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 8
Many of us, and this includes me, are reluctant to share our faith with others. There may be many reasons; we don’t think the time is right; we don’t know what to say; the other person doesn’t want to listen, etc.
What we must remember is that if we don’t share our faith, it may be the last opportunity for that person. Plus, the bible says something we should remember. A person's blood is on our hands if we don’t warn them about disobedience.
Ezekiel 3:17-19 (NLT)17 “Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for Israel. Whenever you receive a message from me, warn people immediately.18 If I warn the wicked, saying, ‘You are under the penalty of death,’ but you fail to deliver the warning, they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible for their deaths.19 If you warn them and they refuse to repent and keep on sinning, they will die in their sins. But you will have saved yourself because you obeyed me.
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
One reason Satan’s strongholds are so powerful is that they become entrenched. This happens when Satan can get you to buy into the lie that your situation is hopeless. His goal is to get you to believe that by nature you are a drug addict or a manipulator or a negative person, that you are controlled by fear or shame, that nothing will ever change, and so on. Once you give in to and adopt this line of thinking, these fortresses become difficult to remove. Your behavior deteriorates even more since all of us act according to who we believe we are.
The only solution is to tear down these fortresses by “taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). Reprogram your mind and release yourself from captivity. This is how you unleash your full potential and free yourself up to then help other men rise to do the same.
The solution is twofold but straightforward. First, identify Christ’s thoughts on a matter, and secondly, align your own thinking under the rule of His truth.
Then the truth will set you free (John 8:32).
Stop basing your identity around your “defects.” You say, “It’s just like me to be . . .” or “It’s just the way I am.” The unconscious worry is that if you let go of your hurt, hang-up, or habit, you won’t know who you are anymore. This fear can definitely slow your growth.
Although God could instantly transform you, he has chosen to develop you slowly.
This is how you see him work throughout the Bible. God allowed the Israelites to take over the Promised Land “little by little” so they wouldn’t be overwhelmed (Deuteronomy 7:22). Jesus was deliberate in developing his disciples. In the same way, God prefers to work in incremental steps in your life.
We are slow learners. People often have to relearn a lesson 40 or 50 times to really get it. The problems keep recurring, and you think, “Not again! I’ve already learned that!” But God knows better. The history of Israel illustrates how quickly we forget the lessons God teaches us and how soon we revert to our old patterns of behavior. We need repeated exposure.
We have a lot to unlearn. Since most of your problems—and all of your bad habits—didn’t develop overnight, it’s unrealistic to expect them go away immediately. There is no pill, prayer, or principle that will instantly undo the damage of many years. It requires the hard work of removal and replacement. The Bible calls it “taking off the old self” and “putting on the new self” (Romans 13:12; Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:7-10, 14).
Growth is often painful and scary. There is no growth without change, no change without fear or loss, and no loss without pain. Every change involves a loss of some kind. People fear these losses. Even if your old ways were self-defeating, they were at least comfortable and familiar, like a worn-out pair of shoes.
Good habits take time to develop. Your character is the sum total of your habits. You can’t claim to be kind unless you are habitually kind. Your habits define your character.
There is only one way to develop the habits of Christlike character: You must practice them—and that takes time! There are no instant habits. Paul urged Timothy, “Practice these things. Devote your life to them so that everyone can see your progress” (1 Timothy 4:15 GW).
When You Believe In God But Don’t Share Your Faith
Many of us, and this includes me, are reluctant to share our faith with others. There may be many reasons; we don’t think the time is right; we don’t know what to say; the other person doesn’t want to listen, etc.
If we somehow feel that the Holy Spirit wants us to share our faith with someone, whether we know them or not, I think that He has somehow prepared the person or the circumstance for us to talk to them. Remember what Jesus said to His disciples.
Matthew 10:19-20 (NLT)19 When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time.20 For it is not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
What we have to remember is that if we don’t share our faith it may be the last opportunity for that person. Plus the bible says something we should remember. A minister friend of mine says that a person's blood is on our hands if we don’t warn them about disobedience. Here’s where she gets that;
Ezekiel 3:17-19 (NLT)17 “Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for Israel. Whenever you receive a message from me, warn people immediately.18 If I warn the wicked, saying, ‘You are under the penalty of death,’ but you fail to deliver the warning, they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible for their deaths.19 If you warn them and they refuse to repent and keep on sinning, they will die in their sins. But you will have saved yourself because you obeyed me.
There’s an example in the book about Craig going to see the man at the request of his wife to share the gospel in the hope that he would accept Jesus and receive salvation before his death which was imminent. It’s at the very beginning of Chapter 11. Craig didn’t want to appear pushy because the guy was an unbeliever so he never broached the subject. Feeling guilty later he went back the next day and the guy had died.
Like many of us he looked for the perfect moment to share. That moment didn’t come for this guy and it may not for people that we know or people that we come into contact with.
The Great Commission is really a command to Jesus’ disciples to evangelize.
Matthew 28:18-20 (NLT)18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
The word evangelism comes from the Greek word euangelizo, which means “to proclaim or share the good news.” Our modern word gospel comes from the Old English word gôdspel. In Old English, gôd with a long “o” meant “good,” and spell meant “word.” So sharing the gospel meant sharing the good word or good news of Christ.
Yet for those who don’t believe in Christ, gospel sharing, or evangelism, often arouses skepticism, resentment, fear, or anger. The reputation of some televangelists and some street corner preachers may be the reason for this. For many self-proclaimed Christians, these words often induce feelings of fear and guilt. Christian Atheists know they should share their faith, but largely because of the strong emotions associated with it, they usually don’t.
Craig said something that I found to be very interesting. He said that in his opinion one of the main reasons that Christians don’t share their faith is that they don’t really believe in hell. His thought is that if we really believed in hell we wouldn’t want anybody to go there and we would do everything that we could to keep them from going.
He points to research that shows that while almost three out of four people believe in heaven, less than half believe in hell.
I wrote a post about hell; Hell..What, Where, Who Has Been There. Here is some of what I wrote:
The experience of being in hell is like being constantly burned.
Matthew 18:9 (NLT)9 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.
Mark 9:43, 45, 47-48 (NLT)43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands.45 If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one foot than to be thrown into hell with two feet. 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It’s better to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,48 ‘where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out.’
Hell is compared to darkness.
Matthew 22:13 (NLT) Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Hell is associated with tremendous grief.
Matthew 8:12 (NLT) But many Israelites—those for whom the Kingdom was prepared—will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
It is also associated with great horror.
Mark 9:44 (NKJV) where 'Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.'
What the Bible does make clear is that hell is real, eternal, and to be avoided at all costs
We Should Always Be Ready To Share Our Faith
The apostle Peter says,
1 Peter 3:15 (NLT) Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.
Maybe you can relate. You’d like to be ready for anything, but you’re afraid you might choke under pressure. So to be prepared.
Preparation—studying and thinking about what you’ll say—will give you confidence. Not every chance to share will be set up for you. But no matter who starts the conversation, if you engage enough people, you’re going to be amazed how many of them are genuinely hungry to hear the truth from an honest, caring heart.
Now while I do believe that we all should evangelize I also believe that some people have a spiritual gift to evangelize and others do not have that gift. Those with gift
Evangelist
The divine enablement to effectively communicate the message of Christ to unbelievers who respond in faith and discipleship.
Characteristics: This term literal means "messenger of good news". They have a strong desire to communicate the message of salvation to a lost world. A person with this gift often looks and prays for opportunities to work Christ into the conversation. They are regularly "harvesting" lost souls for the kingdom. An evangelist isn't concerned with imparting deep spiritual truths as the teacher is, but they are motivated to help people understand and respond to the basic biblical messages. The Holy Spirit flows out of them in a way that convicts people of their sins. Excuses for inactivity and indecisiveness are exposed by the light of the Spirit. Evangelists are active individual's motivating others to act. They are exciting to be around, like quick results, big crowds, fast change and are constantly moving.
Those of us who don’t have the gift should still be ready to share our faith. That sounds good but when we get the opportunity most of the time we don’t know where to start. Most of us are not as knowledgeable as Philip when he talked to the eunuch.
Acts 8:34-38 (NLT)34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, was the prophet talking about himself or someone else?”35 So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus.36 As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?”38 He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.
So tell your own story but be prepared. Know what you want to say and how you want to say it. You may even want to practice it. In my opinion the best way to share your faith is by your life. Live in a way that people want to know what makes you tick. Then when they ask, share your story and your faith.
Interacting with non-Christian friends and family members has always been a balancing act. We long to share Jesus with them, but we don’t want to push them away. We work to maintain a good relationship AND tell them about the eternal life God offers. It’s always been difficult.
But thankfully, God has given us timeless, spiritual principles in His Word. Principles, that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can apply to any and every situation we might encounter.
Here are 5 biblical don’t and 5 biblical do’s
5 Biblical Don’ts
1. Don’t isolate yourself
Christians often strike the wrong balance with the world. We tend to either isolate ourselves from non-Christians to spiritually protect ourselves or we compromise our Christian values and become more like them. Jesus calls us to the opposite: To go out into the world, but not become like the world. We must stay connected to our non-Christian friends and family members. If we limit or eliminate our time with them, there will be no opportunity for us to influence them for Christ.
John 17:15-19 NKJV I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.
2. Don’t argue over religious or cultural issues.
No one wins this kind of argument. Even if we get in a bunch of truth zingers, we won’t change their mind. In fact, our biblical mindset seems silly and foolish to them because they don’t have the spiritual capacity to understand the truth on which it’s founded.
I Corinthians 2:14 NKJV But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Only the Holy Spirit can give them that understanding. We’ll only manage to build a wall between us and them. Instead, work to keep the peace. The possibility of influencing them for Christ is much higher if we maintain a relationship with them.
3. Don’t support or encourage ungodly behavior.
Sometimes Christians condone and show support for sinful behavior in a misguided attempt to appear tolerant and build relationships. But we can be gracious and loving without compromising biblical values. For instance, we can foster a loving relationship with an LGBTQ niece without carrying a banner in a pride parade.
Ephesians 5:6-11 NKJV Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.
4. Don’t judge their behavior
At first read, this may sound contradictory to the point above.
We talked about that on Sunday. When Jesus said, Matthew 7:1 NIV “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.
He was not prohibiting was not prohibiting the due process of law and He was not prohibiting the practice of moral judgments. This is what Jesus was prohibiting, nit-picking, fault finding, and cutting other people down to our size.
Here’s the clarification: No compromise for the Christian. No judgment of the non-Christian. God calls His people to holiness, and He calls the world to Jesus. It is not our responsibility to judge the behavior of the world; God will judge them. Non-Christians will act like non-Christians. Their thinking, attitudes, and actions will reflect the world’s. We cannot expect them to share our values or our behavior. That won’t be possible without them first having a saving relationship with Jesus (See also “Should Christians Judge the World?” and “To Judge or Not to Judge.”).
I Corinthians 5:12-13 NKJV For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”
5. Don’t discuss controversial, worldly things.
Some topics, like politics, are more explosive than others. Work to keep casual conversations on safe ground. Talking about hot-button issues is not worth risking the relationship. Save your conversation capital for something that matters for eternity.
II Timothy 2:23-26 NKJV But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.
5 Biblical Do’s
1. Listen more than you talk
Arguments build walls. Listening breaks them down. If they initiate a conversation on a certain issue that can’t be avoided, ask them why they feel that way. Then listen. Don’t try to change their minds. Don’t tell them they’re wrong. Eventually, respectful listening will open their ears. When they realize we genuinely care about them, they just may ask what we think and why.
James 1:19-20 NKJV So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
2. Speak with grace
We should always be prepared to speak to specific topics lovingly, respectfully, and biblically when asked outright. Honest, grace-filled conversations within the context of relationship can spark interest in Jesus. When asked about hot button topics, we should answer biblically and truthfully, but these conversations are best had in person, not via text or social media.
Colossians 4:5-6 NKJV Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
3.Live a fruit-filled life
A person whose life demonstrates the fruit of the Spirit attracts attention. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control are rare qualities today. This kind of counter-cultural character will draw people to us and causes them to wonder what we have that they don’t.
Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
4.Model a godly lifestyle
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!
I Peter 2:11-12 NKJV Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
5.Keep the Gospel the main thing
The following question is a good guideline for every potential conversation, interaction, reaction, and facial expression. “Will this help or hurt the cause of the Gospel in this person’s life?” If it will reduce the possibility of them hearing and receiving the Gospel, then we shouldn’t say it or do it. Let’s remember their greatest need. They need Jesus!
I Peter 3:15 NKJV But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;
No matter how well we navigate these dos and don’ts, we’ll still step on a few landmines. There will still be some relationship explosions. The more people hate or resist Jesus, the more they will hate or resist us, His followers.
John 15:18-21 NKJV “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.
We are only responsible for our words and actions, not the reaction of the other person. “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Romans 12:18-19 NKJV If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
Let’s ground our lives on biblical principles and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. Then leave the rest up to God.
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