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 Clayton Brandt Talks About Prayer
At this point the Oxentenko family had special music, singing “Look for the Waymarks” along with the congregation. Laura Mae Zollinger had everyone look at the back of the Sabbath School Quarterly and notice that the projects this quarter are in the South Pacific Division; she then reminded everyone of the several disasters taking place in India, the Philippines, and the islands of the South Pacific. All this, she said, points to the song just sung.
Sharon Oxentenko said that she had recently received a phone call from a friend named Mindy in Australia, who recently had been talking to people who didn’t believe in Jesus and wondered how to counteract this idea. Sharon and her friend studied several texts and had prayer. Sharon Oxentenko then had several audience members read texts showing the existence of Christ.
After reading these texts, Sharon Oxentenko read a story from Australia about a young lady who liked to go to church but stopped going when the church moved to another neighborhood. She graduated from high school and started social drinking, eventually becoming an alcoholic. She went back to church, made friends, and was encouraged to quit. But she kept on drinking. These friends would often visit her when she didn’t come to church. When the pastor was reassigned to another church, he told her that he had faith she would be able to quit.
Eventually, because of drinking, she was sent to Perth. The pastor kept encouraging her, repeatedly saying “one day”. One of the church members started taking her children to Sabbath School. Eventually she went to an Adventist Bible college in western Australia and gave her heart to the Lord.
Darius and Kaisi collected the Laurelbrook Missions Offering, which helps students and staff members go on mission trips. Laura Mae Zollinger concluded with a few remarks about the stars. Joyce Sarr closed with prayer. The congregation broke up into two Sabbath School classes to study a lesson from Numbers titled “Preparing a People”.
When services resumed at 11:00, Clayton Brandt had the invocation or opening prayer. Robert Zollinger welcomed everyone and made the necessary announcements. There was a first reading for several staff members’ transfer of membership – Art and Donna Kanna, Leesa Hampton, and Constance (Nelson) Anderson. There would be no vespers this evening.
Everyone then sang “Near to the Heart of God”. Robert Zollinger had the Morning Prayer and called for the offering, which was for the local church budget; and Marvin Frey and Wilbur Paulk collected the offering. The congregation sang the doxology, and Robert Zollinger prayed for the offering. Art and Donna Kanna sang “Out of the Ivory Palaces” as a duet for special music.
Brenda Herra told the children a story about carving a pumpkin as a 5th grader. All of a sudden, her hand slipped, blood poured out of several fingers, and she was taken to the hospital for stitches. Her mother could have neglected her care since she hadn’t obeyed, but her mother didn’t.
Robert Zollinger mentioned that he has been in contact with the conference regarding a church pastor, but until the church gets a new pastor, the various elders will be doing most of the preaching. Clayton Brandt mentioned that Kristi, his daughter, was safe from flood, but her orphans are having trouble with fever. Clayton Brandt then preached on prayer and the effect prayer has on our relationship with God, the congregation sang “Sweet Hour of Prayer”, and Robert Zollinger had closing prayer.
Most of the academy students along with several staff members were at the South East Youth Conference meetings at Southern Adventist University Friday evening and Sabbath.
Personnel:
Art Kanna – retired science teacher, husband of Donna Kanna
Clayton Brandt – local church elder, one of Laurelbrook’s maintenance men assigned to heavy equipment and the vehicle shop
Dan Rigdon – works in the housekeeping department of Laurelbrook Nursing Home
Donna Kanna – Laurelbrook music teacher, played the piano for Sabbath School and the organ for church
Joyce Sarr – member of the Laurelbrook retirement community; her husband was the academy science teacher for many years before his death
Marvin Frey – Laurelbrook Nursing Home administrator
Robert Zollinger – head church elder, retired Laurelbrook president and chairman of the board
Sharon Oxentenko – wife of Ron Oxentenko, Laurelbrook’s president
Shymone Moses – principal of the Laurelbrook Elementary School
Wilbur Paulk – member of Laurelbrook’s retirement community
Following are notes on the sermon:
1. God calls a man on this tiny earth His friend.
2. Isaiah 41:8 “But thou, Israel, [art] my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.”
3. This would be a great privilege – to be a friend of God, the King of the whole universe. It would be like being a friend of the President of the United States.
4. But we do have the privilege of prayer, the breath of the soul.
5. Psalm 65:2 “O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.”
6. Psalm 16:11 “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence [is] fulness of joy; at thy right hand [there are] pleasures for evermore.”
7. There is more to a relationship with God than most of us realize. Enoch had this relationship for 300 years. He became so close with God that God took him to heaven.
8. If we are lost, there will be an empty spot in God’s heart for eternity.
9. In John 15, Jesus speaks of a closeness with God.
10. John 15:11 “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and [that] your joy might be full.”
11. Angels consider it their highest joy to be in God’s presence.
12. Almost all the great spiritual leaders have been men of real earnest prayer. H.M.S. Richards, Sr. started the Voice of Prophecy ministry and mentioned to a young pastor that he didn’t feel that most pastors didn’t even spend four hours a day in prayer.
13. Martin Luther spent at least three hours a day in prayer during the Augsburg struggle for religious liberty.
14. Many of the Psalms are David’s prayers.
15. If we could realize the dangers we are in, we might consider prayer more of a need and a necessity.
16. Ellen White mentions that good angels are in a constant warfare with evil angels over one soul. Satan makes every effort to maintain his control over a soul. But if that person makes a prayer request, Jesus send reinforcements to help that person.
17. If we had a picture of the actual battle being raged around us, we would feel more of a need for prayer and companionship with God.
18. Some conditions for answered prayer include feeling our need of God, getting rid of any known sin, and having faith in God.
19. Psalm 66:18 “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear [me].”
20. Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
21. How we get faith? Everyone has a little measure of faith. But we can by praying.
22. Jude 20-21 “20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, 21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”
23. Galatians 5:6 “For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.”
24. Our faith is energized by the love of the Lord.
25. Persistence is also important.
26. Ellen White in the book Prayer, p. 98 says that we should persistently ask so our faith can grow stronger.
27. There was a young pastor working with an older pastor in a small Southern town. The older pastor thought they should go ahead with the meetings in spite of the lack of response. Eventually, a spiritual leader in the town confessed he had been an alcoholic – this began a revival that increased in attendance each night. The older pastor said he thought they should ask a former state governor who owned a local television station for time. But it took place. Through the intervention of the former governor, the meetings eventually moved to the civic center after moving from church to church. The meetings ended with over 3000 people attending, the racial tension came to an end, and many people were converted. What would have happened if that older pastor hadn’t been praying for the Lord to work during those meetings.
28. We should never give up praying for others. The mother of St. Augustine never gave up praying for Augustine in spite of his wicked ways and lack of evidence that any change was taking place. The Lord gave her the desire of her heart, and Augustine was converted.
29. Roger was picked up by a black limousine as he was traveling home after being in the service. He talked to the man about Christ in spite of his qualms about witnessing to this man. All of a sudden, the man pulled off the road and began to cry, saying this was the most wonderful that had happened to him. The man gave his heart to the Lord. Five years later, Roger was married and in business – he found this man’s business card. When he went to Chicago, he looked up this man. He spoke first to the man’s wife, telling her of the man’s conversion. All of a sudden, she started weeping. Then she told Roger that the man had been killed shortly after his conversion in a collision. She had been praying for him all these years.
30. Eternal life often hinges on some little decision we had made on the spur of the moment.
31. The other day I went to the doctor. I gave a book to the Indian doctor who saw me. The doctor looked at it and wanted more copies to give to her patients. What if I had not overcome my fears about giving her a book?
32. Ellen White in Upward Look says we should keep a hold on Jesus and we will grow spiritually strong.
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Services at the Laurelbrook Seventh-day Adventist Church on October 10, 2009 |
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