 Good afternoon, Pastor David and to you John. Thank you so much. Welcome everybody to a random moment with Pastor David Unfiltered. Thank you for tuning in. You know Pastor Pastor yesterday was a significant day in your life You celebrated 51 years of walking with the Lord. Yeah, I mean what an amazing that's a that's a long time, you know You know it is it is yeah, that's two years more than my age And so You know so you've experienced lots of ministry you've seen a lot of things within the church and you don't want to ask you with social media now being Part of the overall church in ways of communication and the ways to get church out into the out to the people With that in mind, what have you seen as the greatest difference in the church? 51 years ago Then you do that you see in the church today Well, that's a great question because there are numerous differences that I see in the church of when I first got saved versus the The way that church life seems to be today here in the United States and I think that my my perspective is Skewed in that I got saved in a revival. I got saved in a youth movement and you know and that's going to forever Affect the way I look at the church as it is today because I came out of a time that being a Christian was was pretty much everybody claimed to be and and yet the church was ineffective in and We had the church didn't seem to be proclaiming an answer for the kinds of lifestyles that my generation began to partake in and so We were looked at at that time the youth were looked at it's being lost and Hopeless and then the Time magazine had written written an article on the question is God dead I think in 67 and You know and that question was very real nihilism had begun to creep into the way kids were thinking existentialism was Was part of the way that we we thought and even in our music there was a song Called live for it today, you know and it was it was actually an existential song We didn't know the philosophy of existentialism. We simply Agreed with it, you know We were never meant to worry the way that people do, you know And then you go on and say live for today And so that was the way I grew up and also the church had lost out its impact But in the in the midst of all of that There were people praying for for the youth and so that's when God began to use Calvary Chapel ministries and and others to to reach the the lost youth and all and so from that perspective Things were a bit different, you know so today what it seems is that there's more of a Malays more of a More of a rejection of the thought of truth or the concept of an absolute truth or or the belief that there is something that really is right or really is wrong and You know, we have allowed our society to to produce Gods of foreign gods, if you will, Baals if you will, you know, where we have Worshiped at the idol of sexual immorality or or the molech where you you worship at the idol of killing children Which we do have today, you know, and the altar of Baal, which is a nature of God I mean we have that within American Philosophy they just don't realize that these are ancient demons that have basically found a place and rooted themselves In to our society and religious thinking. I mean, you know things as as Obvious as practice practicing Hinduism and all and special diets and refraining from certain meats and and Jesus speaks concerning those things He says it's not what goes into the man that deviles him It's what comes out of him He speaks of nature and human nature and all and so I think that people are confused about that today and Because they're not necessarily going to a Bible teaching church. They're going to Perhaps a place where they're speaking of current events or whatever, you know, whatever their their itch is They go and get it scratched But they're not necessarily being taught to love the word and grow in the word and growing God's grace They're they're not necessarily in the majority of churches being taught that John So that's a that's a huge difference from what it was like when I got saved Which was in a Calvary movement Which we were taught read your Bible and try and put it by put it in practice by the power of the Holy Spirit We were taught to do that. So over the last 51 years of my life That has been something I've I've I've tried to to practice and and so in our own fellowship You know, we have been built on the foundation of the word of God, but that doesn't mean people want to come here You know, we have seen over the years So many thousands who have come and so many thousands who have left and sometimes it's discouraging Sometimes it's greatly discouraging sometimes when I realize that that Americans have been fed a line of fear and They're hiding from every variant of this COVID virus and now the Omicron is something they're all afraid of many are afraid of because you get it on the news 24-7 even though it's like a cold even though there's been one fatality and that was Somebody who was suffering with a comorbidity Yet you have people I saw it on the news just yesterday. Oh, it's coming and and then you have, you know people even our president Warning everybody how selfish we who didn't receive the vaccination are etc. etc. It's it's fear-mongering and and the church is the church in many places I think is yielded to the to the lies of the enemy because Because if they were to really do a little reading and research and get away from CNN they would see that It isn't what people are saying it is and so that concerns me when we got saved You know We weren't afraid, you know, and I still am not thank God. I'm not I'm not afraid. I I had COVID I just had my blood tested, you know to see if I have antibodies in on this particular system of determining antibodies that said in anything below one is you have done and One and above you have antibodies and I tested 8.9. So I have very strong antibodies and and and but even if I didn't I wouldn't be nervous about those things because God hasn't built me in the way that I should be afraid so Leaders ought not to be who follows a frightened leader You know in military if I had a leader who was afraid to go into battle You think I'd go into battle? No, if he is not willing to go into battle Why would I lay my life down and he wouldn't be willing to do the same? Because you know There's a difference between in battle and there's a difference between suicide and sacrifice and the military You learn that difference. You know what the sacrifices and you're you're willing to pay it because I was I was I was trained with a mentality that the reason I'm wearing the uniform is to protect my home protect my family you know at that time unmarried protect my my nation, you know and today I'm still in God's military and and I'm still in uniform and I'm still protecting them and that's what we do So I believe that the church needs to wake up to that to the sacrifices necessary Fellowship is necessary serving God is necessary and avoiding and forsaking that Probably should do some soul searching as to why that's taken place and if you were to describe briefly if You know within the 51 years has have you would have you seen the church being strengthened or their church being weakened? I believe that the church today has some very strong Leaders in various places, but overall Because there's not a hunger for teaching the word of God or the hearing of the word of God and John There are places and and I say this as a 51 year veteran of Christianity I speak as a man who's been attempting to teach the Bible for 48 years Pastoring this church over 40 years. So I have the stripes. I've earned the credibility So speaking from that perspective There are many young pastors who seem to think that pastoring means to have a nice office and take trips to Israel and You know have a good salary and they don't understand sacrifice sometimes They don't understand that you lay your life down for that flock. That's what shepherds do. I've seen it More often than I then I would like there are some great pastors out there who say, you know For me to live is Christ to die is gain and and I'm going to I'm gonna lay my life down for my sheep I'll be there for him, but I discovered a long time ago that even if you were to go to the point of laying your life down For the sheep, they don't care a good portion and that's what's happened to Christianity John a good portion of the church just don't care. They don't care I I went through I went to cove it, you know, and I was faithful to come back as soon as I could You know, I wanted to be with my sheep, you know, and many of them don't care, you know, they'll go someplace else and then You know, wherever they get whatever they want. I don't know. It's hurtful in some ways, but But it's real, you know and for me keeping my hand to the plow and Loving in spite of the fact that many don't love you It's like what Paul said to the Corinthians and second Corinthians is that the more I love you the less I'm loved by you Well, I have learned many lessons like that the more you lay your life down The more people take advantage of that, you know to the point where in our fellowship, you know, I you remember John You know, I was here ministering to the people and even though they didn't know I was concerned for for the the salaries for you and all the rest of the staff and And and you know, somebody sided to go and try and start their own church and take people who were givers, you know when I was paying their salary and those are the hurtful things that happen and Did I see that at the beginning? No, it was a Jesus movement like that. No Have we morphed into something like that? Yeah, yeah, it's where there's no sense of I belong here. This is where I'm fed. I'm gonna serve here I'm gonna support this ministry That pastor needs his hands raised in prayer and and if he needs help, I'm gonna be next to him. No, that's not here In many churches. We have a great church here. I have to be honest with you. What has happened in ours is It is the church I prayed for John It has become the church I was asking God to give me and and those some have left I see those as the ones the Lord Removed and they went to wherever it is that they need to be and I'm grateful for that They need to be where the rat the ones who have remained have made this church a joy for me to pastor and in these latter days of my ministry I'm blessed by it Amen pastor. Thank you so much and again, you know, I commented yesterday There was a post on Facebook and I wonder how many lives have been transformed through the 50 and we know It's the power of the Lord Through your 51 years of ministry, how many lives have been transformed, you know, and I'm sharing with you 15 of those years at least in my life have been transformed under your ministry and and being my pastor and and and I'm wondering How many people's lives have been transformed? thousands You know and so thank you for that pastor and for keeping your hands on the plow. That's an amazing accomplishment 51 years walking with the Lord. I can do all things. Amen. I love it. If you're not called Ministry will roll over you will crush you if you are called every day is a joy You know, so for me 51 years of serving the Lord loving the Lord And all these years pastor in this church. Yeah, there's been hurts and there's been disappointments and and betrayals And I'm certain I've heard a lot of people myself without knowing it and perhaps for that I For that I do I do regret But at the same time, I know it's It's been a great 51 years I know you've been asked if you can do it all over again or if you would change anything I heard that question asked you before and you had mentioned I wouldn't change anything Well, I couldn't change anything and be the person I am today You know, I am the person I am today by the things that I've done or wish I had not done You know and and so at the very end of it, no Whatever it I've gone through over these years has made me who I am and I'm at peace with Christ Thank you so much pastor David and want to remind you that we have our evening services tomorrow at 7 p.m I'm not gonna tell you what book that you're gonna start just come on Wednesday and you guys will find out and Invite your friends and family and the New Year's Eve We have a guest speaker branding coming out and we're gonna have some great time of worship and hear God's Word And so another time to ring the New Year in invite your friends and family and again pastor Thank you so much for this time and church family. Thank you for tuning in. God bless you guys We look forward to seeing you and we're looking forward to another 51 years past God bless you guys. Thank you again pastor David