 Good afternoon everybody to welcome to a random moment with Pastor David. Good afternoon Pastor David. How you doing John? This is like our fifth take. Yeah, let's do our blooper series You know I want to welcome you guys for joining joining us this this afternoon You know pastor when we think about the timeline of our church here. We've been coming up in November We've been coming we've been actually on this property for going on 30 years 30 years in November And then even more than that you've been teaching the God you've been teaching the word of God for 49 years ordained as 43 years So you see that there are some faithfulness in what you've been doing and one of the things that even as we celebrate Pastors appreciation day one of the things I like to see on a lot of the post where there are a couple of things that Really stood out to me and it's your diligence to teach the word of God And so when you think about all the number of years that you've been teaching God's word What has kept you faithful and on track on teaching God's word only? Okay? I'm just add a couple things first to what we just said Yeah, we started this church 41 years ago. We were Meeting in Ontario for the first 10 years going on 11 years and then for 30 years. We've been In this area, so it's been a total of 41 years of pastoral ministry to this church prior to that I was an assisting pastor for two years and so for 40 43 years I've been ordained as a pastor 49 years I've been teaching the word of God and so the question relates to what has kept me Solid in this it's the knowledge that Jesus Christ said go into all the world and preach the gospel He didn't say go into all the world and You know anything else. He said go out into all the world and preach the gospel. He said teaching them you know all things that I've commanded you and so What has kept me going for all these years has been an attempt to be obedient to God's word and so in a time when there are many distractions and and there are numerous churches that For whatever reason perhaps they think they've been raised up for such a time as this There are many churches and some are fairly well known That have Deviated from the teaching of the word of God and have moved into other kinds of things I guess to attract people or with the belief that there's somehow equipping them For works of service by teaching them to vote or who who who the pastor thinks is the best candidate and all of that I Have a different experience and that is you know, I'm I'm 72 years old. I'm not a young man anymore I've been a Christian for going up 52 years in a couple months and That has given to me the advantage of being able to look back over numerous years and to see how Varying from the path of teaching as affected the church when I first got saved and began to minister There was a particular pastor in the United States who had Who had a TV program Sunday nights and I watched him on occasion I respected and admired him quite a bit But I also noticed that he really wasn't a teacher of the word so much as a political activist And I began to wonder even as a new Christian if that kind of message would have saved me if that kind of message would have attracted me to to To come to faith in Christ and the fact is no what that would have been is perhaps an attraction to conservative politics to to an allegiance to the Constitution and The Declaration of Independence and all of that it would have actually veered I'd have veered from my Believe that God's word is sufficient and God's Word is able to restore my soul as the psalm has said Because God's word is able to convert is able to restore refresh it would have taken me away from preaching the answer to man's sin and It would have caused me to go into a direction of trying to think that or trying to teach that somehow there It's going to be an answer Through voting the right people in because this person I'm thinking of who might again. I did respect very highly But what he did was he started a moral majority and he tried to To get the church on board as if we the silent majority were also the moral majority and before you know it the The evangelism the spirit of reaching the lost Giving them a message that would save them and and Transform them their families and the nation they lived in that was lost I see some doing that to this day and the gullible sheep Who think that they already know these things give us something new something fresh Prophecy to a smooth things you know things that we want to hear I think that has taken the church John in many places that they didn't need to go And so what has kept me? What has kept me strong is seen a drug addict like yourself And that you were you were a mess when you first came here to seeing someone who was addicted in and a lying Lying thief and the immoral man to see God grab hold of that life and Transform them into a man who has a beautiful wife and beautiful kids and and a Great reputation here It's seen guys who you have given me their testimony where they have said I killed him and And to see him feeding the hungry and clothing the poor You know to seeing brawlers guys who who I wouldn't have messed around with on my best day To see them crying and and tell me how much they love me because of what God has done in their life You I don't I don't I don't know how any man would prefer hearing people say I'm glad I voted for that guy to be governor. I don't understand that. I guess I'm I'm just Just beyond repair John I I will not and do not and will not ever endorse that kind of ministry I cannot because the answer is is not going to be political the answer is not going to be some trend The answer is Christ always has been now we apply the things that we see in the world today We we look at what Paul says concerning the last days. We apply that to our situation Men will be lovers of themselves lovers of money. We see the narcissism and the materialism We can address those things as we teach the word of God But you know, we'll be looking tonight or rather we looked last night on Wednesday We'll be looking at at the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God That's what God has given to us And so as I read my Bible and I know that the Apostle Peter was persecuted that Paul lost his life Under the the persecution of believers, but I don't see anything in his teachings that tell me that he was Proclaiming a political answer of some sort, but he kept our eyes on Jesus I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ It was the power of God into salvation to anyone who believes in the Jew first and also the Gentile when you see him saying The gospel is what God has given to us to proclaim. I will remain faithful to that now That's unpopular and there are people who argue these are people who don't have a church. They don't pastor They don't have any ministry at all They think that they're changing the world by shouting amen when the pastor tells them to and I have to be honest with you We've seen many many ex-members of our fellowship who are not doing well who go to church But they're spiritually not doing well because they're not being taught how to live for Christ. I see that I've been at it a long time here for 41 years. I've seen thousands of people over the years John Some have remained with the the word of the Lord and grown and and have become testimonies of his grace and others Have floated off and become anything but a great testimony for Jesus. That's why for all these years I have I have held my hand to that plow. I'm gonna I'm gonna plow a straight furrow in that field and And I do so because I've been commanded to and that I think is a problem with many churches today I hate to say it, but it's true. I think I have the authority to say that after these years. I've been around a long time I've seen a lot and That's that's why what has kept me faithful. I see transformed lives by the the power of Jesus I have never seen a transformed life because they voted for the right guy Amen pastor and and so many of us as you mentioned here at the church Or even yourself or testimonies to God's grace and amen to that and it wasn't because of a Use of a platform for anything else, but God's God's that's why I thank God for my pastor Chuck Smith Who taught us? Give the word amen teach the word. Amen. Well, thank you pastor David for sharing I do want to invite you to come out and join us on Sunday morning at 8 30 and 1045 if you happen to miss last night's message on sort of the spirit You can actually go to our Facebook page or a YouTube page and and check it out It's a great message and then also, please keep pastor David in prayer as you're heading to Mexico Yeah, and so Be there for a couple of days speaking to pass ring Pastoring pastors. That's what God has called me to do I'll be ministering to the northern Mexico pastors from Calvary Chapel, but I'll be a great time. I love it Yes, and so keep keep him in prayer and look forward to seeing you on Sunday COVID restrictions have lifted come join us come live. Yes. Yes Enjoy the worship and getting God's word and fellowship. Amen. And then also I always want to keep this in front of you I'm gonna do it until we leave Israel we have Israel come up. You can still register online. I gave on a report today. It looks like there's maybe a couple of more It's getting more people and so I would love to have you guys come join pastor David and Marie on this trip And it's a it's definitely a life changer and so thank you pastor. Thank you guys for tuning in. God bless you and we'll see you soon