The Bodily Resurrection of Christ (Episode 136)

“If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9, NASB). These words penned by Paul the apostle underscore the importance of believing in the bodily resurrection of Christ. Our eternal salvation depends upon it. That is the focus of this Easter episode by Frank King.
In his first letter to the church at Corinth, Paul addressed the church members who said there is no resurrection of the dead. “If there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen,” Paul said (1 Corinthians 15:13, KJV). 
Paul also saw the argument that there is no resurrection from the dead as an attack on the credibility of the apostles.  He said, “We are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not” (verse 15).
All the apostles saw the Lord Jesus Christ with their own eyes. The original twelve were with Him throughout His public ministry. After He returned to heaven, they became witnesses of His life, His death, and His bodily resurrection.
A false witness is a person who claims to have seen something that he has not seen. That’s, in effect, what the apostles would be, Paul argued, if there is no resurrection of the dead.
Believing Having Not Seen
Just as it was in the church at Corinth, some who listen to this episode may not believe in the resurrection of the dead. They wrestle with the idea of the bodily resurrection of Christ. Perhaps many who attend church weekly have the same struggle. This is not a minor issue. Rather, it is a matter of eternal consequences. That’s why Paul so passionately addressed the subject in his letter to the church.
According to the Scriptures, early on that first day of the week, God raised Jesus bodily from the grave. He took victory from the grave and the sting out of death. Because He lives, those who believe in Him will live forevermore. And that’s what we celebrate this awesome time of the year we call Easter.
Everything we hope for and live for rests upon the fact that God raised Christ bodily from the grave. That’s why this is such a big deal for us. And why Paul was inspired to challenge the unbelievers in the church on this matter.
But accepting the bodily resurrection of Christ is a matter of faith. None of us have witnessed it. No one can show us infallible proof of the same. “Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed,” Jesus said (John 20:29, KJV).

A Sign from Heaven--Christmas Message (Episode 120)

For many, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. In America, people travel far to be with loved ones this time of the year. But this episode focuses on the real meaning of Christmas for people of faith.
The birth of Christ is the most enduring event in history. Nearly 2000 years later, the world is still talking about Him. Millions around the world are passionately following His teachings.
In the days of King Ahaz, Isaiah the prophet gives us an amazing Messianic prophecy. “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel“(Isaiah 7:14, KJV). This virgin birth was given as a sign to King Ahaz that God was with His people.
Why? Because the king of Israel and the king of Syria had joined together to make war against king Ahaz who was king of Judah. They had vowed to destroy Jerusalem and to replace Ahaz with another king. King Ahaz was afraid, and the people of Jerusalem were afraid.
In hindsight, we know this sign from heaven was a reference to the birth of Christ. That’s because the verse refers to a virgin bearing a son. Furthermore, according to the verse, this son shall be called Immanuel. This is consistent with the words found in Matthew 1:23: “They shall call his name Immanuel.”
Though God promised to give this sign from heaven, Ahaz didn’t live to see it. It was more than 700 years after God promised it that Christ was born. To us that is a long, long time. But to God a thousand years are as a day, according to 2 Peter 3:8. So, to God, it was only a few days from the prophecy to the birth of Christ.
"God With Us"
Immanuel, the prophetic name assigned to Jesus, literally means God with us. This name is a reference to the deity of Christ. When Jesus was born, He was the Almighty God living in human flesh among us. He said to Philip, He who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9, NASB).
Because of this incarnation, Jesus can personally relate to our struggles in the flesh. While on earth, He was “tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15, NASB).
The good news of Christmas is that the Son born of a virgin was a sign from heaven that God is with His people. if you have placed your faith in Christ, know that God is with you. Sometimes, it may not feel that way, but God is with you. Moreover, through Christ, you have peace with God.

Being Blessed but Unthankful (Episode 116)

On the fourth Thursday in November, we celebrate Thanksgiving Day in America. But also, God has called us to give thanks at all times. One of the most popular verses quoted this time of the year is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:18. Paul writes, “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” That is the focus of this podcast episode.
Since God commands us to give thanks, thanksgiving is important to Him. Moreover, since He has commanded us to give thanks, He has already deemed Himself worthy of thanksgiving.
Sometimes, we know we are blessed. But we fail to give thanks because we are not being blessed the way we want to be blessed. Or because we have not been blessed the way someone else is being blessed. The point is that we can be blessed and be unthankful at the same time, if we are not careful.
Consider these words of Paul the apostle: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6, NASB).  According to this verse, even while you are making requests for the things you need, you should offer thanksgiving for the things you have.
For instance, you may not have a house, but while praying for one, thank God for the apartment that you have. Or thank Him for the friend who has taken you in until you get a place of your own. Or you may need a dependable automobile to get to work. But while you are praying for one, thank God for the bus route that gets you to work. Or for the colleague who goes out of his way to pick you up every morning.
God's Displeasure with His People
In the days of Moses, God delivered His people from slavery in Egypt, taking them to a land of their own. When they arrived at the outskirts of the Promised Land, the spies went in and checked out the land. They discovered that giants were living there and had to be driven out. When the spies returned and reported this finding to the people, they started murmuring, complaining and weeping. They even talked about returning to Egypt!
This made no sense. The people had been in bondage in Egypt all their life. God delivered them from Pharaoh and his army. God sustained them during their journey in the wilderness. Now they are one step from a land of their own. But instead of being thankful, the people were unthankful because of the giants in the land.
Israel’s failure to be thankful was due to a lack of faith in God. Joshua and Caleb, two of the spies, tried to encourage the people. They said, “If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us” (Numbers 14:8, KJV). But the people refused to hear Joshua and Caleb.
The unbelieving and, hence, unthankful hearts of the people displeased the Lord. “How long will this people spurn Me?” God said to Moses (Numbers 14:11, NASB). “And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs I have performed in their midst?”
God caused all those unbelieving and unthankful men to die in the wilderness.
If the only time we can give thanks is when all things go well for us, we need to deepen our faith so we can in everything give thanks.

Jesus' Agony the Night Before the Cross (Episode 88)

On Easter day, we rejoice in the bodily resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. He died on the cross for our sins so that we might have eternal life. In this podcast episode, Evangelist Frank King addresses Jesus’ agony as He prayed in the garden of Gethsemane hours before He was crucified.
It must be emotional torture to know exactly when and how you are going to die. Such was the case for our Lord. The night before the cross, He began to feel sorrowful. “But He was God,” some may argue. Though that is true, during His public ministry, He took on the form of a servant. Jesus wept as we do. He felt pain as we do. He even requested, “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39, KJV). This prayer reflected Jesus’ agony in the garden.
God laid upon Jesus the iniquity of us all. No doubt, He felt the weight of the sins of the world upon Him. He who knew no sin was made a sin offering for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him (2 Corinthians 5:21). We rejoice on Easter and every other day because Jesus pressed beyond the agony and went to the cross of Calvary so that we might have everlasting life. Duration 13:37
 

The Perfect Gift (Episode 79)--Christmas Message

Christmas means different things to different people. But for people of faith, Christ is the reason for the season. Christmas is the day we celebrate the virgin birth of Christ as the Savior of the world. Jesus is not a savior but the Savior. No one can come to the Father but by Him.
Though it has nothing to do with the real meaning of Christmas, one way we celebrate it is through giving and receiving gifts. Many of these gifts will be returned or exchanged immediately after Christmas. Oftentimes, that is because the gift was not a good match for the person receiving the gift. But the gift God gave to us on the first Christmas was the perfect gift because it perfectly addresses the one need we all have. That is our need to be saved from sin. Had we been able to save ourselves, there would have been no need for God to send His Son into the world.
God's perfect gift to us was motivated by love. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16, NASB). Love is the purest form of motivation. It is not the result of guilt, not is it driven by some moral or legal obligation.
Music Credits:
Intro Music: By Leva via Pixabay
Ending Music: By Oleksandr Savochka via Pixabay

The Message of the Cross (Episode 50)

Evangelist Frank King addresses the preaching of the cross. During this time we call Easter or Resurrection Day, preachers everywhere are preaching about the cross. That is not to suggest that the cross is a seasonal message, because it’s not. On the contrary, the preaching of the cross lies at the heart of the gospel. For in the Bible, all roads lead to the cross.
The message of the cross includes the bodily resurrection of Christ. For Paul writes, "If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins" (1 Corinthians 15:17, KJV). But we rejoice in the bodily resurrection of Christ  because Jesus was raised again. And because He lives, those who believe in Him will live forever as well. Sad but true, if it were not for the Easter holiday, many churchgoers would seldom if ever hear the message of the cross.
Christ’s death at Calvary was a horrific sight. For our sins and not His own, He went to the cross to die a barbaric death. The holiness of God demanded that the sins of the world be judged. The bloodiness of Calvary and the ugliness of the crucifixion were a reflection of the seriousness of our sins against a holy God. Duration 11:48
Music Credits:
Intro Music: By Leva via Pixabay
Ending Music: By Oleksandr Savochka via Pixabay

Three Reasons to Be Thankful (Episode 29)

With a view toward the holiday we call Thanksgiving Day, Frank King in this podcast episode shares three reasons for us to be thankful. Of course, thanksgiving for us is not merely a day of the year. Rather, it is a way of life. But the holiday serves as a good opportunity for us talk about the importance of thanksgiving and being thankful.
It’s highly possible that some who listen to this podcast episode may not be feeling as though they have much to be thankful for. Let’s face it; even Christians can experience times in life when things can look dark. God never promised us that every day in our life would be a great day.
But Frank says these are three reasons you should be thankful—even when your circumstances suggest otherwise. That’s because these three things are true about God even when you are unhappy about your current status in life. Remember, "In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" (1 Thessalonians 5:18, KJV).
The focus of this podcast is not the giving of thanks but being thankful. Frank says these two are not necessarily the same. He says you can attend worship every week, offer thanksgiving to God, and still not be thankful. You can offer thanksgiving and not be thankful, but you can’t be thankful and not offer thanksgiving.
In Psalm 100, the psalmist challenges the people of God to come to the house of God with thanksgiving and praise. He writes, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name” (Psalm 100:4, NASB).