Are you a Practical Atheist?

Part of our Wednesday night youth series is under the title "Practical Atheists:  Are you who you say you are?"  Quite a challenging topic.

Before going further, we must define what a "Practical Atheists" is.  This is a person who believes there is a God but behaves like He doesn't exist.  A person who goes to church on Sunday and puts on a good face and lives as far from God as s/he can the rest of the week.  They "wear the Christian costume" with ease.

Revelations 3:14-22 is pretty clear on what we will call Lukewarm Christians:

“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

God isn't a fan of straddling the fence - dabbling your toes in the waters of "hot" Christianity.  I liked what Pastor Matt said - "We want to see how much hell we can get into before going to heaven."  Isn't that so true of many of us?  We are saved & have accepted Christ into our hearts but we still flirt with sin because it's so enticing and deceptive in it's promises to us.  We aren't all in with Christ - just partly in.

Let's put that in perspective.

We serve a God who didn't come at us half-hearted.  He wasn't half in.  He didn't just like us a little, he loved us so much he sacrificed his only life for us.  There was no straddling the fence, there was no going part-way, Jesus was ALL IN.

How it must hurt the heart of God for us to offer him the little we think we have to give or are willing to give.  He loved us enough to give it all and we say thank you by giving a little.  We still hold on to the sin that he died for and enjoy it, find momentary satisfaction in the sin.  He paid the price for that sin.  He died for that sin.  Doesn't make that sin seem so appealing now, does it?