CINO I
John 14:6 tells Christians their marching orders. "Jesus said to him,'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'" I keep repeating Christ's directions for all Christians which are in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and
John. That's just four books of the entire bible. So, why are so many people who claim to have (Christian) faith wandering around in the Old Testament? Worse yet, their understanding of the Old Testament rates somewhere below zero. At my advanced age, I still have two mentors. I don't know it all, and my mentors don't think they know it all. All three of us rely solely on scripture and experience. That brings us to the title of this message.
The title comes directly from the quote of John. Other passages tell us the same directive. The way for a Christian begins at salvation. There can be no detours. Now we come to the second part, TRUTH. If truth is missing in your life, your acceptance of salvation came from your mouth, not your heart. The third part of the directive is life. We're not talking about earthly life; we're talking about eternal life and Heaven. Scripture warns us in Matt. 15:11,"Not what goes into the mouth defiles the man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man." Now on to the title of this message.
CINO is the name of a new category of religion, a splinter of a major political party put together to seek a goal. The letters stand for Christians in Name Only. This is not political, but reality. These people brag about faith, but show absolutely no hint of Jesus Christ's
teaching. Rather than proclaim the words of Christ, they usually loudly proclaim the OPPOSITE of His instructions, the worst being the heated exhortation to HATE certain people who are "different." These CINO people have one goal in mind, and it is money and power. Greed is dominant in most people's lives. There is an inborn trait, especially in men, to be "king of the hill." At one point in the cycle of civilization, men studied, served as an apprentice and worked to achieve that goal. Now money is being used as a shortcut.
Hate is a major way to separate people, and is Satan's imitation of the purpose Christ explained in Luke 12:49-53. You need to read this short entire passage to understand His meaning, but the key is verse 51: "Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth?
I tell you not at all, but rather division." What Christ is saying is that He is giving everyone the free choice of accepting salvation and eternal life or facing the Judgment Seat. There will be no peace on earth until He returns and the earth has been cleansed. The division He is talking about is the separation of committed believers from the those who committed by their mouth instead of the heart.
Christ never excluded any person from the opportunity to receive salvation, and neither did the disciples. If you recall Acts 8:26-38, you see Phillip leads an Ethiopian man to salvation. Ethiopians were a black race. The disciples preached to all races of Europe, Asia and Africa. We have had groups such as the KKK in America who preach hatred against Jews as well as blacks. Yet, they claim to be Christians. While Christ offered free choice with no human penalty for not accepting His offer, many Americans are following Satan's urging to force others to do everything they perceive to be part of their "faith."
Let's examine their "faith." They are attempting to separate people into two groups: those who follow their false teaching, and those who refuse. The latter group includes the REAL Christians. Sin number one: Use of force. These CINOs are teaching hatred of races. Sin number 2. They teach hatred of other religions. Sin number 3. They get political and teach hatred of their perceived Liberals. Sin number 4. They claim (very loudly) they represent Christ. Sin number 5. Now, here is the kicker: If you support these false teachers, you have added the five sins to number 6--Your support. There is absolutely no excuse. You either follow the example of Jesus Christ, or you are following the horde of
false teachers identified in the New Testament. These false teachers include pastors and media people who join ambitious wannabe leaders to capture large followings and the filthy lucre that is the reward. Lucre is a gain through cheating, bribery and shameful practices. It is described in 1 Samuel, Titus and 1 Peter.
You should note that all of the above tie in with other sins, the most common of which is lying. The bible lists this sin as false testimony, and it is commonly practiced in great detail in the church as gossip. When Satan gets you hooked, he just piles on the others. All this can be easily prevented if you just study scripture and learn the truth. A Christian has a much easier path than most other faiths, including a Jew. Christianity is based on the Ten Commandments plus Christ's personal addition of "love thy neighbor as yourself." Christ speaks of brotherhood, sisterhood and neighbors. Someone may be pretty unlikable, but that doesn't mean we have to love or hate him. We must treat him decently.
After all, everyone is a candidate for redemption, and we have many examples of people who were terrible, but later came to Christ.
There is another type of hatred in America, and it is leveled on the basis of personal financial standing. All poor people are looked down upon by the CINOs. They dress poorly, frequently aren't well groomed, don't live in expensive houses, drive clunkers, etc. Not all poor people should be thrown in the garbage. There are many reasons for some of these situations that weren't caused by ignorance or laziness. For example, I constantly hear people receiving social security are part of the "entitled" group. The money they receive is money they worked for and deposited in the government's retirement account. It is their
"hard earned" money. Isn't everybody entitled to their own money and possessions? These retired workers should not be lumped together with those receiving a social security supplement. This money is given by the government for various physical and mental disabilities. When politicians speak of cutting social security, they are cutting veterans' benefits which are part of the package.
Perhaps the worst hatred is leveled at the uneducated. Actually, it's aimed at the growing class of Americans who have high school diplomas, but should not have been passed through the system. Many of these people are severely disadvantaged because they are limited to the basics of life. They don't understand government and often won't or can't budget and handle money. They spend their money unwisely, and have difficulty just living from day to day. While suffering quality of life, they don't understand what is necessary to improve their life. It's called education. When CINO politicians list the government agencies they will close, education is always among them. With one candidate is was one of three, but he could only remember two. Another candidate had five goals, but could remember only four and forgot education. If you know anything about the history of early America, you know a school was one of the first things a pioneer settlement established. Our education system is broken, and the people in administration are making it worse. Charter schools are a back door way of re-instituting segregated schools. Christian schools are dividing students by requiring a curriculum that is dominated by religion. That is a step towards making America a theocracy.
In the entire history of the world, every attempt at theocracy has failed. Religious leaders get carried away with their self-righteousness and make laws. Many of these laws are totally opposite Christ's teaching. Think about this: God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. They are common sense and were written on common stone. They are
easy to understand. The men of Israel just had to become involved in God's business. So they wanted a human king, and became a nation of man-made laws. Christ came to us with "love thy neighbor" because even the Jews were arguing among themselves. They were not asking God for answers, but asking the religious and civil leaders. The Jewish laws became so complicated, Christ came as a living example. The part of the world that identified through His name began separation as soon as leaders of a new church established that church. They all instituted rules for their church, and we now have all types of churches that carry denominational names. Some have developed their own
changes or additions to scripture, ignoring parts of the original to suit their taste. Most of their members are Christians in name only. Christ will have to return to clean up this mess.
Scripture is the Word of God, and it is truth. Refer to the quote from John above. With truth comes light and life. America is not the only country facing this kind of political trouble. If you read current news from Europe, Central Asia, Africa and the Middle East, you will find that radical changes have already begun. When you have a handle on
that, get out your bible and read Revelation. You may be able to connect some dots. The issue of secession will be voted on in Spain, which is a subject of interest in the United States. Finances and immigration are major issues in the European Union, as they are here. Russia is on the move. General Motors is importing 30,000 to 40,000 Buicks built entirely in China with their materials and labor. Corporations are selling our country out from under us.
There is no safe place in the world except through the protection and care of Jesus Christ. If you are a heart committed Christian, you need to be sure you're not following CINOs. Check Christ's teaching. There are more problems with these false teachers that need to be brought to light. Compare their words with Christ's words.
Rev. Walbear
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