Biblical Moments with Frank King

How to Be Strong in the Lord (Episode 22)

Being a Christian does not automatically make you strong in the Lord. You can be a Christian and not be strong in the Lord, but you can’t be strong in the Lord without being a Christian. Moreover, being strong in the Lord does not automatically come with the duration of time you have been a Christian. You can be a Christian for 50 years and still not be regarded as being strong in the Lord.
In Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus, he writes, “Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might” (Ephesians 6:10, KJV). Every Christian has what he or she needs to become strong in the Lord. That’s because of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.
Admittedly, some believers have more challenges to becoming strong in the Lord than others do. But the fact remains that every Christian has been endued with the wherewithal to realize that end.
But how do we become strong in the Lord, and why is that important? Paul writes, “Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (verse 11). The first part of this verse reveals in a nutshell, HOW to become strong in the Lord. We accomplish that end by putting on the whole armor of God.
The second part of the verse reveals WHY we need to be strong in the Lord. It is so we can stand against the wiles—the schemes, tricks, or attacks--of the devil. It stands to reason that if we must put on the whole armor of God so we can stand against the wiles of the devil, then we won’t be able to stand strong if we don’t do that.
In this episode, Frank King underscores the point that we don’t get to determine how we must fight to win against the devil. Rather, the enemy determines that. Why do you think our nation has intelligence agencies? It’s because we must know what works against adversarial nations and what does not. If we ignore the intelligence and we just do what we always do, our warfare will not be effective. The same thing is true about our enemy, the devil. It is the nature of the enemy that dictates the kind of warfare we must fight in order to win.
In our own strength, you and I are no match for the devil. The only way we can win against him is by donning ourselves with the armor that comes from God.

God’s Love for the Lost (Episode 21)

God’s love for the lost is perfectly summed up in John 3:16: “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Hence, when we say God loves us, it’s not just because He says so in His word. But He demonstrated His love for us by sending His Son to die on the cross for a world of sinners.
Sometimes, though Christians may not actually say it, they convey the message that God loves them, and He is mad with those who have not accepted Christ. The truth is that God’s love for the lost is the same as it is for Christians.
Jonah the prophet experienced this truth after God sent him to preach a message of destruction to the people Nineveh. “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown,” Jonah said (Jonah 3:4, KJV). But after the people repented and turned from their evil, God had compassion on them and spared them (verse 10).
“But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry” (Jonah 4:1). This was not the response Jonah wanted to see.  He wanted God to destroy the people of Nineveh. What kind of preacher was Jonah that we wanted to see people destroyed and not saved?
After we accept Christ as our Savior, our goal should be to become more like God and more like His Son. God so loved the world that He gave His Son. His Son so loved the world that He gave His life. If we are going to be like the Father and the Son, we must reflect God’s love for the lost in our life.
Jonah knew the heart of God. He referred to Him as being “a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness” (verse 2). Accordingly, Jonah should not have been surprised by God’s show of mercy. But Jonah’s problem was that he didn’t embrace the heart of the God He was serving. This is also true about many of God’s people today.

The Power of Preaching (Episode 20)

Most religious people know or have heard of the story of the Old Testament prophet Jonah in the belly of the big fish. Initially, Jonah did not want to preach to the people at Nineveh, as God had told him to. What ultimately happened is a reflection of the power of preaching. Accordingly, this episode focuses on how lives can be impacted by a word from the Lord—when those who hear it open their heart to God.  
When Jonah finally went and preached to the people at Ninevah, they believed his preaching. They repented and covered themselves in sack cloth and ashes. When God saw how they repented and turned from their evil ways, He changed His mind, and did not destroy the city.
From what we can see in the Scriptures, Jonah’s sermon was only one verse long. He said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown” (Jonah 3:4, KJV). The power of his message was not in how long or how short it was. Rather, its power resided in whose message he proclaimed and in who was with him when he preached it.
Contrary to the thinking of many today, the power of preaching is not rooted in the length of one’s sermon or the communication skills of the minister. Neither in how loud or how energetic the message is delivered. But its power is rooted in whose message the preacher proclaims and in whether or not the preacher has been sent by God. Only by the latter can one’s preaching have power to impact and change lives.
Anyone who preaches the gospel should find much encouragement in Jonah’s preaching experience. Similarly, God has given us His Word to reach the lost. Through the preaching of the gospel, we can change the world, one life at a time. That’s if we dare to believe in the power of preaching.

God Knows How to Get Your Attention (Episode 19)

Have you ever sensed God calling you to do something you did not want to do, for whatever reason you had? Jonah the prophet in the Old Testament was such a person. God told him to go east and preach to the people in a place called Nineveh. Not wanting to go, Jonah went west wanting to flee from the presence of the Lord.
Jonah found out that you can’t run from God, you can’t hide from Him, and you can’t ignore Him. He is everywhere at the same time.
The story of Jonah should serve as a reminder that God knows how to get your attention. For Jonah, God sent a killer storm. Then He appointed a big fish to swallow up Jonah. He remained in the belly of that big fish for three days and nights. Afterward, Jonah was more than ready to obey God.
God speaks to us primarily through His Word and through the Holy Spirit. That’s why we must spend time with Him so we can hear His voice. Sometimes when God speaks to us, He demands our attention. If we choose to ignore Him, He knows how to take things to another level to get our attention. Fortunately, those means are not nearly as dramatic as a raging storm or a man-swallowing fish.
For Jonah, it was not a question as to what God wanted Him to do. He clearly told Jonah to go and set his voice against Nineveh. So, Jonah heard what God said, knew what God wanted, and chose to do otherwise. Perhaps that is true about some who will listen to this message. It may be something pertaining to ministry or their personal life.
Just remember that God knows how to get your attention. You can’t run from Him, we can’t hide from Him, and you can’t ignore God.

Having the Wrong Concept of Life (Episode 18)

Your concept of life matters because it determines how you live your life. If your concept of life is wrong, then the life you live will be wrong in the eyes of God. And many people today have the wrong concept of life.
This world wants us to believe life is about getting lots of stuff. To some degree, we all feed into that idea. That’s because for almost every special occasion, we celebrate by buying things for people.
Jesus said, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions” (Luke 12:15, NASB).
Jesus taught a parable about a man who had the wrong concept of life. According to Jesus, the parable applies to everyone “who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (verse 21). The sad truth is that many people who attend and serve in the local church fall into this category Jesus is talking about. God wants to be first in our lives. He wants us to love Him more than we love things and worldly success.
It is not unusual to see or read about people who are rich and famous but who are still searching for fulfillment. They underscore the fact that life is not simply about material wealth. True life comes only through a personal relationship with Christ. 
Before we came to Christ, we had a self-focused perspective on life. Everything was about us. Now we must have a Christ-focused life. Furthermore, the Bible says that through Christ, we are translated from death to life. So, it is only through Christ that we can know true life. He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly.

The Work of the Church (Episode 17)

What is the work of the local church? For any organization to succeed, it must know its mission. No business can effectively reach its goal if it does not know what the goal(s) is. The same is true for local churches. They have a God-ordained role to play in the lives of their members.
God has blessed the church with apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. These are the key players in the work of the local church. They are gifted, “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12, KJV).
Some church members, perhaps many of them, believe the work of the ministry is mainly for the pastor and other staff members on the church’s payroll. But the main focus of church leaders should be to feed the flock so that they can grow to maturity. In turn, these are to do the work of the ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ. This is how the local church becomes strong and less susceptible to false teachings and false prophets.
A number of benefits exists for being a member of a local church. The church is a platform for us to corporately worship God. The local church also provides a means for having fellowship with people of like faith. That’s important because you may work in a place where few, if any, believers exist that you can connect with and speak openly about your faith and be encouraged. But the church is also the place where you become better equipped for the work of the local church.
Sad but true, some local churches don’t have an effective plan for the spiritual growth of her members, nor for their involvement in the work of the local church.

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.

God Disciplines His Own (Episode 15)

Children need parental discipline but most of them don’t want it. Those of us who are parents know the value of proactive parenting. The same is true about God who is our heavenly Father. He disciplines us because He knows that for us to reach our maximum potential, we must be properly attended to.
No true believer is an exception to the Lord’s disciplinary role. The writer of Hebrews writes, “For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son [or daughter] whom He receives” (Hebrews 12:6, NASB).
Note the word “every” in the verse. It means no exceptions.  The word “scourge” denotes a whip for punishment. Of course, since we are talking about God, this is not a reference to a physical whipping. But sometimes, chastisement without whipping can be more painful than physical whipping.
So, how does the Lord discipline us? He has three primary ways of speaking to us to help us grow spiritually and become more like Him. One is by the Bible. Paul writes that the Word of God is profitable for correction and reproof (2 Timothy 3:16). Another way He challenges our conduct and behavior is through the Holy Spirit. He lives in us to bring about conviction when we are out of line. Thirdly, God speaks to us is through His messengers challenging us through preaching and teaching.
These three ways God speaks to us have one common goal. It is to motivate us and to help us become more like Christ. And when we refuse to or when we are slow to respond to these primary catalysts for disciplining us, God knows how to “speak” to us more loudly to get our attention.
God’s disciplinary acts may not feel good while we are experiencing them, but in the end, they will yield us a more fulfilled Christian life.

Receiving the Baptism with the Holy Spirit (Episode 14)

On the day of Pentecost, after Jesus had returned to heaven, something phenomenal happened in a place called the upper room. The Spirit of God was poured out upon the people who were assembled there. This experience was not limited to the apostles. But it was experienced by approximately 120 men and women. 
Furthermore, after the day of Pentecost, the Bible records several other times where groups of people had the same experience. In the Bible, that experience is referred to as the baptism with the Holy Spirit.
This experience was spoken of in the O. T. in the book of Joel the prophet. There, God said, “I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions” (Joel 2:28, KJV). Apostle Peter cites that prophecy on the day of Pentecost.
It is important to distinguish between one being born of the Holy Spirit and the baptism with the Holy Spirit. Everyone who repents of his sins and places his trust in what Jesus did on the cross is immediately born again of the Holy Spirit. That person has everything he needs to live for the Lord and to go to heaven.
The baptism with the Holy Spirit, however, is another experience administered by the Holy Spirit that empowers our life. In Luke 24:49, Jesus refers to the experience as being endued with power from on high. In Acts 1:8, Jesus told the disciples they would receive power AFTER the Holy Ghost had come upon them.
In some Christian circles, they passionately argue that the baptism with the Holy Spirit is always accompanied by speaking in other tongues or by prophesying. It is acknowledged that that was the case in the instances recorded in the book of Acts. But the purpose of this experience, Jesus says, is to empower our lives.

Practical Insights on Spiritual Gifts (Episode 13)

The basic work of the Holy Spirit is to bring about spiritual rebirth in the life of those who accept Christ as their Savior. Except a man be born of the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. But the work of the Holy Spirit does not stop at spiritual rebirth. This podcast episode provides some practical insights on the subject of spiritual gifts. These gifts are imparted to believers by way of the Holy Spirit.
This a broad and fascinating subject. It is way beyond the scope of this podcast episode. A series of episodes would be required to do the subject justice. However, the points shared in this episode are basic to the subject of spiritual gifts. As such, no matter how deeply you want to go into this subject, the biblical truths shared in this episode apply.
In Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth, he addresses the gifts of the Spirit. “Now concerning spiritual gifts, I would not have you ignorant,” he wrote (1 Corinthians 12:1, KJV). In chapter 12, Paul reveals nine phenomenal gifts of the Spirit. And as we consider that list, we get a feel for the breadth of the works of the Holy Spirit in the life of Christians.
Some believers are turned off by the subject of the gifts of the Spirit. That’s because of the exploitation and misuse by some church leaders. But this in no way diminishes the importance of this work of the Holy Spirit. Rather, it underscores the importance of gaining a better understanding of spiritual gifts.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit are not given to us to bring attention to ourselves. Nor to be used as a basis of showing how spiritual we are. Rather, they are for ministering to the body of Christ—nothing more, nothing less.