(text swooshing)(dramatic music)
- This week on Christian World News,
Turkey frees Americanpastor, Andrew Brunson,
from house arrest.
What led to his freedomand why was he imprisoned
in the first place?
Plus, Nikki Haley resigns asthe United States Ambassador
to the UN, leaving behind a legacy
of strong support for Israeland the Jewish people.
Who will fill her shoesand what will she do next?
And Hurricane Michael barrelsthrough the Florida Panhandle,
high winds and heavy rain destroy homes
and rip apart buildings.
We show you what the church is doing
to help survivors inthe midst of the storm.
Welcome to Christian WorldNews, I'm Mark Martin,
George Thomas and WendyGriffith are on assignment.
Pastor Andrew Brunson is finally free.
A Turkish court ordered himreleased from house arrest
and said he could leave the country.
Brunson has been imprisonedfor more than two years
on terrorism charges.
As Chris Mitchell reports from Jerusalem,
Brunson's arrest hasbrought two NATO allies,
the United States and Turkey,
face-to-face in a majorgeo-political confrontation
over the fate and future ofthis evangelical minister.
- [Chris] Pastor Brunson'sordeal has mobilized Christians
around the world.
- Hundreds of thousands ofpeople have been praying
for Pastor Brunson, notjust in the United States,
but around the world.
- [Chris] Before the court hearing,
US Vice President, Mike Pence, said,
the release of PastorBrunson has been a priority
for the Trump administration.
- Our administration's made very clear
that we will continue to stand strong
until Pastor Andrew Brunson is free
and back home in the United States
with his family and with his church.
- This is historic in that how many times
they have actually brought this subject up
in high-level conversationswith the Turkish administration.
- [Chris] Turkey accusedBrunson of participating
in a 2016 coup to overthrow the government
of Turkish President, Erdogan,
and faces up to 35 years if convicted.
His latest trial took placenear the city of Izmir,
known as ancient Smyrnain the New Testament.
Brunson ministered formore than two decades
in his church and denied the charges.
The Trump administrationimposed economic sanctions
against Turkey to secure his release.
Middle East analyst, Michael Kerem, said,
Pastor Brunson stood formore than his own freedom.
- I believe this isreally a call to prayer,
not only for Andrew, but for the Turkish,
and Kurdish, and Arab, and Syrian,
and Iraqi, and Iranian people,
all living very much close,
because it's clear thatAndrew Brunson is in prison
or under arrest for one reason,
and that's his hope andfaith and Jesus Christ
as the Messiah, not only of the West,
but of the entire world.
- [Chris] Brunson is expected to be back
in the United States soon.
Chris Mitchell, CBN News, Jerusalem.
- What an answer to prayer,
and CBN New ChiefInternational Correspondent,
Gary Lane, joins us now.
Welcome, Gary.- Glad to be here.
- What role did theTrump administration play
in all of this?- Well, a, a huge role,
I mean, we have to give credit to God,
first and foremost.- Yes, definitely,
we do.- But Donald Trump never gave
up on Andrew Brunson, andhe was always speaking
about it, also, think of the Christians
that are around him in his administration.
Vice President Mike Pence, hewas tenacious on this issue.
Also, Mike Pompeo, Secretary of State,
they always brought it up,
they, I'm sure, in their own prayer times,
prayed for Andrew Brunson.
- Well, I believe it.- He was a big issue
for them.- Yes, sure was.
What kind of financialpressure did the United States
put on Turkey?- Well, that may,
that probably, politically,that was a big key as well,
because what the Trump Administration did,
Donald Trump, if you remember,
uh, last July and August,in July, July 25th,
he was not released,Brunson was not released.
He was put under house arrest.
Everyone thought he'dbe freed at that time.
Trump was angry about that,
he said, we're gonna imposesanctions right away,
and what he did, Mark,is he imposed sanctions
on the, uh, the, two of the top officials,
uh, in the Turkish government
one the Justice Minisser,Minister, the other,
the Interior Minister,and, uh, right away,
they did that, and then, hethreatened more sanctions
against Turkey, saying basically,
uh, we'll impose sanctionson aluminum and steel
if you guys don't let Brunson go.
- Well, let's talk more about prayer
and the role that itplayed in all of this.
- Well, prayer played a big role.
Christians around theworld got on their knees
and they prayed for Pastor Brunson.
They prayed, uh, in their own time,
and also as groups,
and we, we can't say enough about that,
the importance of that.
That may have made the difference in this.
- Oh, I believe so.- And inspired our leaders
also, to keep pushing for it.
- [Mark] Yeah, and, andbuild their confidence
and their faith.- You know, sure.
But let's not forget about Brunson.
I mean, this man, uh, had strong faith,
he never let up, uh, AndrewBrunson was a man of faith,
he did say at times,when he was in prison,
sure, he got a bit depressed,
but he said, "Look, thisis a privilege to serve
"in prison for Jesus in this way,"
and then, today, he said,"Look, I love Jesus,
"I love Turkey."- Yes, he even lost
50 pounds, but he waseven talking to inmates
in prison about Jesus, what a testimony
he has.- Yes, he may have lost weight
but not faith in Christ.- That's right, thank you,
Gary, appreciate it.
One of Israel's strongest supporters
in the Trump administrationis leaving her post.
In her role as Ambassadorto the United Nations,
Nikki Haley defended the Jewish statehood
and stood against anti-Semitismin the global body.
Haley's announcement that she'sleaving the administration
surprised many, but not the President.
CBN's White House Correspondent,Ben Kennedy, has more.
- Haley initially told President Trump
of her plans to resignabout six months ago.
She now made it official andplans to stay at her post
until the end of the year.
- I think you have to beselfless enough to know
when you step aside and allowsomeone else to do the job,
so, thank you Mr. President.- Thank you, Nikki,
and I'm so proud of you.- It's been an honor of a
lifetime.- UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley,
becomes the latest in a lineof high-profile departures
from the White House.
- It was a blessing to go into the UN
with body armor everyday and defend America.
- [Ben] She representedthe US with a strong voice
at the UN, speaking out on North Korea,
Russia, and Iran.
Haley went on the attackagainst Syria's president,
Bashar al-Assad, for theuse of chemical weapons
on civilians.- The monster who is
responsible for theseattacks has no conscience,
not even to be shocked bypictures of dead children.
- [Ben] She stood up forthose without a voice
when the US withdrew fromthe UN Human Rights Council.
- When a so-called Human Rights Council
cannot bring itself to address
the massive abuses in Venezuela and Iran,
and it welcomes theDemocratic Republic of Congo
as a new member, the Council ceases
to be worthy of its name.
- [Ben] While at the sametime fighting for Israel.
- I think you look at the anti-Israel bias
and the strength and couragethat the President showed
in moving the embassy--
- [Ben] She cited her Christian faith
as a reason to support Israel.
Later, teaming up with thePresident's son-in-law,
Jared Kushner, to work toward a peace deal
with the Palestinians.
- What I've done, workingwith him on the Middle East
peace plan, it is sounbelievably well-done.
- [Ben] Haley sat downwith CBN's Chief Analyst,
David Brody, to talk abouther impact on the UN.
- Since day one, you've gonein there to shake things up.
Um, how tough has that been?
- Every day, I put on body armor,
'cause I know there's gonna be a fight.
I'm just fighting adifferent thing every day.
- [Ben] Senators confirmedthe former South Carolina
governor as US Ambassadorto the UN on day four
of Trump's presidencyby a vote of 96 to four.
She will end up servingnearly two years at her post,
citing it was time to step aside.
- You've been fantastic, you're my friend,
and I just, on behalf of the country,
I wanna thank you for a great job.
Thank you.- Now, President Trump said
he will name a successor inthe next two or three weeks.
As for what's next, Haleysaid she will not run in 2020,
and will support PresidentTrump's reelection.
Ben Kennedy, CBN News, the White House.
(text swooshing)(dramatic music)
- [Mark] Hurricane Michael ripsthrough the Sunshine State,
destroying entire communitiesand killing several people.
We show you the devastation
and how Christians are bringing hope.
(orchestral music)- God Almighty is a
God of blessing, He alwayswants to bless His people,
but how do you get that blessing,
and what principleswill unlock that secret?
- [Announcer] In Miraculous Blessings,
Pat Robertson shows youhow to open the floodgates
of God's awesome blessings in your life.
- In order to have a blessing,you've gotta be bless-able.
- [Announcer] Discoverwhat the Bible has to say
about God's covenant of blessing,
the laws of blessing, andwhat are the hindrances
to the blessings of God.
- In the words of Jesus, they are as valid
as the law on gravity, andif we follow those rules,
we will be blessed.
- [Announcer] You willsee amazing true stories
of everyday peoplewhose lives were rescued
and transformed by God'smiraculous blessings.
- But even the doctors acknowledged
that this had to be a miracle.
- [Announcer] Call 1-800-700-7000,
or visit cbn.com to become a CBN Partner
and get Miraculous Blessings today.
(gentle music)- Hello, I'm Terry Meeuwsen.
Did you know there are morethan 148 million orphans
in the world today?
148 million, but it was three little girls
that taught me aboutthe plight of orphans.
My husband and I spentnearly a month immersed
in the daily activitiesof a Ukrainian orphanage,
as we waited to adopt three sisters.
I saw firsthand the utter loneliness,
the pain of rejection,
and the overwhelming desire to be loved.
That experience changed me forever,
and out of it, grew aministry from my heart
called Orphan's Promise.
Today, we're helping orphansand vulnerable children
in more than 50 countries worldwide.
Thousands of childrenare now in safe homes,
they're being educated, andthey're learning life skills.
I'm asking you to join with me
and become family to these children.
Will you call the numberon your screen right now?
Because every child deservesa chance to be happy.
- Welcome back to Christian World News.
Hurricane Michaelbrought utter devastation
to the Florida Panhandle.
The category four stormbrought 155 mile-an-hour winds
and a killer storm surgethat wiped out everything
in its path.
Gary Lane reports.
- After monster Hurricane Michael passed,
video drones took to theskies of Panama City,
revealing the extent of the damage.
This is what's left of Mexico Beach,
once a pristine and popular destination,
now wiped out as if a bomb went off.
But this devastation was not man-made,
it was a powerful explosion of nature,
one of the most powerfulhurricanes on record.
Michael came ashore 20 milessoutheast of Panama City,
with sustained windsof 155 miles per hour,
and a storm surge, catastrophicsea waves of 13 feet.
By Friday morning, entire neighborhoods
and beaches had disappeared.
- So many lives have been changed forever.
So many families have lost everything.
Homes are gone, businesses are gone.
- [Gary] Department of Defensehelicopter teams stepped in
to conduct daring nighttimerescues of some people
needing emergency evacuation,
and at daylight, search andrescue teams went door to door,
looking for people whomay still be trapped
inside their homes.
- Mexico Beach, uh,took the brunt, that's,
that's probably ground zero.
- [Gary] The hurricaneripped the roofs off hotels
and homes, shredding vinyl siding,
and scattering wood like toothpicks.
- We were hiding in the closet
and all I could hear was a lot of wind,
and I thought the roof was gonna come off.
- [Gary] This woman and her husband
were nearly swept awayby winds and storm surge.
- We'd let the, uh, currenttake us to the next stop,
and then, we'd grab onto a tree.
- [Gary] Michael movedquickly through Georgia,
the Carolinas, Virginia,and then, out to sea.
Floodwaters surged through the Carolinas,
already drenched by Hurricane Florence.
Downed trees and gale-forcewinds knocked power out
to 900,000 homes and businesses.
This Virginia woman attempted
to drive through rising floodwaters.
- I was sinkin', it was sinkin' fast.
When I turned, I immediatelystarted thinkin',
and, um, I knew that I had hit the ditch,
and I put it in reverse, and, of course,
it didn't go anywhere.
I just thank God thatmy kids and my grandkids
were not in the car.
- [Gary] Michael broughthardship in the Southeast,
but devastation in the Florida Panhandle.
- Churches, of course, aresome of the first responders
in the hardest-hit areas.
Pastor Cole Bailey of LighthouseChurch in Panama City Beach
says teams from his church began going out
after the winds dropped to check on those
who rode out the storm.
They also checked for damage in the homes
of those who evacuated.
Hurricane Michael basicallydestroyed Lighthouse Church,
as you can see there, rippedthe roof off the main campus,
church sanctuary, collapsed the walls
and flooded this sanctuary.
But Bailey says thechurch is more concerned
about its people right now.
- [Cole] Buildings arevery important, of course,
we'd love to have a placeto congregate and worship,
but what all of our staff and myself,
and what we're all doin' right now
is we've got teams goin' out,
we're checkin' on everybody's home,
we're checkin' on them becauseyou can rebuild buildings,
but we're in this thing to make sure
that everybody is taken care of and loved.
- Bailey told CBN Newsthat multiple churches
outside of the areahave reached out to him,
and will coordinate tohelp to coordinate meals
for people in Bay County.
- [Cole] Uh, I think everyone's still
in shock, to be honest.
Uh, most people have never livedthrough anything like this,
and with this amount of damage,
um, you know, there, Ithink really people worry,
'cause we're used to havingair-conditioning, power,
and, uh, push a button anddo whatever you wanna do.
Most people haven't, uh,have never been through
anything like this.
I don't think a lot of peopleare comin' back right now,
because there's not much to come back to,
um, until the power is restored
and the power lines arecleared, and that the,
even, like, right now, I mean,
it's probably gonna be athree-quarters-of-a-mile walk
just for me to try to get to my house
to see its condition,because the power lines
are still down, it's, it's a mess.
- And Hurricane Michael, of course,
has destroyed other churches.
Seen here is damage and storm-inflicted
on the Destiny WorshipCenter in Panama City,
which will also need to rebuild.
Clean-up, recovery, and rebuilding
after Hurricane Michael will take years.
Meantime, victims and first responders
will need clean water, hot meals,
and other necessities.
Operation Blessing isconnecting with pastors
to set up volunteer anddistribution centers.
OB's Tom Wiley met with onepastor in Panama City Beach
who said the help can't come soon enough.
- It was devastation, itfelt like you'd walked
into a war zone.
- [Tom] For Pastor Ben Pitman
of First Assemblies of God Church
in Panama City, Florida, it'sbeen a devastating reality
for him and his neighborsafter witnessing the havoc
of Hurricane Michael.
- I think for the majority of the people
here in Panama City, they weren't ready,
uh, for this storm to be what it was.
I don't even know the,the damage of the people
of this city yet.
I don't know if there's been loss of life,
I don't know what familydamages look like,
I know people have justlost a lot of jobs.
- Panama City, along withmany of these coastal regions,
have been hit so hard,it's literally gonna be
a multi-year rebuilding effort.
It's going to be a long-term recovery
that's gonna reallyrequire a lot of support
from outside agencies,like Operation Blessing.
Pastor Ben believes this is a time
for the church to come together.
- Conflict and struggledoesn't create in us
who we become, it exposes who we are.
And so, as a pastor, I'mlookin' at my people,
because that's the church,
and I'm about to find outwhat kind of people we have
as a church, and now is wherethe rubber meets the road
for me, what kind of peopledo we have in our church,
and from what I've seenalready, it's pretty phenomenal.
And it's strange, it's alittle bit crazy to think
that even in something like this,
that we would see God move.
When I find out thatOperation Blessing is here
to serve us, the, theinitial reaction that I have
is we are not worthy
to keep this blessing for ourselves.
This had better go to the whole city.
Like, when I hear of anorganization coming in
like Operation Blessing,I have to give it away.
It has to go bigger thanPanama City First Assembly.
- That's wonderful to hear.
Operation Blessing is alsoat work internationally,
right now, helping victimsof the killer quake
and tsunami that struck Indonesia.
Tremors are still hitting the area
and many people are living in tents
for fear of another quake.
Despite the dangers, ourOperation Blessing teams
are there giving aidand hope to survivors.
Lucille Talusan, that is, is on location
and brings us this story.
(wind swooshing)(speaking a foreign language)
- [Lucille] Ferman shouted,"Jesus, help, Jesus, help!"
while recording this video ofmud swallowing up his village.
- [Interpreter] It's a miracle I managed
to come out of it alive.
- [Lucille] While therewere miracle stories
of surviving the earthquake and tsunami,
there were thousands who did not make it.
One of the many tragicstories includes Fatna.
Her husband died during the earthquake,
when the building where heworked collapsed on him.
- [Interpreter] Now, that he's dead,
I don't know where to turn to.
- [Lucille] Fatna is onlyone among tens of thousands
affected by the earthquake and tsunami.
Many lost loved ones, homes,and now live uncomfortably
in makeshift tents.
According to communityleader, Adbul Latif,
food and clean waterare desperately needed
in these refugee camps.
Today, an Operation Blessing team came
to Fatna's village to teachthem how to purify water.
- Different kind of treatments of water,
not only chlorine, wealso have some little
filtration systems and also,we have these Aquatops,
that they can put it on the water,
and they can disinfectthe water with that too.
We're trying to do ourbest to support them
in this hard time.
- It will take several monthsbefore the city can recover,
and this is why OperationBlessing will continue
with these rehabilitation programs
to help survivors get backto their normal lives.
(boy speaks in foreign language)
- [Lucille] Lucille Talusan, CBN News,
Palu, Indonesia.
(dramatic music)(text swooshing)
- [Mark] Coming up, the earlyChristians not only believed
in Jesus, they died for him.
We explore the evidencefor the resurrection
and why it means everythingfor the faith we have today.
(upbeat music)- Parents,
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(piano music)- Life.
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(logo swooshes)
- We had four jobs that didn't go right.
But, you know, we didn'twaver in our faith.
- That's when God put on my heart
that we needed to do the well.
(dramatic music)
- [Man] Within a couple of days,
we got an insurance refund check
that we had no idea was comin'.
- And here we are at, you know, this year,
it's just boom. (laughs)
- You go out and help other people,
and you get rewarded for it.
- [Announcer] Get PatRoberston's latest teaching,
Miraculous Blessings.
- Thanks for watchingChristian World News.
A court ruling in the case of Asia Bibi,
the Christian mother in Pakistan convicted
of blasphemy, has been postponed.
The decision on her finalappeal was scheduled
for mid-October, but postponed
after Islamic extremists began rioting.
The Pakistan Supreme Courtis delaying its announcement.
Bibi has been jailed formore than nine years,
and if her conviction is upheld,
she could be the first woman in Pakistan
to be executed for blasphemy.
Christianity was persecutedright from the start
with thousands of its earliestdisciples killed or jailed.
So, what made the faith so compelling
that converts would risktheir lives for their faith?
David Limbaugh explores the answers
in his new book, Jesus Is Risen.
He tells our Paul Strand ithas to do with his savior
resurrecting his worst persecutor
and making him a fiery advocate.
- Some say that the, uh, theidea of Jesus's resurrection
and divinity was added decades later,
that the early, uh, apostles and believers
didn't believe that, tell me about that.
- That's absurd on its face.
Paul wrote in, in one of his letters,
if Jesus Christ wasn'tcrucified, dead, and buried,
and then, resurrected in his body,
then Christians are the most to be pitied
because we're, we've lived allour lives devoted to Christ,
and it's all a myth.
His bodily resurrectionis central to Christian,
his coming in history,his intervening in history
as God and human, in dyingand then being resurrected,
and, of course, they believedit from the very first,
which is why there wasso much controversy,
one of the main reasonsthere was controversy.
The truth is, the Gospel wasalways as the Gospel is today.
- I know at the start that they were, um,
mostly preaching to Jews,
but tell us about the firstgentile who was converted.
- Cornelius was a Roman centurion
who wasn't steeped in the Jewish law,
and he was kinda, is a, isa cold call, so to speak.
That God gave Peter a vision that, the,
from a carpet coming downwith unclean animals,
and eat these, God said inthe vision of the angel,
and Peter's like, I can'teat those, those are unclean!
So then, he arranges for Cornelius,
who also had a vision, to meet,
make a long story short,and Peter ends up converting
Cornelius and his family.
Through faith in Jesus Christ,there's no, no one different.
All is, all are the same under Christ,
no Jew, no gentile, no Greek,no slave, no free person
were all one in Christianity,
and that vision of the uncleananimals was to let him know
there, God makes nothing unclean.
This is a new covenantnow, we're all able to,
to come together and besaved through Jesus Christ.
- Your book is about, uh, the Book of Acts
and the first six letters that Paul wrote.
Do you find in there that,
a message that anybody is so evil,
so unreachable, so bad,that they cannot be saved?
- No, Paul was, uh, an Orthodox Jew
and he was the mostunlikely person to be saved,
but he was confronted byChrist on the Damascus Road
and converted personally by Christ.
Why are you persecuting me?
Not why are you persecuting the church?
Persecution of the church waspersecution of Jesus Christ,
and he personalized it for Paul.
And so, he converted Paulto be the lead evangelist
to the gentiles, but he did, he chose Paul
because he was so passionate
and such an ardent, sincereperson and so relentless,
and so, he took, and he spread the Gospel,
forming, planning all these churches.
But no, no one is, is beyondthe love of Jesus Christ
unless they placethemselves away from him.
Unless they outright rebel and reject him,
but that's a matter of volition,I believe in free will.
But he will, he has openedhimself up to anyone.
You knock and I'll open the door.
Seek and you shall find.
- Can you say Paul'smost effective techniques
and arguments for makingconverts to the faith?
What would you say is his best?
- His, his main thingwas he would take people
as he found them, he wouldnot sweat the small stuff.
He, and around Jews, hewould adopt Jewish practices,
but he would never betray his faith,
do whatever made people comfortable,
so, he could evangelize.
It's kinda like Ravi Zacharias says,
know the questioners aswell as the question,
understand who you're talkin' to.
Don't be a scold, don't be a legalist.
Try to relate to them on their own terms
and then, give 'em the truth about the God
of the universe, the savior, Jesus Christ,
because that's a universallanguage we can all understand
regardless of our cultures.
- Alright, thank you, David.
We've been talking with David Limbaugh,
author of Jesus Is Risen,
Paul And The Early Church.
- [Mark] You can get news about the church
around the world every day.
Just log onto our ChristianWorld News webpage
and you'll find that at cbnnews.com.
(dramatic music)
(orchestral music)- When you give,
smiles grow bigger.
When you care,
homes are happier.
When you comfort,
the hurt goes away.
When we all come together to love,
miracles happen.
(gentle music)- Hello, I'm Terry Meeuwsen.
Did you know there are morethan 148 million orphans
in the world today?
148 million, but it was three little girls
that taught me aboutthe plight of orphans.
My husband and I spent nearly a month
immersed in the daily activitiesof a Ukrainian orphanage
as we waited to adopt three sisters.
I saw firsthand the utter loneliness,
the pain of rejection,
and the overwhelming desire to be loved.
That experience changed me forever,
and out of it, grew aministry from my heart
called Orphan's Promise.
Today, we're helping orphansand vulnerable children
in more than 50 countries worldwide.
Thousands of childrenare now in safe homes,
they're being educated, andthey're learning life skills.
I'm asking you to join with me
and become family to these children.
Will you call the numberon your screen right now?
Because every child deservesa chance to be happy.
- Hello!
Is this thing on?
(epic music)Hey, kids!
Do you love games?(children cheering)
And do you love discovering things?
- Yeah!- Well, do ya?
(children cheering)- Then you're gonna love this!
It's the new, freeSuperbook Kid's Bible App.
You can play games, watch videos,
find answers to your questions,
and a whole lot more.
The new Superbook Kid's Bible App.
(children cheering)Free downloads available
on iTunes and Google Play now!
- Finally, on Christian World News,
more than 16,000 people heard the Gospel
in Mexico this month.
According to evangelist, Franklin Graham,
hundreds of people gavetheir hearts to Jesus
during the Festival of Hope in Monterrey.
More than 500 churchesprayed and participated
in the event.
Michael W. Smith performedand Graham shared the Gospel.
He wrote, I told the fullhouse at Arena Monterrey
that there was nothingmore valuable than a soul.
Your soul's destinationdepends on whether you accept
or reject Jesus Christ during this life.
It is the most importantdecision you will ever make.
Very true, and thanksfor joining us this week.
Until next week, goodbye,and Gob bless you.
(dramatic music)
