- [Announcer] The followingprogram is sponsored by CBN.

- [Gordon] Coming up, the case for Christ.

- We have testimony thatis early, eyewitness,

even hostile sources.

- [Gordon] Experts share theproof of the resurrection.

- Their historicity was indisputable.

- [Gordon] Then ahit-and-run sends one driver

into a coma.

- God, whatever this is, I said,

God you got to turn this around.

- [Gordon] And sets thestate for an Easter miracle.

- People were huggin'me and I'm huggin' 'em.

- [Gordon] On today's 700 Club.

- [Jermaine] The wheelchair assisted me in

but I was takin' it out.

(triumphant music)

(inspirational music)

- Well, welcome to the 700 Club.

Today, Christians around the world

are commemorating Good Friday.

But 2,000 years after the crucifixion

others are asking isJesus real and is he God?

- Recently, CBN's Paul Strandtalked with four top defenders

of the faith about these questions.

And all of the reached the same conclusion

in very different ways.

- [Paul] Although believersand evidence exist

there remains a question, is there a God?

Detective J. Warner Wallacehas pursued the question

applying the same proceduresused to solve cold cases.

Starting this investigation as an atheist,

he had to accept somethingbeyond the natural

because he believed theuniverse had a beginning

before space and time.

- It began from nothing, didn'texist prior to the big bang.

That means you are looking for a cause

that is non-spatial,non-temporal and non-material

'cause those things are notavailable until the big bang.

So you're already looking

for something that's extra-natural.

- [Paul] Astronomer Hugh Ross who heads up

Reasons to Believe, seesGod in the universe's birth.

- It has a beginning,which implied there must be

a beginner that wasresponsible for bringing

the universe into existence.

- [Paul] And there's such precise design.

- We have fine tuning in the universe,

which is so finely tunedthat the smallest variation

in the universal constants,

you wouldn't even have auniverse in which we life at all.

Now, what are the odds ofthat happening on its own?

- [Paul] And just howfinely tuned is it for life?

- If you were to addthe weight of one dime

to the universe, or subtractthe weight of one dime

from the observable universe,that would be enough

to upset the balance notto make life not possible.

How can we escape the conclusion

there must be a mindwith supernatural power

that designed it justright so we could be here?

- [Paul] But what about Jesus Christ,

his resurrection and deity?

- If there's a being out there

that could create all space,time and matter from nothing,

I'm guessing he couldprobably rise from the dead.

I'm guessing he couldprobably walk on water.

I'm guessing those areprobably small potato miracles

compared to Genesis One.

- Some people say they'll neverbelieve Jesus Christ is God

because all the prooffor it is in the Bible

and they just don't believe the Bible.

As an atheist, Josh McDowell set out

to disprove Christianity and the Bible

but found so much evidenceit changed his life.

The result was his book,Evidence that Demands a Verdict.

And he found much proof forChrist outside the Bible.

- In this book, evidence.

I give 20 some totallyextra-biblical sources

that you could recapture from it,

almost everything about Christ,

that he was raised the dead,he fulfilled the prophecy,

etc. etc. etc. from non-biblical sources.

- [Paul] Alex McFarland putson conferences nationwide,

like this one in NorthCarolina, to arm Christians

with proof their God and faith are real.

He points out what one of America's

top 20th century historians, Will Durant,

a non-believer, had to say.

- Durant, when he was not a Christian,

said that the fourbiographies, Matthew, Mark,

Luke and John, their historicitywas quote, "indisputable."

- [Paul] Some claim theNew Testament was written

hundreds of years after Jesus's time

so all the supernaturaldetails about Christ

could have been addedin long after his death.

But as witnesses, theearliest disciples memorized,

sand and wrote down statementsof Christ' miraculous life

starting right after his resurrection.

- Deity, death, resurrection.

Son of God, paid for oursins, rose from the dead.

These doctrinal formulae, if you will,

these statements ofbelief, come to us within,

not years, not months, butweeks after the crucifixion.

- [Paul] And these disciples said not only

were they eyewitnessesto Christ' miracles,

but so were their opponentsthere in Jerusalem.

- They would constantlyappeal to the knowledge

of hostile witnesses of thetruth that they're saying,

they're saying, you knowwhat I'm talkin' about,

you were there, you saw him to this.

You heard him do this.

- But you may feel noneof this has anything

to do with you and you shouldn'thave to think about it.

Well, what if there is an eternity?

And what you believe about Jesus Christ

will determine where you spend it.

Wallace says if you'rea total non-believer

for your own sake, consider the idea

there's a miracle workingsavior, with this one caveat.

- You can't begin bysaying I don't believe

in the supernat--

That's the thing you'retrying to investigate.

If you start off bydenying the supernatural,

you'll never get to whether

or not there's anything supernatural.

You've already decided there isn't.

- [Paul] McFarland mentionswhat's known as Pascal's Wager.

- If we live as if there is God

and it turns out therewasn't, we've lost nothing.

Plus, we've lived a goodlife and been happy.

But if you, the atheistlive as if there's not a God

and it turns out there is,you've lost everything.

So, the wise man would wagerthat there might be a God.

- [Paul] Paul Strand, CBN News,

reporting from Greensboro, North Carolina.

- The wise man mightwager that there is a God.

The Bible says the fool says in his heart

there is no God.

When you examine, howdo you create something

out of nothing?

How does that happen?

Well, then you come to a conclusion,

well, there must be a creator.

Terry?

- It's the precision that convinces me.

- It's the precision, the fine tuning.

- Yeah, whoo, amazing. (laughing)

Well, still ahead, a man healed

from paralysis has a relapse.

- I just felt like theLord wasn't with me.

I felt like, why, why would you

why would you allow me to be healed

just to be sick again?

- Watch how he receives a walking miracle

on Easter Sunday.

But first, we'll go overto the CBN news room

for today's tops stories,right after this.

(hopeful music)

- Welcome back to the 700 Club.

10 instances of potentialobstruction and no collusion,

that's the Mueller report in a nutshell.

Attorney General Bill Barrand Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein

both concluded the presidentdid not commit any crimes.

But Democrats are already pushing back.

Jennifer Wishon reportsnow from the White House.

- A total victory for the president,

that's how White House officials

see Special CounselRobert Mueller's report.

It's the exoneration theysay they've been predicting

from the start.

Meanwhile, Democrats see thereport as a treasure trove

for future investigations.

- No collusion, no obstruction.

(cheering and clapping)

- [Jennifer] On Twitter, apresidential victory lap,

the president declaring game over.

- The results are in.

- [Jennifer] With videos, designed to tell

the mainstream media, he told them so.

- No collusion.

- No collusion.

There was no collusion.

No collusion.

No collusion.

There is absolutely no collusion.

- [Jennifer] Now on offense,the president's legal team

calls the investigationpolitically motivated abuse

launched by former FBIDirector James Comey.

- It'll be very interestingto see what happens

in the days ahead, but Ithink we play by the law.

And the law is clear andwe're gonna insist on the law

being followed and thatmeans, whether it's

at the House or theSenate, and in any case,

if there's an issue that wethink is worthy to litigate,

we will litigate it.

- This should never happento another president

again, this hoax.

- [Jennifer] The Mueller report quote,

"does not conclude the president committed

"a crime, it also does not exonerate him."

- The report recounts 10episodes involving the president

and discusses potentiallegal theories for connecting

those activities to the elementsof an obstruction offense.

- [Jennifer] Those 10 episodes, recounted

in the redacted release,

from President Trump'sefforts to seize control

of the Russia investigation,to the president's endeavors

to force the Special Counsel's removal,

which were quote,

"mostly unsuccessful...because the persons

"who surrounded the presidentdeclined to carry out orders."

- President Trump faced anunprecedented situation.

- [Jennifer] The weight of that cloud

revealed in the release,with the president cursing,

stating "this is the end of my presidency"

at the appointment of SpecialCounsel Robert Mueller.

- The president was frustrated and angered

by his sincere beliefthat the investigation

was undermining his presidency.

- [Jennifer] Detailed in the report,

the Russian intelligence hacking campaign

and Russian efforts to sow social discord

through disinformation andsocial media operations.

- The Russian governmentsought to interfere

in our election process.

- [Jennifer] But any linksbetween the Trump campaign

and Russia were deemedinsufficient evidence

in bringing charges.

- The Russian operatives whoperpetrated these schemes

did not have the cooperationof President Trump

or the Trump campaign.

- [Jennifer] The redactedreport was shared directly

with the White House before its release.

- No one outside the Department

has seen the unredactedreport, with the exception

of certain sectionsthat were made available

to IC, the intelligencecommunity, for their advice

on protecting intelligencesources and methods.

- [Jennifer] The WhiteHouse did not choose

to use executive privilege toissue any further redactions

than what had already beenremoved from the report

by the DOJ.

- Given the limitednature of the redactions

I believe that thepublicly released report

will allow every Americanto understand the results.

- [Jennifer] For somelawmakers, a different version.

- These members of Congresswill be able to see

all of the redactedmaterial for themselves

with a limited exception.

- [Jennifer] Cappingoff the DOJ's release,

Attorney General Bill Barr'stease of more drama ahead.

- I have no objection to BobMueller personally testifying.

- Here at the White House though,

officials are feeling confident they say,

after two years, hundreds of interviews,

subpoenas and searchwarrants, it's highly unlikely

Congress would uncover anythingthe special counsel did not.

Jennifer Wishon, CBNNews, the White House.

- The deep South and Northeast are bracing

for severe storms this weekend.

Forecasters say a line of thunderstorms

may bring damaging windsand possible tornadoes,

particularly in Florida,the Carolinas and Virginia.

More than four inches ofrain, with possible hail

is expected in Alabama,Mississippi and Atlanta

through the weekend,

the potential for flash flooding as well.

In Texas, a thunderstormbrought down a tree

narrowly missing a home.

- We're Christians atthis house and I said,

man, this is prayers right here.

'cause we just remodeledthis house right now.

We're remodeling and noteven a broken window.

- The mid-Atlantic are alsoexpecting heavy rains and winds.

Gordon and Terry'll be back with much more

of today's 700 Club.

It's coming up right after this.

Stay with us.

(tense music)

(majestic music)

- After an accident, Jermaine Green

was paralyzed on his left side.

Then he was healed.

And three weeks later hewoke up paralyzed again.

You can imagine Jermaine was devastated.

And he wondered why Godwould allow him to be healed

only to relapse.

Well, two years laterhe received the answer

to that question on Easter Sunday.

- [Reporter] On November 14th, 2004

a trash truck slams intoJermaine Green's car

putting him in a comawith severe head trauma.

His dad, Bishop Joe Green Senior

and his mother Ednarushed to the hospital.

- It was very, very painful

in the sense that being in a coma

and not really knowing

whether or not he wasgonna come out or not.

- I was like, okayLord, I said you told me

he was gonna be a preacher.

He had work to do.

I said, God, whatever this is,

I said, God, you got to turn this around.

- [Reporter] Jermaine wasparalyzed on one side of his body.

His parents and their churchprayed non-stop for healing.

Then, one night.

- We're praying, I kinda opened my eyes

and I looked up.

Left hand was goin' up.

It was goin' up.

And he did like this.

But the thing was, he didn'tknow he raised his hand.

God did it, he raised his hand.

That was encouragement to us.

- [Reporter] The next morning,he was up and walking.

- I'm walkin' around myroom, I'm givin' God praise,

tears are fallin' from my eyes.

I cannot believe that Godhas just given me a miracle.

- [Reporter] Jermaine wenthome to his wife and children

but three weeks laterat his parents' church

he blacked out.

When he woke up, the left side of his body

was paralyzed again.

- I just felt like theLord wasn't with me.

I felt like, why,

why would you,

why would you allow me

to be healed just to be sick again?

- [Reporter] Doctors diagnosedhim with hemiparesis,

a weakness of one side of his body.

- I'm believin' God for a miracle.

And so now, my approachabout it is any day now.

We gone ride the wave and soonas he waves his hand at me

I'm 'onna get up and I'll be fine.

But it didn't happen like that.

I felt like, what could Ihave done that was wrong?

In a month, you just healed me from this.

Why am I experiencing this again?

- [Reporter] All attemptsof physical therapy failed

and Jermaine had to face lifeconfined to a wheelchair.

Shortly thereafter, Jermaineand his wife divorced.

Eventually, he became asingle father of four.

Jermaine fell into a depression

and came to the conclusionthat it would be better

for everyone if he ended his life.

- I got these blood pressure pills

and I had 'em in my hand.

And so what stopped me was my daughter

crawlin' on the floor,just laughin' and smilin'

(laughing)

to the point where sheclimbed up on my leg.

So she sat right nextto the bottle of pills.

And that's what actually saved me from,

I didn't do it.

- [Reporter] Eventually,Jermaine's parents moved in

to help him.

During this time,Jermaine had a revelation,

no matter what his circumstances,

he would live his life for God.

- I had made up in mymind, it didn't matter,

I'm gonna preach, I'm gonna prophesy,

I'm gonna do whatever you tell me to do.

If I'm in this wheelchairuntil I die, so be it.

- [Reporter] Then, two yearslater on Easter Sunday 2007,

Jermaine was bringingthe service to a close

when he says God told him totell the church to praise him.

- And I just remember himsaying somethin' about,

it's another wave ofanointin', God is gettin' ready

work a miracle.

- [Joe] He just stood up, right after that

and started walkin'.

I stood up to that miracle.

(clapping and praising)

- And I'm lookin' at himand what he dudn't know

is what I saw.

He wasn't walkin' he was gliding.

That's the way he lookedgoin' down the aisle.

That was the most beautifulthing, to see him.

- [Reporter] It tookJermaine a moment to realize

he had been healed.

- I'm still like, ohmy God, what happened?

It's a miracle.

So people are huggin'me and I'm huggin' 'em

and it's still notreally hitting me totally

that okay, you're up.

Now, I didn't know I wasout of the wheelchair

until I saw that my wheelchair was empty.

When we left the church,the most powerful moment

was the wheelchair assisted me in

but I was takin' it out.

- [Reporter] Later, Jermaine went back

to the doctor for checkup.

- The doctor comes, you're up.

I said, yes sir, I am.

He said, this is a miracle.

- [Reporter] Jermaine hassince come to be known

as the wheelchair preacher.

Now, remarried with a blended family,

he and his wife, Margaret, minister hope

through God's healing power

on their weekly radioshow and in churches.

- He restored everything that I lost.

The Lord blessed me witha wonderful woman of God.

She's the one that God told me,

that's mine so she's my Holy Ghost girl.

- He's still a healer.

He's everything that we need.

All we needed to do is ask him.

- If you just trust Godand if you just believe

God will hear you andhe will answer prayer.

(thoughtful music)

- In every situation, God isworking things to your good.

That's his promise in the word.

Even what the enemy meant for evil,

God works for good.

So today, we want to takesome time to pray for you.

I know there are manyof you who are watching,

if your faith wasn'tbuilt by that last story

I don't know what itwould take to build it.

But we have some morereports to share with you.

Before we pray togetherwith you for whatever

your needs might be today,God knows your name.

He knows where you are, he loves you

and his power is available to you.

Gordon, this is Kathy.

She lives in San Marcos, Texas.

Two weeks ago she took a serious fall,

hurt her right shoulder.

The injury affected herentire arm and left her

in terrible pain.

She was watching this program.

I was reading a testimony about a woman

who was healed of a shoulder injury

after claiming your word of knowledge

on a previous 700 Club.

So Kathy claimed thatold word of knowledge

and she was healed too, right then.

(laughing)

Kathy can now move her armwithout any pain or discomfort.

She even went to an exercise class

and was thrilled to raiseher arms over hear head,

something she wasn't able to do before.

- There are no old words.

His words are always living and powerful.

And here is Maire fromBritish Columbia, Canada.

She enjoys watchingthe 700 Club every day.

She's 77 years young butshe's endured bowel issues

since she was a girl.

And recently, she heard Terry pray,

someone is being healedof a bowel problem that

they have had since childhood.

Well, immediately Maireknew this was for her.

\The joy surged through herbody like electric shocks.

She' not had any symptoms since

and gives God all the glory.

Let these stories encourage you.

Here's someone who's 77,suffered with something

for decades and God says,yeah, today's your day.

For Jermaine, he was healedand then he relapsed.

But then there came aday and it was his day.

Today is your day.

Because Jesus Christ is the same

yesterday, today and forever.

And all we have to do is believe that.

Now, there's some keysin Jermaine's story.

One is his t-shirt, real men pray.

He didn't give up praying.

Second key was, God,no matter what happens,

no matter what happensI'm gonna praise you.

I'm gonna follow you.

I'm going to obey you,I'm going to be with you.

You look at the men whowere thrown in fiery furnace

and they said, well,if God doesn't save us,

we're still not gonna bow down.

We belong to him and weknow he has our future.

When you have that reliance,

and that's what faith is,

it's that reliance,

no matter what the outcome,

no matter what is happening,

I'm with God, he's with me.

He has my future, he'sworking all things together

for my good.

I may not see it now, but I know him.

And I know what he has for me.

And it's that complete surrender to him

that opens up heaven.

Because the eyes of theLord are going to and fro

to show himself strong for who?

For those whose hearts are loyal to him.

So don't put conditions on your love,

love him with all ofyour heart, your soul,

your strength and let's seewhat happens to you today.

Let's pray.

Lord, we just lift thosein the audience to you.

We lift, especially, thosewho have had relapses

that have gone back intodisease, infirmity and pain,

who enjoyed healing, enjoyed but now,

for whatever reason, are wondering why

and asking questions.

Should I blame myself for it?

Lord, we just turn to you

for you are the author andthe finisher of our faith.

What the good work that you've begun,

you are faithful to complete.

You are able to present usspotless in your presence

with exceeding joy.

You're able to forgiveevery sin, every iniquity,

every problem, you'reable to cover it all.

You're able to heal every disease.

We look at the creation that you made

and you did it all with a single word.

So Lord, stretch forth your hand

to do miracles today.

For by your stripes

we were healed, we are healed.

And we will continue to be healed.

So be with us now.

Do it now, Lord.

For we ask it in Jesus' name.

There's someone, you've goyour hand on your right knee

and you're looking atreconstructive surgery

and replacement surgery.

God is able, he is healing you right now.

He's taking away all thepain, all the discomfort,

all the cartilage that needsreplacing and repairing.

He's able to do it all.

In Jesus' name be healedand be made whole.

Terry?

- And someone else that just needs

the same creative miracle.

It's your lower back.

Your spike, the very bottom of your spine

that connects to your tailbone.

You've got vertebrae that aremissing any of the padding

in between, there's just,

it's so painful for you.

God is healing that for you today.

Right now, in a creative way,you think that's not possible.

But he's touching you right now.

Just receive it and be made whole.

- I don't know if it's the same person,

someone else, you'veactually had a surgery

to fuse the vertebra andit didn't turn out well.

And you're in constant pain.

God is healing you.

He's setting you free.

He's able to restore,he's able to even change

what the surgeons did.

So in Jesus' name behealed and be made whole.

You just felt a surge go through your back

and through your spine.

Do what you couldn't do before.

Receive your healing right now,

in Jesus' name.

- And there's somebody else.

You have a extreme case of eczema

and it's so unsightly andit really has caused you

to just be ashamed so much of your life.

God's healing that for you today

even though you have triedcreams, you've tried pills

and medications and nothing has worked.

Today is your day and itwon't be because of any

of those things.

The Lord God is healing you.

- And there are manypeople with eye conditions

and this is a mass word.

This is a mass healing.

Whether it's from floatersor detached retinas

or problems with your lens or problems

with your optic nerve, Godis able to heal all of it

right now in the name of Jesus.

Be healed, be set freefrom that affliction.

Anyone with an eye infectionand recurring inflammation,

recurring irritation, Godis healing your tear ducts.

He's healing everythingconcerning your eyes now

in Jesus' name.

Be restored.

Lord, we thank you and wethank you for your sacrifice

for you so loved us that you came

and sacrificed yourself for us.

We can't thank you enough.

We can't praise you enoughfor what you have done.

We receive all that you have for us,

in Jesus' name.

Amen and amen.

If you've been healed, let us know.

Give us a call, 1-800-700-7000.

And if you need prayer,we absolutely believe

in prevailing prayer, theprayer that gets an answer,

that doesn't give up.

So if you need prayer, we're here for you

24 hours a day.

It's our honor, ourprivilege to pray for you.

So call us, 1-800-700-7000.

Terry?

- Well up next, a grandma who always gives

the perfect gift.

- I love to give Superbook to my grandkids

at Christmas, Easter, birthdays

and all the times in between.

And they look so forward to it.

- See why this granny considers herself

a DVD missionary, when we come back.

(friendly music)

This Easter you can discover the origin

and significance of Passover

along with other major Jewish holidays

through this free booklet.

Let me repeat that, free. (laughing)

In the Jewish holidays, you're gonna

take a biblical and historical journey

through the major festivalsthat the Jewish people

have celebrated for centuries,

including the festivalsJesus himself observed

throughout his lifetime.

You'll also learn why the modern holidays

are central to Jewishlife and culture today.

If you'd like a copy,request your free copy

of The Jewish Holidays,just call 1-800-700-7000.

Or you can do it by going to CBN.com.

But what a wonderful, youwant to keep this with you

next to your Bible thewhole year. (laughing)

It's a great idea.

- Alright.

Well, Pat is a loving grandmother

who considers herself a DVD missionary.

Any occasion is a great occasion

for her to give Superbookto her grandchildren.

And as a CBN Partner, she's also helping

to bring Superbook tochildren all over the world.

- [Reporter] When PatLinhart discovered Superbook

she knew it was the perfectway to teach her grandchildren

about the Bible.

- It's something that Ididn't have as a child.

I grew up in a church where they didn't

really teach from the Bible.

All theo stories of the Old Testament,

I had no clue what they were about.

This one is for--

My little three year old grandson

knows more about the Bible stories

than I did when I was in my thirties.

That's why I'm just sopassionate about Superbook.

Sometimes I watch him watching it,

he doesn't blink his eyes.

He's so spellbound by it.

So, if he can get these stories

as a three year old,the foundation is there.

- [Reporter] Whenever it'stime for a celebration

Pat knows exactly what presents to give.

- Bye, Gizmo.

- I love to give Superbook to my grandkids

at Christmas, Easter, birthdays

and all the times in between.

As soon as I get one in the mail,

from the Superbook Club,they get that one that week.

And they look so forward to it.

- [Reporter] By supportingCBN through the Superbook Club

Pat is able to reach otherkids around the world.

- I'd like to considermyself a DVD missionary.

We don't wanna keep it just for ourselves,

it's too good.

- [Reporter] Pat's daughter-in-law Erin

homeschools her children and she's always

on the lookout for wholesome

and educational learningtools like Superbook.

- Quality of Superbookis really excellent.

CBN is giving parents atool to impart our faith

to the next generation.

- What Superbook has donefor me, is it's made me

get into the word of Godto when faced with a crisis

or a dilemma, say okay, whatdoes the word of God say

about this problem?

How could I solve it that way/

I think once you watchone, you'll be hooked

and you'll want to get 'em out there

to all the kids you know.

(cheerful music)

- Once you watch it you understand.

And then you understandhow effective these are.

Whether it's in the border refugee camps

in Venezuela or we juststarted Farsi for Iran,

Vietnam, wherever these stories go,

children's lives are changed.

It's remarkable, themiracles that are happening,

the salvations are happeningbecause we're getting

the stories of the Bible tothe children of the world.

You just saw our broadcast map.

We're up to 46 languages now.

That's where Superbook iscurrently being distributed,

either through broadcasttelevision, satellite television

or through the internet.

And it's wonderful what's happening.

You can be a part of it.

How?

By being a partner withthe Superbook Club.

And for a gift of $25or more, we'll send you

the latest episode, which isthe story of Paul and Barnabas.

We'll send you three copies of this DVD

and then we've got a special Easter offer

where you get two more episodes.

He is Risen is one of them.

And then the other one is The Last Supper.

So, you'll get three different episodes,

you'll get four different DVDs

all for a gift of $25.

And then your gift, which'll be monthly

will go into the production costs,

the translation costs,the distribution costs

of Superbook, so more childrencan get the opportunity

to hear these wonderful stories

and understand that there'sa God who loves them.

So if you want to bea part of it, call us,

1-800-700-7000.

Terry?

- Coming up, a risingbaseball star bites the dust.

- I was this professional baseball talent,

athlete that had thisprofessional capabilities

and here I am, a gangmember, a drug addict,

a drug user, someone whohas no value on life.

- [Terry] See how the passion of Christ

totally transforms this fallen man.

(hopeful music)

(thoughtful music)

- Blake Russell was a scholarship athlete

with major league dreams.

And he gave up everythingfor his addiction.

Over the years, Blake burnedevery bridge imaginable

until the message in amovie melted his heart.

- A Hollywood size ego withina 12 year old character level.

As long as I was performingon the baseball field,

bringing home good grades,there was really no issue

to be raised.

Nobody really knew that on the back end

this star baseball player,

this college student was deteriorating.

I had friends around me,homeboys I guess you could say,

that sold cocaine and sokinda pushed me over the edge

of becoming a heavy cocaine user.

I was in my dorm room andwe had a team meeting.

And it had been kinda noted by the coach

that I was selling marijuanato the rest of the team.

And he called me into his office.

It was Monday morning.

He said, you're, we'rereleasing you from the team.

And we actually releasingyou from the school.

I came home for a few days, got in touch

with a coach that recruitedme out of high school.

So I got kicked out ofone college on a Tuesday

and signed anotherscholarship two days later.

That fall, everything was goinggood until around September.

And I got arrested for the first time

for possession of marijuanawith the intent to distribute.

I was on probation for three years

and I never reportedbecause I could never pass

a drug urinalysis testthat they require you

to take every month.

The first time that I violated probation

they gave me a month in the county jail.

And so I get out and theyreinstate my probation

and I violate again, I don't report,

they come get me again, Ido two months this time.

And every time I would comeout of the county jail,

every event that would take place

I would get harder and harder in my heart

and in my mind state.

And I get out after doing two months

and don't report again.

The judge took the three years probation

that he put me on and herevoked every bit of it.

And he sent me to theDepartment of Corrections

for the state of Alabama for the remainder

of my probation, which was 15 months.

I would say that prison enhanced

what I already was as a drug user,

someone who sold drugs.

For me prison was a breedingground, so to speak.

Got out in June of 2006.

I remember strugglingand battling this mindset

of, if I go back to the street,

if I go back to sellingdrugs and doing drugs,

the worst thing that they can do to me

is send me back to prison.

And it was nothing, it wasnot even a second thought.

I'm in the club onenight and me and my buddy

both walk outside to his Cadillac

and I did the line of ice with him.

I became someone who immersed himself

in the crystal meth lifestyle.

So not just was I selling ice,

but we were also manufacturing our own.

Early September of 2008, I went to jail

for trafficking methamphetamines

and manufacturing methamphetamines.

I went in front of thejudge and he sentenced me

to 15 years for thetrafficking and 15 years

for the manufacturing.

But he ran 'em concurrentwhere they would be

one 15 year sentence.

But I became a gang member,intravenous drug user

all within the first two orthree years of that prison bid.

And everything changed.

I fought the guards, I wouldfight rival gang members.

Yet, my mindset was Ihad been dealt this life.

Let's just get it, let's just go

and I could care less how I treated you.

I could care less how I treated

anything that you cared about.

All I cared about was mybrothers that I banged with

or my homeboys that I scored dope with.

But the one thing thoughthat affected me was

was knowing that I didn't,

my family was just, Ididn't have any relationship

with my father at the time.

And I had really putmy mother through hell.

I was this professionalbaseball talent athlete

that had professional capabilities

and here I am a gangmember, a drug addict,

a drug user, someone whohas no value on life.

I couldn't think like that because it was

it was not reality for meanymore that I thought.

That life, the life thatI had been handed to me,

baseball, a family, I destroyed it.

I had burned every bridge imaginable.

And so I would just put a needle in my arm

and get high and it would go away.

Late October, mid to late October

I got invited by one of the guys

that I met on the prisonyard playing basketball with.

He invited me to a chapel service.

And I go in there and I hear the message

and it wasn't one particular thing

about the message thatmade me want to get saved.

But I did go back to my dorm

and I told the guy, heyman, thank for invitin' me.

I enjoyed it.

And he was really zealous.

He was saved and he wasreally about the Lord.

And hey man, you wanna come tomorrow?

And I was like, yeah man,I'll come back tomorrow.

But the one thing that I did do that night

when I was on my rack wasI picked up the Bible.

So for two weeks, I just read the Bible.

And I went to the chapel.

The Holy Spirit wasbeginning to minister to me

and soften my heartthrough the word of God.

They had (audio garbles) they show movies,

Wednesday morning at 10:00.

You can go into the chapelservice and watch a movie.

And I walk in and there, and on the screen

they're playing the Passion of Christ.

I 'member right then inthat moment watching Jesus

you know, say thingslike Father forgive them,

they don't know what they do.

And I remember thinkin'he was talkin' about me.

I remember him standin' there

and they want to get over,it's either him or Barabbas.

I remember watchin' thismoving and thinkin' dude,

all my life, you know whatI'm sayin', you did that?

All my life, you did that for me

and I had no knowledge of it. (weeping)

I didn't know.

Here I am, I don't care about life

and I 'member makin' adecision right there.

I don't even know what's happenin'.

I was cryin' like I am now.

But it was really more intense.

I remember askin' Jesus, if you,

if this is you that's doin' this,

and you have me cryin',

I hadn't cried in years.

I hadn't cried in years.

I remember thinkin', if this is you,

then please don't stop.

You know, 'cause I wannato have the power to,

I don't even know if you're real.

But I wanna give my life to you

and if that's even how you do it.

You know, I don't know the protocol

of a salvation prayer.

I'd never heard of salvation prayer.

I didn't know the Romans road.

I didn't know none of that.

It was me and Jesus and me andthe Holy Spirit right there.

And I remember sayin'I give my life to you.

And from that day forward,that was late October,

early November of 2012 and I remember

I just, I fully submittedmy life in that moment

on that chapel church pew

in that level four prison institution.

I submitted my life to Jesus.

And I made a deal with him.

I'll serve you if you'll change,

if you'll help change my life.

Last month was my five yearof bein' out of prison.

It's my sixth year of bein' saved.

I got married.

Like I said, to my high school sweetheart.

We have a ministry house in Columbus

and we minister to thehomeless, we minister

to prostitutes, weminister to drug addicts

and gang members and it's just what we do.

Whether you're without hope,

whether you're a drug addict,

whether you're a gang member,

whether you're somebodythat life has totally

just beat up, the gospel really is simple.

Everything in our life is wrapped up

in the gospel and youdon't have to be somebody

who has it all figured out.

I met the Lord sittin' on aprison chapel pew by myself.

The Lord Jesus is therestorer of all things

that you lost in your life or all things

that you've freely given away.

He's the restorer of hope.

He's the restorer of dreams.

But I was a drug addict,I was a gang member.

I was the most hardenedcriminal there was.

And Jesus has the powerto change my whole life.

- And he has the powerto change your life.

He can come in, he can melt that heart.

He can give you a new heart, a new spirit.

He can regenerate youfrom your innermost being.

He can give you a freshstart, a makeover, a do over.

That's what rebirth is all about.

We call it born again whereyou get a second shot.

It doesn't matter what age you are.

It doesn't even matter ifyou've prayed this prayer before

'cause some of you have.

Maybe you prayed it when you were young

and for whatever reason you walked away.

I've got great news for you,

the story of the prodigal son is for you.

You can come back home.

He'll receive you, he'llput a ring on your finger,

a robe around your shoulders.

He will love you and kiss you.

He will say welcome home.

He'll prepare a great feast for you.

For some of you, this is the first time

you've heard that you that can change.

You think you're trapped, you think you're

in behavior patterns youcan never get rid of.

And maybe that's even been told to you.

Maybe it's been told you're just like

so and so in your life and you think

well, okay, that's my identity.

Or maybe you forged some kind of identity

for yourself and youwonder how did I get here

and how do I get out of it?

Well, the good news is for you.

Jesus died for you.

That's the whole greatmessage, the greatest message

the world has ever, ever heard.

That while we were sinners,

Christ died for us.

He loves you that much, hewants you to be with him.

He wants to encourage you,he wants to guide you.

He wants to speak to you.

He wants all these things for you.

He can give you a hope,he can give you a future.

He can give you a new life.

Now, what does it take?

Well, it takes the same thingthat Blake went through.

Where you hear the message,you feel the stirring

in your heart and thenyou respond, yes Lord.

Yes, Lord.

For Blake, it was a conditional prayer,

Lord, if you can change me,if you can change my life,

I'll serve you, I'll follow you.

For some, the prayer is even more simple.

Jesus, if you're there, if this is real,

could you show me?

Could you show up for me?

All these stories that youhear, these testimonies,

all the stories of the Bible,what are they there for?

They're there to convince you

that God is real

and that what he's done for others

he will do for you.

He can make the same change.

And the great thing is he makes it unique

just for you.

Now, if you want this, ifyou want to change your life,

you want to turn awayfrom what you're doing

and receive Jesus into your heart.

Well, today's the day andall you have to do is pray.

All you have to do is ask.

So if this is what you want,let's bow our heads together.

Let's pray a very simpleprayer and let Jesus

do all the rest.

He will do it for you right now.

Let's pray.

Jesus, that's right, sayhis name, say it out loud.

Jesus, I come to you.

And Lord, I ask for forgiveness.

I as for forgivenessfor all the bad things

that I've done, all thepeople that I've harmed,

all the time I wentaway to do my own thing.

Jesus, forgive me.

Set me free from these compulsions.

Set me free, Lord God.

And Jesus, I want to follow you

all the days of my life.

I want to be with you.

So hear my prayer.

Come into my heart.

Change my life,

for I ask it in Jesus' name, amen.

Father, for those who just prayed,

I ask for a baptism in your love.

I ask that you fill them to overflowing

with your righteousness,your peace and your joy.

Fill them, Lord God.

Let them know that theirprayer has been heard

and has been answered today.

Do it, for we ask it all,in Jesus' name, amen.

The Bible records that heaven rejoices

when just one, one person, turns back.

And so heaven is rejoicingover you right now.

What I want you to do islet somebody know this.

Let somebody know that you prayed.

And so we made it easy.

All you have to do iscall us, 1-800-700-7000.

When you call, we gota free packet for you.

It's called A New Day.

In there is a CD teachingof what do you do now?

What do Christians believe?

How do I follow Jesus?

All of these question are answered.

All you have to do iscall us and we'll send it

out to you free of charge.

1-800-700-7000.

We'll be back with more of the 700 Club

right after this.

(hopeful music)

Well, we hope you allhave a very happy Easter

and now we leave you with a worship song.

Here's Demetria Stallingssinging Mighty Cross.

(worship music)

♪ And on that day when death surrendered ♪

♪ To the mighty cross of Jesus Christ ♪

♪ The earth would shakebeneath the weight ♪

♪ Of darkened skies. ♪

♪ Oh ♪

♪ And on his brow a crown of sorrows ♪

♪ For a king whoseweakness was our strength ♪

♪ No words he spoke, his love was shown ♪

♪ For all to see ♪

♪ And oh, the cross of Jesus Christ ♪

♪ Is the reason I'm, I'm alive ♪

♪ For his blood it set me free ♪

♪ And it will neverlose its power for me ♪

♪ Yeah, it will never lose ♪

♪ And now the dawn of resurrection ♪

♪ It floods the night ashope prevails to shine ♪

♪ Salvation wakes andour chains will break ♪

♪ And we arise, yeah ♪

♪ And oh the cross, it's yourcross that you died on, Jesus ♪

♪ And you're the reason,you're the reason I'm alive ♪

♪ For your blood has set me free ♪

♪ And it will neverlose its power for me ♪

♪ So we say together, yeah ♪

♪ And hallelu, hallelujah ♪

♪ You're Christ my victory, yeah ♪

♪ And we worship you and say ♪

♪ And hallelujah ho yeah ♪

♪ And it is won for me ♪

♪ Yeah and hallelujah, and hallelujah ♪

♪ In Christ my victory ♪

♪ And you are the risen king ♪

♪ And it is won for me ♪

♪ You won it all, you paid it all ♪

♪ And we're so grateful for you love ♪