My Christian Concession
I recently received this response from a pastor friend of mine. I believe it was in response to me asking "Where are the men today?" or something similar.
As the defeated Christian that I am now at age 51 I don't even know if I'm really saved and in Christ Jesus. I have lived a defeated life and more than likely classify as an "unsaved believer" if there even is such a thing.
In any event I realize now the loser that I am and that I am a pure moron in the truest sense of the word. There's no hope for me and I'm more than likely on my way to either hell or to lose my reward and suffer complete loss a the judgement seat of Christ.
Even so, I don't care.
So here is the response I get and I will more than likely do a video criticism of Sam Gipp. I remember him visiting at the Aliquippa Baptist Temple when I attended there in the early 2000's. Sam Gipp bears the title of "evangelist" and he travels the country. I don't know what he's doing now but I shall read this now and weep for my losses.
What a loser man I've been all my life! I'm happy for those of you who are in Christ that have received the blessings for your obedience. May God bless all of you and may God damn me forever and ever. Amen.
NEVERTHELESS...
Thus saith Sam Gipp
FROM SAM GIPP
Where Have all the Young Men Gone?
When you span almost five decades in the ministry you see a lot of changes come & go. Quite frequently I am asked what differences there are between Christianity today and how it was in the ‘70s. I could talk forever about how in the ‘70s there were no “Christian Theme Parks” (contemporary churches). Church was church and you changed to fit it rather than changing the “church”to fit you. But Iwould rather focus on Bible-believing churches since they are the ones which have chosen to remain true to the Scripture rather than morphing into Christian discos.
Two changes stand out for me in Bible-believing churches. Both are actually the result of changes to the generation of people in our churches so they seem consistent across the board. The first is the view today’s Christians have of why they are here. In the ‘70s lost people thought they were here to enjoy life, Christians thought they were here to live for Christ and even if they weren’t doing so they would acknowledge they needed to get right with God. Today, lost people still think they’re here to enjoy life but, unfortunately, Christians nowthink theyarehereto enjoy life too. In addition to that theythink God is going to help them enjoy life since they plan on doing it without sinking neck-deep in the world’s filth. Due to a wicked movie entitled “The Bucket List” I now hear bone-headed Christians talking about the things they want to do or see before they “kick-the-bucket,” NONE of which consist of soul winning, Bible reading or separated Christian living. They’re all scared that they’re going to die before they play something, see something or experience something. God can take care of Himself, they have more important things to do! Do I think it will change back to the way it was? Not as long as Christians’ lives are regulated by their televisions rather than their Bible...meaning, “No.”
Another disconcertingtrend has stricken our young people. No, I’m not going to go on a tirade about worldliness or rotten music. Yep, they’re both evident. But there is something else that is far more ominous. Back in the ‘70s there were in our churches 20-something year old girls who loved the Lord and wanted to marry a young man who was called to preach so the two of them could live and serve the Lord together all their lives. Fortunately there was also a cadre of young men who loved the Lord and wanted to pastor, be evangelists or go to the mission field. The story basically went: “Young preacher meets like-minded young lady, they marry and serve the Lord the rest of their lives.” End of story.
Today, Ican testifythat we still find a generation of young girls who still love the Lord and still want to marry a young man who is called to preach and still desire to spend their lives serving the Lord together. BUT that generation of like-minded young men is nowhere to be found! In place of a generation of zealous, dedicated future preachers, missionaries and pastors are savy young men who think they’re going to accomplish more for the Lord via the Internet than preaching to a “mere” 50-100 people from a pulpit.
Today’s 20-30 something young men areenamoredwith theInternet. Theythink theyarevisionaries because they intend to fully tap its potential to reach the untold masses for the Lord. Where the young men of the‘70s wanted to bewarriors for Christ thesecomputer-
talentedtechieswant tobe God’s IT men.They have no intention of “manning the trenches” for Christ and fighting the devil. The are intent on occupying the airwaves and changing the world with “this great video I’m going to produce.” They confidently assure themselves they are already everything their warrior predecessors were but, unlike “those dinosaurs,” are willing and able to use the magical Internet to its full potential.
Where a generation of 20-30-year-olds of 50 years ago just wanted a chance to engage the devil in truly mortal combat these white-collar-wonders are terrified to think that they might upset anyone on the devil’s side. Strangely, they have no problem alienating the pioneers of their own group as they seek to distance themselves from their “caveman past” and boldly venture into the ethernet for God. The thought that someone in the devil’s crowd might be displeased with them is totally unacceptable to them. Soldiers for Christ? No, thanks. How about, “Negotiators for God” instead? War with the forces of evil? War!? You mean like, wherepeople get ugly with each other? Naw, how about peaceful coexistenceand mutual respect instead?
This preoccupation with being the Elon Musk of Christianity has left our future in peril. They are fullyconvinced of their abilityto take command and bring Bible-believing Christianity into the21st Century if those antiquated relics of a half-century ago will just take the hint and drop dead. This dream of being businessmen-for-God has left the trenches empty of warriors. Their near disdain for being nothing more than a lowly pastor with a tiny flock in the corner of nowhere is palatable. A pulpit, a church and a flock have been replaced in importance with a high dollar video ensemble, a cutting edge Wifi connection and a first class You Tube channel. There are few preachers that command as much respect with this group as do Elon Musk & Steven Jobs, and that’s who they’re more interested in emulating than any preacher of the past.
This shift from pulpit to Internet has left a generation of poor young ladies who are looking to marry a young soldier-for-God but can’t find their opposite number among their ranks. I know of countless godly young ladies in Bible believing churches who are passing through their 20s and 30s without husbands because, unlike their male counterparts, they actually see the fallacy of the Internet Savior. They want to be pastors’ wives not video producers’ secretaries. They want to be one with their husband in vision and heart not one with their Network. They still believe that God values “the foolishness of preaching”...from a pulpit...by a pastor...rather than the newest video technique by a headset-wearing cutting edge techie-for- Jesus. I see scores of young ladies whose hearts, values and future dreams are still founded in an old- fashioned (Eek! What an uncouth term!) desire to serve God in a low-tech manner. They wait and long for that rare young man who matches their goals to show up and marry them and let them help them serve God rather than a computer.
Where have all the young men gone? I fear they’re all down at the Internet café planning to revolutionize Christianity with their Podcast while their prospective brides are sitting, heart-broken, at the church waiting for a genuine young Man-of-God.
Furthermore,trueBible-
believing churchesareseeingtheir pastors age and can’t find alike-minded, like-hearted replacement. They keep running into young men who, in their great wisdom, know just how to extract the “nuggets” from the Contemporary crowd and left-leaning Fundies while confidently Amening, “I’m King James too!” They want to bravely drag these churches into a future, the end of which is more likely to be apostasy than revival.
Do I believe this trend is going to be reversed? Nope. Although there are a few young men with the values and goals of the past Isee no reason whyany “plugged in & turned on” young man is going to forsake what he feels is a superior position for an old, antiquated caveman philosophy. Nope, the “Old Goats” will die off & be replaced by the Connected Crowd. The V8s will be replaced by the Priuses. Nothing will get straightened out until the Judgement Seat of Christ. Then, I figure we’ll all find out how much of a premium the Lord put on a great website.
Bro.Sam Gipp
IN CLOSING:
....and look who's on YOU TUBE doing videos now?
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB-Asg1xgM2Ddsk4N48bbQQ/videos
