Surrounded by Atheists

[Gentile]

For some reason i always seemed to be surrounded by atheists. I have to be honest, it's sometimes hard to keep my focus on Christ. Atheists are some very dedicated people, and some of their beliefs really do make sense. I have been watching alot of youtube videos of atheists and Christians debating their beliefs, and i have not seen one video of christian that can really hold up to an atheist.

I think this a test of my faith as of lately.

[Hunter121]

Then hold strong, the gift of faith is eternal life.

[Dani H]

So? Some will believe, others won't. Paul used to preach Christ in the synagogues until he realized they weren't going to accept Christ as their messiah, and so he walked out, shook the dust off his feet, and went to the gentiles. And those weren't atheists, but deists!

I don't need an unbeliever to believe, or even agree, for my faith to be validated. Jesus stands on His own, as does my faith in Him.

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by God's word. What's God been telling you lately? If your faith is being shaken, get to listening to God more and listen to atheists less.

An unbeliever's belief system makes exactly zero sense if it excludes the one true God who created them. Just FYI.

[cindylou]

For some reason i always seemed to be surrounded by atheists. I have to be honest, it's sometimes hard to keep my focus on Christ. Atheists are some very dedicated people, and some of their beliefs really do make sense. I have been watching alot of youtube videos of atheists and Christians debating their beliefs, and i have not seen one video of christian that can really hold up to an atheist.

I think this a test of my faith as of lately.

YOu need to hear the arguments of Dr. William Lane Craig and go to www.reasonablefaith.org and order a copy of the book Reasonable Faith or the book On Guard by Dr. William Lane Craig as well..if you're going to be surrounded by atheists often (as I am) then you need a crash course on apologetics 101.

You can get them for download on kindle as well on amazon etc

[Reynolds357]

For some reason i always seemed to be surrounded by atheists. I have to be honest, it's sometimes hard to keep my focus on Christ. Atheists are some very dedicated people, and some of their beliefs really do make sense. I have been watching alot of youtube videos of atheists and Christians debating their beliefs, and i have not seen one video of christian that can really hold up to an atheist.

I think this a test of my faith as of lately.

See if you can find some old videos of Dr. D. James Kennedy debating athiests.
Check out the book "The new evidence that demands a verdict" by Josh McDowell.

[Dani H]

I may be a simplistic person, but God speaks life where men speak death, and so I maintain that our young brother here just needs to hear from the Lord if he believes his faith challenged. Clever arguments don't build faith. Life-giving words from the mouth of God (that Jesus said we're to live by), however, do. It's my personal experience that arguments cannot put a heart to rest which is where our true beliefs reside. All they can do is touch the mind. But it's not about how we think in our minds; but rather, how we think in our hearts, as how we think in our hearts, so are we. One word of Jesus directly into my heart can build my faith a thousand times stronger than ten thousand words of some man or woman, however well meant and reasoned out they might be.

Not saying don't listen to Kennedy or any other well-known apologist. Just saying above all, listen to the Lord and ask Him to speak life to you. Now, if He chooses to speak said life to you using the words of other people, wonderful. But there are those times when nothing except a straight-up word Spirit to spirit will do, to break the bonds around our hearts that keep us captive and trapped in our ever-present man-made reasoning that too often produces death and keeps us there. By his own words, he admits he's having a hard time focusing on the Lord. That's only to be remedied by ... consciously shutting out men, silencing their ever-present chatter, and focusing on the Lord.

Don't believe me? Try it.

[Slug1]

Check out the book "The new evidence that demands a verdict" by Josh McDowell.

Most excellent book for any Christian to have!

[TrustGzus]

Almost every survey states that 75% of teens that have been raised as Christians are leaving the faith. I am completely convinced it is because they want answers to questions and that too much of the church doesn't give them. I've worked with youth groups in churches where those numbers seem about right. Where the youth pastor's almost constant refrain is "this person's not walking with the Lord anymore." Youth groups too often are holding tanks with pizza.

I got into apologetics as a teen and here I am in my 40's now still walking with Jesus. Listen to William Lane Craig. He's one of the best. He's got free podcasts. Reasonable Faith is a great book. On Guard is easier if you want to "get your feet wet" first.

Listen to Greg Koukl of STR. William Lane Craig speaks at a very high level and sometimes is difficult to understand. Koukl brings it down to a more understandable level. He has a free podcast. It's three hours most Sundays and if I could only listen to one radio show, it would be Koukl

I just had a younger friend, he's 29, who after being raised in a Christian home, home schooled, pastor's son, just converted to atheism. Why? While it's a good church they don't give the best answers and they listen to some of the lamest apologists in my opinion. They are weak in that area. He and I are getting together for dinner and hopefully we can work through some of the issues in regard to all the atheists he's been reading (I purchase all their books too so I can keep up with what they're saying).

The challenge is real. A boatload of Christians are converting. It's time for the church to wake up about this.

1 Peter 3:15 tells us to give reasons for our faith. Too many Christians instead of giving reasons quote Bible verses at atheists as if they were magical words from Gandalf that do magical things when we say them. It just doesn't work that way.

[chad]

When I hear athiests arguments, I really do feel sorry for them. It's all logic and human wisdom. They don't understand, they don't have a spiritual element to their existence.


(1 Cor 3:18 NIV) Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a "fool" so that he may become wise.

(1 Cor 3:19 NIV) For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness";

(1 Cor 3:20 NIV) and again, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile."


Here is the counter argument:
In the end, if we as christians are wrong (which were not) ... we have lived a life trying to honor a God (who didn't exist). If Atheist are wrong they spend an eternity in hell, until the final judgement. Then revelation reveals their fate.

I have compassion for Atheists, because they are deceived by as Paul calls it the wisdom of this age. I do understand what they are thinking though, I was once lost and a sinner, but by the grace of God, I am saved.

For some reason i always seemed to be surrounded by atheists. I have to be honest, it's sometimes hard to keep my focus on Christ. Atheists are some very dedicated people, and some of their beliefs really do make sense. I have been watching alot of youtube videos of atheists and Christians debating their beliefs, and i have not seen one video of christian that can really hold up to an atheist.

I think this a test of my faith as of lately.

[lovex]

All of the advice that you have been given is great, but I truly believe that Dani's is the most beneficial. What better way to have our faith become renewed other than the words of our Lord Jesus. Yes, people can preach amazing, and moving sermons but nothing can give you what the Lord can give. Allow the Lord to move in your heart and let Him take control. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you. Allow His word to get rooted into the center for Your heart. Just as Dani said, your heart is everything. Put your focus on things of the Lord, pursue Him... don't live idlely waiting for something to happen but rather do everything you can to let your faith be in Him only. Don't get discouraged when you are around atheists. See it as an opportunity to preach the Gospel and shed His light in the darkness. And pray, continually.