Biblical Moments with Frank King

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.

God's Involvement in Weather Disturbances (Episode 115)

Have you ever thought about God’s possible involvement in weather disturbances such as hurricanes and tornadoes? These can be deadly. For instance, Hurricane Katrina killed well over 1000 people. Do you wonder what God may be saying through these horrific events? In this episode, Evangelist Frank King addresses this subject.
Generally speaking, weather disturbances are natural occurrences. They come about when air and warm water interact, and the wet air above the water rises. This leaves an area of lower air pressure above the ocean’s surface which is quickly filled by air in the surrounding areas.
It’s interesting that the airline industry often refers to bad weather resulting in flight cancellations or delays as acts of God. This they do because they think that relieves them from having to compensate their angry customers for the flight delays. But, again, these dangerous weather disturbances are natural occurrences.
But God CAN send storms and hurricanes and other weather disturbances as well. Such a declaration goes against the grain of some people’s beliefs. God is a loving God they say. He would never send deadly and destructive storms and hurricanes.
But there are some deadly events in the Old Testament that clearly came from God. Some believers argue that the deadly events attributed to God in the Bible simply means He allowed them. That is understood to be the case at times. But, for instance, consider the 10 plagues in Egypt. God did not simply allow those ten plagues.  He actively sent them—including a grievous hailstorm. In fact, God sent them to the intent that Pharaoh and the Egyptians would know that He was God (Exodus 7:5).
Two Storms from God
As further evidence that weather disturbances can come from God at times, here is a quick summary of two storms attributed to God in the Bible. One was aimed at Jonah the prophet. Not wanting to preach to Nineveh, he tried to run from God by boarding a ship. “But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken” (Jonah 1:4).
The storm was so violent that everybody on board began crying out to their God. It was not until the men on board threw Jonah overboard that the raging storm ceased. This made way for God to send a big fish to swallow up Jonah.
Also, in Psalm 107, the psalmist speaks of a storm commanded by God. “For He spoke and raised up a stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea,” the psalmist writes (Psalm 107:25, NASB).
Regarding those caught in the storm, “Their soul melted away in their misery” (verse 26). Moreover, “They reeled and staggered like a drunken man, and were at their wits’ end” (verse 27). Clearly, this storm the psalmist attributes to God was life-threatening.
Even though the psalmist says God sent the storm, when the men prayed to God, He calmed the storm. “They cried to the Lord in their trouble”….”He caused the storm to be still, so that the waves of the sea were hushed” (verses 28-29).
Again, by and large, weather disturbances are natural occurrences. But God CAN send at times send storms and the like.

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.

What Loving Others Has to Do with Prayer (Episode 113)

God has not made any of us totally self-reliant. We all need His help in our life. That’s why we must know how to pray effectively. In this episode, Evangelist Frank King addresses how loving others can help us move the hand of God in our favor when we pray.
In John’s first epistle, he talks about the relationship between loving others and God answering our prayers. He says we are to love in deeds and in truth (1 John 3:18). These days, we use the word “love” too loosely. But love must be accompanied by action. Equally important, our deeds of love must be in truth. False pretenses of love, or self-serving motives behind our acts of love may impress people, but they get us nowhere with God.
When we obey God by loving others through deeds and in truth, “Whatever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep his commandments, and do the things that are pleasing in His sight” (verse 22). This is a conditional promise contingent upon us genuinely loving others.
Every one of us who has been born again has the power to genuinely love others. That’s because the Spirit of God indwells us, and God is love. But still, loving others is a choice. The Holy Spirit empowers us to love, but we can choose to disobey the Spirit.
Loving Others Will Cost You Something
One reason we may choose not to walk in love is because some people make it more costly to love them than we are willing to pay. Genuinely loving others will cost you something. For instance, you reach out to someone who really needs someone to reach out to them. You invest your time and prayer and resources in them. But they repeatedly brush you off. Or the result of your efforts is futile.
The natural tendency is to want to cut your losses when that happens. At times, that may be the right thing to do. But if you make it a habit of shunning everybody you deem as too costly to love, that will negatively affect your prayer life. The resulting dilemma is that you don’t want to pay the cost of loving others, but you need God to hear you when you pray and seek His help.
To be sure, in these last days, loving others will be increasingly more difficult. Jesus said that in the latter days, “Most people’s love will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12, NASB).
But the fact remains that we can’t go about failing to love others and expect to be right with God when we pray.  None of us can afford to allow others to drag us down to a place where we can’t get a prayer through. Having the right relationship with God is not an option but a must. And He says, if you want to be confident to receive from Me when you pray, you must genuinely love others.
 

Obedience to God Under Grace (Episode 112)

The Bible clearly states that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ. But in some places, the Bible seems to suggest that we must live in obedience to God to be saved. So, how do we reconcile these biblical mandates for obedience with grace, since grace is unmerited? Why can’t Christians just live how they want to? Frank King addresses that subject in this episode.
The overarching message of the Scriptures is that we are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8). And we know that grace pertains to those things that are unmerited. We pervert that message when we impose upon the gospel of grace some performance-based requirements to be saved. Some who preach today are guilty of doing exactly that.
 For instance, if we argue that one must give a tithe of his money to church to be saved, we pervert the gospel of grace. Or you must attend church every week. Or that you must involve yourself in the work of the local church. Any attempt to subject one’s salvation to works such as these constitutes perversion of the message of grace.
You are not saved by how much money you give, how often you attend church, how much work you do in the church, none of the above. We are saved by grace through faith in Christ. Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Of course, pastors want church members to be good financial stewards. And to attend church regularly and to get involved in serving the Lord. But they must be careful not to pervert the gospel by implying that one’s salvation requires their obedience in those areas.
The Rest of the Message of Grace
But the message of the gospel of grace can be perverted in another way as some do. It can be presented as a license to live a life of sin and pleasure and still name the name of Christ. God forbid! For when we become saved by grace through faith in Christ, we are also born again through faith in Christ. Accordingly, we will live in obedience to God.
In Christ, we became a new creation. According to the Bible, old things were passed away, and all things became new (2 Corinthians 5:17). The evidence that God has changed us is that we obey God. We don’t have to obey Him to be saved. But we will live in obedience to God because we have been saved.
Genuine Christians don’t live a life of practicing sin. For instance, in 1 John 3:9, John writes, “No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (NASB).
If someone says he is a Christian while living a sinful life, either his is not a Christian, or he is living a disobedient life as a Christian. The apostles’ letters are written on the premise of genuine Christian behavior.
What we are talking about here is the life-changing power of the gospel. Absolutely no one who truly meets the Lord Jesus Christ can remain the same and live the same after meeting the Lord. Through Him, we are translated from death to life.

The Second Coming of Christ (Episode 111)

There seems to be increasingly more concern about the end of the world these days. Perhaps these concerns are being driven by current events, such as killer hurricanes, earthquakes, terrorism, tension between world leaders, etc.
On the other hand, these concerns about the end of the world are not being taken seriously by most. They are not causing people to come running to the church and accept Christ. By and large, just the opposite appears to be happening.
Christians have been talking about the return of the Lord for hundreds of years. Meanwhile, this old world just keeps on turning. And then you have the false prophets of the world. They keep making false predictions about the rapture and the end of the world. These tend to gender indifference to the subject of the Lord’s return and of the end of the world.
Mockers in the Last Days
In his second letter, Apostle Peter writes to the believers about the day of the Lord. Based upon his language, this will be a horrific day marked by the second coming of Christ.
About that day Peter writes, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10, KJV).
Peter wrote the believers to stir up their remembrance of the words of the prophets and the apostles about this day. He warned them that mockers would come in the last days. They will mock the message of the day of the Lord’s return. God inspired Peter to address this subject to refute the naysayers and to affirm the certainty of the day of the Lord.
Only God Knows When
Of course, we have no idea when the second coming of Christ will occur. Neither do we know when the preceding event called the rapture of the church will occur. Jesus says only God knows the day or the hour. That’s why we should live each day as if the Lord will return today.
Also, that has some serious implications for the church. We must be diligent in the business of reaching the Lord. Because we don’t know the day or the hour the Lord is coming, we must regard soul-winning as a matter of urgency. But that’s not the attitude we see in most local churches today.
In John’s first epistle, he talks about the purifying effect upon those who look forward to the Lord’s return (1 John 3:2-3). The truth is that not everyone will be looking forward to that day. Only those who are prepared to meet Him will look forward to His return.

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.

God Uses Imperfect People in Mighty Ways (Episode 109)

If you are a Christian, your prayers, when coupled with faith, are extremely powerful. You may not feel that way when you pray. Perhaps you feel less than perfect because you are. Or you feel you don’t have it all together—because you don’t. In this episode, Frank King encourages Christians to believe more deeply in God’s ability to use imperfect people in extraordinary ways.
Reason or logic would suggest to us that God used Jesus the way He did while on earth because Jesus was perfect. And that God can’t use us in miraculous ways because we are not like Jesus was. But a goal for this episode is to dispel that notion. God has, does, and will use imperfect people in supernatural ways.
Specifically, this episode focuses on the power of the prayer of faith to minister healing in the Christian church. In his epistle, James writes, “The prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him" (James 5:15, NASB).
"Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” (verse 16).
It’s important to note that James is talking to the entire circle of believers here. Still, some Christians may feel that this verse does not apply to them because they don’t have the gift of healing. But James is not talking about the gift of healing. He is talking about the prayer of faith. And every genuine Christian can pray the prayer of faith.
Elijah's Prayer
To encourage us, James turns our attention to Elijah the prophet. He writes, “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months” (verse 17). At the end of that long drought, Elijah prayed again, and the rain returned (verse 18).
Oftentimes, when we read about how God used someone in a supernatural way, we tend to think they must have been made of something special. We act as if there are two different categories of people. They are the chosen few whom God uses to work miracles and the rest of us.
But here the Bible reveals that Elijah was just like the rest of us. He was imperfect. He had issues just as we do.  But God used him in mighty ways. This guy prayed and shut up the rain from heaven for 3-1/2 years in the city. Not 3-1/2 days but 3-1/2 years. God is still using imperfect people in extraordinary ways.

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?