Three Ways Salvation Changes Your Life (Episode 133)

What happens to a person when the Lord saves him or her? Is there any power in that experience? Or is the subject of salvation no more than religious jargon? This episode addresses three life-changing effects of a genuine salvation experience.
In his first epistle, John writes these words: “Hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:3-4, KJV).
Now that’s blunt language. But it does not get any clearer than that. When we accept Christ as our Savior, we become born again through faith. Through that born-again experience, our life radically changes.  We become a new creation; old things are passed away; all things become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). Because of that transformation, John can write so emphatically in the two verses above.
Somebody may argue that although he lives like he doesn’t know God, the truth is that he does know Him. But according to what John writes, the way you know that you know God is that you keep His commandments. And if you don’t, you are lying. We conclude then that one of the ways salvation changes your life is that you will thereafter keep the Lord’s commandments.
It's important to note that the message in these verses is not that you MUST keep the Lord’s commandments to be saved. Rather, because you are saved, you WILL keep His commandments. In this episode, Evangelist Frank King addresses two other powerful ways salvation changes your life.
Examine Yourself, Not Others
According to John, no one who claims to know the Lord is an exception to what he states above. Nevertheless, the cited obedience may or may not be reflected in the lives of babes in Christ. One the other hand, we should not preoccupy ourselves with judging other believers’ relationship with the Lord.
Please note the first part of John’s words above. He says, “Hereby WE do know that WE know him.” In other words, it's not how we know others know Him, but how we know we know Him. Accordingly, the main objective of this episode is for us to look at ourselves and not others. We should view ourselves in the mirror of the Word. Then we must decide if the person we see really knows God or is merely a religious churchgoer. If it is the latter, we must take the necessary corrective action.
What’s the big deal about knowing if you really know the Lord? The most important decision you need to address in this life is where you will spend eternity. Jesus asks the question, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36, KJV).
Jesus’ question is relevant because of the value of your soul. Your soul is priceless. Your soul is immortal. It involves your emotions and your will. Your soul is who you are. Even gaining this entire world—if you could--is not worth losing your soul.
What’s so amazing about the incredible ways salvation changes your life is God’s simple plan for experiencing these life-changing benefits. Simply put, you must repent of your sins, confess Christ as Lord, and believe that God has raised Him from the dead.
 

Four Benefits of Salvation (Episode 128)

The word “salvation” is a household word the Christian community. That's understandable. It is our ultimate goal in this life.  But for those who don’t know our Christian jargon, the term salvation can be somewhat of a mystery. In this episode, Frank King shares four benefits of salvation.
It is in chapter 5 of Paul’s letter to the church at Rome that he shares these important benefits of salvation. The very first word in the chapter is the word “therefore.” That’s because in chapter 5, Paul is continuing his discourse from the end of chapter 4. He ended that chapter making the case for justification by faith and not by works.
Paul’s objective in chapter 5 is to reveal some of the benefits exclusive to those who have been justified by faith. For instance, he writes, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1, KJV).
So, one of the benefits of salvation is that we have peace with God. According to the verse, the reason we enjoy peace with God is because we have been justified by faith. To be justified means to be declared a just person in the eyes of God.
When Jesus died on the cross for us, He paid the penalty for our sins. And when we place our faith in Him and His bodily resurrection, God declares us to be righteous. That means He regards us as being freed from the penalty of sin. Accordingly, our sins no longer separate us from Him. Instead, we are at peace with God.
In the following verses, Paul reveals several other benefits of salvation that Evangelist Frank King addresses in this episode of the podcast. To listen to this episode, click the play button above.
Inviting Others to Christ
Oftentimes, when reaching out to others to accept Christ, we tell them about John 3:16. Or perhaps Romans 10:9. These are perhaps the most popular verses used for that occasion. We may choose to not go any deeper than those verses when witnessing to someone about accepting Christ. But the person may ask you what’s the rest of the story. How will believing in the promises of those verses change my life? Paul the apostle speaks to that question in Romans, chapter 5.
So many people in the world today need to experience the life-changing benefits of God’s salvation. That’s why it’s vital that Christians share their faith with the lost. You don’t have to be a theologian for God to use you to reach the lost for Christ. All the benefits of salvation Paul reveals happen automatically when a person chooses to accept your invitation to follow Christ.
It happens that way because we are laborers together with God. He is with us. We plant and water, but He is the One who gives the increase for our efforts.
When was the last time you invited someone to accept Christ?

What Water Baptism Means (Episode 58)

Water baptism is one of the fundamental mandates for the Christian church. Before Jesus returned to heaven, He commanded His disciples to disciple the nations and to baptize new believers. That is still the mission of the Christian church today. In this episode, Evangelist Frank King explains the biblical meaning of this mandate from our Lord.
Some people make the mistake of equating baptism with salvation. But we are not saved by any form of religious activity. The truth is that everyone who has been saved through faith in Christ should become baptized, but not everyone who becomes baptized has been saved. Many people become baptized not knowing the biblical meaning behind what they are doing. To them, it is no more than a religious ritual.
God sent John the Baptist before Jesus to baptize. John required the people to express their repentance before he baptized them. His mission was to prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. Water baptism is significant for believers in Christ because it is the means by which we make a public statement that we identify with the death of Christ, and that we have chosen to live for Him and not for ourselves. It is to this end that our old, sinful nature has been crucified.
Music Credits:
Intro Music: By Leva via Pixabay
Ending Music: By Oleksandr Savochka via Pixabay

God’s Simple Plan for Salvation (Episode 33)

Nothing should be more important to us than to be sure that we are right with God before Jesus returns.  If we fail on that point, nothing else matters in the end. In this episode, Evangelist Frank King presents and explains God’s simple plan for salvation.
This subject is important because we can be wrong on many things in life that won’t be a big deal.  But the subject of salvation is the real deal. If we are wrong about that, it will have eternal consequences.
In his letter to the church at Rome, chapter 10, Paul reveals God’s plan for salvation. He introduces the subject by expressing his concern for the eternal fate of Israel. “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved,” he writes (Romans 10:1, KJV). The fact that he prayed to God that Israel might be saved suggests that, to him, their salvation was not secure.
The problem was not that the Israelites had no interest in their God. Rather, they had “a zeal of God but not according to knowledge” (verse 3).
Being religiously zealous does not make one saved. Having a religious zeal does not even make you a nice person to be around. You can be one of the most deeply religious people in the world, and at the same time be among the meanest. As for the Israelites, they were zealous toward God but ignorant of the truth about Him. Hence, they had zeal void of knowledge.
Simple but Life-Changing
Verse 9 of the chapter brings us to the climax of Paul’s discourse. He writes, “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” (NASB). And by the way, God who looks on the heart knows whether or not one truly believes in his or her heart.
Wow! That’s about as simple as it can get. So, why do so many people reject God’s simple plan for salvation? For one thing, unbelief is a powerful thing. In the Bible and in the church, we often talk about the power of faith. In fact, Jesus said, “All things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23, NASB). But to those who are bound by it, unbelief is a powerful thing as well.
Also, people tend to associate value with cost. In other words, if something is of high value, it must cost a lot. So, the thinking of many unbelievers is that because they are in a terrible spiritual condition, it must take something radical and extreme to save them. In other words, how can such a simple plan of salvation save a wretch like me?
That is the mystery of salvation. The truth is that we are radically changed by the power of God through our simple and genuine act of faith. It’s called the born-again experience. Through it, God changes us on the inside, making us a new creation.

The Great Celebration in Heaven (Episode 16)

According to Jesus, a Great Celebration will occur in heaven one day. Every one of us has been invited. That’s because Jesus died on the cross making it possible for everyone to be a part of that heavenly gathering. “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
“A certain man made a great supper, and bade many,” Jesus said (Luke 14:16, KJV). ‘And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, “Come for all things are now ready”’ (verse 17).
Jesus taught this parable Jesus while at the house of one of the chief Pharisees eating bread. Through the parable, Jesus used an earthly story to share a heavenly message.
In the parable, those who had been invited gave ridiculous excuses for not being able to attend the great supper. Thereby, Jesus underscored the feeble excuses people give for not accepting the invitation to attend the Great Celebration that will occur in heaven.
Why do people come up with so many far-out excuses for rejecting Christ and salvation? Many of us have heard those excuses during our attempts to win others to the Lord. The main reason is because of the deception of the enemy. In 2 Cor. 4:4, the devil is referred to as the god of this world. According to that verse the devil has, “Blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they may not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (NASB).
A primary goal of the local church is to help as many people as possible attend the Great Celebration that will occur in heaven. We, the believers, are the Lord’s ambassadors. He has commissioned us to invite others, on His behalf, to be a part of this grand occasion.

Heaven’s Greatest Joy (Episode 12)

What interests God the most? It’s the thing that makes heaven more excited than anything else. The answer to that question is critical because we cannot pursue the heart of God if we don’t know where the heart of God is. In this podcast episode, Frank King addresses heaven’s greatest joy.
According to Jesus, “There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7, NASB).
Christians gathered as one pleases the Lord. But nothing we as Christians can do pleases Him more than reaching the lost. It was His boundless love for the lost that motivated Him to give us His only begotten Son to die for us to save us.
During Jesus’ day, the religious leaders complained that He kept company with sinners. Evidently, they thought there was something wrong with what Jesus did. Sad but true, there exists a degree of that same kind of ignorance in the church today. Some Christians have a very wrong idea of what sanctification is all about. Yes, God wants us to live our lives dedicated to serving Him. But that does not mean avoiding interaction with the lost.
Suppose those who were saved before us had that view toward us when we were lost? And how can we reach the lost if we have that flawed view toward them today? When we show ourselves friendly to the lost, we increase the chances that they will receive our message of being reconciled to God. That’s why Jesus ate with sinners.
Since heaven’s greatest joy is for sinners to repent and accept Christ as their Savior, that’s where the church should be focused. That is also the place where God directs His resources and His power.