Psalm 14-- The Atheist Next Door

As the technician finished repairing our computer network, I started talking to him about spiritual matters. I was surprised when he told me he was an atheist. I live in the United States where the vast majority of the population believes in God. When this man said he was an atheist, I could not help but think of Psalm 14:1 "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God'." But while it may be a bit unusual to declare yourself an atheist, the reality is that most people live as if there is no God, whether they call themselves atheists or not. "The Lord looks down from heaven...to see if there are any who understand, who seek God," David tells us in verse two. What does God see? "They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one" (v3). While 80% of Americans call themselves Christians (as opposed to being Muslim or Jewish), only 16% are truly "qualified to be known as followers of Christ" (George Barna, The Seven Faith Tribes, pg 42). This means we are surrounded by a lot of practical atheists, many of which have found their way into our churches. They need to join the "generation of the righteous" (v5) by placing their trust in Jesus Christ to forgive them of their sin. This is a reminder to those of us who are true followers of Christ that we should not look at a person's self-described label but rather get to the heart of the issue--what have they done with Jesus Christ. Someone may call himself or herself a Christian but be as far from God as one who considers himself an atheist. We need to share the gospel with everyone and not make assumptions because they go to church or use Christian terminology.
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Frank Banfill is an author, international speaker, and president of MaxPoint Ministries, whose purpose is to help individuals, churches and ministries reach their full potential. Please forward this blog to your family & friends. Not a subscriber? Sign up now at www.FranksBibleBlog.com. If you would like to share a comment about today's blog, you may do so at http://www.maxpoint.org/maxpoint/message_board.