Show Notes
Tony Alamo
The Secrets of Holy Prayer, Songs With J.D. Sumner, and Letters From a Riverhead Jail Cell
World Pastor Tony Alamo teaches on holiness and the discipline of unceasing prayer, sings "How Long Has It Been Since You Prayed?" with J.D. Sumner and the Stamps, and reads listener testimonials that range from Jamaica, New York to a jail cell in Riverhead, New York.
Program Opens With Prayer For Holiness World Pastor Tony Alamo opens program number 288, part 186 of his series How to Have God's Life Living in You, telling listeners that Sharon will explain at the end how to receive a free copy on CD or tape. He previews a strong message from the Lord, newspaper comments on his literature, testimonials, and music. Alamo leads the congregation in prayer, asking the Father to bless the broadcast and to grant holiness to those willing to live in constant prayer, insisting that believers must become perfect to enter heaven rather than accept the false teaching that no one can be perfect. He prays that the message will touch every heart and strengthen the church, and a congregation member answers with a spoken amen. The prayer sets up the evening's central theme, that holiness is reached only by staying close to God in unceasing prayer.
Teaching On An Established, Holy Heart Alamo preaches at length on a message he calls "Is Your Heart Established?", comparing a trustworthy business reputation to a heart established in the Lord. He quotes the Apostle Paul's prayer that God establish believers' hearts unblamable in holiness, citing First Thessalonians chapters three, four and five, and argues that holiness has been lost even inside the church because believers will not spend a full hour alone in prayer. He tells listeners that sanctification happens only in the presence of God's holiness, not through personal effort, and that approaching the throne in prayer is the one way to be set apart. Citing Leviticus and Isaiah's repeated command to be holy, he insists knowledge of God is only available to those who linger before Him, warning that unholy associations and gossip about faithful believers make a person unholy rather than righteous.
A Song And Memories From Israel Before continuing the teaching, Alamo introduces a song titled "How Long Has It Been Since You Prayed?", performed with J.D. Sumner and the Stamps, asking the congregation whether it has been too long since they knelt in prayer. After the performance, he returns to Exodus's declaration that the Lord sanctifies His people, and recalls a trip to Israel roughly twenty-three years earlier where he saw rabbis walking the streets reading their Bibles openly, smiling, seemingly close to God. He tells listeners he cannot know whether the display was sincere or hypocritical, but that it looked good regardless, and suggests many of the rabbis he saw may now know Jesus Christ, since closeness to God the Father is impossible without knowing the Son. He ties the memory back to his larger point that unceasing prayer is the only path to holiness.
Testimonials From Across The Country And A Jail Cell Sharon reads listener mail aloud while Alamo responds to each. A reader in Jamaica, New York, asks for the Messiah booklet after seeing Alamo's testimony, called "Dry Bones," in the Daily News. A senior citizen named Stanley in Minnetonka, Minnesota, praises the same article as it ran in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. A writer identified as Sister Esther in Oklahoma City thanks Alamo for a newspaper sermon and requests more booklets. The most striking letter comes from a man named Bobby, incarcerated in Suffolk County on Long Island and writing from Riverhead, New York, who says he has been freed from addiction through Christ, asks for prayer for his family, and requests a softcover copy of the Messiah book since hardcovers are not allowed in jail. Alamo answers each testimony by returning to his theme that only sustained closeness with God grants the power these writers