By Ray Gano
http://www.prophezine.com/

C.I.N.O "“ Christians in name only.

The Christian Church has long confessed that the books of the New Testament and the Old Testament are divine Scriptures, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The Bible is absolute truth and it is the infallible Word of God.

This is pretty much a given if speaking to someone who claims to be a born again Christian. Try it yourself next time you are in Sunday school, prayer meeting ect, ask folks if they believe that the Bible is in fact the infallible Word of God written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

I would say most people you ask in those environments would agree with that.

If that is the case, why do people say that doctrine is not important and in fact "doctrine divides?"

I am hearing more and more of these sugar coated Christians that doctrine does not matter, all I have to do is believe in Jesus and "love one another."

A few weeks ago I wrote an article about Rick Warren selling out Christians to the sodomites; I caught a lot of heat from it. The interesting fact is that most of the opposing emails I got were pretty shallow and actually shows the state of the church today.

Here is one response"¦

"Jesus and I are tight, Ray. ‚   I don't know anybody He has appointed to be the police over other Christians. ‚   Didn't the Catholic Church try that in the Middle Ages......

While you're at it, check out some verses on gossip, gluttony, and ignoring the needs of the poor.

I know more Bible than you can imagine. ‚   I used to worship doctrine. ‚   Now I worship my Lord. ‚  Something to think about."

If I would ask this person if they believe and stand upon scripture, they would say that they do.

Makes me wonder what is this person’s definition "doctrine"? Do they believe this due to ignorance or are they C.I.N.O?

Many of you know that I have a Facebook page and in fact it is how I stay in contact with a lot of folks out there. Just go to www.facebook.com and search for Prophezine, I will pop up.

For most of my life I attended Christian School, and I have folks from my old school linked into my Facebook page. One person stands out in my head; let’s call her "Nicci." Nicci talks about how much partying she does, drinking, hanging out, ect. Her Facebook picture is of her holding a martini glass leaning up against someone and just below that are the lyrics to ""Jesus Jesus Jesus." For her Religious Views, she states - I love Jesus! I would not survive without Him!

Ok"¦

On Facebook you can make comments, tell people what is on your mind, share links, videos, ect.

Here are some of Nicci’s comments.

"It amazes me that people think they have the right to judge others. This is only God's right"¦.

On judgment day for our un-forgiven sins, also those who cast judgment on others will be judged by God harder"¦."

I show these two individual not trying to put them down or judge them, but to show what is becoming the standard of Christianity today "¦. What appears to be C.I.N.O.

Just to let you know I did post to Nicci’s page under her "thou shall not judge me" piece the following"¦

Matthew 7:20 (KJV) Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

I don't know these people’s hearts, but by their actions, the way they live and the fruit they have shown me, I can not say that their commitment is very strong.

Carnal Christianity /backsliding as well as the refusal to live a holy life is becoming the norm. But what is sad is that this is all being done under the name of "Grace."

Here are some examples"¦

"I can do what I want because I am forgiven."

"Sin no longer matters to me, God died for my sins."

"I am saved by Grace"; which translates to "now I can live like hell."

I could go on and I am sure you have heard many of these sort of things too, but show any of these people the following verses and watch their wrath break loose.

1Peter 1:16 (KJV) Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

John 14:15 (KJV) If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Romans 12:1 (KJV) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Why is it that so many people claim the title Christian, agree that God’s Word is the truth and then do not obey what God says?

1Corinthians 2:14 (KJV) But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

It is the natural thing for man to sin, but when we accept Jesus Christ into our lives we are no longer the natural man, we are a new creature in Christ. ‚   We are called to submit to Him because we are now His, bought with His blood.

So who are those who claim the title and yet live as the natural man?

I call them the C.I.N.O "“ Christians in name only.

Matthew 7:21(KJV) Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 7:22(KJV) ‚   Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

Matthew 7:23(KJV) ‚   And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Revelation 3:15(KJV) ‚   I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

Revelation 3:16(KJV) ‚   So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.

I pray that those Christians in Name Only, will wake up. They are living a life which not only deceives others but they are deceiving themselves also.

1 John 2:15-17 (KJV) "love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."

Are You a C.I.N.O?

When was the last time you did a check up from the neck up?

Paul wrote the following to the Corinthian church, and these were Christians he was addressing.

1 Corinthians 6:9 (KJV) Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

1 Corinthians 6:10 (KJV) Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 6:11 (KJV) ‚   "And such were some of you:"¦"

What Paul is pointing out is that many were Christians in Name Only.

Read the quick definitions of each of these that Paul writes about here quickly.

Fornicators - The Greek word is pornos {por'-nos}, from which we get "pornography" These people are doing the deed before marriage.

Idolaters - The worship of idols, images, or any thing made by hands, or which is not God

Adulterers - It means to have unlawful intercourse with another's wife or husband. If you read Playboy, watch porno movies, ect, you are committing adultery. You are having sex in your mind and not with your spouse.

Effeminate - To make womanish; to unman; to weaken, a sissy boy.

Abusers of themselves with mankind "“ Sodomites one who lies with his or her own gender. This is an abomination unto God.

Thieves "“

1. One who secretly, unlawfully and feloniously takes the goods or personal property of another. The thief takes the property of another privately; the robber by open force.

2. One who seduces by false doctrine. John 10.

3. One who makes it his business to cheat and defraud; as a den of thieves. Mat 21.

Covetous - Inordinately desirous; excessively eager to obtain and possess; directed to money or goods, avaricious.

Drunkards - One given to ebriety or an excessive used of strong liquor; a person who habitually or frequently is drunk.

Revilers - To feast with loose and clamorous merriment; to carouse; to act the bacchanalian. (feasts of Bacchus "“ hedonism "“ if it feels good, do it)

Extortioners - The act of extorting; the act or practice of wresting any thing from a person by force, duress, menaces, authority, or by any undue exercise of power; illegal exaction; illegal compulsion to pay money, or to do some other act. Extortion is an offense punishable at common law.

Do you fall under any of these? Is it possible that you are a C.I.N.O / Christian in name only?

But more importantly, did you catch that first part of 1 Corinthians 6:9?

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?"

As I stated before, what Paul is describing here are in fact Christian in name only. But more than that, God is letting them know that they will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Folks, this is God’s Word"¦ not mine.

You need to ask yourself are you one of the unrighteous"¦Christians in Name Only?

Some have woken up to the fact that they were living in sin and have corrected it. They have fully committed their lives to the Lord. They have come to realize the duty "Which is your reasonable service."

I was raised in the church, went to a Christian school, did all the right things and said all the right words, but I accepted the Lord as my personal savior, I was a backslidden Christian in my early life. I say this because there are many out there who have given their lives to the Lord and are backslidden. There is a difference between them and Christians in Name Only.

Paul tells us in Romans 12:2 ‚   And be not conformed to this world"¦ And yet there are the many trappings that we refuse to let go of.

Being backslidden and having C.I.N.Os in the church has brought us back to the days of the Corinthian church.

Read these definitions again from 1Corinthians 6:9-10.

• Fornicators
• Idolaters
• Adulterers
• Effeminate
• Abusers of themselves with mankind
• Thieves
• Covetous
• Drunkards
• Revilers
• Extortioners

These sins are the norm in today’s churches, not the exception. ‚   "Christian" Singles sleeping around, going out getting drunk / partying, jealous of cars, homes, material things. Yes, this is normal in today’s church, backslidden and Christians in Name Only.

What is sad is that it is causing many to choose a carnal life and not the life of the Lord.

The C.I.N.O. says "It feels so good to wallow in the flesh, so who cares about obeying God’s Word!"

If you are one of these partakers, it feels good now. But do you live for the Lord as is your reasonable service or do you live for Satan and wallow in the trappings of this world slapping the word "Christian" on it?

Are you a Christian in name only? (C.I.N.O.)

Again here is what scripture says"¦

Revelation 3:16(KJV) So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.

1 Corinthians 6:9a "¦"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?"

Folks if you are one of these partakers of the flesh, here is what you should expect and in fact Jesus himself warned us"¦

Mat 7:21-23 (KJV) ‚   Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? ‚   And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Many people confuse these verses with cults like the Mormons, JWs, Moonies, ect. The problem is that these cults and false religions DO NOT call Jesus Christ Lord when the rubber meets the road.

Who is Christ addressing? Christians in Name Only. They pay lip service and have great works, but they have not turned their hearts over to the Lord.

Folks, when you become a Christian it is a life changing event. You just don’t say some cute little prayer or check off some box and you get to heaven. Your life reflects your decision. Your reasonable service will show through. You can’t help but to show it, that is if you are one of God’s children, He will have it no other way.

Identifying a ‚   C.I.N.O. - Here is what God’s Word says"¦

Isaiah 8:20 (KJV) "to the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."

1 Corinthians 10:21 (KJV) ‚   Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.

1John 2:4-5(KJV) ‚   He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 ‚   But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

If you are backslidden, have the Lord in your heart, and still living in the world; odds are that your life is miserable because you are not serving Him as is your reasonable service.

Being a Born Again child of God we have a duty to the Lord. That is to live a proper life with out being involved in those things mentioned in 1Corinthians 6:9-11a as well as in other passages in scripture.

If you are not willing to give those things up, then you need to ask yourself, Are You A Christian in Name Only?

A Christian KNOWS in their heart what is and is not acceptable to the Lord, Jeremiah 31:33 states that God’s law is written on the hearts of men. So to put it bluntly, there are no excuses for "not knowing."

Being saved by Grace is not a license to sin either. But when we look at the church today, that is just what they are doing. So many have backslidden and many are C.I.N.O.’s

Romans 12:2 says ‚   "And be not conformed to this world"¦"

The sad thing is that out of ignorance of God’s Word, we as the church have become so conformed; there is no separation between the two.

We either live FOR Him or live AGAINST Him. We need to stop playing games with ourselves and make the choice.

Joshua 24:15 (KJV) And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?"

Which Kingdom will you inherit?

But more importantly, are you born again or are you a Christian in Name Only?

Who Do You Serve?

Jesus stated the following"¦

John 14:6 (KJV) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

If you do not have Christ in your life, you will spend eternity in hell. This is a fact. It does not matter if you believe this or not, it is the truth spoken by Jesus himself. If your name is not written in the Lambs Book of Life you will go to hell for what you have not done and that is accepting Christ as your personal savior. To be placed in the Lamb Book of Life, you need to turn your life completely over to Him. Having "head" knowledge or "just believing in Christ" is not the same as having "heart" knowledge with Christ living in your heart. Even the "devils" believe in God.

James 2:19 (KJV) Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

We work hard at Prophezine to show that Bible Prophecy is coming to pass. Because of this fact, we know that the Bible is true. Since the Bible is the true and is the inerrant word of God, there is a heaven and there is a hell.

If you claim the title of "Christian" then take account of yourself this day. Many claim the title, but we read in God’s Word that the title does not get you into heaven.

Mat 7:21 ‚   Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Mat 7:22 ‚   Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

Mat 7:23 ‚   And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Who you serve will determine where you will spend eternity. If you are not serving Christ and a true child of God, then you are serving Satan and a child of the enemy.

If you are not 110% sure, then take account of yourself, your very life depends upon it.

1John 1:9 (KJV) ‚  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

About the Author:

Ray & Tracye Gano are the Executive Directors of Prophezine. Prophezine deals with Bible Prophecy and World Events from a Pre-trib, pre-millennial, dispensationalist stand point. They currently serve close to 70,000 (and growing) people world wide with a weekly newsletters, daily news updates, community based website and Internet radio shows.