Biblical Moments with Frank King

What is your commitment to living for Christ? In a way, spiritual fitness is like physical fitness. For both, the only way to arrive is through a full commitment to the cause.
People tend to be subjective when it comes to defining their commitment to fitness—be it physical or spiritual. But for spiritual fitness, the Bible is our standard. The purpose of this episode is to motivate believers to a fuller commitment to Christ going forward.
We must be careful and not become caught up in the pursuit of material things and the busyness of life. Doing so can cause us to lose our passion for the Lord, or even worse, lose our way. Being or remaining fully committed to the Lord does not happen by accident. This happens only by intent.
In 1 Corinthians 15:33, Paul the apostle warns, ‘Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals”’ (NASB). Accordingly, some believers won’t embrace a fuller commitment to Christ because they spend too much time with people who are not fully committed to the Lord. 
Evangelist King says, as Christians critique their spiritual status, perhaps some of them need to critique the company they keep.

It’s safe to say that nobody wants to go through difficult times in their life. But the truth is that everybody will have trying times in this life. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that Christians will not be tested in this life. “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12, KJV). This podcast episode provides four biblical strategies for getting through a test.
As long as there exists a devil who has made us his enemy, tests in our life are a given. As long as God uses difficult times to help us grow, tests in our life are a given. But God has given us strategies to ease the burden of those tests. The more diligently we utilize these strategies, the better they will serve us.
Most Christians want to grow, but they want to grow painlessly. But tests and difficult times are a part of spiritual growth. Moreover, every road to success is paved with some challenges and setbacks. You must know how to cross those hurdles if you want to succeed. Hence, the value of these strategies for getting through a test.

In a typical morning worship gathering, if you were to ask for a show of hands of those who have faith in God, most people present--if not everyone--would raise his or her hands. What’s complicated about that inquiry is the fact that different people have differing ideas about what is faith. This episode focuses on biblical faith; that is, faith accompanied by works.
A serious problem with failing to live by faith in God is that sometimes, faith in God is the only answer to your problem. With God, nothing is hopeless. All things are possible to him who believes. There will come times in every one of our lives when we need to put our faith in action. The question is, how will we respond?
It’s vitally important to remember that Christianity is not simply a religion, but it is a way of life. That way of life is rooted in faith. There is a limit to how much you can grow simply by learning the Scriptures. Further growth can come only through putting your faith in action and experiencing God.

These days, we seldom talk about being a disciple. We talk about being a Christian. Or about being a church member. But being a disciple, not so much. In this episode, Frank King addresses the costs of following Christ.
Generally speaking, a disciple is one who believes in and follows the teachings of another. So, when we talk about the costs of following Christ, we are talking about the costs of discipleship. One of the main goals of church membership should be Christian discipleship. Sometimes, however, it seems as though church leaders are more interested in head count than they are in discipleship.
If the truth be told, many believers today regard Jesus’ demands for discipleship, as recorded in the Scriptures, as radical. His teachings are deemed out of touch with today’s world, where conforming is the order of the day. Perhaps that’s why we don’t talk about this nearly enough in our pulpits. This kind of message is not popular. It certainly won’t motivate people to come running to fill the pews in your local church. But this is the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that’s what we are to proclaim to all generations.

Like many other things, Christians and church leaders have divergent views on the subject of prosperity, as addressed in the Bible. Some preachers today proudly refer to themselves as prosperity preachers. As that label implies, these preachers proclaim a message that emphasizes material gain and wealth. This podcast episode addresses biblical prosperity as distinguished from some of the controversial teachings in the church on prosperity.
Does the Bible teach about God blessing us through giving? A resounding yes. God loves a cheerful giver. And doesn’t the Bible teach that if we give, we will receive back in good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over? Yes, it does teach that.  But we must be careful to identify and reject all erroneous and unbalanced teachings on the subject of prosperity.
Being a Christian and being successful or even being financially prosperous in this world are not incompatible. Biblical prosperity enables us to be both at the same time. But we must reject all erroneous and unbalanced teachings on the subject of prosperity. We must reject all the so-called get rich schemes being presented in the pulpit.

Each of us has many attributes that define us. For instance, we may be a person of integrity; or someone who is always happy; or someone whom you cannot depend on; etc. One of the most powerful qualities that can be used to describe us is that we love others. The podcast episode addresses the supremacy of love.
In chapter 12 of his first letter to the church at Corinth, Paul the apostle shares insights on spiritual gifts. He told the believers to earnestly desire spiritual gifts. In the next chapter, chapter 13, he addresses the supremacy of love. He refers to love as the “more excellent way." His point is that walking in love is superior to simply being a deeply spiritual person. Love is the most powerful thing we have for impacting the lives of others for the Kingdom of God.
There is a difference between like and love. When we like something, it means we naturally have a favorable disposition toward it. You may meet someone whom you do not like. In other words, you don’t have a naturally favorable disposition toward the person. But you can still choose to love him or her. Because of the supremacy of love, Jesus even commands us to “love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44).

Sometimes, the things around you may suggest that God is not with you. No matter what we say we believe about God, at times our circumstances may suggest otherwise. That’s why it’s important to know in your heart that during difficult challenges in your life, your battles belong to God. Having this perspective is vital because what you believe about God affects how you live your life.
Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could see what God was doing behind the scenes on your behalf? As it was in the days of Elisha the prophet, when the king of Syria sent an army to apprehend Elisha. God opened the eyes of Elisha’s servant so he could see in the spiritual realm. Then he saw an army of horses and chariots of fire around Elisha to protect him.
What God did for the servant, however, was the exception and not the rule. You must walk by faith and not by sight that your battles belong to God.  You can’t see Him, but He is actively on your side during the difficult times in your life.

Sometimes when you pray to God, it may seem as if you and He are not on the same page. Well, guess what; sometimes, that is the case. God's ways and thoughts are higher than yours. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are God's ways and thoughts higher than yours (Isaiah 55:9). The difference is immeasurable. That's one reason why what you expect God to do may differ from what He actually does or how He goes about doing it.
God is always interested in whatever concerns you. But the difficulties you face in life are not always just about you. Sometimes, God's priority differs from yours because only He can see the big picture. Some things He allows in your life are to the intent that He might be glorified.
We tend to be selfish in our expectations from God. That’s understandable when we pray to Him about something that concerns us. When we hurt or struggle, for instance, we often just want to know how to spell relief. But that is not always God's priority. We must learn to trust Him even when we don’t understand what He is doing.