Is Satan in heaven?

Sincerely,
Shouldn’t He Have Tracking?

Dear Shouldn’t He Have Tracking,

Satan was cast down from heaven by the power of Christ's blood.  Jesus even said that He saw it happening when He was preaching (Lk 10:18).  Satan is called the "god of this world" because his power is here on Earth (2 Cor 4:4).  Rev 12:13 says that the devil has been cast down to Earth.  The devil no longer resides in heaven.

If a man is an elder in the church and his wife dies, does he still meet the qualifications since he is no longer married?

Sincerely,
A Sheep

Dear A Sheep,

This question is debated amongst faithful brethren.  It is important to not be too dogmatic on this issue one way or another.

One school of thought is that a wife’s death is similar to a child’s death.  If a man is an elder and his grown children die before him, it wouldn’t disqualify him from being an elder because he has already proven that he had raised them properly (1 Tim 3:4-5).  Some would say that an elder is still qualified because he has already proven himself to be a husband of one wife (1 Tim 3:2 – ‘husband of one wife’ literally means ‘one woman man’).

The other school of thought is that he is no longer qualified to be an elder because his wife no longer meets the qualifications laid out in 1 Tim 3:11.  In essence, an elder and his wife must both meet their qualifications in order for him to serve.  This point of view would say that once his wife dies, she no longer meets her qualifications, and therefore, he cannot serve.

As we said, it is important to not be too dogmatic on this issue, but it is also important to know why good brethren are of two minds on this topic.  Each congregation must faithfully address this issue for themselves if faced with these circumstances.

I'm a little confused about the Kingdom. Jesus said the Kingdom is "within you" but I thought the Kingdom is the Church, Christians who have been born again. What did Jesus mean when He said the Kingdom is within you? When He told us how to pray - the Lord's prayer, He said to pray for the Kingdom to come. Does that mean in our hearts or the establishment of the Church?

Sincerely,
What To Pray For

Dear What To Pray For,

The kingdom is the church.  Paul says that all Christians have already been transferred into the kingdom (Col 1:12-13).  Both John the Baptist and Jesus preached that the kingdom was coming very soon (Matt 3:1-2).  Jesus told the disciples that some of them would see the kingdom come within their lifetime (Matt 16:28).  What large organization was Jesus in charge of that started within the lifetime of Jesus’ apostles?  That would be the church!

In Lk 17:20-21, Jesus is addressing one of the common misconceptions about His kingdom.  It wouldn’t be a physical kingdom with castles, fortresses, and armies.  Jesus’ kingdom would grow within the hearts of those who followed Him.  That is because His kingdom is a spiritual kingdom… a kingdom not of this world (Jhn 18:36).  On the first day of Jesus’ kingdom/church, three thousand people entered that kingdom through baptism (Acts 2:38-41).  An entire nation cropped up overnight… without a single shot being fired.

As far as the Lord’s prayer, you are correct – He did pray that the kingdom would come… that is because it hadn’t yet.  At the time of Jesus’ prayer, He was still preaching that the kingdom was near, not here (Matt 4:17).  Today, it would be appropriate to pray that the kingdom expand, grow, be further established, etc., but it is already here.

I heard someone teaching that we are little gods.  Is this true?

Sincerely,
Demi

Dear Demi,

We are not "little gods".  The Scriptures state that we are children of God (Jhn 1:12) and that we are sons of God (Gal 3:26), but that is very different from being deity ourselves.  Mankind was designed in the image of God (Gen 1:27), and we have souls that are eternal in nature (Eccl 3:21), but the Scriptures never state that we are god-like beings.  To be a god, you must have no beginning and no end (Ps 90:2).  Only the one, true God has always been and will always be (Heb 13:8).

Can you repeatedly ask God for forgiveness? I always tried to be a good person, however, things have changed.  I have been cursing and using God’s name in vain because I am so angry at God because what I have asked God for lately is not answered.

Sincerely,
Angry Again

Dear Angry Again,

There are two pieces to the puzzle of repetitive sins:

1. How many times can I ask for forgiveness for the same sin?
2. How do I remove this sin from my life, so I can start living without guilt, fear, and pain?

The answer to the first part is simple. You can ask for forgiveness an innumerable amount of times. Christ told Peter that we should forgive ‘seventy times seven’ (Matt 18:21-22). Paul was forgiven of his sins even after killing christians and actively persecuting the church (1 Tim 1:16). As often as we truly repent, God is ready to forgive (Lk 17:4). It is quite possible to truly repent of something and then find yourself doing that same thing not minutes later. It happens in arguments all the time! You say something mean, apologize, then find yourself upset again, and again use rash words. The repeating of the cycle is not necessarily an indication of false sorrow.

However, the second part deals with stopping this cycle. God will forgive you for stumbling again into the same sin, but only if you are truly attempting to change your mind. Paul reminds us that we are to do everything we can to flee from the slavery to sin (Rom 6:1-2, Rom 6:12-13). God is ready to forgive you ‘seventy times seven’ as you fight to defeat sin, but you must look yourself in the mirror and make sure you are taking the steps necessary to change your life.  In your case, you must ask yourself, “Am I ready to stop being angry with God?”  Are you ready to start trusting that when your life doesn’t turn out the way you hoped, that God has a better plan?