Why I think atheists are good for the Church

Romans 8:38-39

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

John 17:11-12

And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

1 Corinthians 18:18-19

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

I like atheists because they shake out the double minded in the churches, they loosen those who never really had a true faith, secured by a Holy Spirit encounter, and bring them to reality.

They force believers to examine their faith and determine whether it is sufficient for the salvation they desired when they first committed to Christianity.

I was fortunate to have entered the faith as a defector from the other team, so for me there was never any prevarication or doubt.

My main concern was to get the demons my activities had attracted off my back (so the speak) and that's why I went looking for a church which may be able to do that.

I found a body of believers who could do the introduction I needed to be set free from my captors, and was introduced to Christ.

So from the day that I truly accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Master I had no doubts. Note I said from the day, and be aware that this was not the day I made my sinners prayer with the pastor who took my surrender, it was later, when I had realised the enormity of what I had done, when Satan's little demons had been busy telling me that I could not escape, and when I finally cried out to Christ for protection, knowing full well that from that point in time onward I no longer owned myself, but was a bond slave to Christ. The choice was definitive, belong to Satan or belong to Christ.

It has not changed since Christ walked the earth.

Once past that point, I had no more concerns...

You see my bible tells me that NOTHING can separate me from the LOVE of God.

It also tells me that my Lord and Master has NEVER LOST even one of those given to Him, except Judas, who had a specific role to play in any case.

So knowing these things, I need fear nothing and need not worry about the slings and arrows that Satan sends to test our defenses.

He that is in me is stronger than he that against me.

When Richard Dawkins posed with 'his' bus, the atheists knew they had to put the word PROBABLY into the advertisement, because the Advertising Standards Authority and London Transport Advertising would both have asked them for proof of any statement they wished to make.

There could be no proof, so they had to resort to PROBABLY and what a pathetic campaign that made it, for to the public's eye that campaign could be nothing more than an opinion, and that is all it can ever be, an opinion made with insufficient data to be sure it is truth.

Well my pet atheists, given to me by a loving God to study and learn from, will all spout on about how it's to stop me from indoctrinating children with tales of my 'puny little god' who does not exist.

Logic is obviously lacking in atheism because they miss the point that if my God does not exist, then there is no need to be abusive towards Him whatsoever, because they should know that He would not be hearing them in the first place!.

But so be it, they need to abuse my God in an attempt to maintain the façade of.... well frankly I'm not sure, the ones I've been issued with seem incapable of rising beyond the cheap shot, pour scorn, and run away form of communications, normal discussion and debate is an impossibility for them.

Maybe God will gift me some better ones when these wear out and fade away?

So you see, Richard Dawkins really did do me a favour when his book challenged my faith, and I thank God for directing me to the book, because otherwise I would never have seen the gross error in all atheism that destined the concept to oblivion.

Which is no surprise because that is what atheists seek anyway, a nice cosy hole in the ground to decompose in, or maybe a swift conversion to ash at 5000º Celsius.

Obviously they think (can't use the word believe, they get twitchy) that the whole point of their existence is to persuade everyone else that there is no point to their existence.

Now that makes sense doesn't it?

The point where Dawkins books enlightened me was when he quoted an early experience.

A lesser mortal may have said he heard a voice lying in bed at night, speaking to him.

But not young Dick.

Oh no!, he looked around and saw a keyhole in the door, and knew instantly that this was where the voice had emanated from....wind passing through a keyhole....not some disembodied voice trying to speak from the spirit world.

That immediately solved my spiritual dilemma, because I had also heard a spirit talking to me at eleven years of age, but had not put it down to the wind, mainly because our doors where council house doors and there were no keyholes.

Dear Lord......had my parents doors had keyholes I may have been an atheist!

God does move in mysterious ways....

But in any case I had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit in 1992, seen Him do miracles and been present when lives had been changed, demons cast out and life abundant poured into redeemed sinners. So the 'God Delusion' could not shake a faith that was evidence based.

The average atheist I've been examining will be spitting bullets now for the amount of 'myths and lies' (their concept of truth) that appeared just there, but I cannot lie and I will not deny that which I have personally experienced.

There lies the rub as my old chum Shakespeare would say, because atheists obviously have no ability to admit experience of any spiritual encounter, they MUST deny spirits, good or bad, because their whole ethos is that they do not believe in anything.

What a gift for Satan that is! - with most of humanity he needs to persuade them (using atheists) that he does not exist, but these fools need no such effort, they deny his existence themselves.

But sad though this is, it in no way diminishes the use that God puts atheists to in clarifying faith.

I would encourage every believer to read The God Deception because if you have a Holy Spirit relationship with God, you will enjoy the read, face the challenge and be better equipped to deal with all those who are in neither camp.