- [Wendy] This week onChristian World News,
honoring a servant's life.
George H.W. Bush is notjust a former President
of the United States, but an example
of a well lived, faith filled life.
- [Mark] Plus a modern day book of Acts.
How the church in the Middle East
is pressing through persecution
and sharing the gospel message.
- [Wendy] And missionariesto the tech industry.
These believers are learninghow to live their faith
in the workplace.
(dramatic music)
- Welcome to ChristianWorld News, everyone.
I'm Wendy Griffith.
- And I'm Mark Martin.
In the days after the passing
of George Herbert Walker Bush,
Americans celebrated a life well lived.
The former President begana lifetime of service
at 18 years old when he joined the Navy
to fight in World War II.
He eventually became the 41st President
of the United States.
This week, we learnedabout his quiet faith
and the Christianprinciples that guided him.
Among them was a reliance on prayer.
During his presidency,
he spoke with CBN founder, Pat Robertson,
about the need for prayerin the Oval Office.
- Abraham Lincoln said hecouldn't handle the job
except on his knees.
Have you found
- Yes.- recourse to God
in prayer often
in your prayer life?- You have to.
The more I'm there, the more I understood
what Lincoln meant, themore I understood the need
to have some, left somestrength greater than yourself.
I especially found that atthe time I had to make this,
now it looks easy, but a crucial decision
about committing someoneelse's sons and daughters
into combat.
And the decision rests onlywith the President for that,
only the President.
And there was certainly a time
and need for prayer in that one.
- And Gary Lane is formerWashington Bureau Chief
for CBN News and joins us for more.
Gary, you had the opportunity
to meet President Bush.- Yes.
- Tell us your impression
of him.- Well, I met him
before he was President duringthe 1980 primary in Michigan.
He ran against Ronald Reagan.
My impression at the time,
he was a very pleasant man,very friendly and warm.
He seemed to care about me.
He put me at ease because,as a young reporter,
I was very nervous about meeting someone
who may become President.
But he was delightful, Wendy.
Very pleasant and kind.
- He described himselfas a man of quiet faith.
Did you see that played outas you were covering him?
- I think in Washington, yes.
Look, he was raised as an Episcopalian,
so the belief was you don'twear your faith on your sleeve.
You're very private about your faith.
So it was very hard for George H.W. Bush
to talk about thingsChristian and about his faith.
But it played out in his policies.
He was very much pro-life
even though Barbara, his wife, was not.
And he, as a child, was raised
with his mother readingfrom the Bible every morning
is what he said.
- Well he's been describedas a humble servant.
Those are biblical qualities
that seem to be muchlacking in Washington today.
Did you think the same?
- Yeah.
He was very humble, and Ithink that's a little something
that is lacking from WashingtonDC and our leaders today.
He was not a polarizing figure.
He tried to get along with everyone.
Of course, he had a Democratic Congress
and he was a Republican.
He had to get along.
But he always went back tohis faith, I think, Wendy,
because he was taught thatthose that are given much,
much is required, and he believed that.
In addition to that,
one of his favoriteverses was Proverbs 27.
And in that verse, it says
allow another man to praiseyou, not your own lips.
So he was taught humility from a young age
and he lived that out as President.
- [Wendy] We're not seeing that much
with our current President.
- Well, I think a lot of our leaders,
we're not seeing that from.
It's all about themselves.
- The last two days,
the eulogies and theceremonies that we've seen
have been so extraordinaryand so heartwarming.
Can you recall a time whenwe've seen a President honored
to this extent?
- You know, even Reagan wasn't honored
to this extent, Wendy.
I think it's because Bush was someone
who did try to get along.
And what goes on in Washingtonis you get two extremes.
When you have a Presidentwho appears a bit extreme,
then the opposite side, theleft becomes more extreme
in their rhetoric andthe way they respond.
So George W. Bush was notconsidered an extreme person.
Many conservatives would sayhe was more like a Democrat,
and that's why everyone loves him.
- Yeah.
But he'll be missed.
Thanks so much, Gary.- Okay, sure.
- Presidents, world leaders, family,
and friends joined the Bush family
to celebrate his life atthe National Cathedral.
As White House correspondentBen Kennedy shows us,
it was a time of laughter,tears, prayer, and praise.
(somber brass music)
- [Ben] From the Capitol Hill steps
to the halls of the NationalCathedral and beyond.
- I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
- [Ben] The country honoredthe nation's 41st President,
George Herbert Walker Bush.
George W. Bush deliveredthe eulogy for his father,
the last person he spoketo before passing away.
- I said, "Dad, I love you,
"and you've been a wonderful father."
And the last words he wouldever say on earth were
I love you, too.
- [Ben] Seated in the front row
alongside the Bush familywas President Trump
and First Lady Melania Trump
along with former Presidents Barack Obama,
Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter.
♪ Friends are friends forever ♪
♪ If the Lord's the Lord of them ♪
Christian recordingartist Michael W. Smith,
a longtime friend of theBush family, sang Friends.
♪ Though it's hard to let you go ♪
♪ In the Father's hands we know ♪
- It means something
because I'd been friendswith him for 29 years
and so the fact that he wantedme to sing at his funeral,
it's just an honorbeyond words, really is.
- [Ben] Smith recallsseeing President Bush
a mere months before he passed away.
- As we were leaving,we just gave him a hug
and said we love you, so good to see you.
And about the time we were about to leave,
he went oh, and he kind of gethis little finger in the air
and had that little sparkle in his eye
and he said, "Friendsare friends forever."
That's what he said.
That's the last thing he said to us.
- [Ben] And now you're singing Friends.
- Crazy.
And Deb and I walked outof there and thinking
you know what, that might bethe last time that we see him.
- [Ben] Reverend Dr. Russell Levenson
was with the formerPresident in his final days
and shared a moment he witnessed
between Bush and his formerSecretary of State, James Baker,
a man he called his little brother.
- Secretary Baker was at thefoot of the President's bed.
And toward the end, Jim Baker rubbed
and stroked the President'sfeet for perhaps half an hour.
The President smiled at thecomfort of his dear friend.
Here I witnessed a world leader
who was serving a servant whohad been our world's leader.
And what came to mind was Jesus.
- [Ben] The 94-year-old servedhis country as President,
Vice President, World War IIveteran, and even CIA Director.
He guided the US through the Gulf War
and the break-up of the Soviet Union.
- He stood in the breach againsttyranny and discrimination,
and on his watch, a wall fell in Berlin,
a dictator's aggression did not stand.
- [Ben] But one of his proudest moments
was that of a husband and a father.
Married more than sevendecades to Barbara,
their marriage would bring six children,
including George, whofollowed in Dad's footsteps
as the country's 43rd President.
- A great and noble man.
The best father a sonor daughter could have.
And in our grief, I just smile knowing
that Dad is hugging Robinand holding Mom's hand again.
- Now former President Bushis only the 19th person
to be honored with a state funeral.
His casket is in Houston,Texas for a service
and he will be buriednext to his wife, Barbara,
and his daughter, Robin, whodied at just three years old.
Ben Kennedy, CBN News, the White House.
- [Wendy] Thanks, Ben.
Coming up, in the cradle of Christianity,
modern day believers areliving like the book of Acts.
(dramatic music)
- God Almighty is a God of blessing.
He always wants 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 got to be blessable.
- [Announcer] Discoverwhat the Bible has to say
about God's covenant ofblessing, the laws of blessing,
and what are the hindrancesto the blessings of God.
The words of Jesus, they areas valid as the law of gravity
and if we follow thoselaws, we will be blessed.
- [Announcer] You'llsee 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] Call1-800-700-7000 or visit CBN.com
to become a CBN partner andget Miraculous Blessings today.
- 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 the Ukrainian orphanage
as we waited to adopt three sisters.
I saw firsthand the utterloneliness, the pain of rejection,
and the overwhelming desire to be loved.
That experience changedme forever, and out of it
grew a ministry from my heartcalled 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.
In England, the Prince of Wales
called for peace in the Middle East
and an end to the persecutionof Christians there.
Prince Charles made the unprecedented plea
from the pulpit inLondon's Westminster Abbey.
In recent years, he hasspoken out more forcefully
on behalf of persecuted minorities.
In his message, he praisedthe Christians who suffered,
but stayed true to their faith.
- In recent years, I havehad the great privilege
of meeting so many Christians
who, with such inspiringfaith and courage,
are battling oppression and persecution
or who have fled to escape it.
Forgiveness, as many ofyou know far better than I,
is not a passive act or submission.
Rather, it is an act of supreme courage;
of a refusal to be definedby the sin against you.
- Four Middle East patriarchsattended the special service
along with the Archbishop of Canterbury,
Roman Catholic, Jewish,and Muslim leaders.
- In recent years, thechurch in the Middle East
has endured some dark days,
but some believe thelives of believers today
are reflecting the heroesand heroines of the past
in the place where Christianity was born.
Chris Mitchell brings usthat story from Jerusalem.
- [Chris] Across the Middle East,
Christians and the church
have suffered terrible persecution.
Yet, there is still optimism here.
- I see the church isstanding and standing strong
with all of the difficulties
and with all of the atrocitiesand all the persecution.
- [Chris] Egyptian-bornYvette Isaac believes
that's because they'recontinuing the testimony
of the early believers.
- I really believe every day,
a new page of the bookof Acts is being written.
- [Chris] And Isaac wants thechurch in the West to know
what's happening here.
- There are brothers and sisters,
Christian brothers andsisters who are living there.
And if it wasn't for them,
first, we would not hear aboutChristianity in the West.
Because of the church in the Middle East,
Christianity spreads all over the world.
- [Chris] Yet she saysthe pressure on Christians
has been enormous.
- [Yvette] That's where it all started.
And the enemy's focus is to destroy it.
The enemy's focus is toempty the Middle East
from Christianity, so he'sputting all of this pressure.
And we have seen all kindsof pressure under the people.
- [Chris] Isaac hosts a television program
to the Middle East, and shebelieves Christian media
can play a big role to help Christians.
- The church needs to know the truth.
The Christian media needsto air and to show the world
the stories from there.
If we just depend on the secular media,
we will get what theiragenda for the world to hear.
But awareness is very important.
That's why we have manyclips of Christian people
that they suffer andthey tell their stories.
- [Chris] One of the stories she tells
are the Christians whosuffered under ISIS.
- We go to Iraq and to Syriaand we go to those places
and we try to empower the girls
that they came out of captivity.
Christians in Syria and in Iraq,
they don't want to speak too much.
Probably it's a fear.
But when we go there, they open up
and they feel like they can open up
and tell us their stories.
So we share their storiesafter their permission
to the world.
- [Chris] She tells onestory of an Orthodox priest
and an evangelical pastor.
- An Orthodox priest toldme, when there was no water
and there were only afew drops of water left,
I would rather divide itwith the evangelical pastor
because I know, if we both live,
we're going to be more powerful together.
If I live and he dies, I'm weaker.
- [Chris] She hopes eachpart of the body of Christ
will do their part.
- What am I called to do,
especially in the Western world?
The Western church needs to understand
the importance of theexisting of Christians
in the Middle East at this time.
- [Chris] Chris Mitchell,CBN News, Jerusalem.
- [Mark] Coming up,missionaries for the new world.
How these young believersare taking the gospel
to the tech world.
(dramatic music)
- [Announcer] Parents,the Superbook Bible App
is a great way to get yourchild reading the Bible.
Because in today's busyworld, we can use some help.
The free Superbook Bible App
has fun stuff your kids will love.
They'll have a blast learning the Bible.
Playing great games.
- [Dad] Did you win?
- [Announcer] Watching cool videos.
- [Gizmo] Follow me.
- [Announcer] Discoveringheroes in the Bible.
They'll have fun whilethey learn God's word.
The Superbook Kid'sBible App, available now.
- [Announcer] Life.
It's meant to be lived fully.
Jesus said it.
I came to give you life,
life to the fullest,
life in your family,
life in your finances,
life in your body, mind, and spirit,
life in your every day.
(light music)
At CBN.com, we're takingwhat Jesus said seriously.
(light music)
We're here to help you discover life.
(light music)
Life.
Live it fully.
CBN.com.
(light music)
- We had four jobs that didn't go right,
but we didn't waver in our faith.
- That's when God put on my heart
that we needed to do the well.
- [Husband] Within a couple of days,
we got an insurance refund check
that we had no idea was coming.
- And here we are, thisyear, it's just booming.
- You go out and help other people
and you get rewarded for it.
- [Announcer] Get PatRobertson's latest teaching,
Miraculous Blessings.
- In November, fourChristians from Finland
were arrested in theMuslim nation of Malaysia.
Their crime?
Handing out pens withBible verses on them.
One of the Christians, Aija Avnery,
told CBN News the group was on vacation
and was handing out the pens as gifts
and had no idea it was a problem.
- We were treated like avery big criminal there
and one of the officers, they told us
that it is a big crime what you did.
I asked them don't youhave religious freedom
and you can't be aChristian in this country,
and they told yes, you can bea Christian in this country,
but you can't tell anyone about it.
- Wow.
The group was held injail for several days
and could have beensentenced up to five years.
Officials eventually released them all.
Aija said she hopes her story
will highlight thepersecution Christians suffer
all around the world.
- A Kentucky nun is helpingeradicate cholera from Haiti.
Sister Larraine Lauteris working with a group
called Water with Blessingsdistributing water filters
throughout the empoverished island nation.
Success in one villagecaused the government
to even close a cholera clinic there.
Sister Larraine and other workers
instruct Haitians known as water women
to filter water for theirfamilies and neighbors.
She explains that herfaith in God motivates her
to help the Haitian people combat cholera.
- I just have a very strongconviction in my heart
that God means for all people
to have access to cleanwater, that that's God's will,
and that our task isto fulfill God's will.
- To see more of SisterLarraine's interview,
be sure to catch this week'sepisode of the Global Lane
on the CBN News Channel or at CBNNews.com.
- Seven in 10 Americans use social media,
which means whoever creates it
has enormous power to influence.
- That's why Bethel Church in California
has created a school to send what it calls
digital missionaries.
Heather Sells explains.
- The Bethel Tech school aimsto send digital missionaries
into the marketplace to impact the culture
right where it's at.
- We started thinking abouthow do we actually shift
the mindset of communities
and how do we shiftthe mindset of society.
You can create new laws,
you can put people in political places,
but if you don't changethe way people think,
you're not gonna change culture.
- [Heather] Bethel Pastor Kris Vallotton
is on to a cultural shiftthat's hard to measure,
the many ways in which weare all connected digitally
and how that influences our thinking.
It's a shift that has come quickly.
In 2005, just 5% of American adults
used at least one social media platform.
Today, it's 70%.
The Pew Research Center says Facebook
is still the most widely used,
but Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram,
and LinkedIn are also big.
- So we just got this idea of
what if we raise up digital missionaries
and we send them like a people group.
We send people to Africa and India
and some of these dark places, you know.
What would happen if we...
The darkest places on the planet,
they're not geographic areas.
They're actually social groups.
- [Heather] The Bethel Techschool is a faith-based program
that trains what it calls technologists
to enter the workplace with excellence.
It offers accelerated33-week online programs
for students of all agesto enter a work force
that needs talent.
- There will be over onemillion unfilled tech jobs
within the next two years.
These aren't white or blue collar jobs.
These are the new collar jobs.
- [Heather] Bethel's philosophy
to bring kingdom values to the workplace,
not just to bring salvationto workplace colleagues,
but to shape media giantsin a way that uplifts
and ultimately pointsmillions of social media users
to Christ.
Reporting in Redding, California,Heather Sells, CBN News.
- [Wendy] Thanks, Heather.
For more great stories aboutthe church around the world,
you can visit the ChristianWorld News web page.
Find it at CBNNews.com.
We'll be right back.
(inspirational music)
- [Pat] When you give,
smiles grow bigger.
When you care,
homes are happier.
When you comfort,
(inspirational music)
the hurt goes away.
When we all come together to love,
miracles happen.
- 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 spend nearly a month
immersed in the daily activitiesof the Ukrainian orphanage
as we waited to adopt three sisters.
I saw firsthand the utterloneliness, the pain of rejection,
and the overwhelming desire to be loved.
That experience changedme forever, and out of it
grew a ministry from my heartcalled 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?
Hey, kids.
Do you love games?
And do you love discovering things?
(explosion)Yeah!
Well do you?- Yeah!
- [Announcer] 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.
Free downloads available oniTunes and Google Play now.
- According to a new census,
nearly a third of Australianssay they have no religion.
The country is rapidlybecoming more secular
and Christianity is also declining.
- Oh, man.
But churches likeHillsong and Planetshakers
are going against this trend.
Lucille Talusan gives usthis report from Australia.
(driving rock music)
- [Lucille] Churchgoers sayattending a Sunday service
at Planetshakers or Hillsongis like going to a concert.
Both churches are world renownedfor their worship bands.
Planetshakers' SeniorPastor Russel Evans says
they have been blessedwith powerful songs.
But more important is howworship ushers the congregation
into the presence of God.
- We can touch people's heartswith the presence of God
and they can be changed in their heart.
Then we can disciple themto change their world.
- [Lucille] Planetshakersbegan in 2004 with 12 people.
It has now grown to morethan 30,000 in 14 years.
Pastor Evans says the big number of people
going to their church is a miracle
because only 8% of Australiansattend church services.
- A challenge with the church
is sometimes we don't become
speaking the language of the day
and we wonder why we're notwinning the next generation.
If you can speak the language
and have power to change people's lives,
the power of God, then peoplewant to connect with it.
This generation wants to encounter God.
They just don't want to know about God;
they want to encounter him.
- Busloads of high school kids
flock to PlanetshakersChurch on Sunday afternoons.
Youth leaders collect them
from different parts of the city,
and they say that it's in this church
that they find their identityand a sense of belongingness.
Naya, who suffered fromanorexia and severe depression,
is one of them.
- I was getting bullied at the time.
A couple of days after, I went to hospital
and I woke up three days later.
One of my cousins from Planetshakers
encouraged me to come to church
and that's when I encountered God.
I went back to school andI kept coming to church,
and now, I'm becoming aleader at Planetshakers.
I couldn't be more thankful.
- Even if you'd look atAustralian youth today,
mental health and mentalillness is on the rise
and so many teenagers have come in broken
and it's in the presenceof God in services
and in small groups that that is where
they've found that love,they've found that hope,
that joy that they've been looking for.
- [Lucille] Founded in 1983,
Australia's megachurch Hillsong
has expanded to 69services in 27 locations
across the country.
Each week, more than 40,000 people
attend Hillsong services.
Like Planetshakers,its efforts are focused
on reaching young people for Christ.
Born into a church witha global influence,
Hillsong youth pastor Laura Toggs
sees the importance of carryingon the church's vision.
Its goal is to draw the nations to Jesus
by meeting the needs ofthe emerging generation.
Thus, the youth movement ofbrand new praise and worship,
Young and Free, was created.
- I'm always amazed because I'll look out
and I'll just see, everywhere we go,
young people dancing in thatjoy, dancing in that freedom,
and I think wow, that's such a fulfillment
of the vision that Godplaced within our hearts.
Psalm 145 says for one generation
shall praise your works to another.
And so that asks us about okay,
let's bring another generation through.
That's how the church has keptalive for all of these years
and it's why the church willstill be at the forefront
in the years to come.
- [Lucille] Both Hillsong andPlanetshakers are determined
to win the remaining 92%of Australia to Christ.
♪ Up, we're lifting Jesus up ♪
♪ We're gonna praise him ♪
Lucille Talusan, CBN News, Melbourne.
- Thanks, Lucille.
I am such a huge fan of Hillsong.
- Me too.- And isn't it interesting
though that there aren't asmany Christians in Australia,
but they have some of themost incredible worship music
that comes out of there.
- That's so true.
It's so passionate.
I think the enemy is attackingAustralia because of that.
It's one of the reasons.- Yeah.
God bless Australia.
- That's right.
Well thanks for joining us this week.
- Until next week, from all of us here
at Christian World News,goodbye and God bless you.
