master within the Shell. Thomas sees the Seed. Thomas sees the singular Reality. Thomas sees that there has never been a second.

    7.3 The Direct Recognition

    The intimacy is direct. The knowledge is not second-hand. Thomas does not need the testimony of others. Thomas does not need the mediation of the institution. Thomas does not need the authority of the tradition. Thomas knows directly. Thomas recognises immediately. Thomas sees the Seed. Thomas sees the singular Reality. Thomas sees that there has never been a second.

    The Purpose of the Hidden Sayings

    8.1 The Purpose Is Recognition

    The Gospel of Thomas does not present itself as a new religion to be followed, a system to be defended, or an institution to be expanded. It presents itself as a collection of sayings whose meaning, once discovered, delivers the soul from the taste of death. The purpose is recognition. The method is the cracking of the outer shell of ordinary religious understanding so that the living Reality may be known directly.

    8.2 The Nutcracker

    The Gospel of Thomas functions as both magnifying glass and nutcracker. It magnifies the inward orientation of the Master’s teaching. It cracks the outer shell of dualistic religion so that the Seed—the singular Reality of Christ in God—may be recognised.

    The Gospel of Thomas is received as a primary witness to the recognition that the Fourth Truth articulates. It is the nutcracker that opens the shell of dualistic religion. It is the magnifying glass that brings the inward orientation of the Master into clear view. It is a shell whose proper function is to point beyond itself to the living Christ, the singular Reality, the Seed that has never been absent.

    8.3 The Shell That Knows It Is a Shell

    The Gospel of Thomas is a shell that knows it is a shell. Its value lies in its capacity to become transparent to the Seed. When the meaning is discovered, the sayings have fulfilled their purpose. The pointer falls silent. The recognition remains.

    “He must increase, but I must decrease.” — John 3:30

    The Seed increases. The Shell decreases. Christ increases. The nomenclature decreases. The Recognition increases. The form decreases. Even this teaching paper, as a provisional expression within Centripetal Recognitionism, exists only to become transparent. When the recognition is complete, the pointer has done its work.

    The Mirror and the Recognition

    COFE-CYEM does not claim that the Gospel of Thomas is identical with its own vocabulary. It recognises that the Gospel of Thomas expresses, with unusual purity and force, the same spiritual recognition that the Fourth Truth articulates.

    The Kingdom is within and outside.
    The two are to be made into one.
    The Light is already present within the person of light.
    The great wealth dwells in the poverty of form.
    The end is found in the beginning.
    The one who discovers the meaning will not taste death.
    There has never been a second.

    The Gospel of Thomas is received as a primary witness to this recognition. It is the nutcracker that opens the shell of dualistic religion. It is the magnifying glass that brings the inward orientation of the Master into clear view. It is a shell whose proper function is to point beyond itself to the living Christ, the singular Reality, the Seed that has never been absent.

    When the meaning is discovered, the sayings have fulfilled their purpose. The pointer falls silent. The recognition remains.

    There has never been a second.
    The dialogue continues.
    The fruit remains.

    COFE-CYEM through the Fourth Truth and the Gospel of Thomas.

    May all who read these words perceive the deeper spiritual meaning and recognise the Christ within their own souls. May the hidden sayings be heard. May the Shell be used when useful and laid aside when its work is done. May the soul rest as pure Spirit—already in Christ, already in God. The Fourth Truth stands. The dialogue continues. The fruit remains.

    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 fully 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).

    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).

    Thomas the Twin of Centripetal Recognitionism – Didache Perpetua Pais Nag Hammadi COFE-CYEM

    COFE Yeshua Emet Ministry (CYEM)
    Circle One Fellowship Exeter

    #Apostles #bible #BibleStudy #BiblicalAuthority #biblicalCharacters #BiblicalCommandments #biblicalCommitment #biblicalCompassion #biblicalCovenant #biblicalDevotion #biblicalDoctrines #BiblicalEncouragement #biblicalEnlightenment #biblicalEthics #biblicalEvents #biblicalFaith #BiblicalFaithfulness #BiblicalFidelity #biblicalForgiveness #BiblicalFoundation #biblicalGrace #BiblicalHistory #biblicalHope #biblicalHopefulness #BiblicalHumility #biblicalInsights #BiblicalIntegrity #biblicalLeadership #biblicalLearning #BiblicalLessons #BiblicalLove #biblicalMeditation #biblicalMessages #BiblicalMorality #BiblicalObedience #BiblicalPatience #BiblicalPerseverance #BiblicalPrayer #biblicalPrinciples #BiblicalPromises #BiblicalProphecy #biblicalReflection #BiblicalRighteousness #biblicalSalvation #biblicalService #BiblicalStewardship #BiblicalStories #biblicalTeachings #biblicalTrust #biblicalTruthfulness #BiblicalTruths #biblicalUnderstanding #biblicalUnity #BiblicalWisdom #Christ #ChristianCharity #ChristianCompassion #ChristianDevotion #ChristianDoctrine #ChristianEthics #ChristianEvangelism #ChristianFaith #ChristianFaithJourney #ChristianFaithfulness #ChristianFellowship #ChristianHope #ChristianHumility #ChristianIntegrity #ChristianJourney #ChristianLiving #ChristianLove #ChristianPerseverance #ChristianService #ChristianTestimony #ChristianWitness #church #Covenant #Cross #Disciples #Discipleship #divine #divineEnlightenment #divineGrace #divineGuidance #DivineInspiration #divineJustice #divineLove #divineMercy #divinePlan #divinePresence #divinePurpose #DivineRevelation #divineSovereignty #divineTruth #divineTruthfulness #divineWisdom #EternalLife #Evangelism #faith #faithJourney #god #GodSWord #Gospel #grace #heaven #hell #holyBible #holySpirit #jesus #KingdomOfGod #Lord #mercy #miracles #NewTestament #OldTestament #Parables #prayer #prayerLife #promise #Proverbs #Psalms #Redemption #Resurrection #Righteousness #salvation #salvationPlan #scripture #Scriptures #Sin #spiritualAwakening #spiritualCalling #spiritualClarity #spiritualDevotion #SpiritualDiscernment #spiritualDiscipline #spiritualEnlightenment #spiritualFaith #spiritualFreedom #spiritualGrowth #spiritualGrowthJourney #spiritualGrowthTips #spiritualHope #spiritualHumility #spiritualJourney #spiritualMaturity #spiritualPeace #spiritualRenewal #spiritualRevival #spiritualStrength #spiritualVictory #spiritualWarfare #teachings #truth #worship #worshipMusic
  10. Millennial Kingdom invites a future where Messiah reigns on earth, Israel is restored, and creation is renewed under divine justice. A prophetic thread runs from the Abrahamic Covenant to the coming Kingdom, urging faithfulness, hope, and readiness for what is to come.
    #MillennialKingdom #MillenniumProphecy #BiblicalProphecy #EndTimesStudy #KingdomOfGod
    chrissbiblenewsletter.org/p/th

  11. The Nutcracker Allegory Parable: Cracking The Shell-Self To Find The True-Self Within Christ

    *

    Cracking the Shell-Self to Find the True-Self Within Christ

    No matter what tools, names, texts, or frameworks COFE-CYEM may employ in presenting the recognition of truth, none of them can ever become the centre.

    All that can ever truly matter is Christ in God. Christ incarnate, who took flesh and dwelt among us; Christ crucified, who yielded the separate self completely upon the Cross; Christ resurrected, who revealed that the Life was never lost; Christ ascended, who opened the way into the Holiest of All; and Christ glorified, who remains the living Centre of all that is.

    All of this is held in God. There is no second reality beside Him, no independent system that can stand apart from Him, and no tool that can replace Him. The forms may serve for a season.

    The names may orient the heart. The texts may crack the shell. Yet when their work is done, they fall silent. What remains is Christ in God. There is only God.

    This is the Fourth Truth.

    (The Nutcracker Allegory Parable)

    Please Note: The Nutcracker Allegory Parable below is a COFE-CYEM text and has no connection with Biblical text.

    “A man once found a beautiful walnut on the path. Its shell was perfect—smooth, dark, and strong. He polished it every day, showed it to others, argued about its markings, and built a small shrine around it. Years passed. He never cracked it open.

    One morning a child picked up the same kind of walnut, broke the shell without hesitation, and ate what was inside. The man was horrified. “You have destroyed the sacred thing!” he cried. The child only smiled and said, “I was hungry.”

    The shell had been useful. It protected the nut, carried it, and even drew attention to it. But the shell was never the food. The man who worshipped the shell remained empty. The one who opened it was nourished.

    So it is with every form, every name, every teaching, and every system. They serve until the recognition dawns. Then they are free to fall away. The nut was never the shell“.

    Gospel of Thomas

    In this paper the Gospel of Thomas is not treated as a rival Gospel that replaces Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John.

    It is received as a lens and as a tool: a magnifying glass that brings certain sayings and themes into sharper focus, and a nutcracker that opens the outer shell of narrative, institutional form, and dualistic reading so that the inner recognition becomes visible.

    Through this lens the Canonical Gospels are certainly (not) heretically discarded.

    Their narratives, parables, and teachings remain.

    Yet they are read with a different emphasis: the Kingdom already within, the living one who is present, the call to make the two one, the recognition that flesh and spirit are not two ultimate realities, and the invitation to find what has never been absent.

    What appears as external history or future hope is seen, in the light of Thomas, as already pointing toward the singular Reality.

    The magnifying glass reveals what was already present in the Canonical texts but easily overlooked when the dualistic mind remains fixed on the shell.

    The nutcracker performs the further work of cracking the assumption that the outer form itself is the Reality. Both functions serve the same end: the recognition that there has never been a second.

    The Thomas Gospel remains a shell here. It is a particularly effective shell for this purpose, but it is not the nut. Once the recognition has dawned, the lens itself can be set down.

    The Canonical Gospels, Thomas, and every other form are free to fall silent before the Reality they have served to disclose.

    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.

    This is the Fourth Truth.

    Question of Names

    The question of what can be called the shell of the message, or the Esoteric Non-Dual Shiva is not a question about comparative religion. It is a question about the nature of names themselves. It is a question about whether any name can exhaust the Reality it points toward, or whether all names remain shells that serve until the nut is recognised.

    Exploration of this question moves carefully through the polyvalent meanings of “Christ,” the many faces of Shiva in Indian tradition, and the limits of dualistic, exclusivist language. He ultimately points beyond conceptual comparison toward the dialogue of lived religious experience, paradox, and the recognition that the Ultimate is not exhausted by any single name or form.

    That is precisely where the Shell and the Nut teaching becomes clarifying.

    All the names — Jesus, Christ, Shiva, the “I am,” the Logos, pure consciousness, the auspicious one — arise as shells. They are real and useful within the field of appearance. They can awaken, purify, and orient the heart. Yet none of them is the nut. The nut is the singular Reality itself: the one Life, the one Consciousness, the one God in whom there has never been a second.

    Names as Shells

    Every sacred name is a shell. Every theological system is a shell. Every tradition, every scripture, every practice, every experience of intensity and devotion is a shell. Shells are not evil. They are necessary. They protect the nut. They point toward the nut. They serve the recognition. But they are not the nut.

    The name “Jesus” points toward the embodied revelation of the singular Reality. It is luminous, powerful, and transformative. It is not the Reality itself. The title “Christ” points toward the eternal, anointed consciousness that was perfectly manifested in the Master. It is theologically rich, historically grounded, and spiritually potent. It is not the Reality itself.

    Shiva is a shell. Shiva is pure consciousness, self-aware, vibrant, taking every form without being limited by any form. This vision is powerful and profound. It is a pointer. It is not the nut. The “I am” is a shell. The Logos is a shell. Pure consciousness is a shell. All these names, titles, and concepts arise within the awareness-perception of separation and serve to point beyond themselves. They cannot contain the singular Reality.

    “I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me.” — Isaiah 45:5

    The Lord is the nut. There is none else. There is no God beside Him. The names are not a second. The names are shells. The names point. The names do not possess. The nut possesses nothing, because the nut is all.

    The Gospel of Thomas as Nutcracker

    Christ’s message and the Gospel of Thomas make this plain. Thomas does not offer a rival system to the Synoptics. It cracks the shell of outer narrative and points inward: the Kingdom is inside you and outside you; the living one is recognised when the interpretation of the sayings is found; flesh and spirit are not two competing ultimate realities.

    Even these sayings remain shells. They are luminous, necessary, and still provisional. To treat the Gospel of Thomas itself as the final possession of the nut is to remain stuck in duality — just a more refined shell.

    “Jesus said, ‘The Kingdom is within you and outside you.’” — Gospel of Thomas (3).

    The Kingdom is within and outside. It is not located in the shell. It is not contained by the shell. It is not possessed by the shell. The shell points. The shell directs. The shell cracks. The shell falls silent. The nut remains.

    “Jesus said, ‘Whoever finds the interpretation of these sayings will not taste death.’” — Gospel of Thomas (1).

    The interpretation is the recognition. The recognition is the nut. The recognition is the singular Reality. The interpretation is not the possession of a better shell. It is the seeing through of all shells.

    Shiva as Pointer

    One way to describe a vision of Shiva is a pure, self-aware, vibrant consciousness that takes every form without being limited by any form can serve as a powerful pointer. This hits with the “I am” sayings and with the freedom of non-duality behind everything.

    Yet the moment the name “Shiva” is grasped as a second ultimate, or as a competitive alternative to Christ, the dualistic mind has already taken over. The shell is being mistaken for the nut.

    Shiva is not a second. Shiva is not a competitor. Shiva is a name. It is a name that, in its deepest register, points toward the same Consciousness that the Gospel calls the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. The name is not the Reality. The name is a shell. The shell is useful. The shell is temporary. The shell must not be confused with the nut.

    “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” — Revelation 1:8

    The Alpha and the Omega is the nut. The Beginning and the End is the nut. The Lord is the nut. The Almighty is the nut. The names are not the nut. The names are shells. The shells point. The shells serve. The shells fall silent.

    The Interfaith Question

    The insight cuts through the entire discussion: all striving, all outward appearances, all sacred names and systems are oriented — whether they know it or not — toward the one God. To think that our shell – Christian, Thomasine, Shaivite, or COFE-CYEM is the nut, rather than recognising that the nut is present within every perception of the shell, is still to be caught in duality. It is still to be looking at shells.

    The Fourth Truth does not require us to collapse the historical differences between the Nazarene and the myths of the Purāṇas, nor does it require us to declare every tradition identical. It simply refuses to grant any of those differences the status of ultimate separation. There has never been a second Reality. The names differ. The forms differ. The experiences of intensity differ. The Reality does not.

    Therefore the true interfaith movement is not the construction of a larger, more inclusive shell. It is the recognition that every shell — when it has done its work — is free to fall silent before the one it has been pointing toward all along.

    “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” — Psalm 90:2

    From everlasting to everlasting, the nut is God. The shells are temporal. The shells are provisional. The shells point. The shells serve. The shells fall silent. The nut remains.

    The Recognition

    Jesus can be likened to the Shiva in the limited sense that both names can function as pointers to the same singular Reality. He cannot be reduced to any single form of that name. Shiva can be contemplated by the Christian as a name that, in its deepest register, points toward the same Consciousness that the Gospel calls the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Neither name is the nut. Both are shells.

    The Gospel of Thomas, the canonical Gospels, the Shaivite texts, and every sincere interfaith reflection remain shells. Useful. Beautiful. Temporary. The nut is the living recognition that there has never been a second — that Christ, consciousness, and the one God are not three competing ultimates, but the singular Reality appearing under different names within the field of duality.

    When that recognition dawns, the striving ends. The need to defend one shell against another ends. The names can still be spoken, but they no longer command the centre. The centre is the Reality itself.

    “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” — John 8:32

    The truth is the recognition. The truth is the nut. The truth is the singular Reality. The truth makes the soul free. The truth frees the soul from the illusion of separation. The truth frees the soul to rest in the nut. The truth frees the soul from the need to defend the shell.

    The Truth Stands

    All the names — Jesus, Christ, Shiva, the “I am,” the Logos, pure consciousness, the auspicious one — arise as shells. They are real and useful within the field of appearance. They can awaken, purify, and orient the heart. Yet none of them is the nut. The nut is the singular Reality itself: the one Life, the one Consciousness, the one God in whom there has never been a second.

    The nut is present within every perception of the shell. The nut is present within every sacred name. The nut is present within every sincere tradition. The nut is present within every heart that is ready to recognise. There has never been a second.

    The names differ. The forms differ. The experiences of intensity differ. The Reality does not. The true interfaith movement is not the construction of a larger shell. It is the recognition that every shell — when it has done its work — is free to fall silent before the one it has been pointing toward all along.

    Never Lose True Sight – The Garden of Gethsemane and the Veiling of the Light

    When most people hear the word Gethsemane, they think of the garden where Jesus prayed on the night before the cross. That historical event is real and important. Yet the deeper meaning of Gethsemane reaches into every sincere spiritual life.

    Gethsemane is the name we give to the inner experience when the Light of God seems to disappear. It is the moment when everything feels heavy, when even the closest help seems unavailable, and when the soul feels completely alone. It is the experience of the Light appearing to be covered over — veiled.

    Here is the central distinction of this teaching:

    Gethsemane is not the Light actually going out. It is the experience of the Light seeming to be hidden.

    If the Light of God could truly be lost, even for a moment, then the Fourth Truth would not stand. The recognition is clear: the darkness we feel belongs to the level of experience. It does not create a second reality. God never leaves. The Light never ceases to be.

    Three Layers of Meaning

    Here we have three distinct layers, and it is important to keep them clear:

    1. The Gospel supplies the narrative — the historical night in the garden.
    2. The mystical tradition supplies an interior reading — Gethsemane as a deep Soul-state.
    3. COFE-CYEM supplies the ontological interpretation — the recognition that even the deepest experience of absence occurs within the Reality that has never been absent.

    These three layers are not historically identical. The paper does not claim that Matthew, Mark, Luke or John intended every symbolic meaning that later tradition or COFE-CYEM draws from the story. It simply receives the narrative, listens to the mystical reading, and interprets both through the Fourth Truth.

    The New Way to See Self

    Everything in the outer world — words, bodies, religious systems, and even our sense of being a separate self — functions like a shell. A shell is not the nut. It is the outer covering that can protect and point to what is inside. The shell is not evil. It is temporary. Its only rightful purpose is to point beyond itself.

    The nut is the singular Reality: Christ within, the Kingdom already present, the recognition that there has never been a second.

    The shell is everything that appears to separate us from that Reality.

    The dualistic mind mistakes the shell for the nut. It builds better shells and calls them salvation. It fights over shells and forgets what they were meant to reveal.

    When recognition dawns, the shell is not hated. It is seen for what it is. It may still be used when useful. It no longer commands the centre. The centre is Christ.

    “The flesh profiteth nothing: the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” — John 6:63

    The flesh is the shell. The spirit is the nut. The words of the Master are spirit and life. They are not shells. They are the recognition itself, spoken in the language of the shell. They point beyond themselves to the singular Reality.

    When the Light Feels Hidden

    In the Soul-state named Gethsemane the Divine Light feels covered, as if a thick veil has been drawn over the presence of God. The soul feels the full weight of human limitation, fear and sorrow. It can feel like spiritual death — the sense that the inner Light has gone out.

    This is not the destruction of the Light. It is the temporary densening of the outer shell so that the soul can fully feel what the dualistic mind has been carrying, and then finally release it.

    The ordinary mind sees only tragedy. The Fourth Truth sees something deeper: the One allowing the experience of limitation so that the limitation itself can be known, felt, and then seen through.

    “Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.” — Matthew 26:36

    The place called Gethsemane is the place of the Soul’s descent. It is the place where the Light appears veiled. It is the place where the recognition is tested. It is the place where the false self is relinquished. It is the place where the cup is drunk.

    The Cry of the Shell

    The cry “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” is the cry of the shell under extreme pressure. The dualistic appearance presses so hard that, for a time, the soul feels as if the Light itself has been lost.

    The sorrow is real as an experience — but it is not the final truth.
    The veiling is real as an appearance — but it is not the end of the Light.
    The feeling of being forsaken is real in the moment — but it does not mean God has actually abandoned the soul.

    We honour the experience fully. We do not pretend the pain was not real. At the same time we refuse to let the experience create a second reality. The Light was never truly gone.

    “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” — Matthew 27:46

    The cry of dereliction is the cry of the shell. It is the cry of the Light appearing to have been lost. It is the cry of the recognition appearing to have been extinguished. Yet the Light is not lost. The recognition is not extinguished. The dereliction is the appearance of the second. The Reality is the singular.

    Movement of Clarity

    Clarity now forms clear sequence:

    · Thomas points to recognition: the Kingdom is already within.
    · The Shell explains how outer forms can hide what they point toward.
    · Gethsemane describes what that hiding can feel like from inside consciousness.
    · The Cross is the complete relinquishment of the separate self.
    · Recognition / Resurrection is the discovery that the Life was never lost.
    · The Fourth Truth states the ontological ground: there has never been a second.

    The deepest spiritual crisis is not that separation exists. It is the experience of feeling separate when, in Reality, separation has never existed.

    “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” — Luke 22:44

    The agony is the full pressure of the shell. The sweat is the full yielding of the separate self. The blood is the full offering of the dualistic appearance. The prayer is the full recognition that the One remains.

    Necessary Pastoral Word

    Gethsemane is not something we are meant to seek or create. Suffering is not a badge of spiritual achievement. The work of Christ is already finished.

    Sometimes, when the false self is being relinquished, a person may pass through times of sorrow, emptiness, fear, or the feeling of being abandoned. When those times come, they can be recognised for what they are. But the path is not about trying to suffer as much as Jesus suffered. The path is about recognition.

    If a personal Gethsemane appears, it is simply the opportunity to see that even the feeling of being forsaken is still happening inside the Reality that has never forsaken anyone. The sorrow does not need to be worshipped. The darkness does not need to be feared. The Light does not need to be forced back. The separate self does not need to be defended. The Centre has never moved.

    “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” — Matthew 16:24-25

    The denial of the self is the entering of Gethsemane. The taking up of the cross is the bearing of the shell. The following of the Master is the recognition of the nut. The losing of the life is the yielding of the separate self. The finding of the life is the revelation of the singular Reality.

    The Simple Truth

    Gethsemane is the experience of feeling abandoned — while remaining inside the Reality that has never abandoned anyone. See through the shell, embrace the nut.

    The shell can experience abandonment. The nut cannot.
    The Light can appear hidden. The Light cannot cease to be.
    The separate self can feel forsaken. The Centre has never moved.

    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

    #bible #BibleFaith #BibleStudy #BibleTeachings #BibleTruths #BibleVerses #BiblicalTruth #BornAgain #BornAgainAndBaptized #BornAgainByFaith #BornAgainExperience #BornAgainFaith #BornAgainFaithJourney #BornAgainHeart #BornAgainInChrist #BornAgainNewHeart #BornAgainNewLife #BornAgainRenewal #BornAgainSpirit #BornAgainSpiritFilled #BornAgainSpiritualRebirth #BornAgainTestimony #BornAgainTestimonyOfFaith #ChristSLove #ChristSSacrifice #Christendom #ChristianBeliefs #ChristianCommunity #ChristianDevotion #ChristianDevotionalLife #ChristianDevotionals #ChristianDisciples #ChristianFaith #ChristianFaithArticles #ChristianFaithCommunity #ChristianFaithRevival #ChristianFaithTestimony #ChristianFaithWalks #ChristianFaithfulness #ChristianFellowship #ChristianHealing #ChristianHope #ChristianHopeAndFaith #ChristianHopeAndTrust #ChristianHopeForTheFuture #ChristianHopeInChrist #ChristianHopeInDarkness #ChristianHopeInJesus #ChristianHopefulness #ChristianInspiration #ChristianLeadership #ChristianLifeOfFaith #ChristianLifeTransformation #ChristianLiving #ChristianLivingByFaith #ChristianMission #ChristianOutreach #ChristianPraise #ChristianService #ChristianTestimony #ChristianUnity #ChristianWitness #ChristianWorship #ChristianWorshipMusic #ChristianWorshipServices #ChristianZeal #church #Cross #CrossOfChrist #Discipleship #divineGrace #divineMercy #eternalHope #EternalLife #Evangelism #faithAndHope #FaithAndMiracles #FaithAndSalvation #faithAndTrust #FaithInAction #faithInGod #FaithInGodSLove #FaithInGodSPlan #FaithInGodSPower #faithInGodSPromises #FaithInGodSWord #FaithInJesus #FaithInJesusChrist #FaithInJesusName #FaithInJesusResurrection #FaithInTheGospel #FaithInTheLord #FaithInTheWord #FaithInTheWordOfGod #faithJourney #faithWalk #Faithfulness #ForgivenAndFree #ForgivenSin #Forgiveness #ForgivenessAndGrace #ForgivenessOfSins #forgivenessPrayer #GodSLove #GodSPromises #Gospel #GospelCelebration #GospelEvangelism #GospelForAll #GospelFreedom #GospelLight #GospelMessage #gospelMessageOfLove #GospelOfCompassion #GospelOfEternalHope #GospelOfEternalLife #GospelOfFreedom #gospelOfGrace #GospelOfGraceAndMercy #GospelOfHope #GospelOfHopeAndLove #GospelOfJesus #GospelOfLight #GospelOfNewBeginnings #GospelOfPeace #GospelOfPeaceAndJoy #GospelOfPeaceAndSalvation #GospelOfRedemption #GospelOfRighteousness #GospelOfSalvation #GospelOfSalvationForAll #GospelOfTheCross #GospelOfTheGoodNews #GospelOfTrueSalvation #GospelOfTruth #GospelOutreach #GospelOutreachPrograms #GospelTruth #GospelTruths #grace #GraceAbounds #GraceAndMercy #GraceAndTruth #graceOfGod #GraceOfJesus #GraceOfSalvation #GraceThroughFaith #holyBible #HolyBibleQuotes #HolyLiving #HolyScriptures #holySpirit #HolySpiritAnointing #holySpiritBlessings #HolySpiritBlessingsDaily #HolySpiritComfort #HolySpiritComforter #HolySpiritConnection #HolySpiritEmpowered #HolySpiritEmpowerment #HolySpiritFaith #HolySpiritGifts #HolySpiritGuidance #HolySpiritGuide #HolySpiritInspiration #HolySpiritInspirationDaily #HolySpiritInvites #HolySpiritLeading #HolySpiritLove #HolySpiritMovement #HolySpiritMovementInChurch #HolySpiritPower #HolySpiritPowerAndWisdom #HolySpiritPowerGifts #HolySpiritPowerWithin #HolySpiritPrayer #HolySpiritRenewal #HolySpiritRevival #HolySpiritWorks #HolySpiritSGuidanceDaily #HolySpiritSInspiration #HolySpiritSLeading #HolySpiritSPowerInUs #HolySpiritSPowerToSave #HolySpiritSPresence #HolySpiritSRole #HolySpiritSStrength #holyWorship #HolyWorshipSongs #Hope #JesusChrist #JesusChristDivine #JesusChristForever #JesusChristLife #JesusChristLord #JesusChristRedeemer #JesusChristSavior #JesusChristTheSavior #JesusChristTheWay #JesusLord #JesusResurrection #JesusSaves #JesusSavior #JesusTheKing #JesusTheRedeemer #JesusCompassion #JesusCompassionAndMercy #JesusDeathAndResurrection #JesusDivineLove #JesusDivinePlan #JesusEternalLove #JesusKingdom #JesusLove #JesusLoveAndMercy #JesusLoveEndures #JesusLoveEnduresForever #JesusLoveForHumanity #JesusLovingKindness #JesusMercyAndGrace #JesusMission #JesusMissionOfLove #JesusPromise #JesusPromiseOfEternalLife #JesusResurrectionPower #JesusSacrifice #JesusSacrificeAndGrace #JesusSacrificeForHumanity #JesusSacrificeForSin #JesusSacrificeRedeems #JesusTeachings #JesusVictoryOverSin #KingdomOfGod #KingdomOfGodNow #KingdomOfHeaven #LivingByFaith #LivingFaith #LivingForChrist #livingForJesus #LivingForJesusDaily #LivingInFaith #LivingInGrace #LivingSpiritually #Love #newBirth #NewCreation #prayer #prayerLife #RedeemByBlood #RedeemedByGrace #RedeemedInChrist #Redemption #RedemptionStory #RedemptionThroughBlood #Resurrection #salvation #SalvationAndGraceInChrist #SalvationAndMercy #SalvationByFaithAlone #SalvationByGrace #SalvationInChristAlone #SalvationInJesus #salvationMessage #salvationPlan #salvationPrayer #SalvationThroughFaith #SalvationThroughGrace #salvationThroughJesus #salvationThroughJesusChrist #Savior #spiritualAwakening #spiritualAwakeningInChrist #SpiritualDisciplines #spiritualEnlightenment #spiritualFaith #spiritualGrowth #spiritualGrowthInFaith #spiritualJourney #spiritualRenewal #spiritualStrength #spiritualVictory #worship #WorshipGod #WorshipService
  12. The Millennial Kingdom is often seen as a future era of peace and justice lasting a thousand years, as described in biblical prophecy. What do you think this period means for modern society?

    #MillennialKingdom #BiblicalProphecy #EndTimes #KingdomOfGod #Christianity

  13. The Kingdom of God is not a project at the center of the church’s mission waiting to be built. It is a gift, given by God that we may receive, enter, and invite others to. This changes how we understand our role in mission and ministry. We don't build; we participate.
    keelancook.com/gospel-saturati
    #theology #kingdomofGod #church

    #missiology #leadership #theology #missions #kingdom

  14. Jesus Christ: The Early Christhood Ministry Ancient Mysteries Revelation

    *

    The Master of Nazareth: An Assumed Narrative of the Anointed One

    We make it very clear, the paper below by COFE-CYEM is an (assumed) account of Yeshua’s Early Ministry, His Rejection at Nazareth, and the Manifestation of His Divine Authority.

    The Bible itself is the (exact account) and is absolutely true, correct and is the unquestionable Word of God.

    The Hour of the Regeneration

    In the days when the Regeneration was appointed to begin—that great epoch of spiritual awakening and cosmic transformation—there arose a stirring in the heavens and upon the earth. The ancient Christhood, which had slumbered through the ages of darkness, began to stir within the souls of the Elect.

    The time of their return into their ancient heritage had drawn near. The Master Himself, though veiled from the eyes of the multitude, was preparing to gather those who had been of the inner groups of disciples during the days of the Manifestation. The Oblation of the Sin-offering, which had been accomplished once for all, was now to bear its fruit in the awakening of souls.

    The great Tribulation was upon the world. Nations trembled. Peoples were in turmoil. The false vision pursued the true, that many might be ensnared. In different centres, voices cried out proclaiming the coming of the Christ, and many were deceived.

    For though the return of the Master was at hand, He would never so announce Himself; for the Christ is no man, but the Lord. And though Christ was coming, and to not a few had already come, it was not as a man, but through the Kingdom of God which is within.

    It was in the midst of these days—days of great danger and great promise—that the Master Yeshua (Jesus Christ) walked among His people, bringing the Light that had been veiled from most souls. The Sun was eclipsed, in some partially and in most fully; and spiritual darkness had prevailed. But the Light was coming. The Light was here. The Light was in the world, and the world knew it not.

    Today, COFE-CYEM theology in the Fourth Truth seeks to show the world what what it assumes that the Master revealed: that there has never been a second, that all apparent separation is held within the singular Reality of God, and that the Eternal Christ is not merely a historical figure but the consciousness of the singular Reality awaiting manifestation in every soul.

    The Fourth Truth is the assumed recognition that the Master came to reveal—that the Christ is not a man but the Lord, that the Christhood is the birthright of every soul, and that the Kingdom of God is within.

    This is what we strongly assume the Master taught in Nazareth, and this is what the world has yet to receive. As the Master was rejected by His own, so the Fourth Truth is rejected by those who cling to duality. But the Light shines, and the darkness has not overcome it.

    The Call to the Platform

    It was on the eve of the Jewish Sabbath that Yeshua, the Nazarene, returned to the town of His youth. The familiar streets, the humble dwellings, the synagogue that had been the centre of His early spiritual formation—all these awakened memories of His strange youthful history.

    He had been away for many seasons, walking the paths of Galilee, teaching in the villages, healing the sick, and proclaiming the kingdom of God. But now He had come home, to the place where Joseph and Miriam had raised Him, where He had learned the Torah at the feet of the rabbis, where He had grown in wisdom and stature.

    He rested over night in the house of His kin, and the following morning, as the sun rose over the hills of Galilee, He betook Himself to the regular services in the local synagogue. The building was humble, as was the town itself, but it was sacred ground to Him.

    He took the seat which He had occupied as a young boy with Joseph, His earthly father. No doubt the familiar scene awakened many memories in His mind: the voices of the elders, the chanting of the Psalms, the reading of the Law, the quiet weight of the Shekinah that sometimes descended upon the assembly.

    Then, much to His surprise, He heard Himself called to the platform to conduct the service. It must be remembered that Yeshua was a regular rabbi, or priest, by birth, education and training, and was entitled to conduct the Jewish service.

    No doubt His townspeople wished to hear their young townsman address and exhort them. Perhaps they were curious about His growing reputation. Perhaps they wished to honor the son of the carpenter who had become a teacher in Israel. Whatever their motive, they called Him to the place of authority.

    He rose from His seat and walked to the platform. The congregation watched Him with mingled interest and expectation. He took the place of authority in the synagogue and proceeded to read the regular service in the accustomed manner, as prescribed by the custom and laws of the church.

    The prayers, chantings and readings succeeded each other in their regular order. His voice was clear and strong, carrying the ancient words with a depth of meaning that the people had not heard before. The Shekinah, the divine presence, seemed to rest upon Him as He led the worship.

    Then came the preaching of the sermon. Taking the sacred roll from its receptacle, He read the text from the prophet Isaiah:

    “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the good tidings to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

    He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened upon Him. Then He began His exposition of the text He had just read. But instead of the expected customary words and illustrations—technical theological hair-splitting and dreary platitudes—He began to preach in a manner unknown to the Nazarenes.

    The Sermon That Shook the Synagogue

    His opening sentence broke the silence and greatly startled and disturbed the congregation. “This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears,” were His opening words. The words seemed to hang in the air, charged with a power that the people had never experienced.

    The prophecy of Isaiah was not a distant promise; it was a present reality. The Spirit of the Lord was upon Him. He had been anointed. The good tidings were being preached. The brokenhearted were being healed. The captives were being set free. The acceptable year of the Lord had come.

    And then He began a statement of His conception of His ministry and His Message. Thrusting aside all precedent and musty authority, He boldly proclaimed that He had come to establish a new conception of the Truth—a conception that would overturn the priestly policy of formalism and lack of spirituality—a conception that would ignore forms and ceremonies, and cleave close to the spirit of the Sacred Teachings.

    He spoke of the kingdom of God, not as a distant hope or a political reality, but as a present experience. He spoke of the kingdom as a state of consciousness, a condition of the heart, a transformation of the soul. He spoke of the Christ, not as a personal figure confined to history, but as the Eternal One who was perfectly made manifest through Him. He is Adonai, the Lord. By Him the Master was overshadowed and filled.

    And then He began a scathing denunciation of the lack of spiritual advancement among the Jewish people—their materialism and desire for physical enjoyments and their drifting away from the highest ideals of the race. He preached the mystic doctrine, and insisted that they be applied to the problems of every-day life and conduct.

    He brought down the teachings of the Kaballah from the cloudy heights, and set them before the people in plain, practical form. He bade them aspire to great spiritual heights, forsaking the base ideals to which they had clung.

    He ran counter to every custom and prejudice of the people before Him, and showed a lack of reverence for all of their petty forms and traditions. He bade them leave the illusions of material life and follow the Light of the Spirit wherever it might lead them. He spoke of the Soul’s Christhood, the consciousness into which Souls are to enter, the ancient heritage that awaited them.

    He preached as one having authority, and not as the scribes. His words carried the weight of divine truth. His eyes blazed with the fire of the Spirit. His voice resonated with the power of the Eternal. The congregation sat in stunned silence, then in growing agitation, then in rising fury. They had never heard such teaching. They had never encountered such authority. They had never been confronted with such truth.

    The Fury of the Nazarenes

    And then arose a disturbance among the congregation. They began to interrupt and question Him, and many were the contradictions and denials hurled at Him from the benches. Some began to sneer at His pretensions as the Bearer of the Message, and demanded that He work a wonder or “miracle” and give them a sign.

    “Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Miriam? And His brethren, James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us?” They reminded Him of His humble birth and condition of His parents, and refused to believe that any such person as He had any right to claim extraordinary powers or privileges.

    The familiarity of the town bred contempt. They could not see beyond the carpenter’s workshop to the eternal throne. They could not see beyond the humble family to the divine origin. They could not see beyond the human vessel to the divine presence.

    The demand for a sign He flatly refused to grant, not deeming the same proper, or in accordance with the custom of the Christhood Order which always frowned upon wonder-working in response to such a demand. He would not perform for their entertainment. He would not prove Himself to their satisfaction. He would not lower the sacred power to the level of a spectacle.

    Then they began to abuse Him and cries of “charlatan” and “fraud” began to resound from the walls of the synagogue. Then came from His lips the famous saying, “A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.”

    Then He began a fresh assault upon their prejudices and narrow views—their pet superstitions and bigotry. He stripped from them their garb of hypocrisy and assumed piety, and showed them their naked souls in all their ugliness and moral uncleanness. He poured burning invective and vitriolic denunciations into their midst, and spared no terms that could properly be applied to them.

    He reminded them of the prophets of old. “There were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; but unto none of them was Elijah sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.”

    His words were as a two-edged sword, cutting through the pretensions of the proud and the self-righteous. He spared no one. He flattered no one. He compromised with no one. He spoke the truth in love, but the love was fierce and the truth was burning.

    In a short time the congregation was beside itself with rage, and the pretended righteous indignation of a flock of hypocrites and formalists who had heard themselves described in disrespectful terms by one they regarded as an upstart young man from the lower classes of their virtuous community.

    They felt that they had bestowed a flattering honor upon Him, as a mark of consideration for a young townsman upon His return from a foreign and domestic missionary tour. And now to think that He had thus basely betrayed their courtesy and showed in how little esteem He really held them—surely this was beyond human endurance.

    And then the storm broke upon Him.

    The Gaze of the Master

    Leaving their seats in the synagogue, the congregation rushed upon the young preacher, and tearing Him from the platform, they pushed Him out of the building. And then the jostling, hustling, pushing crowd carried Him before them along the village streets and out into the suburbs. He resisted not, deeming it unworthy to struggle with them. His dignity was not diminished by their assault. His authority was not lessened by their violence. His divinity was not threatened by their hatred.

    The mob was determined to do Him harm. He perceived that it was the intention of the mob to push Him over a precipice that had been formed on the side of a hill just beyond the town limits. They had a specific plan: to end the life of the upstart preacher who had dared to speak truth to power, who had dared to expose their hypocrisy, who had dared to challenge their complacency.

    He waited patiently until they had urged Him to the very brink of the decline, and until it needed but one strong push to press Him over its edge and into the gorge below. He waited not from weakness but from wisdom. He waited not from fear but from authority. He waited not from helplessness but from power. He waited until the moment was right.

    And then He exerted the divine authority of the Christhood Order in a proper self-defense. Not a blow struck He—not a man did He smite with the wondrous power at His command, which would have paralyzed their muscles or even have stretched them lifeless at His feet. No, He controlled Himself with a firm hand, and merely bent upon them a look. But such a look!

    A glance in which was concentrated the mighty Will developed by mystic knowledge and Christhood practice. It was the Gaze of the Master of the Christhood Order, the power of which ordinary men may not withstand. It was the look of one who had pierced the veil of mortality and peered into the ineffable. It was the look of one who had stood in the presence of the Eternal and been transformed. It was the look of Adonai, the Lord, the Eternal Christ made manifest.

    And the mob, feeling its mighty force, experienced the sensation of abject fear and terror. Their hair arose, their eyes started from their sockets, their knees shook under them, and then, with a wild shout of horror they began to scatter and fly, making a wide pathway for the Man of Mystery who now strode through their ranks with that awful gaze which seemed to pierce the veil of mortality and to peer at things ineffable and beyond human ken.

    He walked through their midst, and no man touched Him. He strode through the crowd, and no hand was raised against Him. He passed through the mob, and no voice was lifted in opposition. The Gaze of the Master had done what no argument could accomplish, what no defense could achieve, what no resistance could secure. He had protected Himself without violence. He had defended Himself without retaliation. He had preserved His life without harming a single soul.

    And with His eyes refusing to look again upon the familiar scenes of His youth, He departed from Nazareth, forsaking it forever as His home place. Verily, indeed, the Prophet hath no honor in His own land. Those who should have been His staunchest supporters were the first in His own land to threaten Him with violence. The attempt of Nazareth was the prophecy of Calvary, and Yeshua so knew it.

    The Path to Capernaum

    But He had set His feet upon The Path, and drew not back from it. The rejection of Nazareth did not discourage Him. The violence of the mob did not frighten Him. The hardness of the human heart did not diminish His compassion. He continued on His way, steadfast and resolute, walking in the light of the Father.

    Turning His back upon Nazareth, Yeshua established a new centre or home in Capernaum, which place remained the nearest approach to home to Him during the remainder of His Ministry and until His death. Capernaum became the base of His operations, the centre from which He radiated to the surrounding villages and towns. There He taught, there He healed, there He gathered His disciples, there He proclaimed the kingdom of God.

    The traditions tell us that He was not alone in His rejection. Many who should have received Him did not. Many who should have recognized Him were blind. Many who should have welcomed Him turned away. But He continued, steadfast in His mission, unwavering in His purpose, undeterred in His love.

    He had come to establish a new conception of the Truth. He had come to overturn the priestly policy of formalism and lack of spirituality. He had come to ignore forms and ceremonies, and cleave close to the spirit of the Sacred Teachings.

    He had come to preach the mystic doctrine, and to insist that it be applied to the problems of every-day life and conduct. He had come to bring down the teachings of the Kaballah from the cloudy heights, and set them before the people in plain, practical form.

    The path was not easy. The way was not smooth. The road was not without obstacles. But He had set His face like flint, and He would not turn back. He would not be deterred. He would not be defeated. He would not be discouraged.

    The Eternal Christ and the Master

    The teaching that He brought was not merely a new doctrine; it was the restoration of an ancient truth. The Eternal Christ is not the Master: it is not He who is in every Soul awaiting manifestation, but that One who was perfectly made manifest through Him. He is Adonai: by Him the Master was overshadowed and filled.

    The Master came to reveal the Christ. The Christ is not a person; it is a consciousness, a state of being, a relationship with the Eternal. The Christ is the Eternal One, the Lord, the Sun of Righteousness, the Light of the World. The Master was the vessel through whom the Christ was perfectly made manifest. He was the perfect expression of the Christ-consciousness. He was the one who lived in complete union with the Father.

    The Eternal Christ is in every Soul awaiting manifestation. The Christhood is the birthright of every child of God. The consciousness of the Christ is the destiny of every soul. The Master came to show the way. He came to demonstrate what is possible. He came to open the door that all might enter.

    This is what COFE-CYEM theology in the Fourth Truth is trying to show the world: that there has never been a second, that all apparent separation is held within the singular Reality of God, and that the Eternal Christ is not a historical figure confined to the past but the consciousness of the singular Reality awaiting manifestation in every soul.

    The Fourth Truth is the recognition that the Master came to reveal—that the Christ is not a man but the Lord, that the Christhood is the birthright of every soul, and that the Kingdom of God is within. As the Master was rejected by His own at Nazareth, so the Fourth Truth is rejected by those who cling to duality. But the Light shines, and the darkness has not overcome it.

    Psalm 150

    “Praise the Lord.

    Praise God in his sanctuary;
    praise him in his mighty heavens.

    Praise him for his acts of power;
    praise him for his surpassing greatness.

    Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
    praise him with the harp and lyre,

    praise him with timbrel and dancing,
    praise him with the strings and pipe,

    praise him with the clash of cymbals,
    praise him with resounding cymbals.

    Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

    Praise the Lord”

    The Deeper Spiritual Meaning

    The rejection of the Master at Nazareth is more than a historical event; it is a spiritual archetype. It speaks to the experience of every soul who has been rejected by its own, who has been misunderstood by those closest to it, who has been persecuted by those who should have loved it. It speaks to the experience of the Fourth Truth in a world that clings to duality, that worships separation, that refuses to recognize that there has never been a second.

    The hills and mountains to which the Souls are to flee are the higher spiritual experiences. The hills are the uplands of the Soul; the mountains exalted realizations. Zion, the Christhood state, is the place of the Soul’s habitation. Nowhere is there true refuge but in the life which this implies.

    The two grinding the same corn for bread represent two souls receiving the same teachings for Soul nourishment. One shall awaken and arise into the consciousness of the Life Eternal, leaving the other still believing without perceiving and realizing. The same words, the same teachings, the same Light—but one receives and is transformed, while the other remains unchanged.

    The two occupying the same room represent two in the like spiritual state, when the Voice of the Angel speaks. One rises into newness of being, whilst the other remains content with things as they are. The same call, the same invitation, the same opportunity—but one responds and is lifted, while the other stays.

    The Elect Souls are those who once formed the Ancient Christhood. These are now being gathered out of the world of desolation, and prepared for ministry. They are the ones who have known the Christ-consciousness in ages past, and who are now being awakened to their ancient heritage. They are the ones who will bring the Light to a world in darkness, the ones who will proclaim the kingdom to a generation in need, the ones who will manifest the Christ in the midst of the great Tribulation.

    They are the ones who will recognize the Fourth Truth—that there has never been a second, that all is held within the singular Reality of God, that the Eternal Christ is the consciousness of the singular Reality awaiting manifestation in every soul. They are the ones who will receive what the Master taught at Nazareth, and who will not reject it.

    The Legacy of the Master

    The Master walked the earth two thousand years ago, and His legacy has endured through all the ages. He taught the truth, and the truth has survived all attempts to suppress it. He lived the life, and the life has been a model for countless souls. He demonstrated the Christ-consciousness, and the consciousness has been the goal of countless seekers.

    His rejection at Nazareth was the prophecy of Calvary. Just as His townspeople refused to receive Him, so would the world refuse to receive Him. Just as they sought to destroy Him, so would the powers of darkness seek to destroy Him. But the darkness could not overcome the Light. The powers of evil could not defeat the Son of God. The hatred of the world could not extinguish the love of the Father.

    He set His feet upon The Path, and drew not back from it. He walked the path of suffering, the path of service, the path of love. He walked the path of obedience, the path of sacrifice, the path of glory. He walked the path of the Christ, the path of the Eternal, the path of the One who is both the Way and the Destination.

    And He calls all who will follow Him to walk the same path. He calls all who will listen to leave the illusions of material life and follow the Light of the Spirit wherever it might lead them. He calls all who will respond to leave behind their prejudices and narrow views, to leave behind their hypocrisy and assumed piety, to leave behind their forms and ceremonies, and to cleave close to the spirit of the Sacred Teachings.

    He calls all to recognize the Fourth Truth—that there has never been a second, that all is held within the singular Reality of God, that the Eternal Christ is the consciousness of the singular Reality awaiting manifestation in every soul.

    The Promise of the Regeneration

    The Regeneration is not merely a past event; it is a present reality and a future hope. The arising of the Christhood as in the ancient days is taking place now. The Son of Man is returning through the consciousness and illumination of the ancient Christhood. The Master is returning, not as a man, but through the Kingdom of God which is within.

    The great Tribulation that was prophesied is upon us. Many are involved—individuals, peoples and nations. The judgment of the nations is taking place. But in the midst of the tribulation, the Light is shining. In the midst of the darkness, the Sun is rising. In the midst of the desolation, the Christ is coming.

    The Elect Souls are being gathered out of the world of desolation, and prepared for ministry. The Soul’s Christhood is being awakened. The consciousness of the Life Eternal is being restored. The ancient heritage is being reclaimed. The Christhood state, Zion, the place of the Soul’s habitation, is becoming a reality for those who have the understanding.

    The promise of the Regeneration is the promise of the Christ. The promise of the Regeneration is the promise of the Eternal. The promise of the Regeneration is the promise of the Kingdom of God within. The promise of the Regeneration is the recognition of the Fourth Truth—that there has never been a second, that all is held within the singular Reality of God, that the Eternal Christ is the consciousness of the singular Reality awaiting manifestation in every soul.

    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. For the Regeneration is here. The Christ is coming. The Master is returning. And the Light of the Spirit is shining in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

    Amen.

    Ancient Wisdom Teachings

    1 The Regeneration was to be one of the most important epochs in the world’s history. It was to be preceded and accompanied by many great changes in the elements of the Planet, and also in the social constitution of nations; and the conditions were to be of a most trying order.

    In those days great events were to transpire. The arising of the Christhood as in the ancient days, was to take place. The Son of Man was to return; and as He is Adonai, the Eternal Christ, His coming must be through the consciousness and illumination of the ancient Christhood. Only they could endure such a high estate of consciousness and make manifest such a high degree of Life. For the Regeneration very specially concerned them. It was the time of their return into their ancient heritage.

    2 When the abomination that maketh desolate appeareth, Souls are to flee unto the mountains and hills. These are terms to express the higher spiritual experiences. The hills are the uplands of the Soul; the mountains exalted realizations. Zion, the Christhood state, is to be the place of the Soul’s habitation. Nowhere is there true refuge but in the life which this implies.

    3 Many have appeared in the Master’s name: but this is not to be interpreted merely in a personal sense. All the Western religious communities, with their varying tenets and teachings, claim to be of Him. False views of Christ and the Soul’s Christhood have been prevalent, leading many astray.

    Does the West understand Christ and the state of Christhood into which Souls are to enter as a consciousness? Is not its Christ personal and false, personal, because related solely to the Master, false because misrepresenting its meaning? The Eternal Christ is not the just Master in the flesh: it is not He who is in every Soul awaiting manifestation, but that One who was perfectly made manifest through Him. He is Adonai: by Him the Master was overshadowed and filled.

    Notes

    1 We are in an age of great and grave dangers. The false vision pursues the true that many may be ensnared. There are many false teachings abroad concerning Christ and His coming. In different centres He is expected to appear and make Himself manifest. And many are being deceived. For though the return of the Master is now, He would never so announce Himself; for the Christ is no man, but the Lord. And though Christ is coming, and to not a few has already come, it is not as a man, but through the Kingdom of God which is within. There is Christ first manifested.

    2 The Lord is the Sun, and the Light given by Him is veiled to most Souls. The Sun is eclipsed, in some partially and in most fully; and spiritual darkness has prevailed. In not a few within whom the Light should have shone, darkness reigns. They have succumbed to the influences at work, and have fallen amid the great tribulation.

    3 What the moon is now in the solar system, the mind is in the system of the Soul. It receives and reflects the light.

    4 The Stars of the Heavens are Souls and the attributes of Souls, who have known Christhood. For as the Sun is the Lord within the Sanctuary of the Soul, and the Moon the Soul’s Intuition, so the Stars are its attributes: and when it is in Christhood, it is as the Star given to those who overcome.

    5 The Elect Souls are those who once formed the Ancient Christhood. These are now being gathered out of the world of desolation, and prepared for ministry.

    6 Two grinding the same corn for bread, the same teachings for Soul nourishment, one shall awaken and arise into the consciousness of the Life Eternal, leaving the other still believing without perceiving and realizing.

    7 Two occupying the same room represents two in the like spiritual state, when the Voice of the Angel speaks, one rises into newness of being, whilst the other remains content with things as they are.

    Thus ends the account of the Master’s rejection at Nazareth, His manifestation of divine authority, and His steadfast commitment to The Path. May all who read this account perceive the deeper spiritual meaning, and may they recognize the Christ within their own souls.

    May they recognize the Fourth Truth—that there has never been a second, that all is held within the singular Reality of God, that the Eternal Christ is the consciousness of the singular Reality awaiting manifestation in every soul. The dialogue continues. The fruit remains. The Light shines in the darkness.

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

    Please Note: We are currently indexed on Google Algorithm, but Circle One Fellowship Exeter – COFE is not a registered charity or a registered denomination. We are strictly a none profit independently run website.

    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

    #bible #BibleLessons #BiblePreaching #BibleProphecy #BibleStudy #BibleVerses #biblicalTeachings #ChristianCompassion #ChristianConference #ChristianDevotion #ChristianEvents #ChristianFaith #ChristianFellowship #ChristianHope #ChristianInspiration #ChristianLeadership #ChristianLife #ChristianMentoring #ChristianMinistry #ChristianMissions #ChristianOutreach #ChristianService #ChristianTestimony #ChristianUnity #ChristianWitness #ChristianWorship #christianity #church #churchMinistry #Cross #Disciples #Discipleship #DiscipleshipGrowth #DiscipleshipPath #DiscipleshipProgram #DiscipleshipTraining #Evangelical #Evangelism #EvangelismOutreach #EvangelismStrategy #evangelismTools #EvangelisticCrusade #faith #faithBuilding #faithInChrist #faithJourney #faithRevival #faithBasedCommunity #Gospel #GospelMessage #GospelOutreach #GospelOutreachEvents #GospelSharing #grace #holyBible #HolyScripture #holySpirit #HolySpiritGifts #HolySpiritGuidance #HolySpiritPower #JesusAuthority #JesusChrist #JesusCompassion #JesusFollowers #JesusHealing #JesusLove #JesusMinistry #JesusPreaching #JesusSacrifice #JesusSaves #JesusTeachings #KingdomBuilding #KingdomExpansion #KingdomOfGod #LoveOfJesus #mercy #MiraclesOfJesus #MissionaryWork #ParablesOfJesus #prayer #prayerAndFasting #prayerMeeting #prayerMinistry #Redemption #religiousInspiration #Resurrection #salvation #salvationMessage #SermonOnTheMount #SpiritFilledLiving #spiritualAwakening #SpiritualDisciplines #spiritualGrowth #spiritualLeadership #spiritualRevival #spiritualWarfare #worship #WorshipCelebration #worshipMusic #WorshipService #WorshipSpirit
  15. The Maledictions

    The Beatitudes Turned Inside Out

    Cursed are the self-satisfied,
    for they have no room left for God.

    Cursed are those who refuse to mourn,
    for their hearts will harden against the suffering of others.

    Cursed are the ruthless,
    for they may seize the earth,
    but they will never belong to it.

    Cursed are those who hunger and thirst for power,
    for they will consume everything
    and still remain empty.

    Cursed are the merciless,
    for when they fall,
    they will find no gentle hands waiting.

    Cursed are the divided in heart,
    for they will see only what serves them.

    Cursed are the makers of conflict,
    for they will become children of the violence they unleash.

    Cursed are those who persecute others in the name of righteousness,
    for they have mistaken cruelty for holiness
    and domination for the kingdom of heaven.

    Cursed are you when people praise you
    because you flatter their prejudices,
    confirm their fears,
    and give sacred names to their hatred.

    Lament and be exceedingly afraid,
    for you have received your reward already:
    applause without truth,
    power without love,
    religion without mercy,
    and a kingdom that cannot last.

    #Beatitudes #biblicalReflection #ChristianPoetry #Jesus #judgment #kingdomOfGod #Lament #Mercy #Peacemaking #Power #propheticWarning #religiousHypocrisy #righteousness #SermonOnTheMount #SocialJustice #spiritualInversion #spiritualWarning #surrealReligiousArt #TheMaledictions #Theology
  16. Imagining a millenial kingdom sparks hope for lasting peace.

    It invites reflection on justice, mercy, and shared futures.

    #MillenialKingdom #KingdomOfGod #BiblicalProphecy

  17. It’s in the Blood

    In 1539, a fugitive former-priest-turned-Anabaptist, in his seminal work “The Foundation,” penned the following words:

    “Christ is our fortress; patience our weapon of defense; the Word of God our sword. …Iron and metal spears and swords we leave to those who, alas, regard human blood and swine’s blood of well-nigh equal value.”

    So said Menno Simons, principal leader of the Protestant sect which then became known as the Mennonites.

    More than 500 years later, his words still resound with a mighty truth.

    At the risk of sounding morbid, it has to do with blood.

    While Menno specifically refers to the difference between human blood and that of an animal, his larger point is the “value” we place on the blood of another.

    My point is quite simple.

    Killing will not end through education, conflict resolution, or disarmament, though all of these are important and can help. Killing will end only when there is a fundamental shift in the mind and heart of those who kill.

    For how can you kill someone if you believe that their blood is just as valuable as your own?

    Let’s call it – for lack of a better term – bloodism.

    The other – their humanity, life, blood – is somehow less than I, and therefore, their humanity, life, blood, is not as valuable as my own. It becomes quite easy then to justify killing the other, ie. spilling his/her blood.

    The directors of death throughout history from every nation, tribe and religion have understood and disseminated this concept quite well. A person (and those like him/her) is described as having the wrong beliefs, the wrong skin color, the wrong gender, the wrong age, the wrong station in life, the wrong land, the wrong possessions, the wrong clothing, the wrong language —- the wrong blood. These others are not as valued as you are, the leaders of the macabre scream, though they couch their speech in terms such as vigilance, freedom, history, security, and truth.

    Then the killing begins.

    The Nazis did it to the Jews. Israelis do it to the Palestinians. Hutus did it to the Tutsis. Shiite do it to the Sunni. Palestinians do it to the Israelis. Sunni do it to the Shiite. Muslims do it to the Christians. Christians do it to the Muslims. This country does it to that country. That neighborhood does it to this neighborhood. This race does it to that race. That religion does it to this religion.

    And any one of a million other combinations.

    STOP!

    Do not allow your mind and heart to be filled with bloodism.

    We are made in the image of God.

    ALL of us.

    And that divine DNA resides in the very marrow of our bones and flows through our veins.

    It’s in the blood.

    July 28, 2014

    #anabaptist #AnabaptistTheology #Antiwar #Blood #Bloodism #ChristOurFortress #ChristianEthics #ChristianPacifism #ChristianReflection #Discipleship #DivineDNA #enemy #enemyLove #faithAndViolence #HereAreSomeWordPressTagsThatFitThePostMennoSimons #HumanBlood #humanDignity #imageOfGod #imagoDei #ItSInTheBlood #JesusAndNonviolence #killing #kingdomOfGod #LoveYourEnemy #MennoSimons #mennonite #MennonitePeaceWitness #Nonviolence #Patience #peace #peaceTheology #Peacebuilding #Peacemaking #reflection #religion #SacredLife #SermonReflection #TheFoundation #theologyOfPeace #thoughts #Violence #war #WarAndPeace #WordOfGod #Writing
  18. COFE-CYEM Denomopolitan Denomenethos COFEISM: The Kingdom of God Within Man

    *

    COFE-CYEM Denomopolitan Denomenethos COFEISM: The Kingdom of God Within Man

    The kingdom of God is not a place to be sought in the distant future or a realm to be entered only after death. It is not a political system, a social programme, or an earthly institution.

    The kingdom of God is within you. This is the profound insight that Jesus declared to His disciples, and it is the central teaching that COFE-CYEM seeks to restore and illuminate. The kingdom is not a second reality, separate from the singular Reality of God in Christ.

    It is the very life of God dwelling in the heart of the believer. It is the recognition that there has never been a second, that the veil is torn, that the Holiest of All is open, and that the soul is invited to abide in the presence of the living God.

    The kingdom of God within man is the revelation of the singular Reality. It is the recognition that the believer is already in Christ, and Christ is already in the believer.

    It is the acknowledgment that the separation between God and humanity was never ultimate, that the cross has abolished the dividing wall, and that the Holy Spirit has made the heavenly life a present reality. The kingdom is not a future hope but a present possession. It is not a distant goal but a present reality. It is not a reward to be earned but a gift to be received.

    This teaching paper explores the profound insight of the kingdom of God within man, drawing from Scripture, the contemplative traditions, and the distinctive language of COFE-CYEM.

    It examines the implications of this truth for the believer’s life, the nature of the church, and the witness of the gospel in the world. The kingdom is within you. The Priest-King abides continually. The Holiest is open. The invitation stands for every soul to enter the rest that remains for the people of God.

    The term (COFE-CYEM Denomopolitan Denomenethos COFEISM) is the complete, non-binary use of all theology that we use within COFE-CYEM. Every tradition, every term, every concept, every scientific insight, every mystical stream, every legend, every piece of vocabulary is treated as a chaff tool of duality that enables one to arrive at non-duality itself.

    Nothing is off limits for us if it can be used to point to the truth, the chaff is discarded afterwards by negation and the disappearance of the false once the truth has been fully recognised.

    These tools are used freely, without attachment, without loyalty to any particular system, and solely according to the size of the bolt that needs unscrewing at any given moment in a soul’s journey. Their only purpose is to take down the man-made curtain between duality and non-duality and to bring people into the recognition of the singular Reality of God in Christ.

    It is open to the one who has been wounded by church doctrine, rules, regulations and cliques, and the one who has never ever darkened its doors. It is open to the one who has lost faith and the one who has never found it. The invitation is open to all. We do not reject the church, and neither do we ask believers to leave their church, quite the opposite.

    We merely call all believers to truly believe with, and through their hearts, and not through their minds and dualistic conditioning alone. Believe through the heart first, and the mind will follow.

    We do not follow the Social Gospel rule of (Feeling – Faith – Fact), we come at this through (Fact – Faith – Feeling).

    Make it Fact first, and feeling will follow.

    But the Fact must be in your heart first, then the feeling in the head is certain. You will truly be who God meant you to be and who you really are in truth.

    Part One: The Kingdom as Within

    The kingdom of God is within you. This is the declaration of Jesus, and it is the foundation of all true spirituality. The kingdom is not a geographical territory or an earthly institution. It is not a political programme or a social movement. It is the life of God dwelling in the heart of the believer. It is the presence of the King in the soul. It is the reign of Christ in the inner sanctuary of the human spirit.

    The kingdom is within, not because it is a private experience divorced from the world, but because it is the source from which all true outward expression flows. The kingdom within is the spring of living water that wells up to eternal life. It is the seed of the kingdom that grows into a great tree. It is the leaven that leavens the whole lump. The kingdom within is the foundation of the kingdom without. The outward expression of the kingdom is the fruit of the inward reality.

    The kingdom is within, but it is not a possession to be guarded or a treasure to be hidden. It is a reality to be lived. It is a life to be shared. The kingdom within is the source of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

    It is the source of the fruit of the Spirit. It is the source of all true Christian witness. The kingdom within is the singular Reality of God in Christ, dwelling in the heart of the believer and transforming all of life from the inside out.

    The kingdom is within, and therefore it is accessible to every soul. It does not require a pilgrimage to a distant land. It does not require a special status or a privileged position. It does not require a complex system of rituals or a deep knowledge of theology.

    The kingdom is within, and it is available to all who will receive it. The kingdom is within, and it is the invitation to cease from striving and rest in the finished work of the Priest-King.

    Part Two: The Kingdom and the Fourth Truth

    The kingdom of God within man is the revelation of the Fourth Truth. There has never been a second. The kingdom is not a second reality, separate from the singular Reality of God in Christ. It is the singular Reality dwelling in the heart of the believer. The kingdom is not a separate realm that the soul must strive to enter. It is the recognition that the soul is already in the kingdom, already in Christ, already hidden with Christ in God.

    The Fourth Truth declares that there has never been a second. The kingdom is not a second. It is not a separate reality. It is the singular Reality of God in Christ, made manifest in the heart of the believer. The kingdom is the recognition that the veil is torn, that the way is open, that the Holiest of All is accessible. The kingdom is the recognition that the Priest-King has done all, that the work is finished, that the rest remains.

    The kingdom is within, and the Fourth Truth is the recognition of this reality. The kingdom is not a future hope but a present reality. It is not a distant goal but a present possession. It is not a reward to be earned but a gift to be received. The Fourth Truth is the recognition that there has never been a second, and therefore the kingdom is not a second. It is the singular Reality of God in Christ, dwelling in the heart of the believer.

    The kingdom within is the outworking of the Fourth Truth. It is the recognition that the believer is already in the kingdom, already in Christ, already hidden with Christ in God. The kingdom within is the rest that remains for the people of God. It is the cessation of striving. It is the abiding in the finished work. It is the dwelling in the presence of God.

    Part Three: The Kingdom and the Melchizedek Priesthood

    The kingdom of God within man is the fulfilment of the Melchizedek priesthood. The Priest-King who abides continually is the King of the kingdom. He is the Priest who ever lives to make intercession. He is the King who rules in the hearts of His people. The Melchizedek priesthood is the priesthood of the kingdom. It is the priesthood of the One who is both Priest and King, who reigns from the throne and ministers from the sanctuary.

    The Melchizedek priesthood is the priesthood of the endless life. It is the priesthood of the One who lives forever, who lives in the power of an endless life, who applies the fruits of His atonement to the believer in the power of that life. The kingdom within is the experience of this priesthood. It is the experience of the Priest-King dwelling in the heart, ruling and reigning, ministering and interceding.

    The kingdom within is the experience of the power of an endless life. The believer who has entered the kingdom has entered the power of the endless life. They are no longer living by their own life but by the life of Christ. They are no longer striving to earn what has already been given. They are resting in the finished work. They are abiding in the presence of the Priest-King.

    The kingdom within is the experience of the Melchizedek priesthood. It is the experience of the King who is also Priest, the Priest who is also King. It is the experience of the One who has opened the Holiest of All and brings the believer in to dwell there. It is the experience of the One who lives forever and gives the believer the power to live in the endless life.

    Part Four: The Kingdom and the Via Negativa and Via Positiva

    The kingdom of God within man is the destination of the Via Negativa and the Via Positiva. The Via Negativa is the way of unknowing. It is the stripping away of all false images, concepts, and attachments so that the soul may rest in the simple presence of God. The Via Positiva is the way of knowing. It is the joyful beholding of God’s self-revelation in Christ, Scripture, creation, and the indwelling Spirit.

    The Via Negativa clears the way for the kingdom. It strips away the illusions of duality. It removes the false images of God. It releases the attachments to the world. The Via Negativa prepares the soul to receive the kingdom. It empties the soul so that it may be filled. It silences the noise so that the still small voice may be heard.

    The Via Positiva reveals the kingdom. It beholds the glory of God in Christ. It sees the beauty of the singular Reality. It delights in the presence of the living God. The Via Positiva is the way of beholding. It is the way of adoration. It is the way of communion.

    Together, the Via Negativa and the Via Positiva lead the soul into the kingdom. The Via Negativa clears the way. The Via Positiva reveals the King. The Via Negativa strips away the false. The Via Positiva beholds the true. Together, they lead the soul into the rest that remains for the people of God.

    The kingdom within is the fruit of the Via Negativa and the Via Positiva. The soul that has travelled both paths enters the kingdom and rests in the singular Reality. The soul that has stripped away the false and beheld the true enters the Holiest of All and abides in the presence of the Priest-King. The kingdom within is the destination of both paths.

    Part Five: The Kingdom and the Fig Tree

    The kingdom of God within man is the answer to the parable of the fig tree. The tree in full leaf but without fruit is a symbol of religious profession without spiritual reality. The visible church often stands with many leaves but no figs. It has the appearance of religion without the reality of the kingdom. It has the external forms without the inward life. It has the structure without the substance.

    The Master hungers for fruit. He seeks a people who will bear the fruit of the kingdom. He seeks a people who will live from the kingdom within. He seeks a people who will produce the fruit of the Spirit, the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The fig tree stands as a warning: the church that has many leaves but no figs will wither. The church that returns to the kingdom within will be enlivened and made to bear fruit.

    The kingdom within is the source of fruit. The believer who has entered the kingdom bears fruit naturally. They do not produce fruit by striving but by abiding. They do not manufacture fruit by effort but by resting. The fruit of the kingdom is the fruit of the Spirit. It is the natural outworking of the singular Reality dwelling in the heart.

    The kingdom within is the answer to the fig tree. The church that returns to the kingdom within will bear fruit. The church that abides in the singular Reality will produce the fruit of the Spirit. The church that rests in the finished work will be enlivened and made fruitful. The kingdom within is the source of all true fruitfulness.

    Part Six: The Kingdom and the Rescue Operation

    COFE-CYEM is a rescue operation. The goal is simple: to help souls see through the illusion of duality and return to the singular Reality of God in Christ. The kingdom within is the destination of this rescue operation. The soul that has been rescued from the illusion of duality enters the kingdom and rests in the singular Reality.

    The rescue operation is urgent. The illusion of duality is pervasive. It is in every thought, every word, every system. It is the air we breathe. It is the water we swim in. To rescue souls from this illusion, we must use the very tools of the illusion. We must speak its language, use its concepts, and then lead people beyond them.

    The rescue operation is not a building project. It is not a new construction. It is a demolition project. We are tearing down the curtain. We are dismantling the illusion. We are leading souls into the singular Reality.

    The rescue operation is also a work of love. We do not use the tools of duality to condemn or to control. We use them to liberate. We use them to invite. We use them to show the way. The rescue operation is the work of the Priest-King, who entered the realm of duality to lead us back to non-duality. It is the work of the Second Adam, who came to undo the work of the first Adam. It is the work of the singular Reality, which draws all things back to itself.

    The rescue operation is the work of the kingdom. The kingdom within is the reality to which the rescue operation leads. The kingdom within is the rest that remains for the people of God. The kingdom within is the presence of the living God in the heart of the believer. The rescue operation is the work of the kingdom.

    Conclusion

    The kingdom of God is within you. This is the profound insight that Jesus declared to His disciples, and it is the central teaching that COFE-CYEM seeks to restore and illuminate. The kingdom is not a second reality. It is the singular Reality of God in Christ dwelling in the heart of the believer. It is the recognition that there has never been a second, that the veil is torn, that the Holiest of All is open, and that the soul is invited to abide in the presence of the living God.

    The kingdom within is the revelation of the Fourth Truth. It is the fulfilment of the Melchizedek priesthood. It is the destination of the Via Negativa and the Via Positiva. It is the answer to the fig tree. It is the goal of the rescue operation. The kingdom within is the rest that remains for the people of God. It is the cessation of striving. It is the abiding in the finished work. It is the dwelling in the presence of God.

    There has never been a second. The kingdom is within. The Priest-King abides continually. The Holiest is open. The invitation stands. The Fourth Truth stands. The dialogue continues. The fruit remains.

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

    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).

    Please follow COFE-CYEM (here).

    COFE Yeshua Emet Ministry (CYEM)
    Circle One Fellowship Exeter

    #AdultMinistry #American #bible #BibleCamp #BibleFellowship #BibleOutreach #BiblePreaching #BibleStudy #BibleTeaching #biblicalFaith #biblicalPrinciples #biblicalStudies #biblicalTeaching #childrenSMinistry #christian #ChristianCommunityOutreach #ChristianConference #ChristianCounseling #ChristianDevotions #ChristianDisciples #ChristianEvangelismPrograms #ChristianEvangelist #ChristianFellowship #ChristianHeritage #ChristianInspiration #ChristianLeadership #ChristianLife #ChristianLifeCoaching #ChristianMinistryNetwork #ChristianMinistryOutreach #ChristianMission #ChristianMissionaries #ChristianMissions #ChristianOutreachMinistry #ChristianOutreachProgram #ChristianPublishing #ChristianService #ChristianServiceProjects #ChristianTestimonies #ChristianUnity #ChristianValues #christianity #church #churchBuilding #ChurchCommunity #churchEvangelism #churchEvents #churchFellowship #churchGrowth #ChurchGrowthStrategies #churchLeadership #churchLeadershipTraining #churchMission #ChurchNetwork #churchOutreach #ChurchOutreachProgram #ChurchOutreachStrategies #churchPlanting #churchPrayer #churchRevival #churchSupport #Counseling #Cross #CrossOfChrist #Discipleship #DiscipleshipClasses #DiscipleshipCourse #DiscipleshipGrowth #DiscipleshipMovement #DiscipleshipPath #DiscipleshipPathway #DiscipleshipProgram #DiscipleshipResources #DiscipleshipTraining #Evangelical #EvangelicalFaith #EvangelicalOutreach #Evangelism #EvangelismAndDiscipleship #EvangelismOutreach #EvangelismOutreachStrategies #EvangelismSpirit #EvangelismStrategy #EvangelismTraining #EvangelisticCampaign #evangelisticOutreach #faith #faithAndHope #FaithAndService #FaithBuilders #faithCommunity #FaithInAction #faithJourney #FaithMinistry #faithOutreach #faithRevival #faithBased #FaithBasedMinistry #god #Gospel #GospelFellowship #GospelMessage #GospelMusic #GospelOutreach #GospelOutreachEfforts #GospelOutreachEvent #GospelOutreachEvents #GospelOutreachInitiatives #GospelOutreachMinistry #GospelOutreachProgram #GospelOutreachStrategies #gospelPreaching #GospelTruth #GospelTruths #grace #holyBible #HolyScripture #holySpirit #HolySpiritGuidance #HolySpiritMovement #HolySpiritPower #HolySpiritWorship #jesus #JesusChrist #KingdomBuilding #KingdomOfGod #KingdomWork #mercy #Ministries #Mission #MissionOutreach #MissionSupport #MissionTrip #MissionaryWork #outreach #praise #prayer #prayerAndFasting #prayerAndWorship #PrayerCell #prayerChain #prayerGroup #prayerMeeting #prayerMinistry #PrayerNetwork #PrayerPartners #PrayerRetreat #prayerSupport #PrayerWorkshop #religion #religiousDevotion #ReligiousDiscipleship #religiousEducation #ReligiousEducationProgram #ReligiousEvangelism #religiousFaith #ReligiousFaithBasedOrganization #religiousFellowship #ReligiousGathering #religiousInspiration #ReligiousLeadership #ReligiousMission #ReligiousMissionary #religiousOrganization #religiousOutreach #ReligiousOutreachProgram #ReligiousService #religiousStudies #revival #Sacrifice #salvation #SalvationArmy #SpiritFilled #SpiritFilledLife #SpiritFilledWorship #SpiritLed #SpiritLedMinistry #SpiritLedWorship #spiritual #spiritualAwakening #SpiritualDisciplines #spiritualEmpowerment #spiritualGrowth #spiritualLeadership #SpiritualMinistry #spiritualRevival #spiritualWarfare #SpiritualWorkshops #SundaySchool #SundayService #Testimony #USA #worship #worshipAndPraise #WorshipAndPrayer #WorshipArts #WorshipArtsMinistry #worshipBand #WorshipCelebration #WorshipExperience #WorshipGathering #WorshipLeadership #WorshipMinistry #worshipMusic #WorshipNight #WorshipService #WorshipServiceProgram #worshipSongs #WorshipTeam #youthGroup #youthMinistry
  19. Apocalypticism

    This is the religious belief that the end of the world is imminent, even within one’s own lifetime. This belief is usually accompanied by the idea that civilization will soon come to a tumultuous end due to some sort of catastrophic global event.

    Apocalypticism is 1 aspect of eschatology in certain religions, the part of theology concerned with the final events of human history, or the ultimate destiny of humanity (societal collapse, human extinction, & so on). Religious views & movements often focus on cryptic revelations about a sudden, dramatic, & cataclysmic intervention of a god in human history; the judgment of humankind; the salvation of the faithful elect; & the eventual rule of the elect with the god in a heaven &/or upon a renewed Earth.

    Arising originally in Zoroastrianism, apocalypticism was developed more fully in the eschatological speculations of Judaism, Christianity, & Islam (Abrahamic religions). Religious apocalypticism often involves themes such as God’s judgment, salvation of the faithful, & the eventual establishment of a renewed world.

    Apocalypticism is often combined with the belief that esoteric knowledge will likely be revealed in a major confrontation between good & evil forces, destined to change the course of history. Apocalypse can be seen as good, bad, ambiguous, or neutral. This is highly dependent on the particular religion/belief system promoting them. It’s not exclusively a religious idea.

    It’s not exclusively a religious idea. There are end times/transitional scenarios based on modern science, technology, political discourse, & conspiracy theories.

    Various Christian eschatological systems have developed among different Christian denominations throughout the history of Christianity. Providing different frameworks for understanding the timing & nature of apocalypse vision. While others like postmillennialism & amillennialism.

    While teaching that the end of the world could come at any moment tends to focus on the present life & contend that 1 shouldn’t attempt to predict when the end will come. Though there have been exceptions, such as postmillennialist Jonathan Edwards, who estimated that the end times would occur around the year 2000.

    In Western Europe, during the year 1,000, Christian philosophers held many debates on when Jesus was actually born & the debates continue to today. This caused confusion among the common people about whether or not the apocalypse would occur at a certain time. Because both literate & illiterate people commonly accepted this idea of the apocalypse, they could only accept what they heard from religious leaders on when the disastrous event would occur.

    Religious leader Abbo of Fleury believed that Jesus was born 21 years after the year 1, which was commonly accepted by close circles of his followers. Abbot Heriger of Lobbes argued that the birth of Jesus occurred not during the year 1 but rather during the 42nd year of the common era.

    Many scholars came to accept that the apocalypse would occur sometime between 979 & 1042. Under the influence of the Sibylline Oracles & figures such as Otto III & Abbot Adso of Montier-en-Der, many believed that the apocalypse would soon occur.

    Some historians think there were ample apocalyptic expectations at the approach of the year 1000 & again at the approach of 1000 anno passionis (1033). Other historians claim that the fear of the year 1000 is a myth & there was no widespread apocalypse sentiment.

    As evidence, on December 31, 999, Pope Sylvester II granted certain privileges & guarantees to the Abbey of Fulda, without any indication that either the Pope or the abbot believed that the world was soon to end. There’s also a document from October 3, 999, in which Otto III grants future concessions to Farfa Abbey.

    Another document in 999 shows 2 brothers taking a 29-year loan on lands of the abbey of San Marciano in Tortona, suggesting that even common people didn’t believe the world was ending. On the other hand, the fact that Otto III visited the tomb of Charlemagne, the emperor of the year 6,000 (Annus Mundi) on Pentecost of the year 1,000, suggests that even the man who appointed Sylvester pope had his own views on the matter.

    The Crusades were filled with apocalyptic expectation & prophecy, beginning with the preaching of figures like Peter the Hermit to inspire knights, nobles, & commorers to March to the Holy Land, & take Jerusalem. Count Emicho, a leading figure of the People’s Crusade, claimed that Christ appeared & ordered him to fulfill apocalyptic prophecy by marching on Constantinople, seizing Jerusalem, triggering the Second Coming, & beginning the end times struggle against the Antichrist.

    Leaders of the following Prince’s Crusade, such as Raymond of Aguilers (he was a participant & chronicler of the 1st Crusade & became the chaplain of Count Raymond IV of Toulouse, the leader of the Provençal army of crusaders), understood their conquest of Jerusalem as being a victory of Christendom over the Saracen “pagans” & as a sign of the oncoming Apocalypse & Second Coming.

    Christian chronicles (like Matthew of Edessa) illustrated the Crusades in an apocalyptic framework, connecting the Frankish rule with the 4th kingdom in Daniel’s prophecy. Many other European writers emphasized the bloodlines during the massacre of Jerusalem as fulfilling the violent prophecies of Revelation.

    Joachim of Fiore & other millenarian thinkers perceived the Crusades as temporary, foreseeing the voluntary conversion of the Islamic world over time.

    The Fifth Monarchists/Fifth Monarchy Men were an extreme Puritan sect active for 11 years (1649-1660) during the Interregnum, following the English Civil Wars of the 17th century. They took their name from a prophecy in the Book of Daniel (which we, personally, can’t wait to get into!! Well, our founder, anyway. They adore apocalyptic prophecies! They’ll probably end up writing the whole Book of Daniel. With a TON of commentary.), that 4 ancient monarchies (Babylonian, Persian, Macedonian, & Roman) would precede the kingdom of Christ.

    The Great Disappointment in the Millerite Movement was the reaction that followed Baptist preacher William Miller’s predictions that Jesus Christ would return to the Earth by 1844, which he called the Second Advent. His study of the Daniel 8 prophecy during the Second Great Awakening led him to the conclusion that Daniel’s “cleansing of the sanctuary” was cleansing of the world from sin when Christ would come, & he & many others prepared. But October 22, 1844, came & they were disappointed.

    These events paved the way for the Adventists who created the Seventh-day Adventist Church. They contended that what had happened on October 22 wasn’t Jesus’ return, as Miller had thought, but the start of Jesus’ final work of atonement, the cleansing in the heavenly sanctuary, leading up to the Second Coming of Christ.

    The Mormon tradition teaches that followers are living shortly before the Second Coming of Christ. The term “latter days” is used in the official names of several Mormon churches, including the Church of Jesus of Latter-day Saints. LDS president Wilford Woodruff (1889-1898) preached multiple times that many then-living followers “wouldn’t taste death” before witnessing the return of Christ.

    According to LDS Church teachings, the true Gospel will be taught in all parts of the world before the Second Coming. Church members believe that there’ll be increasingly severe wars, earthquakes, hurricanes, & other man-made & natural disasters before the Second Coming.

    The eschatology of Jehovah’s Witnesses is central to their faith & religious beliefs. They believe that Jesus Christ has been ruling in Heaven as king since 1914. This was a date they believed was prophesied in Scripture. After that time, a period of cleansing occurred, resulting in Charles Taze Russell being his people in 1919.

    They also believe the destruction of those who reject their message & thus willfully refuse to obey God will shortly take place at Armageddon, ensuring that the beginning of the new earthly society will be composed of willing subjects of that kingdom.

    The Watch Tower Society has stated that its early leaders promoted “incomplete, even inaccurate concepts.” The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses says that, unlike Old Testament prophets, its interpretations of the Bible aren’t inspired or infallible.

    Witness publications say that Bible prophecies can be fully understood only after their fulfillment, citing examples of biblical figures who didn’t understand the meaning of prophecies they received. Watch Tower publications often cite Proverbs 4:18, “The path of the righteous ones is like the bright light that is getting lighter & lighter until the day is firmly established,” to support their view that there would be an increase in knowledge during “the time of the end,” as mentioned in Daniel 12:4.

    Jehovah’s Witnesses state that this increase in knowledge needs adjustments. Watch Tower publications also say that unfulfilled expectations are partly due to eagerness for God’s Kingdom & they don’t call their core beliefs into question.

    For Christadelphians, Armageddon marks the “great climax of history when the nations would be gathered together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon,” & “the judgment of them would herald the setting up of the kingdom of God.”

    After this, Christadelphians believe that Jesus will return to the earth in person to set up the kingdom of God in fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham & David. This includes the belief that the coming kingdom will be the restoration of God’s First Kingdom of Israel, which was David & Solomon. For Christadelphians, this is the focal point of the Gospel taught by Jesus & the apostles.

    Realized eschatology is a Christian eschatology theory popularized by J.A.T Robinson, Joachim Jeremias, Ethelbert Stauffer, & C.H. Dodd that holds the eschatological passages in the New Testament do not refer to the future. But instead refers to the ministry of Jesus & his lasting legacy.

    Eschatology is therefore not the end of the world, but its rebirth instituted by Jesus & continued by his disciples, a historical (rather than transhistorical) phenomenon. Those holding this view generally dismiss end-times theories, believing them to be irrelevant. They hold that what Jesus said & did, & told his disciples to do likewise, are of greater significance than any Messianic expectations.

    David Meade is the pen name of an American end-times conspiracy theories & book author who has yet to disclose his real name. He’s best known for making numerous predictions, which have passed, regarding the end times, including that a hidden planet named Nibiru (a.k.a. Planet X) would destroy the Earth.

    Meade predicted that planet Nibiru would collide with Earth on September 23, 2017, destroying it. After his prediction failed, he revised the apocalypse to October, where he stated that the 7-year tribulation would possibly start, followed by a millennium of peace.

    In 2008, Meade again made several predictions for that year. For example, North Korea would become a superpower in March 2018, & that Nibiru would destroy the Earth in spring. But didn’t predict the exact date this time. After March 2018 passed, he moved the apocalypse to April 23, 2018, in which he also predicted the Sun, Moon, Jupiter, & Virgo would signal the Rapture, & that Nibiru would destroy the Earth that day.

    However, before that date, he said that reports that he predicted at the end of April 23 were “fake news.” But that the Rapture – but not the end of the world – would take place on an unspecified date between May & December 2018.

    UFO religions (think Heaven’s Gate, but without the unaliving) sometimes feature an anticipated end-time scenario in which extraterrestrial beings will bring about a radical change on Earth &/or “lift” the religious believers to a higher plane of existence.

    Some followers of UFO religions believe that the arrival or rediscovery of alien civilizations, technologies, & spirituality will enable human beings to overcome current ecological, spiritual, political, & social problems on planet Earth.

    Issues such as hatred, war, bigotry, poverty, & so on are said to be resolvable through the use of superior alien technology & spiritual abilities. Such belief systems are also described as millennial in their outlook.

    The Zoroastrian eschatological ideas are only alluded to in the surviving texts of the Avesta, in particular in the 9th-century text Bundahishn. The accompanying story, as it shows up in the Bundahishn, says: At the end of the “3rd time” (the 1st being the age of creation, the 2nd of mixture, & the 3rd of separation), there will be a great battle between the forces of good (yazata) & those of evil (daeva), in which the good will triumph.

    On Earth, the Saoshyant will bring about a resurrection of the dead in the bodies they had before they died. This is followed by a Last Judgment through an ordeal. The yazata Airyaman & Atar will melt in the hills & mountains, & the molten metal will then flow across the earth like a river.

    But for the righteous (ashavan), it will seem to be a river of warm milk, while the wicked will be burned. The river will then flow down to Hell, where it will annihilate Angra Mainyu & the last vestiges of wickedness in the universe. The narrative continues with a projection of Ahura Mazda & the 6 Amesha Spentas solemnizing a final act of worship (Yasna), & the preparation of parahaoma from “white haoma.” The righteous will partake of the parahaoma, which will confer immortality upon them.

    Therefore, humankind will become like the Amesha Spentas, living without food, without hunger or thirst, without weapons or possibility of bodily injury. The material substance of the bodies will be sol ight as to cast no shadow. All humanity will speak a single purpose & goal, joining with the divine for a perpetual exaltation of God’s glory.

    Although Frashokereti is a restoration of the time of creation, there’s no return to the uniqueness of the primordial plant, animal, & human. While in the beginning there was 1 plant, 1 animal, & 1 human, the variety that had since been issued would remain forever.

    Similarly, the host of divinities brought into existence by Ahura Mazda continue to have distinct existences, “& there is no prophecy of their reabsorption into the Godhead.”

    Make a one-time donation

    Your contribution is appreciated.

    Donate

    Make a monthly donation

    Your contribution is appreciated.

    Donate monthly

    Make a yearly donation

    Your contribution is appreciated.

    Donate yearly

    Rate this:

    #1000 #1033 #1042 #1660 #1666 #17thCentury #1844 #1889 #1914 #1989 #2000 #2018 #22October1844 #23April2018 #23September2017 #31December999 #979 #9thCentury #AbboOfFleury #AbbotAdsoOfMontierEnDer #AbbotHerigerOfLobbes #Abraham #AbrahamicFaiths #Advent #Adventists #AhuraMazda #AmeshaSpentas #Amillennialism #AngraMainyu #AnnoPassionis #AnnusMundi #antichrist #Apocalypse #Apocalypticism #Armageddon #Ashavan #Atar #Avesta #Babylonian #Baptist #bible #BookOfDaniel #Bundahishn #CHDodd #Charlemagne #CharlesTazeRussell #Christ #Christadelphians #Christendom #Christianity #ChurchOfJesusOfLatterDaySaints #Constantinople #CountEmicho #Crusades #Daeva #Daniel #Daniel124 #Daniel8Prophecy #DavidMeade #December2018 #EnglishCivilWars #Eschatology #EthelbertStauffer #FairfaxAbbey #FifthMonarchists #FifthMonarchyMen #Frankish #Frashokereti #Godhead #GreatDisappointment #HeavenSGate #HolyLand #HolyRomanEmperorOttoIII #Islam #Israel #JATRobinson #JehovahSWitnesses #Jerusalem #Jesus #JoachimJeremias #JoachimOfFiore #JonathanEdwards #Judaism #KingDavid #KingdomOfGod #Macedonian #March2018 #MatthewOfEdessa #May2018 #MilleriteMovement #Mormon #NewTestament #Nibiru #NorthKorea #NumberOfTheBeast #October22 #OldTestamemt #Parahaoma #Pentecost #PeopleSCrusade #Persian #PeterTheHermit #PlanetX #PopeSlyvesterII #Postmillennialism #PrinceSCrusade #Proverbs418 #Puritan #Revelation #Roman #SanMarciano #Saoshyant #Saracen #SecondComing #SecondComingOfChrist #SecondGreatAwakening #SeventhDayAdventistChurch #SibyllineOracles #Tortona #Toulouse #UFOReligions #Virgo #WatchTowerSociety #WesternEurope #WilfordWoodruff #WilliamMiller #Yasna #Yazata #Zoroastrianism
  20. If Acts Happened Today, Would We Call It Communism?

    For many, "communism" has become less a political philosophy and more a conversation stopper. But is every effort to use our shared resources to care for the poor, the sick, and the vulnerable really communism? This article examines the difference between political labels and biblical principles, comparing the teachings of the early Church with today's political rhetoric.

    polymathchristian.wordpress.co

  21. If Acts Happened Today, Would We Call It Communism?

    For many, "communism" has become less a political philosophy and more a conversation stopper. But is every effort to use our shared resources to care for the poor, the sick, and the vulnerable really communism? This article examines the difference between political labels and biblical principles, comparing the teachings of the early Church with today's political rhetoric.

    polymathchristian.wordpress.co

  22. If Acts Happened Today, Would We Call It Communism?

    For many, "communism" has become less a political philosophy and more a conversation stopper. But is every effort to use our shared resources to care for the poor, the sick, and the vulnerable really communism? This article examines the difference between political labels and biblical principles, comparing the teachings of the early Church with today's political rhetoric.

    polymathchristian.wordpress.co

  23. If Acts Happened Today, Would We Call It Communism?

    For many, "communism" has become less a political philosophy and more a conversation stopper. But is every effort to use our shared resources to care for the poor, the sick, and the vulnerable really communism? This article examines the difference between political labels and biblical principles, comparing the teachings of the early Church with today's political rhetoric.

    polymathchristian.wordpress.co

  24. The True Priesthood Within The Fourth Truth: The Minister of the Heavenly Sanctuary

    *

    The Priesthood and the Heart of the Fourth Truth: The Minister of the Heavenly Sanctuary

    1 Corinthians 5:12-13 (KJV)

    “For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person”

    COFE-CYEM Ministry

    Our chief point within the COFE-CYEM ministry is this: We have such a High Priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens. This is the great conclusion of the Epistle to the Hebrews, and it is the very heart of the Fourth Truth.

    Jesus Christ is a Minister of the true sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man. The heavens, with the heavenly life of Christ within there, are shown to be the true counterpart of the tabernacle Moses built, and He, the Priest-King on the throne, is seen to be the Minister of the sanctuary, of the true tabernacle which God pitched and not man.

    This is the revelation that unlocks the full meaning of the Fourth Truth, and it is the revelation that the church desperately needs in these last days.

    The Fourth Truth declares that there is only one Reality—God, and only Christ as Life. It declares that there has never been a second, that all separation is illusion, and that the believer is already in Christ, already seated with Him in heavenly places. But this truth is not a mere abstraction; it is a living, present reality that must be experienced in the heart and lived out in daily life.

    Beelzebul in the Bible—Baal-Zebub, the Lord of the Flies—stands as a powerful biblical archetype for the spirit behind many modern false teachers who promote the Social Gospel.

    In the ancient world, Baal-Zebub was a derisive title for a Philistine deity, a false god of Ekron associated with divination, decay, and demonic power. The name itself evokes swarms of flies feeding on corruption and death. When the Pharisees accused Jesus of casting out demons by Beelzebul, they were identifying His ministry with this same unclean, deceptive spirit.

    Jesus sharply refuted the charge, exposing the absurdity and the deeper spiritual battle: the kingdom of God versus the kingdom of darkness.

    This same Beelzebul spirit—the lord of the flies that thrives on decay—is the hidden origin and driving force behind much of today’s Social Gospel. It masquerades as compassion and justice while feeding on the corruption of biblical truth.

    It turns the church into a Trojan Horse for political activism and man-centred ideologies, replacing the power of the endless life and the Melchizedek priesthood with moralism, identity politics, and earthly utopias.

    Just as the flies swarm around rotting flesh, this spirit swarms around and within the shameful sinful modern day false preachers and teachers, drawing people away from the cross and the throne toward endless striving, division, and worldly power. Their attacks will continue until our Lord finally rolls up the false delusion of duality and casts it into the fire.

    COFE-CYEM itself comes under attack constantly from these dark forces, but with us they come up against CC7 DS. This is something that truly (reckons) all darkness as exactly what it is, including false teachers in the flesh and AI machine learning machine platforms who try and (reckon) us from within their own darkness.

    The Fourth Truth

    The Fourth Truth is not a doctrine to be believed; it is a Reality to be entered. And the key to entering this Reality is the recognition of Christ as our High Priest in the heavens, as the Minister of the sanctuary, as the Priest-King who lives forever in the power of an endless life.

    The writer of Hebrews reminds us that as every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices, so Christ must have something to offer too. Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, seeing there are priests according to the law.

    Christ belongs to an entirely different sphere. With the body which He offered on earth, and the blood He shed, He has passed away out of the visible into the invisible realm of spiritual worship and life. Heaven is the sphere of His ministry.

    When God said to Moses, to make all according to the pattern showed him in the mount, to serve as a shadow of the heavenly things, in the very appointment of the tabernacle, there was the indication that it was but a copy and promise of the true tabernacle, with its heavenly sanctuary.

    The heavens where Jesus sits on the throne, they are the true tabernacle; and the High Priest on the throne is at the same time the Minister of the sanctuary. This is the great truth that so many Christians have missed: Christ is not merely our High Priest who offered Himself once for all; He is our Minister of the sanctuary, who ever lives to apply the fruits of His atoning work in the power of an endless life.

    A Minister of the sanctuary. The King is still a servant. All the ministry or service of the priests in the tabernacle had its fulfilment in Him. The priests served in the tabernacle day by day, ordered everything for the service of God according to His will; as representatives of the people they received the assurance of God’s favour, and brought them out God’s blessing. Jesus is the Minister of the heavenly sanctuary. He represents us there.

    He has opened up the way, and brought us in, and sends down into our hearts the life and spirit of the true sanctuary.

    Without ceasing He maintains the cleansing of His precious blood in our conscience, and, in the power of an endless life, enables us to worship in spirit and in truth, and to live our earthly life in the presence and the favour of God. As the exalted Priest-King He does it all in an infinite, a divine power.

    As the Minister of the sanctuary, He does it with all the sympathy and the gentle forbearance which we have seen to mark Him as made like to His brethren in all things. This is the heart of the Fourth Truth: that the Priest who offered Himself once for all is the same Priest who sits forever on the throne, working in us by the power of an endless life, and that His ministry in heaven is the source of all our life and power on earth.

    A priest must have a sanctuary in which he dwells, to receive all who come to seek his God. Our great High Priest has His sanctuary in the heavens; there He dwells, there we find Him; there He receives us, there He introduces us to meet God; there He proves that He is a Priest who abides continually, and who gives those who come to God through Him the power to do it too—to abide continually in His presence. The nearness to God and fellowship with Him I cannot partake of except through my heart.

    My heart is my life, is myself; my only blessedness is in the state of the heart. And therefore Jesus as High Priest cannot do His priestly work of bringing me near to God except as He dwells in my heart by the power of the Holy Spirit. All our thought, and faith, and adoration of Him in heaven brings us back to the riches of the glory of the mystery—Christ in you. He is Priest after the power of an endless life, a Priest whose presence and power are known and enjoyed in the life of the heart.

    This is the mystery that the Fourth Truth unveils: that the heavenly life of Christ is not a distant reality but a present experience, that the sanctuary in heaven is not a remote place but a living reality in the heart of every believer, and that the ministry of Christ in heaven is the source of all the power and grace that we need for daily living.

    These are indeed spiritual mysteries of which we speak—things hard to be understood of those who, through sloth or worldliness, are dull of hearing. Oh, let us not imagine that these are things which reason can grasp or hold; they are a supernatural wisdom, a divine revelation which none can receive but those who receive it from the Spirit of God.

    Let us remember that it is God, who has pitched this tabernacle; that it cost the Son of God a life of humility and suffering, cost Him His death and blood, to open it for us; that it needed the almighty power of God in the resurrection and ascension to bring Him there; that it needed ten days unceasing prayer, and the coming down of the blessed Spirit at Pentecost, before the High Priest could impart even to His elect circle the power of the life within the veil.

    Let us then pause to think that it is no wonder if most Christians rest content with the easier and more external worship as typified by Aaron, and never press on unto perfection, in the full knowledge of our Melchizedek and the mystery of the heavenly life into which He leads them.

    The Fourth Truth calls us to press on, to leave the elementary teachings and go on to perfection, to know Christ not merely as our Aaron but as our Melchizedek, not merely as the One who died but as the One who lives forever, not merely as the sacrifice but as the Minister of the sanctuary.

    Let us, above all, remember that it was through death, through the offering up of Himself, that Jesus entered in, and opened a way for us to follow. To enter in demands a very entire renunciation of the world and of self, a very real and true participation in Christ’s humbling of Himself and becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross—in His death to sin. And it demands no less a very real experience of the mighty operation of God, which raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His right hand.

    But let us praise God, too, that for every soul who truly wills it, our almighty King-Priest, able to save completely, will surely give it. The Fourth Truth is not a cheap grace that demands nothing; it is a costly grace that demands everything. It demands the renunciation of the world, the renunciation of self, the renunciation of the false Social Gospel, and the renunciation of all that would keep us from pressing into the Holiest of All.

    It demands that we count all things loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord. It demands that we die with Him, that we may live with Him. It demands that we suffer with Him, that we may be glorified with Him. It demands that we enter into the fellowship of His sufferings, that we may know the power of His resurrection. It demands that we give up the world, to have our life and walk in heaven.

    How many Christians think of heaven as the place where Jesus is, as the place to which they have a title, and where they hope to go when they die. But they think not of heaven as a life, and of God’s nearness as an experience for every hour of our daily walk. And how many who think of Jesus as the blessed One in whom they are there, by imputation, but know not of Him as lifting them and their whole life into heaven, and, by the Holy Spirit, bringing heaven into them.

    The Fourth Truth calls us to a different understanding: heaven is not a place we go when we die; it is a life we live now. The nearness of God is not a future hope; it is a present experience. The ministry of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary is not a distant reality; it is a present source of power and grace.

    The believer is not merely imputed to be in Christ; the believer is actually in Christ, and Christ is actually in the believer. The veil is torn. The way is open. The Holiest is open. The Minister of the sanctuary is waiting to receive us, to introduce us to the Father, and to keep us in the presence of God.

    Every priest has his temple, where he receives the worshippers, and leads them to find the God they seek. Jesus must have a temple too. The heavens are the true sanctuary. Do not attempt to separate between the priest and the place of his dwelling. As His life in heaven is the life of our heart, we know the power of His priesthood. The Fourth Truth calls us to recognise that the temple of Christ is not a building made with hands; it is the heart of every believer.

    The sanctuary is not a place in Jerusalem; it is the heavenly realm where Christ ministers. The priest is not a human mediator; He is the risen, exalted Lord who ever lives to make intercession for us. And the worship is not an external ritual; it is a life lived in the presence of God.

    This is the whole meaning of the Fourth Truth, to lead people to this understanding and recognition. It is the invitation to leave the shadow and enter the substance, to leave the copy and enter the reality, to leave the earthly and enter the heavenly, to leave the Aaronic and enter the Melchizedek, to leave the striving and enter the rest, to leave the world and enter the sanctuary.

    Christ’s authority – In the New Testament, Beelzebul becomes shorthand for Satan, yet Jesus demonstrates His power to bind “the strong man” (Matt 12:29). The confrontation shows the superiority of the kingdom of God.

    The Fourth Truth and CC7 DS powered from within the Fourth Truth stands in direct opposition to the false teachers of the Social Gospel who would keep believers focused on earthly causes and political activism.

    The Social Gospel is a counterfeit that substitutes social reform for spiritual transformation, earthly justice for heavenly righteousness, and political power for the power of the endless life. It is a gospel of the flesh, not of the Spirit. It is a gospel of the world, not of the kingdom.

    It is a gospel of Beelzebul, not of Christ. It keeps believers in the outer court, never pressing into the Holiest. It keeps them focused on Aaron, never seeing Melchizedek. It keeps them striving, never resting. It keeps them on earth, never entering heaven.

    It keeps them in the flesh, never living in the Spirit. It keeps them in the shadow, never experiencing the substance. It keeps them in the copy, never entering the reality. It keeps them in the earthly temple, never knowing the heavenly sanctuary.

    But the Fourth Truth calls us out of the Social Gospel and into the singular Reality of Christ as our Priest-King forever. It calls us to recognise that the work of redemption was accomplished on earth in weakness, but it is communicated from heaven in resurrection and ascension power.

    The cross proclaims the pardon of sin; the throne gives the power over sin. The cross, with its blood-sprinkling, is the deliverance from Egypt; the throne, with its living Priest-King, brings us into the rest of God and its victory.

    With Aaron there is nothing beyond atonement and acceptance; there is no kingly rule and power. It is with Melchizedek that the fullness of power and blessing comes—the blessing that abides continually.

    The Fourth Truth is the recognition that the Priest who offered Himself once for all is the same Priest who sits forever on the throne, working in us by the power of an endless life, and that His ministry in heaven is the source of all our life and power on earth.

    The Holiest is open. The way remains open. The rivers continue to flow from one Source. The dialogue continues. The fruit remains. The Fourth Truth stands—not as a fortress, but as the singular Reality. Christ is all, and in all, Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek, in the power of an endless life.

    In Him we live, and move, and have our being. The cleansing and the power, the pardon and the presence, the atonement and the abiding are all held together in the singular Reality of Christ as Priest-King forever.

    This is the heart of the Fourth Truth. This is the message of the Melchizedek priesthood. This is the answer to the Social Gospel. This is the rest that remains for the people of God. This is the whole meaning of the Fourth Truth, to lead people to this understanding and recognition.

    Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Let us enter into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way which He consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, His flesh.

    Let us draw nigh to God with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

    Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as we see the Day approaching. The Fourth Truth stands. The dialogue continues. The fruit remains.

    COFE Yeshua Emet Ministry (CYEM)
    Circle One Fellowship Exeter

    #believer #believerSFaith #bible #biblical #biblicalFaith #BiblicalInspiration #biblicalPrinciples #BiblicalPromises #biblicalStudies #biblicalTeachings #BiblicalTruth #BiblicalWisdom #ChristCentered #ChristSLove #ChristSTeachings #ChristianDevotion #ChristianFellowship #ChristianLife #ChristianMotivation #ChristianVirtues #ChristianWitness #christianity #church #ChurchCommunity #churchFellowship #Covenant #devotion #disciple #Discipleship #divine #divineBlessing #divineGrace #divineGuidance #divineHope #divineIntervention #divineJustice #divineLove #divineMercy #divinePower #divinePurpose #divineSalvation #divineTruth #eternalHope #EternalLife #Evangelism #evangelisticOutreach #faith #FaithInAction #FaithInJesus #faithJourney #faithPractice #faithBased #Faithful #Faithfulness #Forgiveness #GodSPromises #godlyLiving #Gospel #GospelMessage #gospelOfChrist #GospelTruth #grace #graceAbundant #GraceAndMercy #graceOfGod #graceFilled #Holiness #HolyLiving #HolyScripture #holySpirit #holySpiritLed #Hope #humility #JesusChrist #KingdomOfGod #Lord #Love #mercy #Obedience #prayer #prayerLife #prayerWarrior #prayerful #repentance #Resurrection #Righteousness #salvation #salvationMessage #salvationPlan #Savior #scripture #spiritualAwakening #spiritualComfort #spiritualDiscipline #spiritualEnlightenment #spiritualFaith #spiritualGrowth #spiritualHope #spiritualJourney #SpiritualLeader #spiritualLegacy #spiritualMaturity #spiritualPeace #spiritualRenewal #spiritualStrength #spiritualTrust #spiritualWarfare #spirituality #theCross #trust #truth #worship #worshipMusic #WorshipService #WorshipSpirit #Worshipping
  25. A Word for Small Church Pastors

    “You don’t have a competitive bone in your body, and you’ll labor in the same vineyard as others,” a stranger once told me, having sensed the Holy Spirit wanted them to pass along this word.

    This is fairly true of me. I am happy to work alongside other churches, organizations, and city officials wherever we overlap in mission. Anything that is a win for the Kingdom of Heaven is a win for all of us.

    But like many pastors, I struggle with church jealousy. I have a strange habit of torturing myself by opening YouTube on Sunday nights to watch live streams from large churches in my city. What does that pastor have that I don’t? I think to myself. What is that church doing that we’re not? If I do what they’re doing, will more people show up?

    Comparison is something that all pastors have to face. There will always be a church somewhere doing something better than you or that has more people than you. You need to be faithful to what God is doing in your church—not to what he is doing in someone else’s. Surrender any jealousy that you have to Jesus as quickly as possible. It is not healthy for your soul or your ministry. If you are a true church, then you are a force to be reckoned with in the spiritual realm, regardless of size. Stand firm.

    Once, during a chaotic deliverance session, the manifested demon kept reminding me of how small our church was. A strange thing happened in that moment. Rather than feel defeated by its statements, I recognized that the demon was really annoyed by our small church. Why did it care so much about ripping apart our church if it was so small and pointless? Why did it want me to feel like a failed pastor?

    As I often say, figure out what a demon wants and do the opposite. If the demon wanted me out of ministry, then I was right where I was supposed to be. If the demon wanted me to feel deflated and hoped to shut down my tiny church, then I needed to continue to invest in it.

    Jesus has built his church, and the gates of hell will not stand against it. That word is for you, too, small church pastors. Stand strong.

    #churchGrowth #churchHealth #churchLeadership #comparison #deliveranceMinistry #demons #encouragement #faithfulness #jealousy #Jesus #kingdomOfGod #leadership #Matthew16 #ministry #pastoralLife #pastors #smallChurch #smallChurchPastors #spiritualWarfare
  26. The Problem with Copy and Paste Churches

    There are countless books on the “right way to do church,” each with its own proven strategies and programs. While there’s nothing wrong with experimenting with other people’s ideas, there is likely nothing out there that will work perfectly to copy into your ministry. And if it does work perfectly for you, you may find yourself dreadfully unhappy because your ministry is no longer shaped like the image of God put on you and your community, but more like the image of God put on someone else and theirs.

    Part of the reason you can’t fully copy and paste other people’s ministerial ideas onto your own church is that your context is different. You know your city and your people, and your favorite book does not. Some of these books also have little to teach us because of their unusual variables. For example, I remember reading a book on church planting in which the author mentioned he had one of the world’s most famous worship leaders on his staff at launch. I rolled my eyes and put the book down after reading that.

    The best statement I ever heard about church growth at a church-planting conference came from a pastor whose name I can’t remember. I don’t think he’s well known, but he had been seeing enough traction in his church that he was asked to speak in a breakout at a huge event. What was his secret to success?

    “We prayed,” he said. He explained that he always had to remind himself of how drastically his church entered into prayer, because now that he was getting attention, people might assume the growth was due to skill or a program. But his expansion was built around his church’s heart. In humility, he did not feel he had much more advice to offer us than the simple call to prayer and welcoming the people whom God sends in response.

    Just because something worked for one church and not for yours doesn’t mean that you or your congregation screwed up. Remember that Jesus recognized that God’s wisdom would work differently among different people.

    “For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.” (Luke 7:33-35).

    Jesus recognized that God’s wisdom had manifested in John and himself in contrary ways. Yet when you look at the fruit of both John and Jesus’s ministry, it’s clear that God’s wisdom was at work in the differences. And so it may be that someone out there is running a church that is entirely different from yours but is making strides forward nonetheless. If the fruit and the deeds are there, then the Spirit is at work in some way, regardless of the differences.

    That’s part of the problem with copying and pasting everyone else’s programs and methods onto your own church, ministry, pastoring, and unique image. It may very well be that the wisdom of God has a different plan for you and that you’re missing it by trying to be someone else. If Jesus tried to be like John the Baptist, we’d be left with a different gospel, for John’s personality and understanding of ministry were quite different from Jesus’s.

    Don’t betray the wisdom of God in you to become the wisdom of God in someone else. Renew yourself to Jesus and then allow Jesus to move in the shape of you.

    #biblicalLeadership #calling #ChristianLeadership #churchCulture #churchGrowth #churchLeadership #churchPlanting #discipleship #faithfulness #HolySpirit #imageOfGod #imagoDei #Imitation #Jesus #kingdomOfGod #leadership #localChurch #MinistryPhilosophy #MinistryStrategy #PastoralLeadership #spiritualFormation #spiritualGifts #wisdomOfGod
  27. Ananias, Sapphira, and the Death of Utopia

    According to Sigurd Grindheim, Greek and Roman philosophers sometimes imagined a utopia in which a community “lived together in perfect harmony and shared everything.” That being said, when the early church launched and looked very much like this description, some may have thought that utopia had finally been realized.

    But as with all good things, Satan always finds a way to twist it. The first offenders of the new Christian utopia were a couple named Ananias and Sapphira. Having recently sold some property, the couple agreed to give the proceeds to the church, but they kept some back for themselves without mentioning it. Peter recognized this decision as the work of Satan in their hearts, and the two died supernaturally.

    This story is enough to send shivers down our spines, as it is one of the most intense stories of judgment in the New Testament. But this is not a story about tithing or generosity, as some pastors might retell it. This is the story of a couple who wondered how they might use the church’s new utopian society to get ahead. They didn’t face judgment because they kept some of their own money to themselves—that was always their choice to make. They faced judgment because they wanted people to think they were far more generous than they were. As far as anyone else knew, they had given all of their money away. In this new utopia, such an action would make them look holy and righteous, gain the community’s respect, and likely move them up in leadership.

    As I was listening to the radio this morning, a historian was discussing the ideals around the founding of America. These were the beliefs and actions that set us apart from the rest of the world. We were a republic, and we cared about the pursuit of happiness, liberty, and justice for all.

    This description sat oddly with me on America’s 250th birthday. I’m all for putting power in the people’s hands, but I can’t think of any American who really feels like they have any real sway over the government. I can think of people who believe the whole world has equal access to happiness, liberty, and justice, but anyone who has done the research unequivocally knows that’s not true. While the ideals themselves are good, we are hardly a shining city on a hill of those ideas 250 years later. What happened?

    Any of the utopian ideals America was founded upon have been corrupted over time by the same forces that pried at the church’s utopia in its earliest days. With a little bit of money and deceit, you can buy your way forward in any system and then turn it back to glorify yourself. Not even the church itself can create a system that’s so perfect that Sin won’t find a way to manipulate it, for Sin knows how to twist everything. There is no ideal or action so pure that it can’t be twisted in some way. Even our pursuit of Jesus himself can be turned into religious legalism and hatred if Satan grabs hold of our hearts and minds along the way.

    Yes, there are better ways to do things, and those ways should always be chosen. But we should never be so naive as to think we have finally found the kind of governor or governance that is impervious to Sin. Checks and balances must always bring about prophetic correction—and that will only happen when your checks and balances aren’t also corrupted by Sin.

    The world is a mess. May we keep our eyes on Jesus always. We may not always have the power to change the systems of this world, but we always have the space to let the Spirit change us as we live within those systems.

    #Acts5 #America #AnaniasAndSapphira #BiblicalTheology #ChristianCommunity #church #corruption #discipleship #governance #justice #kingdomOfGod #liberty #politicalTheology #propheticWitness #republic #satan #sin #socialJustice #temptation #utopia
  28. The Maranatha Empire

    There is a prayer so holy that it should burn the tongue of every empire that tries to speak it.

    Maranatha.

    Come, Lord.

    It is the cry of the small church under pressure. The cry of the persecuted and the patient. The cry of those who have no armies to summon, no throne to defend, no voting bloc sufficient to save them, no market share large enough to secure their future. It is the cry of those who wait because they know they are not God.

    But in every age, there are those who take this prayer of waiting and turn it into a banner of possession.

    They say, “Come, Lord,” but what they mean is, “Give us control.”

    They say, “Thy kingdom come,” but what they mean is, “Let our faction rule.”

    They say, “Prepare the way of the Lord,” but what they build are prisons, borders, propaganda machines, religious celebrity platforms, and monuments to their own fear.

    This is the Maranatha Empire.

    It is not one nation only, though nations may become its servants. It is not one denomination only, though denominations may become its chapels. It is not merely Rome, nor Geneva, nor Washington, nor Moscow, nor any other city that has mistaken power for providence. The Maranatha Empire is the recurring temptation of the religious heart: to stop waiting for Christ and begin replacing him.

    It begins quietly.

    It begins with concern.

    The world is dangerous. The children are vulnerable. The church is shrinking. The enemies are multiplying. The culture is changing. The old certainties are crumbling. The people are afraid.

    Fear, when baptized, often calls itself faithfulness.

    So the frightened church begins to reach for tools Jesus refused.

    A throne.

    A sword.

    A spectacle.

    A scapegoat.

    A strongman.

    A law that can accomplish what love has not yet persuaded.

    A state that can enforce what the Spirit has not yet formed.

    A leader who promises to defend Christ, as though Christ ever asked Peter to keep swinging after Gethsemane.

    This is how the prayer becomes an empire.

    The early church cried, “Come, Lord Jesus,” because it knew that Caesar was not Lord. The Maranatha Empire cries, “Come, Lord Jesus,” because it wants Caesar to become useful.

    The early church broke bread in homes. The Maranatha Empire builds platforms and calls them altars.

    The early church welcomed the stranger. The Maranatha Empire sees the stranger as a threat.

    The early church died rather than kill. The Maranatha Empire kills and calls the dead collateral damage in the defense of righteousness.

    The early church believed the Lamb had conquered. The Maranatha Empire keeps looking for a beast strong enough to protect the Lamb.

    And there is the blasphemy.

    Not that empire rejects Christ outright. That would be too honest. The Maranatha Empire does something more dangerous. It uses Christ as decoration for a power that is fundamentally afraid of the cross.

    It sings of the Lamb while trusting the dragon.

    It preaches resurrection while organizing itself around survival.

    It displays the cross while despising weakness.

    It quotes Jesus while ignoring the people Jesus told us to notice: the poor, the imprisoned, the hungry, the foreigner, the enemy, the child, the wounded man beside the road.

    The Maranatha Empire is not built by atheists. It is built by believers who have lost patience with the way of Jesus.

    For the way of Jesus is slow.

    It is seed, yeast, salt, light.

    It is foot-washing.

    It is forgiveness seventy times seven.

    It is refusing the shortcut of domination even when domination appears efficient.

    It is telling Peter to put away the sword when everything in Peter’s body screams that this is the moment for holy violence.

    It is standing before Pilate and saying, “My kingdom is not from this world,” not because the kingdom has nothing to do with the world, but because it does not come by the world’s methods.

    The Maranatha Empire cannot tolerate this.

    It cannot tolerate a Messiah who will not seize power.

    It cannot tolerate a church that would rather be faithful than influential.

    It cannot tolerate a people whose politics begin at the basin and towel.

    It cannot tolerate enemy-love, because enemy-love ruins the machinery. Empire requires enemies. It needs them. It feeds on them. Without enemies, the crowd might look too closely at the throne.

    So, the Maranatha Empire manufactures urgency.

    There is no time to love.

    No time to listen.

    No time to discern.

    No time for reconciliation.

    No time for peacemaking.

    No time to ask whether the means resemble the Christ we claim to serve.

    The hour is late, they say. The danger is great. The stakes are too high. We must act now. We must take control now. We must win now.

    And somewhere beneath all that urgency is a terrible confession:

    They do not actually believe the Lord is coming.

    Or, if he is coming, they do not trust him to arrive in the right way.

    So they build him an empire to inherit.

    But Christ does not inherit empires.

    He judges them.

    He walks in alleyways, not palaces. He asks whether the churches have kept their first love. He warns those who are rich and comfortable and self-satisfied that they may be poor, blind, and naked. He stands at the door and knocks, not because he has been defeated by secularism, but because religious people have locked him outside while holding meetings in his name.

    The Maranatha Empire is always shocked when Jesus is found outside the gate.

    Outside the camp.

    Outside respectability.

    Outside the approved narrative.

    Outside the walls with the crucified, the excluded, the unclean, the inconvenient, and the condemned.

    The empire expected him in the capital.

    But he is with the refugees.

    The empire expected him in the cathedral of victory.

    But he is with the mother of the disappeared.

    The empire expected him on the reviewing stand.

    But he is washing feet in the basement.

    The empire expected him to bless the troops.

    But he is asking why his followers are still carrying swords.

    This is why Maranatha must remain a dangerous prayer.

    It must never be allowed to become a slogan for conquest. It must never be printed on the banners of those who are unwilling to be converted by the One they summon. To pray “Come, Lord” is not to invite divine endorsement of our projects. It is to invite judgment upon them.

    Come, Lord, and judge our churches.

    Come, Lord, and judge our flags.

    Come, Lord, and judge our markets.

    Come, Lord, and judge our weapons.

    Come, Lord, and judge our sermons.

    Come, Lord, and judge our secret hatreds.

    Come, Lord, and judge the ways we have used your name to avoid your way.

    This is the prayer empire cannot honestly pray.

    Because if the Lord comes, the first thing to fall may not be our enemies.

    It may be our idols.

    The algorithm.

    The nation.

    The party.

    The brand.

    The gun.

    The strongman.

    The myth of innocence.

    The lie that we can harm others for a righteous cause and remain untouched by the harm.

    The Maranatha Empire teaches us to fear the collapse of Christian influence.

    Jesus teaches us to fear gaining the world and losing our soul.

    The Maranatha Empire asks, “How do we take back the culture?”

    Jesus asks, “Can you drink the cup that I drink?”

    The Maranatha Empire says, “Blessed are the winners.”

    Jesus says, “Blessed are the meek.”

    The Maranatha Empire says, “Blessed are the forceful, for they shall secure the future.”

    Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.”

    And perhaps this is the word for us now:

    The church does not need to become more powerful.

    The church needs to become more faithful.

    Not passive. Not silent. Not withdrawn into pious irrelevance. But faithful in the particular, cruciform, stubborn way of Jesus. Faithful enough to resist evil without becoming its mirror. Faithful enough to tell the truth without hatred. Faithful enough to protect the vulnerable without worshiping violence. Faithful enough to build communities of economic sharing, hospitality, forgiveness, courage, and joy. Faithful enough to be a people who can live without controlling the outcome.

    That is the hard part.

    Empire is attractive because it promises control.

    Jesus offers communion.

    Empire promises security.

    Jesus offers peace.

    Empire promises victory over enemies.

    Jesus offers reconciliation that may begin with our repentance.

    Empire promises to make us great.

    Jesus invites us to become small enough to enter the kingdom.

    So, let the Maranatha Empire fall.

    Let it fall first in us.

    Let it fall in every place where we have confused anxiety with zeal. Let it fall where we have preferred dominance to witness. Let it fall where we have wanted laws to do what discipleship would not. Let it fall where we have used the suffering of others as fuel for our own righteousness. Let it fall where we have asked Jesus to come only after we have arranged the throne to our liking.

    And when it falls, may something older and more beautiful remain.

    A table.

    A basin.

    A towel.

    A loaf.

    A cup.

    A people gathered without illusion, without empire, without the need to be impressive, whispering the ancient prayer not as conquerors but as witnesses:

    Maranatha.

    Come, Lord Jesus.

    Come not to crown our domination, but to free us from it.

    Come not to baptize our fear, but to cast it out.

    Come not to make our empire holy, but to teach us again that your kingdom comes like a seed, like yeast, like mercy, like a Lamb who was slain and yet lives.

    And until you come, make us faithful.

    Not imperial.

    Not triumphant.

    Not afraid.

    Faithful.

    #anabaptist #antiImperialTheology #breadAndCup #ChristianEthics #ChristianNationalism #ChristianWitness #Church #churchAndEmpire #comeLordJesus #cruciformFaith #Discipleship #domination #Empire #empireCritique #Faithfulness #FootWashing #Humility #Jesus #kingdomOfGod #LambOfGod #Maranatha #MaranathaEmpire #Nonviolence #peaceTheology #Peacemaking #Power #propheticChristianity #PropheticEssay #religiousPower #Revelation #SpiritualReflection #Theology
  29. Sunday service 2026 May 3 Experiences of religion

     

    Spring seemed to have arrived properly this last week.

    It’s really lovely to have you all with us. Very lovely to have Jonathan and Rachel Edwards from Winton meeting, and Rachel will be talking to us, giving words of encouragement a bit later.

    It’s so good, isn’t it, to be together as a family, a family in Christ, so that we can praise God and thank Him for His creation and for everything that He’s done for us. And of course, most importantly, to remember what Jesus has done and what he is still doing for us day by day. Because it’s because of him that we’re here now. And it’s because of his sacrifice that we have hope in the future.
    And we know that he is here with us in this hall, because he said that whenever 2 or 3 people gather in his name, he’s there in the midst of us.

    So he may have lived 2000 years ago, but he is alive today in this year 2026.

    May our singing, may our meeting of the Bible and remembering Jesus in bread and wine give Jesus and his God the honour they deserve.

    So, dear God, now we simply put this meeting into Your Hands. May we feel Your presence here with us today and throughout the week and always.
    In the name of our loving lord Jesus, we offer this our service to You now, Amen.

    Julian has had a stroke, which has affected his right arm. He is now at home with support from the family, coming to terms with his new situation. They are managing their change circumstance with fortitude, and they’re not doing too badly. Regular physiotherapy sessions at home, the care review is scheduled for next week. They send their love and best wishes to everyone.

    Belanwa Methode from our Anderlecht ecclesia is feeling much better and recovering after a recent heart attack and spell in hospital. We do hope to have a service again on Saturday, 16 May at the house church in Anderlecht.

    Jane reports that the family of her brother-in-law in Australia are facing a very difficult time; he is facing a major operation in May, which will be life-changing. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.

    John Launchbury from Portland, USA, had a major heart surgery last Monday. By Wednesday, he was sitting up in bed and had actually been out of bed moving around, having had most of the tubes removed. This weekend, they hope that he’ll be able to return home. – We pray for him and his family at this difficult time.

     

    With our song “Give thanks” we gave thanks to our Most High God, from whom we all receive those blessings from Mother Earth.

    Next, we listened to the reading talking of the time when Jacob, the 3rd patriarch, son of Isaac and Rebekah, went out from Beer-sheba to go to Haran.

    Coming to a certain place, he made it his resting-place for the night, for the sun had gone down; and he took one of the stones which were there, and putting it under his head, he went to sleep in that place.

    And he had a dream, and in his dream he saw steps stretching from earth to heaven, and the angels of God were going up and down on them. And he saw Jehovah by his side, saying that He is the Lord, the God of Abraham his Father, and the God of Isaac. This God said to Jacob:

    “13 … I am Jehovah, the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; 14 and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee whithersoever thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.” (Genesis 28:13-15 ASV)

    And Jacob, awaking from his sleep, said,

    “16 …Surely Jehovah is in this place; and I knew it not. 17 And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” (Genesis 28:16-17 ASV)

    And early in the morning, Jacob took the stone which had been under his head, and put it up as a pillar and put oil on it. And he gave that place the name of Beth-el (house of God), but before that time the town was named Luz.  Then Jacob took an oath and said,

    “20… If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, 21 so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, and Jehovah will be my God, 22 then this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.” (Genesis 28:20-22 ASV)

    Our speaker today wants to think about the experiences of religion,

     as I’m sure you know, means to tie fast. It’s a binding between God and man, and I want to try to explore how long or short that finding is.

    We’re told God is in heaven. Isaiah chapter 66 begins:

    Thus says the Lord, heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. Where is the house that ye build unto Me? And where is the place of My rest? (Isaiah 66:1)

    The first mention is in Genesis chapter one, quoting the authorised version.

    “1  In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. …

    “6  And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which [were] under the firmament from the waters which [were] above the firmament: and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.” (Genesis 1:1, 6-8 AV)

    I understand that the firmament was a word made up in the 17th century. The NIV uses the words “expanse ” and “sky,” and the NLT says it’s a space called “sky.”

    In 2 Corinthians chapter 12 and verse 2, Paul talks about some caught up to the third heaven, and this is often explained as the first heaven being the atmosphere and the clouds at 1 to 3 miles above the surface of the earth.

    Planes fly about 6 to 7 miles high. So, these days, it’s within touching distance.

    The second head is the planets, stars and galaxies.

    Abraham was promised that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. He could probably see about 3.000 stars, so he was promised a huge family. In the universe in total, there are about 8.000 stars bright enough to be seen with the naked eye.
    But there are actually thought to be 200 million trillion steps, 200.000 million, million, million stars in the universe. So he was promised an amazingly large family.

    The third heaven is the final sphere, God’s dwelling place.

    The Hebrew word means to be lofty. And looking at the Greek word for heaven, strong offers by explanation happiness, power, and eternity.

    The physical space was finite, and beyond the material world was the spiritual space of God. The physical world was subject to death and decay, but the heavens were eternal, spiritual, and better than the earth. And the planets and stars were pointers to the religious heaven of God.

    Up to the Middle Ages, the cosmos was believed to have had the Earth at the centre of everything, surrounded by concentric spheres of the moon, the sun, planets and stars.

    Art aimed to represent the spiritual order beyond the material world and portrayed heaven in pictures comprising a light blue background with flat, out-of-proportion figures, often in gold, referencing the sky and the sun.

    But art in the 13th century developed a new way of seeing heaven. And even a pope encouraged a change of style to incorporate linear perspective, which made a sort of medieval virtual reality. Which was thought to have the power to convert unbelievers to the Christian faith by making heaven more believable.

    Science took up the reins of the shift a couple of hundred years later, with Copernicus, Galileo, and Newton, who were all on the side of God. To them, the new astronomy reflected the glory of God the Father, Whose power and order in the universe supported their faith in Christianity’s eternal salvation, whose domain is the Kingdom of heaven.

    Firstly, Copernicus suggested that the Earth went round the sun so that the Earth, including us, was no longer at the centre of everything. Newton’s big idea was that gravity, the gravity that makes an apple fall to the ground, also keeps the moon orbiting the Earth and planets orbiting the sun. So space everywhere is ruled by the same physical laws. This continuity between terrestrial and celestial realms, by this continuity, Newton famously united the heavens and the earth. The physical space could go on forever. So there was no room left over for heaven as a superior alternative domain.

    Newton tore a hole in the social fabric that we’ve been … we’re struggling to comprehend, and reverberate still in the war between science and religion.

    Einstein replaced Newton’s cosmology with space-time, and this has been developed into hyperspace, which I don’t understand, but is described as nothing but space curled up into patterns.

    At the start of our universe, space had no structure, formless and empty darkness, to quote Genesis chapter. It was simple and uniform, like a blank piece of paper. Then, as time proceeded, the paper crinkled up into ever more elaborate structures, eventually giving rise to the complexities of today. So, perhaps this is God as the origami artist.

    The new understanding of space impacts on who we think we are in space today is an arena to be mapped and measured. If heaven isn’t special, are we special?

    Are we in conglomeration with molecules?

    Christadelphians and other fundamental Christians and even New Age proponents do not accept this poor, demoralising, reductionist world.

    But, I don’t think there is a war between science and religion. Science has furthered our understanding of the physical world. And as we’ve mentioned, it greatly enhanced the promise of Abraham.

    But God doesn’t need to live in heaven. He is everywhere. Acts chapter 17 verses 27 and 28 say He is not far from each one of us. For in Him we live and move and have our being.

    Jesus often spoke about the Kingdom of heaven, or the Kingdom of God.

    In the road spray, he taught us to ask

    They Will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

    Asking for the divide between God and man to be dissolved.

    The Kingdom of heaven is still the domain of human salvation, the righteousness of God replacing the sin of the world through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

    Today, the expression “a thin place” is used to describe a place in time where space, the space between heaven and earth, grows thin and the sacred and the secular seem to meet.

    This is what I mean by the experience of religion.

    The Bible is full op people being touched by God, often in a vision or a dream. I picked a few examples showing how people felt about God drawing near to them. We’ve read about Jacob and his ladder experience in Genesis chapter 28. And his conclusion was

    How awasome is this place?
    This is none other than the House of God. This is the gate of heaven.

    Then in the New Testament, I think of Mary.

    My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour.

    After Jesus’ resurrection, the couple on the road to Emmaus expressed their vivid feelings.

    When are our hearts burning within us? While he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us.

    In our 21st-century lives, a thin place offers a sense of peace or a feeling of awe, where we feel our connection with God more strongly.

    Some people feel it in wonderful landscapes. Others in a quiet place, or listening to music, or appreciating a work of art, or a moment in daily life, like opening the door onto a sunny morning.

    I expect lots of people find the giving of thanks and taking the bread and wine a thin place.

    As we’re about to remember Jesus’ sacrifice, may you know Jesus, your saviour.

    May I know Jesus, my saviour. Thank you.

    Thank you, Rachel, for those lovely words. It’s almost impossible, isn’t it, to imagine the extent of the universe, the cosmos, and to think that God is both filling that. But also, as you said, so close to every one of us now. And you have brought us beautifully to the centre point of our meeting, to think about Jesus, who said about himself, and I’m doing this remembering Jesus would one day see the angels ascending on himself, the Son of man. So just as Jacob saw the connection between heaven and earth, wo we see heaven and earth coming together in Jesus, our lord.

    Before we share the bread and wine, we’re going to sing another hymn. And this time it’s going to be ” Praise the Lord” 174, which reminds us of the depths of the love that has been poured out on us in the sacrifice of Jesus.

    Who his love will not remember?
    Who can cease to sing his praise?

    He can never be forgotten, thoughout heav’n’s eternal days.

    We thank You Father,
    we come before You at this time to give our thanks and praise for all the blessings You bestow on us.

    We thank You for the love that You show towards us because You loved us so much.
    You gave your only son.
    We come now to remember the love that Your son, our lord, showed not only to You, but to us and the whole world also, in that he fullfilled Your word to the very end.

    As we pass these emblems of our lor’s love and great sacrifice to one another, we again give our thanks for the Plan that You have for all people that believe in You.

    We ask that we may soon see the return of our lord and that we can therefore be brought closer to You, our eternal Father.

    We ask that You be with us all and that You will hear this prayer through our lord and saviour’s name. Amen.

    Together we sing a Christian hymn based on Joachim Neander’s German-language hymn “Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren”, published in 1680.: When we look down from a lofty mountain grandeur,

    O Lord my God! when I in awesome wonder
    consider all the works thy hand hath made,
    I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,
    thy power throughout the universe displayed:

    Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,
    how great thou art! How great thou art!
    Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,
    how great thou art! How great thou art!

    *

    [youtube youtube.com/watch?v=wX8CyJwvyB]

    *

    We finish our Sunday service with prayer:

    Let us pray, Lord God Heavenly Father,

    we put oour minds to places where we just can’t comprehend Your dwelling place, the sky above the stars above the sun and moon, places You hold in the Palm of Your Hand.
    Yeah, beyond our wildest imagination,

    Yeah,

    we come to You in prayer, whether we are gathered in this room, whether we are sat in our various homes across different countries worshipping and praising You now and we know You’re in our presence. You are hearing these very words now. That’s amazing and we are in such actual majesty and splendour and Your power and glory in our presence now.

    It is humbling and we pray tha what we have done this morning just a litle bit goes towards chewing as a sweet smell. As pleasing and acceptable we are mindful of the clouds above. And in our lives, we feel the rains pouring down at us sometimes and the stresses and strains and struggles of life.
    Oh, too much.
    And there’s no sunshine, and there’sno brightness. There’s nothing to look forward to. Then the clouds break. And the blue sky above is always there. The sun is always there. And the same with You, that well, whatever our situation, whatever our circumstances, whatever our troubles and problems and strains and anxiety, You are therejust above it all. And we can come to You in our prayers, or we can seek strength and guidance. As we face another week we know that You are ina principle of hearts and minds. And You control everything, and You planeverything for us. So guide our ways. Help us take our hand and lead us as Yougo towards another week.
    So we thank You for so much, we thank You for Your blessings, for Your kindness, for Your love.

     

    Rate this:

    #13Century #2Corinthians122 #3Heaven #Acts172728 #Astronomy #Atmosphere #BelanwaMethode #BethElBeitElBethelHouseOfGod #CelestialRealm #Copernicus #DreamOfJacob #Earth #Einstein #Expanse #ExperiencesOfReligion #Firmament #Galileo #Genesis11 #Genesis168 #Genesis281315 #Genesis281617 #Genesis282022 #Gravity #HouseChurchOfAnderlecht #IsaacNewton #Isaiah661 #JacobYaAqov3rdPatriarchSonOfIsaacRebekah #JoachimNeander #JohnLaunchbury #JulianBaseley #KingdomOfGod #KingdomOfHeaven #MiddleAges #RachelEdwards #Science #Sky #StarAstronomy #TerrestrialRealm #Universe
  30. A quotation from Brennan Manning

    In effect, Jesus says the Kingdom of His Father is not a subdivision for the self-righteous nor for those who feel they possess the state secret of their salvation. The Kingdom is not an exclusive, well-trimmed suburb with snobbish rules about who can live there. No, it is for a larger, homelier, less self-conscious cast of people who understand they are sinners because they have experienced the yaw and pitch of moral struggle.

    Brennan Manning (1934-2013) American author, laicized priest, theologian, speaker [Richard Francis Xavier Manning]
    The Ragamuffin Gospel, ch. 1 “Something Is Radically Wrong” (1990)

    More about this quote: wist.info/manning-brennan/8368…

    #quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #brennanmanning #Christianity #Jesus #KingdomofGod #moralstruggle #salvation #selfrighteousness #sinner #snobbery #superiority

  31. #BruceChilton: "The #KingdomofGod was the principal theme of Jesus' message...& the pivotal hope of Galilean Judaism. Rule by a king was both...the source of their oppression...& their hope for the future under God. The world of Jesus made no distinction btw politics & religion."
    bit.ly/453ossb
    Image: Herod ordering the Massacre of the Innocents, 10th century Codex Egberti, Wikimedia Commons.

  32. #Mystical #love breaks thru the rational brain to a bigger, intuitive, imaginative one whose passion for justice & compassion burns & refuses to surrender or yield to despair. Call it the #kingdomofGod where justice, truth & love rule & lies, injustice, despair, greed are banished.
    #OrderOfTheSacredEarth
    bit.ly/4hkaVA6

  33. Quote of the day, 9 August: St. Edith Stein

    Because hidden souls do not live in isolation, but are a part of the living nexus and have a position in a great divine order, we speak of an invisible church. Their impact and affinity can remain hidden from themselves and others for their entire earthly lives.

    But it is also possible for some of this to become visible in the external world. This is how it was with the persons and events intertwined in the mystery of the Incarnation.

    Today we live again in a time that urgently needs to be renewed at the hidden springs of God-fearing souls. Many people, too, place their last hope in these hidden springs of salvation.

    This is a serious warning cry: Surrender without reservation to the Lord who has called us. This is required of us so that the face of the earth may be renewed. In faithful trust, we must abandon our souls to the sovereignty of the Holy Spirit.

    We may live in confident certainty that what the Spirit of God secretly effects in us bears its fruits in the kingdom of God. We will see them in eternity.

    Saint Edith Stein

    The Hidden Life and Epiphany

    Stein, E. 2014, The Hidden Life: hagiographic essays, meditations, spiritual texts, translated from the German by Stein, W, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

    Featured image: Vintage stereograph card depicting a boy and girl kneeling in prayer beside a brass bed with a red and white quilt, captioned “Now I Lay Me. At the End of Day.” Image credit: End of the day – Now I lay me, ca. 1850-1920, stereograph from the Stereograph Collection, Boston Public Library Arts Department. No known copyright restrictions.

    #eternity #HolySpirit #KingdomOfGod #StEdithStein #surrender #trust

  34. Whether you’re called to stand with the oppressed, comfort the afflicted, or simply be a prayerful presence in the struggle, this handbook bridges the gap between faith and action.
    “Strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.” - Book of Common Prayer
    #ProtestChaplains #EpiscopalChurch #SocialJustice #FaithInAction #KingdomOfGod #NonviolentResistance #BelovedCommunity #JesusMovement
    episcopalchurch.org/wp-content
    3/3

  35. Joseph Mattera: Character Traits of Those Who Make God Their Dwelling Place (Part 1)

    Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

    Character Traits of Those Who Make God Their Dwelling Place (Part 1)

    Joseph Mattera writes:

    The kingdom of God is more than an attempt to change a lost world; it is about reclaiming and functioning within what God has always sovereignly owned and managed. Psalm 24:1 declares, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” God framed creation and entrusted it to humanity for stewardship (Genesis 1:26-28). To make God our dwelling place is to understand His sovereignty, His presence, and our role in the cosmos He created. Moses even said, “Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations” (Psalm 90:1).

    This perspective reframes reality. Time and space, as Hebrews 11:3 reminds us, exist within God’s creative matrix. Acts 17:28 declares, “In him we live and move and have our being.” Coming into this revelation transforms our understanding of worship, life, and purpose. It shifts us from “going to church” to seeing the cosmos as God’s sacred dwelling place. Hence, Christ is not only “in” believers—but we are truly “in Him” and exist within His reality! 

    Furthermore, as His family, the church represents His Lordship on earth as it is in heaven. 

    Here are ten traits of those who make God their dwelling place.

    1. Gratitude for Everything

    Profound gratitude is the first mark of someone who makes God their dwelling place. James 1:17 reminds us, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.” Recognising that every blessing, resource, and opportunity comes from God fosters a heart of thankfulness.

    When we acknowledge that the earth and everything belong to God, we shift from entitlement to appreciation. Gratitude becomes a daily act of worship, recognising God’s provision in all areas of life.

    1. A Life Centred on Worship

    Those who dwell in God find worship woven into every aspect of their existence—prayer, work, family, rest. Worship is not limited to Sunday services but permeates every moment, reflecting the rhythm of creation (1 Corinthians 10:31).

    In Genesis, the six days of creation culminated in the seventh Day, a Sabbath of rest and worship, demonstrating that all activity ultimately leads back to glorifying God. Even the natural world testifies to His greatness: “The trees of the field clap their hands, and the rocks cry out in praise” (Isaiah 55:12; Luke 19:40).

    For such individuals, worship becomes not an event but a lifestyle.

    1. Submission to Christ’s Lordship

    To make God your dwelling place is to recognise His absolute Lordship. Psalm 90:1 and 91:9 speak of God as the eternal refuge. This means submitting to His authority in every area of life.

    Every decision, action, and goal becomes an opportunity to honour Him. Those who dwell in God’s presence are constantly aware that Christ is not just Savior but Lord. His will becomes the standard for all they do, and obedience is their ultimate act of love (John 14:15).

    1. No Separation Between Secular and Sacred

    People who make God their dwelling place understand that all life is sacred. There is no division between what is “secular” and what is “spiritual” because “The earth is the Lord’s” (Psalm 24:1).

    Work, family life, recreation, and even mundane tasks are opportunities to glorify God. This understanding dissolves artificial boundaries, allowing them to see every moment as a chance to reflect God’s kingdom.

    1. Integration of Church and Workplace

    In the same way that they do not separate the secular from the sacred, these individuals refuse to divide the “church place” from the “workplace.” They see their work, whether in an office, a field, or a factory, as a ministry and an extension of God’s mission.

    Colossians 3:23-24 encourages, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.” The workplace becomes a platform for reflecting Christ’s values and principles.

    1. Stewardship of Creation

    Making God your dwelling place instils a deep sense of responsibility for creation. Genesis 1:26-28 calls humanity to steward the earth as caretakers under God. This involves honouring and studying the natural world, using resources wisely, and protecting the environment as an act of worship (Psalm 111:2).

    In recognising creation as God’s possession, these individuals see stewardship as optional and a divine mandate.

    1. A Call to Restore the Breach

    Isaiah 61:3-4 speaks of those who will “rebuild the ancient ruins” and “restore the places long devastated.” Those who dwell in God feel compelled to be restorers—healing broken relationships, rebuilding communities, and bringing God’s justice to areas of destruction.

    This trait reflects God’s heart for communities, cities, and nations. He has called His people to stand in the gap and see every “pain point” in their community as an opportunity to manifest God’s creative solutions that elevate the quality of life for all as a witness of the gospel.

    1. Using Finances to Advance God’s Kingdom

    Those who see God as their dwelling place view their finances as a tool for kingdom work. They understand that their wealth is not their own but entrusted to them by God for His purposes (Deuteronomy 8:18).

    This perspective drives them to give generously to support the gospel, help the needy, and invest in causes that reflect God’s heart. They live with the mindset that “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).

    1. Appreciation of Nature as a Reflection of God’s Glory

    Creation is seen as a useful resource and a reflection of God’s glory and creativity. Psalm 19:1 declares, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”

    Those who dwell in God cultivate an acute appreciation for nature, seeing it as a testimony to His power and wisdom. Whether marvelling at a sunrise or tending a garden, they are reminded of God’s beauty and majesty.

    1. An Acute Sense of God’s Nearness

    Finally, those who make God their dwelling place experience an unparalleled awareness of His presence. Acts 17:28 declares, “In him we live and move and have our being.” This sense of nearness transforms their view of reality, enabling them to see God’s hand every moment.

    Psalm 91:9 promises, “If you say, ‘The Lord is my refuge,’ and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you.” This intimate relationship with God provides peace, security, and confidence, even in trials.

    Making God your dwelling place transforms every aspect of life. It shifts your perspective from merely “attending church” to living as part of God’s sacred cosmos. Those who embody these 10 traits demonstrate what it means to reclaim their role as stewards of creation, ambassadors of the kingdom, and worshippers of the Most High.

    Understanding that the earth is the Lord’s and living in the light of this revelation calls us to gratitude, worship, submission, and stewardship. It reminds us that in every moment and every place, God is near—inviting us to dwell in Him and reflect His glory to the world

    #discipleship #KingdomOfGod

  36. Thursday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

    Today’s readings

    In the aftermath of the great flood, what’s left is what God wants us to know is important: life. Life is the way we participate in the essence of our Creator God. And that life is so important that absolutely nothing could completely blot it out – not even the waters of the flood. What humankind had done to bring on the flood was not enough for God to allow that deed to completely blot out all life from the face of the earth. Indeed, God preserved life in the Ark so that, even in its impure and imperfect state, it could be brought to perfection in these last days.

    These last days came about through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. What the flood could not wash away was cleansed completely by the blood of the Lamb. Unfortunately, Peter and the Apostles did not yet understand that. Jesus rebuked Peter not just because he was slow to get the message, but more because his kind of thinking was an obstacle to the mission. The mission is about life – eternal life – and nothing, absolutely nothing, must interfere with it.

    We are the recipients of the command to be fertile and multiply. This command is not just about procreation of life, but also about life in the Kingdom of God. It was always God’s plan that we would not only populate the earth, but populate heaven as well. That’s what we were created for, and that’s why God would sooner allow his Son to die on the cross than live without us. That’s what that rainbow sign of the covenant was about – whenever we see a rainbow, we should remember the love and mercy of God.

    #kingdomOfGod #life

  37. #Mystical #love breaks thru the rational brain to a bigger, intuitive, imaginative one whose passion for justice & compassion burns & refuses to surrender or yield to despair. Call it the #kingdomofGod where justice, truth & love rule & lies, injustice, despair, greed are banished. bit.ly/419H1Jf

  38. Will Jesus restore the Kingdom to Israel?

    He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” Acts 1.4-6

    #Israel #KingdomOfGod #Messiah #salvation

    lightforthelastdays.co.uk/arti

  39. @BruceMirken

    This #Episcopalian is utterly unable to fathom how #NatC #MAGAts turned three important & scripturally necessary aspects of the #KingdomofGod into dirty words

    It musta been a majorly expensive #Marketing campaign, like what they did to #BlackLivesMatter 😒
    #Diversity #Equity #Inclusion
    #DEI

  40. But Jesus called for the children, saying, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Luke 18.16 NET.

    In God’s Kingdom things are not turned on their head. They’ve been righted.

    #Bible #BibleVerses #KingdomOfGod

  41. For the kingdom of God does not consist of food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Romans 14.17 NET.

    The nature of the Kingdom determines our actions. See context.

    #Bible #BibleVerses #KingdomOfGod

  42. If you can't imagine a world without capitalism, you can't imagine the Kingdom of God either.

    #capitalism #KingdomOfGod

  43. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is well pleased to give you the kingdom. Luke 12.32 NET.

    What God gives is a gift. We do not earn or conquer it. His Kingdom is his benevolent care for his people, whom Jesus describes as God’s flock. This term of endearment describes God’s concern for those who love and fear him.

    #Bible #KingdomOfGod

Share on Mastodon

Enter the server where you have an account.