G. Alexander Bryant, North American Division president, preaches during the 2022 NAD Year-End Meeting Sabbath worship service on Oct. 29. Photo by Pieter Damsteegt/NAD
During the divine worship service on Sabbath, Oct. 29, 2022, G. Alexander Bryant, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America (NAD), addressed church leaders directly, saying they are called to step out on the small faith that they have “in spite of the fear that may be present, and in spite of the obstacles that are certainly there.”
Bryant, preaching a sermon entitled “Lo, I AM With You Always,” declared to the delegates, official invitees, and spouses attending the 2022 NAD Year-End Meeting (YEM) Sabbath program that “the call of God to advancement will always have doubters. When God says it's time to go forward, there will always be doubters.”
God calls us to service to advance the Kingdom of God. God didn't call us to service to do the safe things,Bryant continued. “If you don't want to make any waves then you're in the wrong business because God causes leaders to be change agents,” But, Bryant added, “the call from God comes with a power to perform what He has called us to do.”
Before Bryant began, Kyoshin Ahn, NAD executive secretary, gave an earnest introduction and welcomed delegates who have not worshiped in person at the YEM for three years. He said “how good and pleasant” it was for God’s people to come together. “We give thanks to our God because He is a loving God, beyond our comprehension,” said Ahn.
Before G. Alexander Bryant comes to the podium, NAD executive secretary Kyoshin Ahn, welcomes attendees and introduces Bryant on Oct. 29, 2022. Photo by Pieter Damsteegt/NAD
Ahn then introduced Bryant, saying that the NAD president is widely-known as an evangeilst. Since he assumed the NAD presidency, Ahn continued, Bryant has conducted seven different evangelistic series in different places. “This is not just a week long series, most of those the series are three weeks or four weeks long series,” Ahn shared.
“Evangelist Bryant” as Ahn described him, engages in public evangelism because he has a passion for evangelism. “And he's committed to winning souls in for the Kingdom,” Ahn said. Ahn went on to share that just this past summer Bryant carried out an evangelistic series in Columbus, Ohio.
“He has this exceptional capability to connect with an audience,” Ahn said, adding that during the Impact Columbus meetings, “He had an audience rolling in laughter when he was teaching our views on clean meats.”
“I don't know how he could do that,” Ahn related, as the audience laughed.
Ahn concluded by saying, “We'll hear the Word of God through this evangelist, Evangelist Bryant, G. Alexander Bryant. May the Spirit of the Lord be with Him. May the Lord bless us, bless all of us, abundantly as we listen to the Word of God this morning.”
Bryant’s sermon expanded on the theme of this year’s NAD Year-End Meeting, “Together in Mission: I Will Go.” Bryant reminded the audience that “When God has called you to leadership, He has already given you the authority to act and to move on His behalf.” He added, light-heartedly, that it’s not just “religious power, and spiritual power, Seventh-day Adventist power, or vegan power.” He continued that “all power will be given to us.”
Describing the harrowing experience that he and his family had years ago when their van lost a tire while traveling at a rate of high speed on a highway, Bryant said he thought he wqs going to lose his family. His wife Desiree happen to be driving the van, which was also carrying Bryant and their three young boys. As the tire came off the car and rolled down the road, she struggled to keep control of the vehicle.
“All I could say to Des was to hold the van straight. I said, ‘Don't let it move, don't let it move, hold the van straight, hold the van straight,’ and while I was saying this from the back of the van Des was just saying, ‘Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,’” recalled Bryant.
The van miraculously came to a stop on the side of the road.
“Next thing we knew that van, instead of being in the middle of the highway was sitting on the side on the shoulder of the road and an 18 Wheeler whizzed on by,” Bryant recounted. Looking at the markings on the road along with a tow truck driver that arrived to help, Bryant could only explain it as a miracle.
He told delegates that just as Jesus was there to save his family, “He’ll be there while stepping out in service for Him.”
‘Jesus said, just call on me. I'll be there. I'll do whatever you need me to do. Just trust me. Put your faith in me. Put your confidence in me,” Bryant said. “And God says, I'll come through whenever you need me.”
NAD president G. Alexander Bryant, engages the executive committee, invitees, and spouses to the North American Division Year-End Meeting on Oct. 29, 2022, during his sermon entitled “Lo, I AM With You Always. Photo by Pieter Damsteegt
Bryant added that God’s call “comes with power to perform; and the call of God is an imperative to go. We have no choice. But the imperative of God to go brings a promise of His presence.”
Using his key Scripture of Matthew 28:19-20, Bryant concluded by reminding everyone that though we are called to have bold vision, God is always with us. He will never leave us. “God has uniquely placed each of us where we are for this moment … And whatever challenges we have, God says, ‘Use those challenges. To show my power.”
And particularly in this age of social media, Bryant reminded everyone that when God is for us, it doesn’t mean people will not be against us. “It only means that it doesn’t matter who is against you. It doesn’t matter what they say. It doesn't matter what they put on social media. It doesn't matter what they put on the blog. When you have God on your side it doesn't matter..”
Bryant finished by asking God in prayer, “I want to give myself to you today as a leader, to follow the vision that you've given me in spite of the circumstances.”