Biblical Moments with Frank King

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.

God Has the Answer (Episode 32)

We don’t have to have all the answers to life’s challenges. But our faith must be in the one who does, and that is God and His Son Jesus Christ. In this episode, Frank King wants you to know that whatever your problem or challenge is in life, God has the answer.
At times, we may find ourselves lacking what we need in life. But it is amazing what the Lord can do with the little we have when we trust Him with it. For instance, in John’s record of the gospel, he writes about a time when Jesus took a little boy’s food, blessed it, and fed an army of people. The group included almost 5000 men (John 6:10). Everyone ate as much as he wanted, and the leftovers greatly exceeded what Jesus began with.
This miraculous event occurred in the wilderness. Three important points about that: One, they were in the wilderness because the people had followed Jesus from the city. Two, the people were hungry.  Three, because they were in the wilderness, no place existed for buying food even if they had the money.
Initially, Jesus asked Philip what they were going to do to feed the people. “This He was saying to test him, for He himself knew what He was intending to do” (John 6:6, NASB). Similarly, whatever problem you have, the Lord always know what to do about it.
The Object of Your Faith
Understand that your faith is no better than the object of your faith. Some people have faith in their money, but money has its limits. Some place their faith in themselves or in other people. But people have limits also. That’s why it behooves us to place our faith in God. In Mark 9:23, Jesus says, all things are possible to him who believes.
In effect, Jesus is saying that we are limited only by our faith in God. You are not limited by the color of your skin. Nor by what side of the track you live on. Your educational background is not the deciding factor. All things are possible for you if you believe.
That does not mean those things mentioned above don’t offer challenges. Of course, they do. But when your faith is in God, you are not limited by those things. Faith does not ignore reality. But placing your faith in God means you are more moved by what you believe than by what you see—or by where you came from.
That brings us to the practical side of the gospel. It only adds value to those who come to hear it, if it is practical. That is, it must have some take away value so the people can plug it into their lives and benefit from it.
So, what are we trying to do to people who come and hear the gospel? One of our ultimate goals should be to bring people to the point of believing that whatever their problem is, God has the answer.
 
 

Not by Bread Alone (Episode 31)

“Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4, NASB). Jesus responded to the devil this way in the wilderness when the devil tempted Him to turn stones into bread to satisfy His hunger. Jesus’ words underscore the importance of the Word of God in the life of a Christian. In this episode, Evangelist Frank King addresses the indispensability of the Word of God in our life.
You and I are not only a physical being but also we are a spiritual being. Accordingly, no matter how good and wholesome the foods that we eat are, they can do nothing to help us become spiritually strong or healthy. That’s why we can’t live on bread alone. And that’s why we have the Word of God.
To become the spiritually strong and vibrant Christian God wants us to be, we must develop a healthy appetite for God’s Word. Any believer who does not build himself up with the Word of God will be anemic and spiritually malnourished. This is the reason for many of the weak Christians in the truth today.
The premise of what Jesus told the devil in the wilderness is that we must heed the Word of God. In other words, the value of the Bible does not come through merely reading and hearing it, but through practicing it’s teachings.
God and His Word Are One
The fascinating thing about the Bible is that it is the record of words that came straight from the mouth of God. Or words that have been inspired by God for holy men to write.
Suppose somebody says, “I just need God to come and audibly speak to me about this serious problem.” If that were to happen, God would speak consistently with the Scriptures pertaining to the matter at hand. He and His Word are one.
In a nutshell, when we read the Bible, God is speaking to us. That precious time alone with Him deserves our undivided attention as He speaks to us.  Similarly, when a preacher preaches the Word of God, it is God speaking to His people through His servant. That’s why everyone present should pay total and reverential attention.
Because we don’t live by bread alone, it behooves us to become serious students of the Bible. Only a daily and generous diet of God’s Word can make and keep us spiritually strong. Admittedly, getting serious about studying the Bible can be intimidating for new believers.  That’s due to the mere size of the Bible. It has 1189 chapters. But many free Bible-reading plans exist that one can use.
Jesus says we live by every word from the mouth of God. Sad but true, some preachers today choose to be selective about what they will preach and teach from the Bible.
The bottom line is that you cannot be strong in the Lord if you don’t feed your inner man with the Word of God ideally daily.

Why We Need to Contend for the Faith (Episode 30)

Unless you live with your head buried in the sand, you know that there are vicious assaults going on against the Christian faith these days. Not everybody agrees with, or wants to submit to, God’s plan for their lives and for this world. The opposition is passionate about getting their message out. In this episode, Frank King argues that the church must be just as or even more passionate to contend for the faith.
Based on the words of Jude’s epistle, this assault against the Christian faith is not unique to our day. It existed during the days of the apostles as well. Jude expresses the urgency of his appeal to the believers:
“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3, KJV).
According to Jude, his initial intent was to write to them about salvation, which is extremely important. But that initial intent was overcome by the need to address this more urgent issue. There exists two key terms or phrases in the verse above: “earnestly contend” and “the faith which was once delivered to the saints.”
To earnestly contend for the faith means we must not be passive or noncommittal but diligent to do so. The faith that was delivered to the saints refers to the undiluted gospel that has been given to us by the Lord Jesus and His apostles.
What was the occasion for Jude’s urgent appeal? It was ungodly men who had crept in among the believers unawares. These men denied God and the Lord Jesus Christ (verse 4).
The State of the Church Today
We have the same kind of evil men among us today that existed in Jude’s day.  Some are preachers who have gained access to pulpits in our churches. They are preaching another gospel. Some downplay or outright the deny the need to repent. They turn the message of grace into a message of go to heaven your way. Some don’t even believe in the virgin birth of Christ or the deity of Christ.
Accordingly, the state of today's church continues to decline. It used to be that if you were an American, the default assumption was that you identified with Christianity as your faith. That’s certainly not true anymore.
It used to be that if you said you were a Christian, we had a pretty good idea of what you meant by that. And that there were some core beliefs that you adhered to. But that’s becoming less and less true today.
We can’t reverse what has happened in the church. But we must not ignore the danger either. God is calling the church to go against the grain of society. To earnestly contend for the faith that was given to us by the Lord and His apostle. Let us not be ashamed of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is still the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes.

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.
"Give Thanks to Him, Bless His Name"
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).
To appreciate this verse, consider the physical setting of the house of God in the Old Testament. There were twelve gates to the city. As you approach the house of God, the outside area immediately adjacent to the house of God was called the courts. The psalmist challenged the people to enter this area with thanksgiving and praise.
How might the words of the psalmist speak to us today? Some people today attend the house of God expecting the choir or the praise team to get them in a spirit of worship. Or for the preacher to get to the climax of his message to get them excited. But the psalmist says we should enter the “gates” with thanksgiving and the “courts” with praise. For us today, that means we should enter the church property with thanksgiving and the entrance with praise—before we enter the house of God.
Why should we come to the house of God with this exuberance? In the next verse, the psalmist gives us three reasons: “For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting, and His faithfulness to all generations” (verse 4).

God’s Way of Doing Things (Episode 28)

To properly relate to God, we must have some understanding of His ways. The more we understand them, the better we can relate to Him. In this episode, Frank King focuses on God’s way of doing things.
Some Christians are naïve in their approach to God because they are ignorant of His ways. The way they think is not compatible with how God operates. But one thing that is clear in the Scriptures is that God does not tailor His ways to accommodate our ignorance or misconceptions.
Are you currently waiting on the Lord to fulfill a promise to you? You pray and look and wait, but you don’t see anything happening. Well, perhaps; just perhaps; God is fulfilling His promise to you. But He is doing it in such a way you cannot even imagine.
Our ignorance of God’s way of doing things can breed frustration. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts,” He says (Isaiah 55:9, KJV). That’s why He has given us the Bible so we can learn His ways.
Nothing Is Too Hard for God
When the angel appeared to Abraham to announce that God would bless Sarah with a child, Sarah laughed. This was understandable. At this time, she was 89 years old and had been born barren.
The angel heard it when Sarah laughed. He asked Abraham why did Sarah laugh. “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” the angel asked (Genesis 18:14). It was a rhetorical question. Nothing is too hard for the Lord.
God is indescribably powerful and resourceful. To Him, no difference exists between what we see as simple and what we regard as complicated. For God, there is a blurring of the line between these two extremes.
If you were financially strapped, you would see a big difference between an item that costs $5 dollars and another brand of the same item for $20. But to a billionaire, there is virtually no difference between the two. That’s because a billionaire has so much money.
Similarly, at times, we may ask ourselves why does God seem to do things the complicated way? But in His eyes, there is absolutely no difference between what seems to be the easy route and what seems to be complicated or even impossible. It’s all the same to Him. This is the awesome God we serve. And our thinking and faith need to gravitate to that higher level.
Sometimes, God will tear down what we have built so He can do a new thing. Or suffer a phase of failure so that we might ultimately succeed. He may take us around the world to get us across the street. But in the end, God is faithful—always.
For just about anything in life, more than one way exists to do it. But our focus should always be upon God’s way of doing things.
 

Abiding in the Truth (Episode 27)

In America, we have freedom of religion.  Accordingly, we have countless religious choices. Regardless of what one’s religious beliefs are, he is almost certain to find an accommodating religion. In this episode, Evangelist Frank King addresses the importance of Christians knowing and abiding in the truth found in God’s Word.
Paul wrote to the church at Galatia because after knowing the truth, the local body failed to hold fast to the same. He expressed amazement by how quickly the church’s departure from the truth had occurred. “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel,” he wrote (Galatians 1:6, KJV).
One thing that’s evident in Paul’s words to this local church is that merely knowing the truth does not safeguard you from ending up in error. Hence, the need for a personal commitment to abiding in the truth.
What did Paul advise the church to do? He writes, “But though we, or angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (verse 8).
In other words, shun everyone who comes to you preaching a message that differs from what we the apostles have preached to you. The Galatians knew the truth because Paul had given that to them. In effect, he told the church to use what he had taught them as the basis for detecting false teachings.
Paul goes as far as saying that even if an angel comes and tries to give them another gospel, let him be accursed. Under the OT law, when something was accursed, you were to avoid it like the plague. That’s what Paul was telling the people of God to do about divergent teachings. And that is excellent advice for us as well.
The Importance of Sound Doctrine
Paul’s message to the Galatians underscores how vital it is for those who preach to preach and teach sound doctrine in the church.  In 2 Tim 2:15, he writes, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workmen that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly diving the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15, KJV).
This one verse speaks volumes regarding the importance of the ministry of the Word of God. The phrase, “rightly dividing” comes from a Greek word meaning to “cut straight.”
Think about a surgeon. If you were going under the knife for a medical procedure, you want a surgeon with steady hands, one who can cut straight. That’s because during surgery, cutting a little too far to the left or to the right can be fatal. The point is that preachers and teachers must strive to communicate the gospel clearly. They must strive to get it right. Because when they don’t, they leave room for the truth to be perverted by false teachings.
The main point in this episode is that knowing the truth is not synonymous with being anchored in the truth. You can realize the latter end only through a personal commitment to abiding in the truth. The eternal consequences of failing to do so should be your greatest inspiration.

Overcoming Fear by Faith (Episode 26)

Faith in God is the essence of Christianity. According to the Bible, without faith, it’s impossible to please God. One of the biggest impediments to living by faith, is the presence of fear.
Fear in and of itself is not a sin. All of us will know fear at times. We were born with the capacity to fear. It is what motivates us to take necessary actions to safeguard ourselves against danger. That's the good side of fear. But whenever fear prevents us from living out our purpose for the Lord, fear is a bad thing. And we must learn how to move beyond that kind of fear.
One occasion for experiencing fear is when we face seemingly overwhelming opposition, and we perceive that opposition to be greater than we are. We may be born again and have Christ living inside us, but whenever we have to confront opposition that we perceive to be greater than we are, fear wants to raise its ugly head.
During Jesus’ ministry, He didn’t teach one sermon about how to escape being tested in life. He never promised us that life would be free of challenges. But He taught a lot about the importance of having faith in God. And faith is the biblical cure for overcoming fear.
Overcoming fear in our life is vital because we are called to be people of faith and not of fear. Accordingly, Paul the apostle writes, "God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:6, KJV).

How God Speaks to Us (Episode 25)

God primarily speaks to us through His Word. He and His Word are one. That means whatever God says to us through His Word will always agree with what He would say to us if He were to speak to us in an audible voice. Hence, if someone claims to have heard from God but speaks counter to God’s word, he or she has not heard from God.
In this episode, Evangelist Frank King takes the subject of how God speaks to us to another level. He says that if the Word of God is the only way you hear from God, then you are not hearing everything God’s trying to say to you.
Other Ways God Can Speak to Us
A good example of how God speaks to us in ways other than the Bible is recorded in the book of the Acts of the Apostles. During Paul’s third missionary journey, a vision appeared to him at night. In the vision Paul saw a man of Macedonia saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us” (Acts 16:9, NASB). This vision was preceded by the Holy Spirit forbidding Paul and Timothy from going to preach in Asia and Bithynia. Putting these two experiences together, they concluded that God had called them to preach in Macedonia.
We know Paul wrote most of the NT. And we tend to think he always heard a crystal-clear voice from God. But it was not always that way. In the case above, Paul and Timothy didn’t hear a voice from heaven. They had no angelic visitation. Their direction came solely from acts of the Holy Spirit and a vision.
God’s word is the pillar of truth. It is the standard by which all conduct and all so-called prophecies are to be evaluated. God never acts counter to His Word. It is the means by which we can know whether or not we are walking in the lanes of truth.
But within those lanes, God can speak to us through the Holy Spirit, through prophecies, through dreams and visions, and through divinely orchestrated events in our life. It’s important that we have ears to hear what He is saying to us through these means.
Practical Implications
If we limit how God speaks to us to His Word only, we will have to figure out some important things on our own. And we know that’s not a recipe for success.
For example, a pastor can’t find out from the Bible when is the right time to leave a church as its pastor. Or you can’t determine from the Scriptures whether you should leave your job for a new job opportunity. Sometimes, it’s a no-brainer, but what about when it’s not?
If you are single and looking for the right person for a mate, you will find priceless guidelines in the Bible. But you won’t find the person’s name listed in the Bible.  But God has means of speaking to us and giving us more direction in such cases—just as He did for Paul and Timothy.
That’s one of the vital roles of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. When Jesus was about to leave and return to the Father, He said this, regarding the Holy Spirit:
“When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” --John 16:13, NASB

Sometimes, You Have to Encourage Yourself (Episode 24)

We all need to be encouraged at times. Believers attend church regularly to be encouraged through the good news of the gospel. In this podcast episode, Evangelist Frank King says it’s also important to be able to encourage yourself.
Sometimes, your need to be encouraged can’t wait until the next time the church doors open. Or the kind of encouragement you need to hear may not be the message for the day at church. Your best friend may not be available to talk to or come by. If you don’t know how to encourage yourself in the face of circumstances that threaten to overwhelm you, you will have a problem standing in times like that.
A time occurred in King David’s life when he had to encourage himself. While he and his army were out at war, the Amalekites came into their city and burned it and took their wives and children captive.
When David and his men returned home and saw the destruction, they were emotionally devastated. “David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep” (1 Samuel 30:4, KJV).
As if that was not enough, the men of David’s army talked about stoning him! Now David did not burn down their city. He did not take their wives and their children captive. He was one with them. He’s feeling the same loss they were. But the men were grieved.
David could have lost it at this point. He could have wallowed in self-pity.  But “David encouraged himself in the Lord his God” (verse 6).
Your Relationship with the Lord
Anyone subjected to what David experienced would be emotionally distraught. No matter how spiritually mature you are and how much you love God, a button exists that life can push and bring you to a low point in your life.
But David was able to overcome by encouraging himself in the Lord. No other source of encouragement existed. His entire world had fallen apart.
It’s moments like this one that we find out what we are really made of. All of us know how to thrive when all is well. But what about when the bottom falls out of life? David challenges us in that regard. When he had lost his possessions and his wife and his children, and his own army wanted to stone him to death, he encouraged himself in the Lord.
The key to David’s success was his relationship with the Lord. David was the one God had sent Samuel the prophet to anoint with oil as king. After that divine experience, “The Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward” (1 Samuel 16:13, KJV). As it was with David, before you can encourage yourself IN the Lord, you must first have a personal relationship WITH the Lord.
Several ways exist for you to encourage yourself in the Lord. For instance, you can sing songs of praise and worship. Or you can read the Scriptures to build yourself up in faith. You can even speak the Word audibly to yourself. Tell yourself that with God on your side, you are more than a conqueror. And that He is faithful and will not allow you to be tested above what you can bear. Also, that He will never leave nor forsake you.