 Welcome everybody to unfiltered with Pastor David, Pastor David, welcome and happy New Year to everybody. I was just thinking about, it's already January 10th and we went, we swooped through Christmas and we got through the New Year and we're just right now off camera making plans for this upcoming year and it's already seeming that what the Lord's going to be doing through our fellowship in 2023. I'm excited for it and you know what, as a senior pastor and now going in what the 42nd year of our church, how does each New Year, how is it different for you? Is it always the same okay, we're going to see what the Lord does or is there a sense of an excitement that you may have as we go into the New Year every year with a sense of okay Lord, let's see what you're going to do again this year. You know, I think that every pastor ought to live with that kind of question in their heart, what does the Lord want to do? And so, yeah, I generally will go into the new calendar year with that mentality. We were just prior to shooting this. Just we're having a conversation with our staff member, one of our staff gals, Mo, and we're talking about things that we can do for the upcoming year. So I just think that with the Lord, there's always something new, there's always something he wants to do that's fresh. And so I begin the year with that attitude. It's not necessarily true that I have five new things. I don't do that. I just have an idea that whatever the Spirit wants to lead us to do, I want to be in the midst of that and that's how we begin the year. Yeah, it's exciting. We're just again talking about it. We've got some great things coming up. Pastor, so that was kind of off topic. The question I wanted to ask as we do unfiltered today came from a question that I received from one of our brothers on Sunday. And so it's a twofold question, but it has to do with us Christians. How would we respond to an invitation to either a party, a reception, a wedding that may have lots of alcohol and drinking and responding to an invitation to attend a same sex marriage? So as believers, is there a boundary that we draw to say, nope, it's either no, we can't do that, or are we to go out there and be salt and light? Or how do we respond? That's a difficult question because there's so very many variations of, for example, the wedding that will have alcoholic beverages. There's so many variations of the situations and conditions that come into play. Example, when Marie and I were planning our wedding, my father-in-law approached me and said, Dave, I want to have an open bar. Right? And so I said, no, I said that we're not going to have that. So I had some control over that. Because that was something I was involved in. And then there's the, well, I'm being invited to something, we'll say, to officiate a wedding. And so I would ask in the past, I would ask, what are your plans for your reception? Oh, we're going to have this, this, and that. We're going to have an open bar. And so I would have options at that time. And so from my perspective, I would share and I'd say, listen, I'm going to officiate a wedding that is to honor Jesus Christ. And we had already spoken of this. So I'd say, and you have said, you want to bring honor to him. So how is it that you're going to honor him by giving people an opportunity to over-drink? And so we'd have that conversation. So it depends. It depends on the situation. Now, if I'm just a guest, if I'm being invited, then I might, I would. My wife and I would be free to attend the wedding. And then I would have to make a choice as to whether or not I would feel comfortable or be comfortable in an environment where people were not just drinking but over-drinking. And so at that point I have to make some decisions as it relates to those conditions and all. And I think everybody at a certain point has to decide what they think is best for them. Their walk with the Lord, their witness, and the things that people will read into your decisions. All of those things have to be considered. And you should do that prayerfully. And you should think those things through as thoroughly as you can in order that you're able to make the best decision for you. And when it comes to the lesbian or homosexual wedding, that's something that I won't attend. I will not attend that. Why is that? Because I'm harsh and I'm judgmental. I'm unloving, right? No, the reason is because a wedding is a service to honor God. And, you know, God has made it a holy thing. And so because of that, I cannot participate, personally cannot participate. I would never officiate such a thing. But I cannot participate in something that has been established by God, husband and wife, to produce children, to honor Him. I cannot participate in something that is certainly not honoring to the Lord. So I have no problem in not attending such a thing myself. I don't and would not. Would I go to a reception afterwards? Possibly. It's a possibility. I haven't been put in the position where I'd have to decide. I would have to think, again, through all the conditions pertaining to that. But in general, no, I personally will not attend. Why? Because my presence there would give a sense of this being an okay thing. That guy as a pastor has been ministering for years. Certainly this is an okay thing. And in that I wouldn't do that. Please forgive us if you hear the beeping. It sounds like they're working on the alarm panels. And it's coming through one of our offices. And, you know, the other thing that has to be considered too is the awareness of, let's say, being invited to a reception where there's going to be alcoholic beverages. One of the things I've learned early on is people like to post pictures on social media. And if I'm around a picture that may or a table that has alcoholic beverage on there, they can very easily assume that it's mine. And it can cause stumbling. So even being aware of that, I've learned to. But I get a lot of questions about the same-sex marriages. And that makes sense because it's almost you're confirming that act or that ceremonial act that, as we believe, is one of the most holy institutions that we can have before the Lord. And so that is a, you know, for me at least, a deal breaker. For me also. But at the same time, going to a reception where we can be salt and light to whether there's alcoholic beverages there or not, is being able to show the love of Christ. You know, that's really a very important way to think. I really believe that we have to understand that we are called by Christ himself. You are the light of the world. You know, he speaks of us as having that saltiness. You know, and the idea that we don't take that into where we go. We're not aware of that. Well, that's something that I think we need to really, we need to consider. Where I am gives me opportunity to share, and I do. And on a personal level, I don't necessarily have an aversion, per se, to those who are caught in sin. You know, I see sin as being what it is. And there are different levels of degrees of its effect on people. I realize that. But when it comes to something like going to a wedding, that is, that truly isn't a marriage in the sight of God. It may be a legal document or a contract and regarded in that fashion here in the United States. But God doesn't honor that. And so I'm a person who presents God's word to people. I represent that. So for me to be present as if blessing such a ceremony, it would be wrong for me. And again, I don't necessarily want to go to any kind of reception where there's going to be, you know, drinking and the possibility of over-drinking. And so I don't do that. I avoid those things. And of course there's, you know, the response that we maybe get on here is, you know, the haters and not really understanding that. It's not because the people are being hated. It's because the act of marriage itself is ordained by the Lord. Well, by now, John, those who disagree with me have already turned this off. You know, that's just a fact. We know that because they don't have the capacity to listen to something they don't agree with. So they mentally cancel you and just, and so those people are already gone right now. And the others who have remained, they need to understand that if they have a disagreement with this, they're disagreeing really with a lot of scriptural principles as it refers to stumbling a believer and being an example of a believer. And, you know, those who may think, well, it's no big deal. Don't understand that God is holy and the institution of marriage is holy. You ought to read the book of Malachi closely and they'll see it very clearly. First Corinthians, Paul speaks about it and they ought to really look at it and say, oh, this means something more than just two people standing in front of a man and witnesses. This is a holy, vile, sacred institution and they need to grow up in their faith. And again, you know, for us to even have to say that we don't hate these people or whatever, it just shows how much of the world has gotten into the thinking process of believers because even in an unbelieving world that I grew up in prior to getting saved in 1970 in the 50s and the 60s in this United States, this wouldn't have been a question. There would not have been a question as to whether or not there would be such a thing as a homosexual marriage or anything related to that. That would not have been a question because they knew morally that this was wrong. But because of the brainwashing that has taken place through the psychological associations and all that have actually made that a normalized behavior. And because we have allowed the law to dictate our conscience in the way that we have, there are many Christians who are biblically ignorant of what Scripture says concerning who we are. And that's the problem. I heard a woman on one of these talk shows, I think it was the Five, I'm pretty sure it was, in which she said that Jesus would be at the front of the gay pride parades. He would be marching in the front of it. See, so that's the ignorance of people as it pertains to God and holiness and the institution of marriage and things of that nature. And so those who would have a disagreement are not thinking through this. They're brainwashed by the world and need to really consider that we are in the world but we're not of it. And that we need to have a difference. And it's not a self-righteous thing to stand up for righteousness. And that's what you and I are supposed to do, John, as ministers of the Gospel. No, I would not attend a ceremony that is sacrilegious, that is blasphemous in that God did not ordain two men or two women to get married. And for me to be there would be giving an imprimatur on that to give it some kind of validation and blessing. I won't do that. It's all summed up in the depravity of Pontius Pilate's question to Jesus. What is truth? And when we have the truth, I am the way the truth of the life. And when you think about it, that's the whole depravity of what you were just saying about people's truth. And so that's another unfiltered week. Pastor, thank you so much for sharing with us and I want to thank you guys for tuning in and joining us. I want to invite you to our Wednesday evening service tomorrow at 7pm as Pastor, you're taking us through 1 John chapter 4. It looks like you'll be wrapping up chapter 4. About 14 through 21. Invite you guys to come out and join us. Then we have our Sunday morning services at 8.30 and 10.45. Great opportunity to hear God's word. Invite friends and family and men. You can go online or even stop by the gazebo after any of our services and purchase your ticket for the Super Bowl breakfast, which is going to be February 4th. We have Anthony Muñoz. It's going to be our guest speaker. We invite you guys to invite your friends and family to come out and join us. It's going to be a great time. Thank you guys for tuning in and Pastor, thank you so much for sharing with us. God bless you guys. Thank you.