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.Many Christian Atheists don’t really believe in the church. There are lots of Christians that say they don’t do church. They don’t do church for various reasons. They had a bad experience with a church member, or pastor, they fell for a false teaching and got hurt, they don’t see any difference in church goers and people who don’t go or are not even believers, they think they can read the bible and gain as much knowledge by themselves as if they went to church every week. The Church repulses them because they feel it’s full of hypocrites.
Other people accept that people are hypocrites by nature; they just can’t stand churches talking about money.
Others steer clear because church is irrelevant to their everyday lives. They tried church before, and it didn’t make a difference. So why bother?
Maybe they even want to attend church, but when they do, they feel even guiltier than they did before. The pastor and all the other put-together, perfect people just make them feel worse about themselves.
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
This is an extra from our study last week You Believe in God but Don’t Share Your Faith.
The Core Issue - Greg Laurie Harvest Ministries in Riverside
“‘Sir,’ the woman said, ‘you must be a prophet. So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?’”
—John 4:19–20
Sometimes when we share our faith, people want us to go off on a tangent. When we start talking to them about their need for God, they’ll come back with questions like, “Well, if God is good, why does He allow suffering? And what about a person who has never heard the gospel? What will God do with them?”
While you’re answering one question, they’re moving on to another. It’s a diversionary tactic.
That’s what happened as Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman by the well. She was getting uncomfortable, so she tried to get Him off the subject. She said, “So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?” (John 4:20 NLT).
The Jews and the Samaritans had an ongoing debate about where they were to worship God. The Jews, of course, believed they should worship God in the temple that He had established in Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, the Samaritans had their own temple and their own views.
Jesus could have easily gone down this road, because it was a heated debate. But He answered it very succinctly, pointing out what was right. Then He brought it back to the big issue: “For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth” (verse 24 NLT).
He brought this woman back to what really mattered, what was really essential. Her initial cynicism gave way to curiosity, and ultimately, she believed on the spot.
In the same way, when we’re sharing the gospel, we should try to answer questions to the best of our ability. But then we need to bring it back to the core issue: their need for Jesus Christ
When You Believe In God But Not In His Church
When we have been successful in sharing our faith the next thing that we should want to do is make sure that that person is discipled and the church is where that happens. I’m not talking about a building, although a place to assemble is important and with technology that can happen in a number of ways. I’m talking about the institution, the vehicle that God uses to deliver the gospel to the world and equips its members to deliver it.
Many Christian Atheists don’t really believe in the church. They are talking about the institution.
There are lots of Christians that say they don’t do church. They don’t do church for various reasons. They had a bad experience with a church member, or pastor, they fell for a false teaching and got hurt, they don’t see any difference in church goers and people who don’t go or are not even believers, they think they can read the bible and gain as much knowledge by themselves as if they went to church every week. The Church repulses them because they feel it’s full of hypocrites.
Other people accept that people are hypocrites by nature; they just can’t stand churches talking about money.
Others steer clear because church is irrelevant to their everyday lives. They tried church before, and it didn’t make a difference. So why bother?
Maybe they even want to attend church, but when they do, they feel even guiltier than they did before. The pastor and all the other put-together, perfect people just make them feel worse about themselves.
In the church there has been a prohibition of talking about certain things or not expressing our feelings when we are hurting is certain areas like money or sex we often putting lipstick on a pig so to speak. We are masking how we sometimes hurt so we don’t get help. I used to hear some old time preachers and old time mothers talking about the church being a hospital. Well, if you can’t talk about your sickness, what kind of hospital is it? Is it only one that deals with the common cold or a stubbed toe and not drug addiction or sex addiction, or depression?
If you can’t bring your deepest problems to the church because you are afraid of what others may say, where people have to pretend that “..their lives are picture-perfect”. There are two problems that result. 1) the issues or problems will sooner or later come out and either they will result in gossip or the leadership will tell them not to come back until the problem is handled or 2) they can’t take the pressure of trying to put up a false face for the church so they drop out.
“When we meet Christ, we are saved from the penalty of sin, but we do not escape the effects of sin --whether that’s our own sin of other people’s sin or simply the broken world we live in. Church is the place where we need to go for healing, not the place to pretend that we’re perfect. It shouldn’t be the place we run from when we feel overwhelmed, it should be the place we run to. That is where Jesus will meet us and change us.
Finally, there is the “super spiritual”. Their ideals are so high that no church can possibly meet their standards. They have detailed lists of what’s wrong with each church in town. The worship music isn’t “Spirit-led” enough, or it’s too loud, too soft, or too whatever. The sermons are too shallow or too intellectual. The missions program isn’t aggressive enough or it’s all the church talks about. They spend too much money on the building or not enough. Churches, with their mere mortals, can never measure up.
I talked about these people in a sermon on worshiping in spirit and truth. I said worship isn’t about you anyway. It’s about carving out time in our busy lives and responding to who God is and what He’s done for us. It’s about a deep, inner spirit response. Worship doesn’t always mean singing at the top of your lungs, or dancing or shouting. It’s about just entering into His presence and your response to that.
Here’s what God wants in worship.
Isaiah 1:16-17 NIV Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.
Hosea 6:6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings
Micah 6:8 NIV He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
In other words we are to be completely devoted to him and compassionate toward others, not just giving lip service and empty sacrifices. God wants people to actually know him, not just know about him while ignoring what God considers important which is obedience and love. Living a life of obedience and love is what worship is, it’s not just going through the motions: outwardly sacrificing and saying the right things, yet inwardly remaining far from God.
Here’s the thinking of a lot of Christians today. Who needs church anyway? We can get all the Christian content we need from websites, podcasts, and books—even television and radio.
Here’s The Key, Don’t Go To Church Be The Church
To many people, church is a place. It’s a building, bricks and mortar, a destination.
This is from a sermon too.
We know that God isn’t confined to a church building or only available at certain times of day. So we don’t have to wait until we come to church or a certain time of day to worship Him. We don’t even have to wait until we feel spiritual. If we are delighting ourselves in Him we can be confident of His presence all the time.
Psalm 139 says that God's presence can be wherever we are.
Psalm 139:1-10 NIV You have searched me, Lord , and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord , know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
The church is actually God’s chosen vehicle to meet—through other human beings—people's true needs (including our own).
Matthew 22:36-40 (NLT)36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’38 This is the first and greatest commandment.39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
The Church allows you to do both, love God and love people, The church needs every believer. The analogy that Paul uses is that the church is like a body that needs every part.
Romans 12:4-8 (NLT)4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function,5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you.7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well.8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.
1 Corinthians 12:12-28 (NLT)12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part.15 If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body.16 And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body?17 If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?18 But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it.19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part!20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body.21 The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary.23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen,24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity.25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other.26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.28 Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church: first are apostles, second are prophets, third are teachers, then those who do miracles, those who have the gift of healing, those who can help others, those who have the gift of leadership, those who speak in unknown languages.
If you are sitting on your gift then The Church is missing it like a part of the body missing a finger. It can’t function at the optimal level without that finger as small and insignificant as you might think it is. It still keeps the body from functioning as God would have it.
Christian Atheists Are Also Lukewarm Christians And Christ Doesn’t Like Lukewarm Christians
Many so-called Christians are lukewarm. They want enough of Jesus to get them by, but not so much that they go overboard.
The church in Laodicea described in Revelation 3 is the prototype of lukewarm Christianity.
Revelation 3:15-19 (NLT)15 “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other!16 But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!17 You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.18 So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see.19 I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.
Lukewarm Christians …
Many so-called Christians are lukewarm…. They want enough of Jesus to keep them out of hell and enough to get into heaven, but not so much of Jesus that he transforms their lives …. They want enough of Jesus to get them by, but not so much that they go overboard.
Most wouldn’t admit that this is all the faith they can manage. We want God’s benefits without changing how we live. We want his best, without our sacrifices.
Lukewarm Christians;
1. Crave acceptance from people more than acceptance
from God.
2. Rarely share their faith in Christ.
3. Do whatever it takes to alleviate their guilt.
4. Think more about life on earth than eternity in heaven.
5. Gauge their morality by comparing themselves to others.
6. Want to be saved from the penalty of sin without changing their lives.
7. Only turn to God when they’re in a bind or when they’re in trouble.
8. Give when it doesn’t impinge on their standard of living.
9. Are not much different from the rest of this world.
10. Want the benefits of what Christ did without conforming to who he is.
Lukewarm Christians put God on the shelf and say, “I believe in you, but I don’t really need you right now,
Revelation 3:17-19 (NLT)17 You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.
18 So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see.19 I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.
Extreme Church
Many Christian Atheists today commit only half heartedly to Christ’s church—if at all.
He doesn’t want us simply to believe in God. He wants us to give our lives to him through his church. In the first church described in Acts 2, “church” wasn’t something people added to their lives.
Church was the center of their lives. Church was not a physical building; it was a community of people who shared a belief and faith in Christ.
Their extreme commitment to Christianity contrasts sharply with our attitude today:
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42).
Acts of the Apostles 4:34-35 NLT There were no needy people amon g them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.
They didn’t go to church; they were the church, devoted to God’s Word, God’s people, and God’s mission.
This is what happens when people stop going to church and start being the church, as Jesus intended. Every need in the church can be met by the church.
A Place to Belong
While the church meets physical needs, it also provides a place for us to belong. A Barna poll revealed that 92 percent of Americans claim to be independent. Though Independence is a goal for many, God never intended for his believers to be independent.
He wants us dependent on one another and on him. The apostle Paul writes, “So in Christ We who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others” (Rom. 12:5). As believers in Christ, we are incomplete without the rest of his body—the church. And the church is incomplete without us. We need others, and others need us.
Belonging to a local church also provides accountability, where wiser and more mature Christians can regularly counsel us, mentor us, comfort us, and help us heal. We can confess to God for forgiveness (see 1 John 1:9), but that’s only half of the equation.
We also need to confess to other Christians to help us ultimately overcome our sinful habits. James 5:16 says, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”
We’re responsible both to hold each other accountable and to encourage one another.
Hebrews 10:24-25 NLT Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
A Place to Believe
In addition to belonging, church also gives us a place to grow spiritually.
Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” Our faith grows as we hear God’s Word taught and proclaimed.
Living out what we've heard solidifies it for us. James 1:22 says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
Our Father uses his church to minister to us, to draw us closer to him, and to equip us—these spiritual benefits aren’t just for us. God is transforming his church into extraordinary ministers. He calls us to change lives in our own communities and around the world.
God’s church continues to grow around the world because its people instinctively understand that the church exists not for them but for those who don’t yet know Christ. While the church at its best rarely makes headlines, it is changing lives—and the world—for good. It loves radically, serves sacrificially, and gives extravagantly.
Many Christian Atheists hesitate to join a church because they don’t think there's any way God would work through them and their imperfections. But the Bible says differently
When Jesus called his first followers, he recruited tax collectors, uneducated fishermen, and dangerous revolutionaries. Notice who Jesus did not call: not one rabbi, scribe, or priest. Not one Pharisee or Sadducee, nor any other person from the formal religious establishment of the day. When he chose friends, Jesus surrounded himself with the lonely, the broken, and the overlooked. God is calling you to be a part of his church, to be his church.
If we’re not overboard for him, then chances are we don’t really know him.
It’s time to seek him. It’s time to surrender everything. It’s time to let go of everything in this world.
In Mere Christianity, author C. S. Lewis writes about the problem with being a part-time Christian:
The terrible thing, the almost impossible thing, is to hand over your whole self— all your wishes and precautions—to Christ. We are all trying to let our mind and heart go their own way—centered on money or pleasure or ambition — and hoping, in spite of this, to behave honestly and chastelyand humbly. And that is exactly what Christ warned us you could not do.
Christ says “Give me All. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it…. Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked — the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: my own will shall become yours.”
When we are open to go wherever the Holy Spirit leads us, he will use us to share the greatest gift of all—eternal life through Christ. And when he does, we may never know on this side of eternity how much of a difference we made. But someday—on the other side—we’ll know in full.
The Afterward
WANTING MORE THAN ENOUGH OF JESUS
Christian Atheists have a lot in common with Goldilocks — we like things not too hot, not too cold, but just right. Yet when it comes to living out our faith, what might feel “just right” to us is what God considers nauseatingly lukewarm. God doesn’t want tepid commitment or a moderate devotion. He doesn’t want us to settle for just-right just-enough or a just-so life in Christ. He wants everything we’ve got — fierce commitment, wholehearted passion, and a blazing heart of love.
The Christian Atheist, page 235
“Whatever it takes” became my heart’s cry. Whatever it takes to know him. Whatever It takes to live like I truly love God. Whatever it takes to love eternity more than this world. Even if I have to fight, scrape, and crawl away from my Christian Atheism Into a genuine, crucified life of faith and radical obedience to Christ, I’ll do whatever it takes.
Wholly surrendered. Those are beautiful, nourishing words for a God-hungry heart. They mark the beginning of a journey from life as it is to life as it could be. A life of knowing God and allowing yourself to be known by him. Of walking through hardships and loss steadying the hope that God is out to do you only good. Of experiencing the deep love of Christ every day. Of discovering God’s trustworthy provision when you put him in charge of your money and your happiness. These are the kinds of things that lead to the life that is truly life. And isn’t that what you really want? If so, it’s time to jump ship from Christian Atheism and go completely overboard — take a flying leap of white-hot faith and let the God who loves you catch you.
Welcome to true Christianity.
Bible Study Audio
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