Mississippi Church Says No to Marrrying Black Couple

(Article first published as Mississippi Church Says No to Marrying Black Couple on Technorati)

The First Baptist Church in Crystal Springs, Mississippi, has never had a black wedding performed there since it was founded in 1883. The first such wedding was scheduled to occur there this very month. But one day before Charles and Te’Andrea were to be married there, they were told they had to have the wedding elsewhere.

The reason? They were black.

According to the church’s pastor, Stan Weatherford, some members of the church objected so strongly to having the first black wedding there that they threatened to fire him as the pastor if he performed it. As a compromise, Pastor Weatherford performed the wedding on July 20, at a black church down the street.

According to the ABC News report, Charles and Te’Andrea were not members of the church, though they attended there often.  Also, Te’ Andrea’s uncle is an employee of First Baptist Church, and her father is a member. Still, the congregation could have disallowed the request on the grounds that Charles and Te’Andrea were not members, if it wanted to. But evidently, that was not a problem, which means that if everything else were the same but that the candidates were white, there would have been no problem with allowing the wedding.

Looking at this situation from a Christian standpoint, the church has no justifiable reason for its position. Some might argue that it is that local church’s right to refuse to marry the couple purely on the basis of race, if it wants to. With that, I totally disagree. The last time I checked, Christ is the head of the church (see Colossians 1:18)—not the deacons, not the pastor, not the congregation, not the denomination, etc.

Pastor Weatherford told WLBT-TV that the church is now holding internal meetings to address how to respond to future requests by black couples to be married there. Really, this should not be a hard thing to decide on for a local Christian church. We are called to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. That means we must take the lead in doing what’s right in the sight of God, including in the area of race relations.

I am sure that some, perhaps most, of the members of First Baptist Church, Crystal Springs, Mississippi, want to do the right thing in this matter. The pastor said he would have liked to perform Charles and Te’Andrea’s wedding at the church. Hopefully, going forward, this church will get real and do the right thing.

Copyright ©2012 by Frank King. All rights reserved.

Pray to God and Never Give Up

In prayer, persistence pays off. In life in general, persistence pays off. “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you,” the Bible says (Matthew 7:7, KJV). An interesting thing about this verse is that each of the verbs in the Greek language from which they were derived—ask, seek, and knock—is in the present tense, which in that language denotes a repeated action. This means we must develop the discipline in life of asking, seeking, and knocking, if we are to reach our objectives in life.

On the subject of how to pray, there are those who teach that we should not pray more than once about the same thing. They contend that our doing so denotes a lack of faith. But in the verse above, Jesus teaches that when we pray, we should persist. When doors are locked and things seem hopeless, we must keep knocking on the door. We must keep seeking until we find.

Ever observed a person who is confident about what he wants out of life? He will allow nothing to deter him. It doesn’t matter how many times life tells him the answer is no, he believes it is yes, and so he drives full speed ahead. When one plan does not work, he regroups and gets back on the offensive. He refuses to take no for an answer when he believes he is on to something and that he can reach his goal. That type of conviction is absolutely unstoppable.

We must have a similar resolve when we pray to God. Why? Because at times when we pray and He grants our request, it does not mean that all obstacles disappear. In fact, sometimes, when God says yes, the world and the devil will seriously say no way. But if we believe that God has heard and answered our prayer, we must then put some action to our faith. We must not be deterred by the doors that are shut in our face. We must seek until we realize our desire.

And here is the assurance we have: “For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:8, NIV).

Life is filled with obstacles and hurdles. But true winners don’t despair. They keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking; knowing that through faith in God persistence pays off. So, are you that kind of person?

Copyright © 2012 by Frank King. All rights reserved.

God Can Heal the Brokenhearted

Last Friday morning, America was shocked to learn of the shooting disaster that occurred during a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises at a theater in Aurora, Colorado. Based on initial reports, 12 moviegoers were killed and as much as 59 others were wounded. The shooting suspect for this massacre was later identified as James Holmes, 24.

I thought about the immeasurable grief and the unfathomable depths of the wounds that I am sure this awful tragedy has left behind. I don’t care how many reports we have heard about what happened; only those who experienced this mindless mass murder know what it was really like. I can imagine this sick-minded masked man, fueled with demonic-like rage, barging in, gassing the place, and heartlessly killing and wounding his many victims. But my imagination can’t come close to the reality of the carnage.

The question is, how do victims recover from such a traumatic experience? Please understand that the victims are not limited to those who were murdered and those who were wounded, but also all the survivors of that fateful night, and bereaved families and loved ones. For many of them, their healing will require more than simply time.

But there is hope for the victims of the Dark Knight Rises shooting. Consider these words that Jesus said concerning himself during His public ministry: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor: he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted….” (Luke 4:18).

Two key words exist in this verse that I want to zero in on. The first word is anointed. It means that Jesus received a divinely imparted ability to do what He was sent to do. It was because God had so equipped Him that He could heal the brokenhearted, which is the second word. It means to be broken or crushed on the inside. That’s the state of many of the survivors of The Dark Knight Rises massacre.

The good news is that same God can heal the brokenhearted of our day.

During my more than 30 years of preaching the gospel and ministering to people who have been crushed by life and who thought they would never really live again, I have seen my share of those whom God has perfectly healed deep on the inside and made whole. Events such as the massacre in Aurora, Colorado, should remind us of why it is important that we proclaim to this hurting world that God can and will heal the brokenhearted.

Copyright ©2012 by Frank King. All rights reserved.

Study: Number of Donors Giving Online Increases to Almost 60%

(Article first published as Study: Number of Donors Giving Online Increases to Almost 60% on Technorati)

Having an ample supply of financial contributors is the lifeline of charities and many nonprofit organizations. It should be no surprise that during our sluggish economy the past several years these organizations have been feeling the impact of the economy. But there is some noteworthy news. According to a recent study commissioned by Dunham+Company, the number of donors who give online has jumped to nearly 60 percent.

The percentage of donors who say they have given online has increased from 48 percent in 2010 to 57 percent in 2012, according to the study. The most dominant demographic accounting for the overall increase in the percentage of online contributors is the Baby Boomer generation (those born between 1946 and 1964). Among this group, the increase in online giving rose from 44 percent in 2010 to 58 percent in 2012. According to the study, even donors over the age of 65 increased online giving from 29 percent in 2010 to 36 percent in 2012, but no significant change in giving online was seen for those under the age of 40.

This news on the increase in online giving, however, does not change the bottom line that overall charitable giving is down. Last month, the Barna group released the results of a survey aimed at assessing the impact of the economy on charitable giving. The group has been tracking such impact at regular intervals since late 2008, when the economy started going south.

Based on this study, 41`% of all U. S. adults say they have reduced giving to nonprofit organizations during the past three months due to the poor economy. As for giving to churches, in the same study, one-third of Americans (34%) say they have dropped the amount donated to churches in the last three months, the highest this indicator has been since tracking began in 2008.

So total giving to nonprofit organizations and churches is down, but the percentage of those giving online has increased substantially. What does this mean? “This study continues to reinforce the importance of a charity’s website being optimized for giving,” said Mr. Rick Dunham, President and CEO of Dunham+Company, referring to his company’s commissioned study. In other words, since giving to charitable organizations and churches is down, but the percentage of online contributors is up; these ministries must make sure they don’t miss out on the opportunity to be on the receiving end of online giving.

Copyright ©2012 by Frank King. All rights reserved.

Why We Need the Baptism with the Holy Spirit

This is one of those subjects that not all Christians agree on or believe in, but it is biblical so here goes. After Jesus rose from the dead and before He ascended back to heaven, He told His disciples, “that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47). But then He added, “But tarry you in the city of Jerusalem, until you be endued with power from on high” (v. 49).

This power Jesus was referring to is imparted through what the Bible refers to in several places as the baptism with the Holy Spirit (see Acts 1:5, Matthew 3:11). It is so named to portray the idea that as John the Baptist baptized with water, Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit. The connection between Jesus telling the disciples to go and preach His name among the nations and His telling them to wait for the power from heaven is that they absolutely could not effectively accomplish the former without the latter.

The same is true for us today. Like other countries, America is an extremely tough mission field. We won’t make any significant impact on reaching our nation unless we have been divinely empowered to serve by the Holy Spirit. I have been preaching the gospel for over 30 years, but I know it takes more than a well-crafted sermon to impact the lives of those whom I minister to. It is the Holy Spirit who anoints my message and who touches the hearts of those who listen and who commends Christ to their hearts. All of these have to be at work to make preaching fruitful.

So the Bible says that on the day of Pentecost, “They were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began  to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave the utterance” (Acts 2:4). Oftentimes, some of those in the Pentecostal community overemphasize the speaking in other tongues. There is no denying that in most cases in the book of Acts when the Bible reveals what happened to individuals at the time they experienced the baptism with the Holy Spirit, they spoke with tongues other than those of their native languages. Some recipients also prophesied.

But the point I want to make is that the purpose of the baptism with the Holy Ghost is not to showcase any spiritual gifts that we may operate in as a result of the experience, but the purpose is to divinely empower us to serve the Lord more effectively. “You shall receive power AFTER that the Holy Ghost is come upon you,” Jesus told His disciples (Acts 1:8). Since this power He was talking about would come AFTER they received the Holy Spirit, it was a power the disciples did not have already, though their names were written in heaven.

That brings me to my final point. It is important that I make it clear that we become born of the Spirit through faith in Christ, and no other experience is necessary to secure our eternal salvation. But also Jesus wants to baptize us with the Holy Spirit so we can serve Him in power and with boldness and more effectively in these last days.

Copyright ©2012 by Frank King. All rights reserved.

An Important Lesson for Bible Teachers

An important lesson for Bible teachers is found in 2 Timothy 2:15: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” I know some believers feel that as long as a person is a genuine Christian, he should be free to go about promoting himself as a preacher or teacher, if that’s what he wants to do. Moreover, some argue that no one else should judge as to whether a person is qualified to preach or teach the Word of God.

Ok, I hear that argument loudly and clearly, but I do not believe that such a mindset is in the best interest of the gospel. In fact, I believe that one of the reasons why many Christians today are confused about what they believe the Bible teaches on key Christian doctrines is that we have too many self-proclaimed preachers and teachers of the Bible out there who have failed to heed the advice found in 2 Timothy 2:15.

As preachers and teachers of the Word of God, many temptations to misrepresent the Scriptures can present themselves. Let me just give you a few examples:

• Reading a desired meaning into the Scriptures, as opposed to drawing the legitimate meaning from the Scriptures

• Using the Scriptures to exploit God’s people for the sake of monetary gain

• Teaching stuff counter to the Scriptures in the name of so-called “revelation knowledge” we claim to have received directly from heaven to us

The Bible is clear that “God is not the author of confusion” (1 Corinthians 14:33). Hence, whatever He is doing in our world today and whatever He is revealing to us through His Spirit is always consistent with the written Word of God, known as the Bible.

Okay, so back to 2 Timothy 2:15. There are two interrelated parts to complying with this verse. The first has to do with being proactive to present oneself to God as an approved worker. The second has to do with becoming able to correctly handle the Word of truth.

Obedience to this verse requires more than a subjective evaluation. Even a new convert may feel he or she is ready to engage in a preaching or teaching ministry, but that does not make it so. Godly men and women who have been in the faith for some duration of time are far more qualified to make an objective assessment.

So are you or do you want to be a Bible teacher or preacher? Your heeding the advice for Bible teachers and preachers found in 2 Timothy 2:15 will serve you well.

Copyright © 2012 by Frank King. All rights reserved.

Choose to Obey God

After Jesus returned to heaven, His disciples had the charge of continuing the work He had begun. Specifically, Jesus commanded them to preach the gospel to the nations. The disciples met much opposition while doing this. But when they were charged by the authorities to quit preaching, they responded, “We ought to obey God rather than man” (Acts 5:29).

How many times have you found yourself being instructed by the Word of God to do something while being under the authority of others at the same time? The challenge comes when what you are being told by these two sources diametrically oppose each other. During those times, your conviction should be the same as that of the apostles: “We ought to obey God rather than man.”

Let me be clear that I believe, in general, we should obey those who are over us, such as our parents, teachers, and employers. This is pleasing in the sight of the Lord. We should also obey our local authorities, such as the policemen and our court system. The Bible refers to these as authorities that have been ordained by God. When we are committed to doing what’s right, we don’t have to fear those in authority. “For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil” (Romans 13:3).

On the other hand, we know we have some leaders and some people in authority who are corrupt and some who are haters of God. When their instructions and decrees aim to move us against the will of God for our lives, we must choose to obey God rather than man.

Be it far from me to try and make someone feel guilty because of where they are in life. I know some Christians who read this post may currently find themselves in extremely compromising situations, and they have to work through some issues before they can fully walk by this rule. Oftentimes, when we find ourselves in a position where we must disobey others so we can obey God, we must be prayerful and we must walk in wisdom. But let us keep our eyes on the ball. An unwavering commitment to obedience to God should be the driver in every Christian’s life.

I entitled this post, “Choose to obey God,” because our obedience to God is not happenstance; rather, we must choose to obey Him. Furthermore, we know that our commitment to God is not in vain. For He blesses those who walk in obedience to Him.

Copyright © 2012 by Frank King. All rights reserved.

How We Walk With God

In the Old Testament, the Bible says, “Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9).  Such a statement may raise a question in the mind of some people because God is a Spirit, which means we can’t see Him. So how does one walk with God if he can’t see Him? On the other hand, such a statement portrays God in a very personal way. We know what it means to walk with another human being. But it is also true that  we can walk with God even though we can’t see Him.

The amazing thing about Noah's experience is the times in which he lived. The people of his day were so wicked that it grieved the heart of God, and He decided He would destroy all life on earth. “But Noah found grace in the eyes of God” (verse 8).

So why did God single out Noah to show Him grace? Because “Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God,” the Bible says (verse 9). I don’t know about you, but Noah’s life challenges me. He had no Bible, no pastor, no fellow believers—the entire world was so wicked that God repented that He had made man—yet in such a world Noah chose to be just, perfect, and to walk with God!

To help us walk with God, He has given us His Spirit who lives in us and guides us into all truth. Also, He has given us the Bible to instruct and to guide us, according to His will.

So let’s see how this works.  In the first chapter of John’s first epistle, he shares his and the other apostles’ objective for writing to us the things they heard and saw during their time with Jesus: “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that you also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3).

Hence, the purpose of the writings of the apostles is so that we can enjoy fellowship with God as they did. You see, when Jesus came to earth, He was the living Word of God.  He modeled what it meant to walk with God. Also, Jesus never missed an opportunity to teach His followers how to walk with God. The disciples who witnessed these things wrote what they heard and saw so we in turn could incorporate them into our lives so we too would have fellowship with God and His Son.

Fellowship with God does not require us to physically see Him. Fellowship simply requires that the activities and conversation of those involved revolve around common values and interests. The Bible helps us in this regard by revealing to us the heart and the will of God so we can bring our heart and will in line with His. As our values and interests become one with God’s then we can have true fellowship with Him. This, in effect, is how we walk with God. Remember, Noah did it in his day, and so can we in ours.

Copyright ©2012 by Frank King. All rights reserved.

Thank God for Our Declaration of Independence

(Article first published as Thank God for Our Declaration of Independence on Technorati)

As I reflect upon our Declaration of Independence that was adopted on the fourth of July, 1776, and, hence, the birthday of the United States, I am captivated by the following profound and eloquent words of said Declaration: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

I believe that the God-factor underscored in the above statement served to fuel the cause that led to the Declaration. Thomas Jefferson, the principal author, and the rest of the committee understood that God was the Potentate of all the earth. He was more powerful than the King of Great Britain. The rights that God had given each of us as individuals could not be taken away by any human being or by the suppression of any foreign power.

As for the rights to pursue Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness, the Continental Congress apparently understood that no nation had any hope of becoming great unless these rights were afforded to each and every citizen. Moreover, these rights are consistent with the will of God for humanity. He has infused each of us with much ability and potential, along with the desire to pursue the fullness of life. When Jesus came on earth, He echoed the same by saying, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Furthermore, God created us equal.

The past couple of years, we have seen much unrest in the Middle East. Time and again, the people have revolted against dictatorial leaders and governments that treat their people like merchandise and tools of tyrants instead of human beings. Such oppressive governments will never breed a happy people.  God has placed dreams and passions on the inside of us that refuse to be denied. Accordingly, the fires of discontent have been burning, as we have seen.

And so, looking toward Independence Day, I thank God that He has blessed me to live in a country where I am free to strive to become all that He has blessed me with the potential to become. This is not to say that our country is perfect because it’s far from that. But it is great because of the foundation upon which it stands.

Copyright 2012 by Frank King. All rights reserved.