The Sanctity of Holy Communion (Episode 114)

One of the most sacred moments in the local church is known as Holy Communion. It is also called the Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist. We partake of this ordinance because Jesus told His disciples to keep it to remember Him. He said as often we do so, we proclaim His suffering and His death until He returns.
During the Holy Communion, the bread and the fruit of the vine served are virtually the body and the blood of our Lord. Paul the Apostle addressed this sacred affair in his first letter to the church at Corinth. He says believers should examine themselves before eating the bread and drinking of the cup. He warned the church members of the consequences of failing to examine themselves accordingly.
“For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep,” he writes (1 Corinthians 11:30, KJV).
Paul’s warning was to those he refers to as drinking unworthily (KJV). The truth is that none of us are morally worthy to eat the bread or drink of the cup. But worthiness here refers to the manner in which we partake of the Holy Communion. It is my view that at least two groups of people fall into the category of "drinking unworthily."
One is those who attend church but have chosen to reject Christ as their Savior. Some churchgoers refer to Holy Communion as communion service. But more correctly, it is the communion of the Lord’s body. And unbelievers do not belong to the body of Christ.
Another group that drinks unworthily are those believers who fail to examine themselves in light of the sanctity of the Lord’s Supper. Paul writes, “Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup” (verse 28).
It's About Calvary
The Holy Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, is more than a religious act for us. It was occasioned by the impending death of Christ on Calvary. He instituted it during the last moments He spent with His disciples before being apprehended to die for the sins of the world. He specifically told them to do it to remember Him.
Every time we partake of the Lord’s Supper, it points us to the barbaric cross of Calvary. The One who knew no sin was made sin for us.
Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church underscores a lack of a fear of God in the body. The same can be said for us today. People used to have more respect for the local church. Even when they walked by the church building. But now, a man will walk into the house of God and gun a pastor down. Or he will walk in the house of God and mass murder the people of God. This while they pray and study the Word of God. Sad but true, many believers today regard the Holy Communion as a common or unholy thing.

When God's Ways Make No Sense to You (Episode 110)

Sometimes, God’s ways won’t make much sense to you. It’s like you’re adding one and one and you’re getting three. This episode underscores the point that sometimes, God’s instructions or guidance to us will defy human logic.
A good example is recorded in the book of Genesis. God miraculously opened Sarah’s womb to bless Abraham with a son at the age of 100. Then God tested Abraham. He told him to offer young Isaac for a burnt offering.
This made no sense to Abraham. Isaac was Abraham’s miracle baby. He was God’s answer to Abraham’s complaint that he did not have a son to be his heir. How could Isaac become Abraham’s heir and be a burnt offering at the same time?
Nevertheless, Abraham obeyed the Lord. He had to believe that God knew what He was doing because Abraham surely didn’t know what God was up to.
Another Example
One of the most perplexing events in the Bible is the experience of Job in the Old Testament. According to the very first verse of the book of Job, he was perfect and upright. He feared God and hated evil. But God allowed the devil to devastate Job’s life. He lost everything and everybody except his wife. And she told Job he needed to curse God and die.
To our human mind, what happened to Job makes no sense. The most righteous man in his day suffered more than the vilest sinner of his day. Some people may be tempted to ask themselves like, what’s the value of faithfully living for the Lord if things can turn out that way?
Conclusion
Sometimes, you may find yourself in a place in life where you can’t find any biblical reason why you are where you are in life. Remember that God’s ways are higher than ours. We don’t intuitively know His ways. That’s one reason we must study the Bible. It is our only source for understanding God’s ways—at least in part.
The bottom line is that when what God is doing in your life makes no sense to you, you must place your faith in Him. That’s what faith is all about—trusting God even when what’s happening in your life makes absolutely no sense to you. You must believe that God knows how to make all things work together for your good. Even when what’s happening in your life makes no sense to you.

The Truth Makes You Free (Episode 108)

These days, it is increasingly hard to know the truth. Our politicians oftentimes don’t tell us the truth. And now with Artificial Intelligence, we don’t know if what we are looking at or listening to is genuine or not. In this episode, Frank King teaches on the liberating power of the truth.
In America, we say we are a free country. Many things we freely do in this country we take for granted. People in many other countries could only imagine having those freedoms.
On the other hand, it’s possible to live in a place like America and still be a servant or slave of some kind. You may be free physically, for instance, but bound spiritually. Many people today are slaves to something or someone that they don’t have the power to break free from. Sometimes, this kind of bondage can be more difficult and even more cruel than physical bondage.
During His public ministry, Jesus was quoted as saying, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples if Mine. And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:31-32, NASB). In effect, He is saying the Word of God is the truth.
Accordingly, when what the worlds says differs from what God says about anything, the world is wrong. Hence, if parents want their children to know the truth and to walk in freedom, parents must get their children hooked on God’s word.
Alas, too many churchgoers in general spend excessive time listening to the errant voices of this world and not enough to the Word of God.
To some people, when you embrace this biblical perspective, it might seem intolerant of the views of others. But it’s not. It’s just the truth. And Jesus said it will make you free.
Free But Not Free?
When the religious leaders heard what Jesus said about the liberating power of the truth, they took exception to it. “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will be free’?” they asked (verse 33).
Jesus reminded them that if they are practicing sin, they are not free.  But they are a slave of sin (verse 34). To become free, Jesus says one must continue in His Word. Doing so, you will know the truth as it relates to your struggle. Truth will strip you of all the rationalization you do to try and justify continuing in what you are doing. It will challenge any tendency to compromise in any area of our life. In the end, if you stick with it, it will make you free.
 

Rest for the Weary (Episode 107)

Many people today feel overwhelmed by the heavy load of life. Some are exhausted from the constant struggle to keep their head above water. Many feel as though they are always a day late and a dollar short. Then there are those who live their life aimlessly. Every day, they find themselves going nowhere fast. So many people today find themselves in toxic relationships that take so much from them and give so little. The list goes on and on.
It’s interesting that during Jesus’ public ministry, He addressed the subject of rest for the weary. That means it concerns Him. Needless to say, it’s not the Lord’s will for us to be overburdened by the load of life. But that’s where many people find themselves today.
When Jesus extended His invitation to the weary, the religious leaders of His day were the Pharisees and the Sadducees. They had imposed countless and burdensome rules and regulations upon the Law of Moses that the people had to follow. The people were weary from following all these dos and don’ts and never being able to measure up. But Jesus came to proclaim the good news. He said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28, NASB).
In this episode, Evangelist Frank King expounds on Jesus’ invitation to rest for the weary. He says the rest available through Christ is more than physical rest. It is rest for our soul. If you are weary today, if you feel overwhelmed by the load of life, why not accept Jesus’ invitation to experience rest for your soul?

What Is Faithful Stewardship? (Episode 105)

Every true believer in Christ is a steward. God has committed resources into his care to advance the Kingdom. “It is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2, KJV). In this episode, Evangelist Frank King elaborates on the subject of faithful stewardship.
This subject is important because the main means by which God accomplishes His will on earth is through His people. He gives us the resources we need to fulfill His purpose. God giving us what we need to be successful is one thing. But exercising faithful stewardship through those resources is another thing.
A vital goal of every local church should be to equip and to challenge her members to be good stewards of the resources God has blessed them with.  Some church members may regard that exhortation as meddling or getting into their business. But it’s the role of the church to equip and to challenge her members.
Moreover, there is a limit to how much Christians can grow through mere church attendance and reading their Bible and prayer.  To maximize their spiritual development, they must involve themselves in serving the Lord.
We serve God through serving His people.  He gives us resources to utilize for the sake of pouring into the lives of others.  It is only when we faithfully do the same that we are exercising faithful stewardship.
We don’t own the things we have. We didn’t bring anything into this world. When we leave, we won’t be carrying anything with us. God is the source of every blessing that we have. One day, each of us must give an account to the Lord of what we have done with the resources He has committed to us.
A Parable About Faithful Stewardship
“For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods” (Matthew 25:14). These were the initial words Jesus spoke as He shared a parable about faithful stewardship.
Here are some vital takeaways from the parable:
It conveys a kingdom principle because Jesus says “the kingdom is as…”
The man gave each of his servants an amount of money commensurate with his ability
After a long time, the man returned to judge the servant’s stewardship of his money (verse 19)
The faithful steward was the one who used his master’s money to make more money (verses 20-23).
The wicked servant was the one who did nothing with his master’s money (verses 26-27).
In a similar way, the Lord has gifted each of us in accordance with our God-given ability. One day, we must stand before Him. He will reward each of us according to our stewardship. We are saved by grace through faith in Christ. But we are rewarded in accordance with our works. We should labor to be found faithful.
All of us are stewards by default because God has committed resources to us. But the question is, are we being a faithful steward? Can God count on us to do whatever it is He has blessed us with the ability and resources to do for His glory?

The Blessing of Humility (Episode 102)

Embracing a lifestyle of humility goes against the grain of our society. In the world, the humble guy is the one who finishes last. He is the one who gets stepped on. To get ahead in this world, the thinking is that you must be abrasive; toot your own horn, or step on other people. In this episode, Frank King refutes that. He explains the importance of humility in the life of a Christian.
One day, the disciples asked Jesus, who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. To their surprise, Jesus called a little child and set him amidst them. “Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven,” Jesus said (Matthew 18:3, KJV). That incident speaks volumes about God’s view toward humility.
Humility denotes a lifestyle of submission to the will of God. Such a lifestyle can usher in the favor and blessings of the Lord like nothing else will or can. A Christian’s failure or refusal to walk humbly will cause him to miss out on God’s best for him. “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6, NASB).
Grace refers to God’s unmerited blessings and favor. We are saved by grace, but also we need the grace of God in every aspect of our life. That’s why it behooves us to walk humbly before the Lord. It is the only means by which we can receive more grace.

Losing Your Life to Save It (Episode 100)

Every one of us will spend eternity somewhere. Contrary to what many believe, it’s not true that we will just live, die, and return to the dust, end of story. But, according to the Scriptures every one of us has an eternal fate. And Jesus says to be saved, you must be willing to lose your life for His sake.
Whatever our concept of life is, we don’t want anybody interfering with our pursuit of life.  We want the opportunity to do life the way we want to do it. But if a person wants to be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, he no longer has the option to do life the way he wants to do life.
The crossroad at which many people stand today is that they want to live for themselves, and Christ wants them to live for Him. They can’t effectively do both at the same time. Absolutely no compatibility exists between these two lifestyles.
The god of this world, namely the devil, is busy at work. His agenda is diametrically opposed to that of Jesus Christ. The devil wants you to save your life so that you will lose it. But Jesus wants you to lose your life for His sake so you can have the life that comes solely through faith in Him.

Your Blessing and God's Timing (Episode 99)

This episode addresses the importance of waiting on the Lord. We know that waiting is not a popular subject these days. We live in a fast-paced, digital age; and we don’t like waiting. But when it comes to our dealings with God, we must flow with His timing. Our failure to do so can cause us to miss out on receiving from God.
It is possible to have faith in God, to be properly aligned with His will, and still not receive from God. Additionally, you must be willing to cooperate with God’s timing. As it is written, “Ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise” (Hebrews 10:36, KJV). That means we must be careful and not get ahead of God. And we must not lose hope just because God seems to be a no show in what He promised.
The question is, in the end, what do you want your outcome to be? Do you want the product of doing things your way or the product of cooperating with God’s timing? It behooves us to choose the latter. It’s never a good thing to get ahead of God.

Having a Fuller Commitment to Christ (Episode 97)

What is your commitment to living for Christ? In a way, spiritual fitness is like physical fitness. For both, the only way to arrive is through a full commitment to the cause.
People tend to be subjective when it comes to defining their commitment to fitness—be it physical or spiritual. But for spiritual fitness, the Bible is our standard. The purpose of this episode is to motivate believers to a fuller commitment to Christ going forward.
We must be careful and not become caught up in the pursuit of material things and the busyness of life. Doing so can cause us to lose our passion for the Lord, or even worse, lose our way. Being or remaining fully committed to the Lord does not happen by accident. This happens only by intent.
In 1 Corinthians 15:33, Paul the apostle warns, ‘Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals”’ (NASB). Accordingly, some believers won’t embrace a fuller commitment to Christ because they spend too much time with people who are not fully committed to the Lord. 
Evangelist King says, as Christians critique their spiritual status, perhaps some of them need to critique the company they keep.

Four Strategies for Getting Through a Test (Episode 96)

It’s safe to say that nobody wants to go through difficult times in their life. But the truth is that everybody will have trying times in this life. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that Christians will not be tested in this life. “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12, KJV). This podcast episode provides four biblical strategies for getting through a test.
As long as there exists a devil who has made us his enemy, tests in our life are a given. As long as God uses difficult times to help us grow, tests in our life are a given. But God has given us strategies to ease the burden of those tests. The more diligently we utilize these strategies, the better they will serve us.
Most Christians want to grow, but they want to grow painlessly. But tests and difficult times are a part of spiritual growth. Moreover, every road to success is paved with some challenges and setbacks. You must know how to cross those hurdles if you want to succeed. Hence, the value of these strategies for getting through a test.