The Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study Group is going through the book The Christian Atheist by Craig Groeschel. A Christian Atheist is someone who believes in God but lives as if He doesn't exist. If you are courageous enough to admit that sometimes you act like a Christian Atheist along with us we can shed some of our hypocrisy and live a life that truly brings glory to Christ.
A Christian Atheist might sound like someone who’s got a faith problem or perhaps at least a spiritual confusion issue. But the core problem for the Christian Atheist Isn't belief; it’s intimacy. The Christian Atheist doesn’t really know God very well.
These are the notes to Session 5
The truth is some Christian Atheists believe in God, but they don’t believe in Prayer. They might claim to believe prayer works, but their actions say otherwise. Some rarely pray, and when they do, they don’t expect anything to change. Many Christian Atheists create long lists of reasons not to pray, from feeling we’re not good enough at it, to being bored when we do pray; from not wanting to bother God with our small requests, to not thinking our prayers can make a difference.
To get your copy of the book click this LINK or the image of the book at the end of my notes for the study
Chapters 4, and 6
Richard Manning, author of the much-loved “The Ragamuffin Gospel,” famously said: “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle.” Hypocrisy may just be the biggest deterrent in people coming to Jesus for salvation. But, the opposite is also true. When Christians refuse to conform to the world, the world notices. A Christ-like life points people to Jesus and causes them to glorify God. So let’s live what we preach!
The truth is some Christian Atheists believe in God, but they don’t believe in Prayer. They might claim to believe prayer works, but their actions say otherwise. Some rarely pray, and when they do, they don’t expect anything to change.
Perils of prayer
I’ve always felt insecure praying aloud. I’ve never thought my prayers were long enough, eloquent enough, or powerful enough.
Many Christian Atheists create long lists of reasons not to pray, from feeling we’re not good enough at it, to being bored when we do pray; from not wanting to bother God with our small requests, to not thinking our prayers can make a difference.
Many of us fear that we aren’t good enough, eloquent enough, or passionate enough. Instead of trying and failing, we don’t try at all. We forget that God loves the prayers of imperfect people, people who know they’ve done wrong, who know they are helpless on their own, who reach out to God, who know they need him.
Or sometimes prayer simply bores us. Our minds wander. Once I’m bored and distracted, I feel so guilty I don’t want to keep praying. Admittedly, when prayer becomes an empty, meaningless ritual, it is boring. But when you remember who you’re talking to—when you acknowledge that the God of the universe is honestly, genuinely excited to hear from you—that truth alone will change your attitude toward prayer. Move the focus from yourself onto God. That’s the beginning of making prayer fresh and exciting. Even fun. Then prayer is like talking to a close friend with whom you can share your heart, your fears, and your dreams. Then, suddenly, instead of a lifeless one-way conversation, prayer with the Father becomes exhilarating.
One more excuse for avoiding prayer—and this is the deal-breaker for most of us Christian Atheists—is that we just aren’t sure our prayers will make a difference. We’ve tried praying before and nothing seemed to happen. After several failed attempts, praying seems at best ineffective and at worse a waste of time.
But God is moved by your prayers. When you pray and God specifically answers your prayers, you will never be the same again. Dog example.
Pray about everything but even when you don’t see the results of your prayers around you, you may still sense God’s loving presence as you grow to know him.
Genuine communication with God may or may not change what God does, but your prayer will often change your heart or perspective. Prayer reminds you that you’re not in control and keeps you close to the one who is.
Question - Is prayer important to you? Oh, yes
Question - How often do you pray? Every Day
Question - Approximately how long? - Five minutes, maybe seven
Question - Do you find prayer satisfying? Not Really
Question - Do you sense the presence of God when you pray? Occasionally, not often.
Most of the people experienced prayer more as a burden not a pleasure. They said that it was important, and felt guilty about their feelings of it being more a burden than anything else.
There is a gap between the theory of prayer and the practice of prayer. “In theory prayer is the essential human act, a priceless point of contact with the God of the universe. In practice prayer is often confusing and frustrating”. In an unscientific poll of 678 people 23 felt satisfied with the time that they were spending in prayer. Not necessarily the length of time but the time period.
Honest Communication
My best definition for prayer is simple: prayer is communicating with God. This straightforward concept can help put us at ease, especially when we realize that communication involves more than just talking. We communicate through music and body language and sculpting and painting and facial expressions and dancing and writing—even macramé! We each have our favorite modes of communication, and God is fluent in all of them. So if talking isn’t your thing, you can still be good at praying.
Whether you pray by talking or by some other mode of communication, God most enjoy the prayer that is natural, direct, and simple.
“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full…And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words” (Matt. 6:5, 7). I'll be talking about this on Sunday.
Constant Communication
God wants to communicate with us all the time. First Thessalonians 5:17 – 18 tells us to “pray continually…for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” The more time we spend praying, the more we can relate to God in every moment of time.
I’m learning to pray rapid-fire prayers. When I see someone in need, I pray immediately. When I’m making a tough decision,
I shoot God a prayer asking for his help. When someone asks me to pray, rather than promising and forgetting, I pray at that moment. The more often we pray, the more our daily lives will be infused with a God-consciousness.
PUSH “pray until something happens.”
Luke 11:5-13 NIV Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Luke 18:1-8 NIV Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’ ” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
Samuel 1:12-17 NIV As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.” “Not so, my Lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.” Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.”
The Importance of Persistent Prayer - Greg Laurie
"So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
—Luke 11:9
Nineteenth-century pastor and evangelist George Mueller cared for thousands of orphans in England and was known to be great man of faith. He decided to pray for five personal friends who did not yet know the Lord, and it wasn’t until five years later that the first of them came to faith.
After five years, two more became Christians. And after 25 years, the fourth came to Christ. Until he died, Mueller prayed for the last person who had not yet believed. And that friend finally came to know the Lord after his death. In total, George Mueller prayed for his five friends for more than 50 years.
Sometimes we pray for something that really seems like the will of God, but the Lord doesn’t give it to us when we ask. When nothing happens, we think that God has abandoned us. We want to know what went wrong.
But Jesus would say, “Keep at it. Keep praying, keep seeking, and keep knocking. Don’t give up. Apply yourself. Be persistent.”
Jesus told the story of a man who knocked on his neighbor's door late at night until he finally got a response. He said, “Though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Luke 11:8–9 NKJV).
We, too, need to pray. And we need to keep praying.
Sometimes we’re surprised when God answers our prayers, aren’t we? We pray and pray, and when God answers our prayers, we say, “I can’t believe it!”
But we need to believe that God can answer our prayers. God has His timing. So don’t feel that He has let you down or abandoned you. Keep praying.
Two-Way Communication
Prayer is an interaction between you and God, and it starts with the relationship that we have with God. It’s a dynamic conversation between two individuals who love, care for, and enjoy one another.
God is talkative and wants to engage us in two-way communication.
The question then becomes how does God speak directly and personally to you?
It may not be as dramatic as when He talked to Moses from the burning bush, or when He spoke to me audibly. Those are rare and dramatic which are great and exciting but wouldn’t you want Him to speak to you every day?
Some of the ways God does talk to you.
1. Prayer. In order for God to speak to us, we need to be in his presence listening for his voice. As we spend time in prayer, we may sense God's leading in our lives.
2. His word. God speaks to us through his written word as we study and meditate upon his holy scripture.
3. Circumstances. Many times God will cause doors to open, or others to close. If we are walking in obedience to him, we have to assume that events in our life are ordered by God. They don't just happen by chance.
4. Our heart. Sometimes the Holy Spirit will minister to our spirit and reveal God's plan for us. We will have an assurance deep in our heart. We will feel God's voice guiding us.
If we’re to relate with God in two-way relationship, we need to become aware of the different ways He speaks and learn to discern His voice.
Unanswered prayer
Prayer isn’t a magic formula where we do X and Y and God is obligated to do Z. Prayer is, instead, a mysterious conversation with God.
Even though we’ll never fully understand why God answers yes to some prayers and says no to others, Scripture shows us several things that matter when we pray.
First, in situations of unanswered prayer, many of us need to give thought to our relationships with other people.
Mark 11:24-25 NIV Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
Not only do your relationships matter, so do your motives.
James 4:3 NIV When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
How many people do you think pray to win the same lottery promising to give a portion to the church? God, if you help me win a million bucks, I’ll be sure you get your cut. It’s amazing to me how self-centered our prayers can be, especially when it comes to our standard of living. For example, some Christians in the United States are praying for economic recovery (which isn’t wrong) while Christians in other parts of the world are praying for enough to eat. Some pray for their favorite sports team to win, all the while forgetting that someone on the other side might be praying for the same thing. We’re tempted to believe that if our desire might make us happy, then it must be a good prayer.
The way we live also matters when we pray. Although we’re made right with God by faith, and not by works, the effectiveness of our prayers is often tied to the holiness of our lives.
James 5:16 NIV Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
Psalms 34:15-16 NIV The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth.
This doesn’t mean that if you’re mostly righteous, God must do everything you ask him to do exactly as you say. It also doesn’t mean that if you are a total mess, God will never answer your prayers. It means that the way we live is one factor that makes a difference.
Another ingredient of effective prayer is our faith.
James 1:6-8 NIV But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
No matter how we live or how much faith we possess, if we ask something contrary toGod’s will, God, in his mercy, won’t give us what we want. Some believe we can name things and claim things—or blab them and grab them, as I like to say. But we can’t. God will give us only what is according to his will, and his will might not be that we get what we want whenever we want.
1 John 5:14-15 NIV This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.
Unanswered Prayers can be frustrating, especially when you’re almost certain that what you’re praying for must be God’s will. In such times, I try to remember that God's will often differs from mine. And his is the one that matters most.
Answered Prayer
His answers can be far different from what we think they should be.
The Beauty and Mystery of prayer
Many Christian Atheists believe in God but don’t practice regular prayer, believing they aren’t good enough, don’t know how to pray, or that God won’t answer their prayers.
Yet the truth is this: the God of the universe is ready to hear from you. Perhaps It's time to call on him, and to listen to his answer.
God will answer some prayers the way you want, and others he won’t. That’s the mystery of prayer.
When You Believe In God and Won’t Forgive
We all know Christians are supposed to forgive. But many of us Christian Atheists Think that there are exceptions to this rule. Sure, we should forgive most of the time but there are some things that can’t be forgiven.
Story in the book about Max
As a Christian Atheist, I felt justified in my bitter hatred, but the Bible clearly illustrates the danger of this natural response.
Hebrews 12:15 NIV See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
Bitterness is frighteningly easy to justify. The longer I allowed the root of bitterness to live, the harder it was to kill.
Scripture shows us how to kill the root of bitterness. And unfortunately, we Christian Atheists are often skilled at avoiding this spiritual medicine.
Ephesians 4:29-32 NIV Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Forgiving is easier said than done, of course. Only God’s power can bring us to a place of being willing to forgive. Example of the monks from our book.
Forgiveness is really a command.
Luke 6:27-28 NIV “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
Matthew 5:43-48 NIV “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Colossians 3:12-14 NIV Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
God has forgiven us freely and completely, without any strings attached. And that's how we’re supposed to forgive others.
Luke 11:4 NIV Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation. ’ ”
Since forgiveness is a command, you can decide to do it or not. It is a choice.
We Christian Atheists can rationalize as many excuses as we need to avoid forgiving. We Christians, however, can find in God the sheer strength to battle through the feelings of anger, hatred, and bitterness, and fight our way back to the cross. That’s where Christ forgave us. And that’s where, by faith, we can find the ability to forgive those who’ve wronged us.
Next week 7-9.
Bible Study Audio
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