Should a preacher be allowed to be both an elder and preacher in the church?

Sincerely,
Double Duty

Dear Double Duty,

If a preacher also meets the qualifications to be an elder (those qualifications can be found in 1 Tim 3:1-7 and Tit 1:5-9), then he can serve as both an elder and a preacher.  In fact, we have an example of this in the apostle Peter.  Peter was an evangelist (we see him preaching boldly in Acts 2), he was an apostle (Matt 10:2), and Peter says that he was also an elder (1 Pet 5:1)!  Peter held all three jobs at once because he was qualified for all three jobs.  It doesn't matter whether someone is a preacher or not, if he is qualified to serve as an elder, the congregation should appoint him.

     Why did Jesus ask God why He forsook Him?

Sincerely,
Left Scratching My Head

Dear Left Scratching My Head,

Christ spoke those words with His dying breaths, hanging upon a cross (Mk 15:34).  Jesus was on that cross for our sins (1 Cor 15:3).  When Jesus hung upon the cross, He carried the weight of all the sins of mankind upon His shoulders (1 Pet 2:24).  As our innocent Savior carried that unimaginable weight upon His shoulders, He bore the blackness of our sins and the separation from God that sin brings with it (Hab 1:13).  As Jesus gasped for air, He was separated from His Father for our sakes.  That is why He said what He did.

I am feeling very sick right now, and I have a question: why do I still feel the same though I have already prayed?

Sincerely,
Ill At Ease

Dear Ill At Ease,

There are two reasons that God might not have answered your prayers yet.  The first reason is that He is ignoring your prayers because you aren’t a christian, or you aren’t living faithfully.  Read “Whose Prayers Count?” for the list of things that will make God turn His back on your prayers.

The other reason is that God’s timing is different than yours.  God answers our prayers according to His will, not ours – in fact, we should pray that the Lord’s will be done (Jas 4:15).  Having said that, it is perfectly appropriate to keeping praying until the answer is clear – God is pleased with the consistently prayerful (1 Thess 5:17).  He wants you to ask over and over – until He gives you an answer.  David prayed vehemently for the life of his child until the child died (2 Sam 12:22-23).  Paul prayed for his sickness to be removed three times until God told him to accept the pain (2 Cor 12:8-9).  Cornelius’ prayers were constantly before the Lord until Peter was sent (Acts 10:4-5).  Even our Lord prayed in the garden repeatedly that He might not have to die on the cross (Matt 26:39).  The key in all these circumstances was that the requests ceased when God answered. Once God made His decision apparent, whether it was yes or no, acceptance began.

God never gets tired of hearing from His children.  Christians are to constantly seek Him in prayer.  The most direct example of this is Christ’s parable of the unjust judge in Lk 18:1-5.  Christ taught that parable so that “men ought always to pray, and not to grow weary”.  God wants to hear from His people.  So don’t stop asking for help; He is listening.  We are so sorry for your illness, and we will pray for you as well.

How do some christians debate that the earth as a planet is merely 5,000 years old?

Sincerely,
Looking Later

Dear Looking Later,

There is quite a bit of scientific evidence that backs the Bible timeline for a young earth.  According to the Bible, the Earth is around 6,000 years old.  This was accepted by the scientific community until not long before Darwin came on the scene.  Darwinian evolution required the world to be billions of years old to prove his theory that species evolve slowly over time.  Since evolutionists dominate the public voice for the scientific community (even though many scientists do believe the Bible and do believe in a young earth), all you ever hear is that the world is billions of years old – we are never told about the evidence that supports a young Earth.

There are many evidences for a young earth.  One piece of evidence is the Cambrian explosion – a layer of rock that show an immense variety of fossils.  The Cambrian explosion in the fossil record shows that there was a point in history when millions of species exploded onto the scene – the exact opposite of evolution.  However, the Cambrian explosion can easily be explained by the worldwide flood of Noah’s day (Gen 7:11-12).  A worldwide flood explains why there was an explosion of dead things under tons of mud, silt, and rock.

Another example is the distance between the Earth and the moon.  The moon is slowly receding from the Earth at a measurable rate.  With some basic math, we can see that it is impossible for the Earth to be billions of years old – if it was, the moon would have been so close that it would have destroyed all life on the planet!

These are just two simple evidences, but there are thousands more that space doesn’t permit us to list.  Groups of scientists like the people at answersingenesis.org specialize in showcasing the evidences for a young Earth and the accuracy of the Bible account of the Creation.

How are creeds different than publications preachers write?

Sincerely,
Looking At Leaflets

Dear Looking At Leaflets,

Religious publications, commentaries, tracts, and other religious writings are not in and of themselves wrong until a church or denomination turns that document into an essential element of their faith – that is what a creed is.  A creed is someone’s commentary on Scripture that is given equal weight to the Scriptures.

It doesn’t matter whether it agrees with the Scriptures or not – the wording is man-made and, therefore, not exactly as God intended.  A creed draws the lines of fellowship around a human writing.  A creed is a statement of faith that superimposes itself over the Bible.  Now, instead of using the Word of God as the guide for what makes a congregation and a christian faithful – we use a creed to decide what verses and concepts are (and are not) important.  We have no right to do that!  God specifically said that we don’t get to decide what is or isn’t important from His Word; we must take the whole thing, no more, no less (Rev 22:18-19, Ps. 119:160).  If God wanted mankind to use creeds as measures of faith and fellowship – He would have given us one.