- [Narrator] The followingprogram is sponsored by CBN.

- [Reporter] Coming up, youwere made for this moment.

Max Lucado shares courage fortoday and hope for tomorrow.

Then, a hardcore member of The Bloods.

I looked at them as a family.

- [Reporter] Gets locked upwith a member of a rival gang.

- 'Cause I was stillbringing all that anger.

- [Reporter] What happenedwhen they crossed paths?

- He was a whole completelydifferent person.

- [Reporter] On today's 700 Club.

- Well, welcome to The 700 Club.

Fighting the only democracyin the Middle East

doesn't make you woke.

That's how Israel's primeminister called out countries

that recently condemned the Jewish nation

in his address the UN General Assembly.

Naftali Bennett also violently ran

for his nuclear weapon program

and he denounced thefunding of terrorist groups

that target Israel.

Chris Mitchell has that.

- [Chris] Like BenjaminNetanyahu before him,

Naftali Bennett called on theworld to pay attention to Iran

and its threat to the Jewish state.

- Israel is quite literallysurrounded by Hezbollah,

Shia militias, Islamic Jihad and Hamas.

What do they all have in common?

They all want to destroy my country

and they're all backed by Iran.

Iran seeks to dominate the region

and seeks to do so undera nuclear umbrella.

- [Chris] Bennett's main priority,

stopping Iran's nuclear program

and he wants international help to do it.

He laid out his case, pointing to how Iran

is defying the UN's ownnuclear monitoring agency

and crossing red lines, suchas how it's enriched uranium

at nearly weapons grade level.

- We cannot tire, we will not tire.

Israel will not allow Iranto acquire a nuclear weapon.

- [Chris] Bennett, who metwith leaders of the UAE

in Bahrain for the first time,

thanks to the Abraham Accords,

described the new regionalrelationship as a bright light.

Yet, he called out countries that joined

a recent UN conference condemning Israel.

- Fighting the onlydemocracy in the Middle East

doesn't make you woke.

Adopting cliches aboutIsrael without even bothering

to learn the basic facts,well, that's just plain lazy.

- [Chris] Bennett began his speech

by referencing the prophetic restoration

of the Jewish people.

- We are an ancient nation,

returned to our ancient homeland,

revived our ancient language,

restored our ancient sovereignty.

Israel is a miracle of Jewish revival.

Am Yisrael Chai, thenation of Israel is alive

and the state of Israelis its beating heart.

- Well, Chris is joiningus from Jerusalem now.

And Chris, we see Naftali Bennett,

an interesting speech, very articulate,

how far is he differentfrom Benjamin Netanyahu?

- Well, not only does hediffer in some respects, Pat,

but the government that he leads right now

differs quite substantiallyfrom Netanyahu's.

Perhaps the biggest difference in policy

is their negotiationswith the Palestinians.

For example, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid,

he wants his two-state solution

and what this does, Pat, is expose

a number of the internal contradictions

within the Neftali Bennett government.

You have the center, the left,

they're pushing for the peace process.

Bennett and the others on the right,

they're on record ofopposing a Palestinian state,

and, you know, in Bennett'saddress to the UN,

it was odd that he neveraddressed the Palestinian issue.

So, it's a very diverse government,

it just passed 100 days,so you have the far left,

the far right and, by the way, Pat,

an anti-Israeli Islamist party

and so the question alot of people are asking,

"Can it last?"

"How could two walk togetherunless they be agreed?"

Or eight, as it is, 'causeit's eight parties represented.

And perhaps the largerquestion, Pat, would be,

"How would Iran respondto the perceived weakness

of the government here in Jerusalem,

but also, in Washington D.C.?"

- Chris, the key thingin the Abraham Accords

is they totally bypassedthe Palestinian authority

and didn't even deal withthat two-state stuff,

there is no way that there's going to be

a two-state solution in Israel.

I'm surprised the governmentdoesn't understand that.

- I mentioned it before,Pat, but, you know,

you heard Solis address many years ago,

made that point that was,yes, Arafat was then leader

of the Palestinianauthority and it's a bit of

a cruel chimera, as you said,

that there would be a two-state solution.

They don't seem to, or they either ignore

or don't seem to recognize the fact

for many Palestinians, includingthe Palestinian authority,

it's a religious issue and it's a idea

that land once controlled by Islam

has to be retaken by Islam.

For example, Yair Lapid, he wants to

economically incentivize Hamas and Gaza

to be able to have peace.

Well, Hamas has dedicatedto destroying Israel,

that's part of their DNA andpart of their Islamic DNA,

so whether or not they canget this and bridge this,

thinks like it's a bridge too far

because of all these major spiritual

and religious differences.

- Chris, thanks for your insight.

Well, in other news, no holds barred

and virtually wide open,complete lawlessness

rules at our southern border.

Capitol Hill correspondent,Abigail Robertson,

spoke with one Texaslawmaker who says it's time

for serious action.

She also brings us an updateon a relentless spending battle

going on in Congress.

- Texas Congressman MichaelCloud tells CBN News

his state is completelyoverrun by what's happening

at the border and says it'stime the Biden Administration

takes it seriously.

- Five of the 13 counties I represented

have already declared a disaster.

- [Abigail] CBN News joined Cloud

on a tour of the border last June.

Cloud says since then, thingshave only gotten worse.

- The federal government's not cooperating

with local agencies, so it's our hospitals

that are left to deal with it,

it's our schools that areleft to try to figure out

how to deal with the situation.

There's new diseases thathave been virtually eradicated

from the U.S. for quite some time

that we're now havingto deal with once again.

And so, this is a very serious situation.

- [Abigail] Cloud claimsit's complete lawlessness

at the border.

- You look at what'shappening at the border

and it's just no holds barred,virtually open borders.

The effort to intentionallyoverwhelm our system

so that it collapses is really tragic

coming from this Biden Administration.

- [Abigail] The BidenAdministration claims

they are doing the best they can

under current immigration laws.

- First and foremostand most fundamentally

and foundationally, we are dealing with

a broken immigration systemand we need legislative reform.

And everyone agrees.

- [Abigail] Key parts ofPresident Biden's agenda

are in jeopardy, even after progressive

and moderate democratsannounced a framework agreement

over what could be a 3.5 trillion dollar

budget reconciliation bill.

- Well it may not beby the end of the week,

I hope it's by the end of the week,

but as long as we're still alive,

we've got three things to do,

the debt ceiling, continued resolution

and the two pieces of legislation.

If we do that, the country'sgonna be in great shape.

Thank you.

- And last night, Senaterepublicans blocked a bill

that would fund thegovernment through December

and prevent a shutdown on Thursday

because that bill includeda raise to the debt ceiling,

which republicans do not support.

Now, with the threat of alooming government shutdown

this week, democratic leaders have hinted

that they might propose a stand-alone bill

to fund the government andsave the debt ceiling issue

for another day.

Pat.

- Abigail, Nancy Pelosi's trying

to bring her members together

to pass that infrastructure bill,

but it's monstrous what they're asking for

and what the so-calledsquad loss is just crazy

and the stuff they put in it is,

it's a socialist's dream, what happens

if she can't get it going in the House?

- Well, right now the House is debating

that infrastructurebill, but, as you said,

the problem that they have here,

while almost alldemocrats say they support

the infrastructure bill,and there's even about

two dozen House republicanswho plan to vote for it,

the problem is that progressive democrats,

there's about 40 of them,are withholding their votes

on the infrastructure billuntil an agreement is reached

on that 3.5 trillion dollarbudget reconciliation plan

that democrats are going at alone

and the squad and theprogressive democrats

want assurances that that bill will pass

both the House and the Senate,

which both are only narrowly controlled

by the democratic partyand there's a lot of issues

that the centrist andprogressive democrats

right now have not come to an agreement on

that might hold up that bill.

And until they know thatthat bill is going to pass,

they're not going to votefor this infrastructure bill.

But democrats really need toprove that they can govern

when they have controlof the House, Senate

and White House.

President Biden desperately needs a win

and this infrastructure bill is done,

there's not really any changesthat anyone wants to see

in the democratic party,all it needs to do

is pass the House and besigned by President Biden,

but that might not happen this week.

Speaker Pelosi says it willlikely be voted on on Thursday,

but she has also made it very clear

that if she doesn't havethe votes to pass it,

she's not going to callfor that final vote.

And if it doesn't pass this week,

sure, it could pass down the line,

but democrats would certainlylose a lot of momentum

of getting it across the finish line

and as they're trying tonegotiate that larger bill,

so we'll just see what happens.

- Thanks, Abigail.

Ladies and gentlemen, whatwe've got to recognize

is that democrats wantthe border to be porous,

they want all these undocumented people

to flood into our countrybecause their feeling is

that if they get them in,they'll vote for the democrats

and therefore, it'll be an advantage.

They don't want to close the border,

they want this monstrous thing

and they kept it all quiet until the news

was so blatant with all those Haitians

that the American people began to say

it's a monstrous thing, theydidn't even call it a crisis

until after the picture showedclearly what the problem was.

Now, with this infrastructure thing,

it will kill the American economy

because they've got to raisetaxes in order to pay for it

and it can't get paid for.

They claim that it's paid for itself,

but that's just nonsense.

It is a monstrous social agenda

that would move this country toward

the path of socialism and that's what,

you've got, you've got an avowed socialist

who's head of the Senate Committee

that the democrats have put in that place

and he spent his honeymoon in Moscow.

And you've got this manwho's leading the charge

to socialize America andAmerica doesn't want it.

So, what are we going to do?

Well, we can sit there and wring our hands

or we can get praying and wecan get hold of our congressmen

and let them know we cannothave this socialist agenda.

Well, there's something else,

you've been hearing all this business

about defund the police,defund the police,

well, also in the news,America's deadliest year

in more than a half a century,

that's what the FBI's calling 2020.

And while the world was dealing with COVID

and civil unrest, homicidesin the United States

hit an all time high.

Well, what's the major reasonfor this alarming spike?

CBN correspondent, BrodyCarter, has the answers.

- More than 21,500 people were murdered

in America last year.

The pandemic and higher gun sales

among the reasons consideredfor the surge in violence.

One other factor, the highnumber of police officers

leaving the force incities across the country.

The FBI's annual report oncrime shows murders in 2020

jumped by almost 30% over 2019.

That's roughly 5,000 more homicides

and the numbers are only going up.

People in communitiesneed to start speaking up

and getting angry.

- [Brody] Contrary to popular belief,

murder isn't just a big city issue.

In 2020, we saw a national phenomenon

with a 20% increase ineach region of the country.

Louisiana led the nationfor the 32nd year in a row.

- When you decide to defund the police,

when you decide to make proactive policing

nearly impossible, whenyou run out officers,

guess what happens?

You see a rise in crime.

- [Brody] Jason Rantz,one of Seattle's leading

conservative voices,says the shocking rise

in violent crime is a direct response

to the murder of George Floyd.

Social activists working to defund police,

gang activity and the deathof America's police force.

- Why would anyone want tobe a cop in 2020 and 2021?

Why would anyone want to sign up for a job

that is being made more difficult

and more dangerous on purpose.

- [Brody] For the most part,police morale appears bankrupt.

During a year of crime and protests,

police retirements rose 45%and resignations were up

by 18% in 2020.

- When you tell locallaw enforcement agencies

that you are ineligible for money,

that's defunding the police.

When you reduce funding for police,

you actually lose livesin the communities.

- [Brody] Senator Tim Scottsays he's still waiting

at the table after democratswalked away from the chance

to pass bipartisan federal police reform.

Meantime, more than 20 major cities

have reduced police budgets, amounting to

some 840 million dollars cut nationwide.

- It's the big blue citieswhere they have failed

to pass policies that protect

their most vulnerable communities.

- [Brody] Unfortunately,both Senator Scott and Rantz

believe more violence is inevitable

if we can't get the bestpeople behind the badge.

- If you were to take aposition that's pro police,

you immediately are called out,

you are shamed, you are bullied.

There are activists, asmall number of them,

who have a lot of power right now

and their goal is to abolish the police.

Well, we're living in a world

in which we're starting tosee the fruits of their labor

and unfortunately, we'reseeing a lot of dead bodies.

- It's important to note, the murder rate

could be even higher sincethe numbers are incomplete,

with about 3,000 departmentsfailing to submit data

to the FBI last year.

As for where things are headed,

2021 already seeing a16% increase in murder.

Brody Carter, CBN News.

- Folks, when you get behind the scenes,

what is Black Lives Matter?

Well, of course it matters,but who started it?

Well, there were three women who said,

"We are trained as Marxists,"

it was a Marxist organizationthat started something

by that name and then, of course,

they pushed it way, way beyond that.

And then there's something called Antifa,

which has its origins way back in Europe

and it had to do with an anarchist concept

of destroying the civilauthority of the nation

and that has slippedinto our consciousness

and so, city after citywere enthroned with Antifa

and they were going to,quote, "defund the police."

Seattle was going to doaway with its police,

the Twin Cities were goingto do away with its police

and it's no wonder, why would a policeman

put his or her life on the line

to defend a population thatdid not have his or her back?

Why would you do it?

If you were being reviled,you want to get out

and so, they have resigned in droves,

so we don't have adequate policing,

and when those riots tookplace a little while ago,

nobody wanted to arrest any of them.

They tore down buildings,they attacked people,

they set up separatezones and nobody acted

and the city governments were bankrupt.

So now, you know, whatis it the Bible says?

"They've sewn the wind and wehave reaped the whirlwind."

Terry.

- Well, up next, the bestsellingauthor of "Hillbilly Elegy"

is trying to rewritethe story in Washington.

J.D. Vance tells us whyhe's running for Senate

and what he'd do if elected.

Plus, you don't have towatch the news to know

that we're living in tough times.

But if you're feelingdiscouraged, take heart

because this is themoment you were made for.

America's pastor, Max Lucado, explains

later on today's show.

(upbeat music)

- He's the bestsellingauthor of "Hillbilly Elegy"

and he's never held public office.

The GOP commentator, J.D.Vance, has his finger

on the pulse of the American people

and with the 2020 midtermelections a year away,

he's set his sights on Washington.

CBN News Capitol HillCorrespondent Abigail Robertson

brings us more.

- Ohio Senate hopeful ,J.D. Vance,

says it's time for strongleaders in Washington

and he believes if elected,that's what he'll be.

- They just feel like peopledon't actually have anybody

that stands up and fights for them

that's willing to speakloudly and powerfully

on the issues that they care about.

- [Abigail] His key issues,securing the southern border,

bringing jobs back to theU.S., election security

and breaking up Big Tech.

- I think people are reallyworried about censorship,

they're really worried about whether

at their workplaces or on social media,

can they actually speaktheir mind, can they speak

their conservative Christian values

without being shut down?

- J.D. Vance joins us.

- [Abigail] While Vance hasnever held public office,

he is a longtime GOP commentator

and author of the bestsellingbook, "Hillbilly Elegy".

- I think very open about my views

on a whole range of issuesfor a long time now.

- [Abigail] At one point,Vance was immediate darling

for his criticism of Donald Trump in 2016.

Then it turned on him when Vance voted

for the president's reelection in 2020.

- Trump is the leader of the party,

very popular amongrepublican primary voters.

- [Abigail] Vance says hewears the media attacks

as a badge of honor.

- I really think themedia, the reason the media

is attacking me is because they recognize

that I'm a threat to the dominant ideas

that are out there.

- [Abigail] And tells CBN Newswhile he's changed his mind

on Trump, other views remain the same.

- At the end of the day, Ithink I've been very consistent

in my view that we need to have

a strong manufacturingpolicy in this country,

we need to allowconservatives and Christians

to actually live theirvalues, to pass those values

on to their children, we need to ensure

that we're not teachingour kids to hate America

and American schools, we need to ensure

that our southern border is controlled.

- [Abigail] Current Senator, Rob Portman,

known as a bipartisandeal maker in Washington,

has played a key rolein the recent passage

of the Senate's infrastructure bill,

that's a legacy Vance says hewouldn't necessarily continue.

- I think the mistake thatrepublicans have recently made

on bipartisanship isthat we gave democrats

a huge win on this infrastructure bill

and this infrastructure bill

has some really crazy stuff in it.

- [Abigail] Vance says if he were senator,

he wouldn't vote for the bill.

- We do have infrastructure problems,

but I don't think this billactually spends the money

on the things that weneed and then it spends

a whole lot of additional money

on things that have nothingto do with infrastructure,

so it's a big mistake.

- [Abigail] While Portman citesconstant partisan gridlock

as one of the main reasons he's retiring,

Vance believes he'll accomplishthat through strength,

not negotiations.

- You know, you don'tneed 50 good senators

in the republican party, but if you get 10

really good senators inthe republican party,

we can break through that gridlock,

we can break up the Big Tech companies,

we can actually bring somesanity to our southern border

and we can ensure thatunborn lives are protected.

Like, all of these things can happen

with a smarter, better republican party

and I think we're movingin that direction.

- [Abigail] Moving awayfrom bipartisanship

could be a winning strategy.

- I don't think there isan appetite or a desire

among republican primaryvoters for moderation

or working across theaisle, they want someone

who is a conservative,or more specifically,

someone who is going to support

and back former President Trump's agenda.

- [Abigail] Nathan Gonzalesfrom Inside Elections

tells CBN News no matterwho wins the GOP primary,

they have an advantage.

- You just have to look at how well

republicans have been doing statewide,

how well President Trump has done in Ohio

in the last two years and Idon't think you can call Ohio

a swing state anymore.

- Recent polls haveVance pulling number two

in his Ohio primary and havethe state likely leaning red

in the final race.

Reporting from Capitol Hill,Abigail Robertson, CBN News.

- Thanks, Abigail.

You know, I have made this prediction,

if I can call it such, we'regoing to see a groundswell.

People are so disgustedwith what's been going on

and Nancy Pelosi is leading her team

to a crisis and many, many,many of the House democrats

are gonna lose their seatsin the next election.

A number of senators, especiallywhen you look at Georgia

and some of the other places like that,

they're going to lose the seats

and there's going to be a major,

it'll be a tsunami, ifI can use that term,

of shifting between the democrat control

and now the republicansbecause people are fed up

with crime, they're fedup with the open border,

they're fed up with theactivity of what we did

in Afghanistan, we'refed up with inflation,

people look at the gaspump and they realize

that they're paying atleast a dollar more a gallon

for the gas they gotta put in their car

and they have paid, nowpaying more for almost

all the food they eatand everything they do.

Now, we're gonna befaced with ruinous taxes

that will destroy our economyand people say, "Enough."

Watch at what's going to happen

and the democrats are desperateto jam this socialist agenda

and get it in place beforethose midterm elections

'cause they know they'regoing to lose the House

and they're gonna lose the Senate

and then, a little bit down the road,

they really don't have acandidate for the presidency.

So, well, keep your eyeon what's gonna happen

and pray for this country.

Terry.

Well, up next a call forrevival across the region

and a miraculous answer to prayer.

Get the incredible true story

behind the very firstbroadcast of The 700 Club

and hear how this showmade broadcast history.

(upbeat music)

This Friday marks the 60thyear of CBN's first broadcast

and this show, The 700 Club,is one of the longest running

television programs in history.

So, how did an old radio transmitter

broadcasting out of a small garage

launch a call to prayer thatresulted in an on air revival?

Let's take a look backat this pivotal point

in this CBN story.

- [Narrator] Pat realized thatif they were going to survive

and stay on the air, itwas time to get serious

about fundraising, so he createda special telethon program

asking viewers to call in and donate.

- The 700 Club Revival Telethon, WXRI...

And I called it The 700 Club Telethon

because I figured if we had 700 people

who would give 10 dollars a month,

I would have 7,000 dollars a month

and I would be able to operate this thing.

So, I went on the air asking for help,

I got 330 people total for10 bucks a month, that's all.

So, it wasn't exactly a cascade of cash.

And so, Lord Jesus, I open the...

- [Narrator] As he worked to build

the new television network,Pat had also launched

an FM radio station.

The call letters were WXRI,the first three Greek letters

of the name of Christ.

At first, the station was broadcast

through an antique transmitterin someone's garage.

But despite it's small beginnings,

this radio station wasabout to make a giant impact

on the region.

- We had what we callRevival Prayer for Tidewater

and this announcer saideveryday the staff of WXRI

vows to pray for revival inTidewater around the world,

so we had a 15 minuteprayer at noon everyday,

praying for revival and we didthat day after day after day

for about seven years.

This revival's movingthroughout Tidewater,

people are being savedand being healed instantly

by God's power and there's a moving...

- [Narrator] In 1965, thoseprayers over the radio

would be answered on television

when Pat started takingprayer requests from viewers.

- God moved in, he moved in dramatically

and people in the audiencewere being waked up

out of a sound sleep andthey would call in and say,

"We can't go to sleepuntil we make a pledge."

A woman called and said, "Iam walking softly in my home

because I feel the presenceof God in my own home

where your radio is playing."

Some of the operators weresweet little Baptist ladies

who had never prayed for asick person in their life,

who suddenly were on the phones praying

and God began to heal the person.

And these women werejust excited and said,

"God just healed somebody."

Miracles began to happenall over Tidewater,

that move of God, peoplesensed the presence of God.

That was what God had intended us to do

and upon that, we started a program

called The 700 Club program.

(lighthearted music)

- Well, the birthday is thisFriday, October the 1st,

CBN turns 60 and it's been an incredible

and, at times, a bit wildrun and we want you to see

the miraculous work that Godhas done through this ministry.

The CBN story is narrated by Kevin Sorbo

and you can watch it at cbnfamily.com.

It features never before seen photos

and newly discovered footage and it shows

how the Holy Spirit hasguided this ministry

for six decades and counting.

So, visit cbn.com andwatch the CBN story today.

Well, none of what we do here at CBN

would be possible without thesupport of people like you,

so I just want to inviteyou to join with those of us

who have been involved formany years, join The 700 Club.

Would you consider doing it today?

It's 65 cents a day, $20 a month,

that makes you a 700 Club member.

And it also means thatimmediately upon your call,

you are doing thingshere in the United States

and around the world that are touching

and changing people's lives,

so I hope you'll consider doing that.

When you join The 700 Club,our way of saying thank you

is to send you this DVD,"The Nearness of Heaven".

I mean, this is the homewe're all headed for

and this is filled withwonderful, wonderful stories

of people who have, throughvarious circumstances,

died and then come back to life.

They visited heaven, they talk about

what their experience is like,

I think you'll be trulyinspired by it, so you call now.

1-800-700-7000.

Well, time for somequestions from our viewers.

Yes.

That retrospective whenwe see what God has done

over the years is simply fabulous.

Okay, go ahead.- It really is.

Okay, time for some email today, Pat.

This is April who says, "Ilove to praise and worship,

almost all the time, however,this makes my husband

feel out of place or even angry at times."

"Sometimes I can just start to sing a hymn

and he says I make him feel condemned."

"It is my desire that we wouldglorify the lord together

as a couple, but I really don'twant to push my partner away

or make him uncomfortable."

"Please help."

- Well, I think what you need to do

is pray for your husband.

You know, we don't want ourgoodness to be ill spoken of

and if your worship isdriving your husband

away from the lord, whatyou need to do is just say,

"Lord, you know how to deal with him

and I give him to you andI ask you to bring him

to your glory."

In the meantime, live your life before him

with such a way that he says,"I want what my wife has,

it is so wonderful, she'sgot such peace, such joy

and I'm having all this torment."

And I tell you what, if youturn the screws a little bit

on what the lord can do to that husband,

he can make him so miserable that he'll be

crying out to God, so prayand watch what happens,

all right?- Yes.

This is James who says, "I lovethe show and never miss it."

"So much wisdom."

"In Joel Two, God sayshe will restore the years

the locust has eaten."

"Is that for everyone or just for Israel?"

- Well, I think it's for everyone,

I mean, of course, Joelwas speaking about Israel,

but I think it's for everyone

and I think there's goingto be a restoration,

I do really believe that andso, we should count on the lord

giving us restoration andthe lord will restore it.

You know, in the 90thpsalm said, you know,

"Give us your blessingaccording to the number of years

we've been persecuted."

So, God'll do that, all right?

- This is Ginger, Pat, who says,

"My granddaughter was a loving, kind girl

who is now nasty,rebellious and depressed."

"She's in all kinds of counseling

and has thoughts of suicide."

"Her parents have tried everything."

"Could this be demon possession?"

"They live in a home datingback to the 17th Century."

"Could there be something there?"

"Help."

- I really, you asked me how do I know,

but I would think the answer is yes.

You could have somethingin that ancient home

that is a resident demonic presence

and that child needs to get delivered.

But, I mean, here, I'msitting on television,

I can't tell you precisely,but I would get somebody

who loves the lord to do an analysis,

but I do think thatthere is demonic presence

in these old, old, old structures.

Really.

- Yes.- Okay.

- This is Debra, Pat,who says, "Why did Jesus

get baptized in water?"

- Well, you know, when you read it,

it says, you know, hecame out and he said,

John said, "Look, you're the guy,

I shouldn't be baptizing you,you ought to be baptizing me,"

and Jesus said, "I want allrighteousness to be fulfilled."

So, he, as a human being, hadto go through all the things

and John was preaching repentance

and people were coming tohim to confess their sins

and Jesus said, "Let allrighteousness be fulfilled," okay?

- This is Julie who said,"Dear Pat, do we know

who changed the day of worshipfrom Saturday to Sunday?"

- Well, who did it was the lordwhen he rose from the grave.

He rose from the grave onthe first day of the week

and instead of Saturday,I mean, he was crucified

over the Sabbath, you know,

and then the resurrection took place

on day one, so Christiansbegan to celebrate day one

instead of the Jewish seventh day.

- Makes sense.- That's, so, who did it?

God did it, all right?

- Thank you and thank youfor your questions today,

it's always fun to hear from you.

Well, up next, what doesa 2,500 year old story

that took place halfway around the world

tell us about how we should live today?

America's pastor, MaxLucado, has the answer

when we come back.

(upbeat music)

Well, the calendar just flipped to fall.

Nevertheless, according to Max Lucado,

we are definitely livingin a winter world.

The virus still rages, many remain jobless

or stuck at home, somechurch stores are closed.

Still, Max says there's good news.

This is the time whenGod uses people like you.

- [Narrator] WhichChristian author has sold

130 million books?

Enough to give one to every person

who attends the Super Bowlfor the next 1,625 years.

Why, Max Lucado, of course.

America's Pastor, as he's been dubbed,

is once again providingencouragement for the discouraged.

- The question is not will God prevail?

The question is willyou be part of the team?

- [Narrator] Max explainshow we can reclaim

our eternal identity, cultivatecourage for tough times

and discover our roles in God's story

in his brand new book, "YouWere Made For This Moment".

- Well, Max Lucado joins us now via Skype

and, Max, it's wonderful to have you back

on the program today.

- Oh, it's great to talk to you,

I only wish I was there in person

to say hello to you.- So do we.

So do we.

Well, on a personal note, a few weeks ago,

you announced that youhave an aortic aneurism,

what's going on and how are you doing?

- Well, I've always wantedto be big hearted, right?

But just not in this way.

Yeah, it was a bit of a surprise,

I'm healthy and thisascending aortic aneurism

was detected incidentallythrough another test,

so I'm grateful for that.

It's somewhat large, butnot quite large enough

to warrant surgery, so we'rejust keeping an eye on it

and I've asked the lordto keep his hand on it,

I think the lord, Jesus, hascomplete ability to heal,

to keep it from growing.

If it continues to grow, I'll have surgery

and I'm in really greathands, just some great hands,

the great hands of our heavenly father

and the great hands ofa wonderful medical team

in San Antonio, Texas where I live.

- Well, that's good news andwe'll join you in praying

that God keeps his hand on that

and you don't have to have that surgery.

- Yeah.- But let's talk

about your book.

The backdrop of your book isthis, it's such a pretty cover,

is the story of Esther,tell us what we're to learn

from that story.

- Okay.

And can I quickly sayhappy birthday to you guys?

- Absolutely.- That's just amazing.

That's just, that's 60 years?

That is, that's justquite an accomplishment.

I think, and my firstvisit to your studios

was about 30 years ago,so I'm nowhere near

the entirety of it, butlong enough to appreciate

each and every one of youand I send you my love

and thank God for you.

- [Terry] Thank you.

- You know, I reached backinto the Old Testament story

of Esther a few months agobecause it seemed to me

that our world was passing through

and continues to passthrough a global calamity.

And the story of Esther isGod's way of demonstrating to us

how he can lead his peoplethrough a global calamity.

You know, in the day in which we live,

people are weary, they'rewounded, they're worn out

and so was, such was the casein Fourth Century B.C. Persia

when the children ofIsrael, as, you know, exiles

in the huge nation of Persia

found themselves thevictim of a holocaust.

And so, they surely felt overwhelmed

by the challenges that they faced

and yet, God had his people in place.

He had Mordechai, he had Esther,

and at the right time, he prompted them

to respond in acts of courage

that resulted in thedeliverance of God's people.

And I believe God has his Mordechais,

he has his Esthers today.

We, just like Mordechai told Esther,

"Who knows, but you wereplaced in your place

for such a time asthis," we each are placed

in our own place in ourgeneration, in our nation

for times like this and I'mpraying that we can respond

with the same kind ofcourage that they did.

- You divide your booklike a three act play,

confusion, crisis, conquest.

What sorts of confusionsdo you think run rampant

through our culture today?

- Well, it is a play, the book of,

the nine chapters of Estherreally read like a drama

and it opens in a state of confusion

because King Xerxes is givinginto his henchman, Haman,

who is an anti-sematicruler and it creates a state

of absolute confusion.

But what's equally confusing is the fact

that though we have cometo applaud Mordechai

and applaud Esther, butinitially, you know,

they kept their Jewish ancestry a secret.

They assimilated into their culture

and that was part of the confusion.

I think part of our confusion today

is that we Christiansassimilate too quickly.

We don't quite know how tolive lines that change culture,

we are more prone to bea part of the culture.

And so, that's a challenging thing for us.

We want to be the light of the world,

we want to be the salt in the world,

we want to be the force for good

in all the countries inwhich we find ourselves.

So, it's a confusing time, but thankfully,

the Book of Esther reminds us

how God can activate strength within us

and I'm praying that God has his share

of Mordechais and Estherswho are gonna rise up

at the right time andbring about that revival

that we all long for.

- Well, it's one thing forsomeone in a position of power,

Ester was in that position, ultimately,

to change the world, butwhat can ordinary people do

to combat a world that'sgoing off the rails?

- What a great question.

And remember, Esther,yes, she became queen,

but she enters the storyas an ordinary person.

She must have been a dropdead beauty, you know,

to be selected as thequeen out of all the people

and all the women in Persia, but she was

an ordinary person.

And when, what changed her heart

was that challenge from Mordechai.

"Now, who knows, but that youhave been placed in your place

for such a time as this."

And I would say the same for us.

Let's assume the fact thatour God is a holy God,

that he is sovereign in all that he does

and all that he says and who knows,

but that we have been placedin our place for this time

and we can respond by faith and courage,

knowing that we're not here by accident,

but that we are here onpurpose with a purpose

and there is absolutelyno exception to this.

Every person is placed hereon purpose, for a purpose

and living out that purpose is the reason

that we're still on this planet.

- And that's an assignmentyou don't want to miss.

You can get moreencouragement from Max Lucado

by getting his brand new book.

It's called "You WereMade For This Moment"

and it's available nationwide.

Max, thank you for joining us.

- It's a treat.- Always great to read

what you have to say andalways great to visit with you.

- Thank you and happy birthday again.

- Thank you, Pat's here smiling.

Well, coming up, anenforcer from The Bloods

is thrown into theslammer alongside a member

from a rival gang.

You won't believe what happens

when they confront each other,finally, in the big house.

So, don't go away.

(upbeat music)

- Well, beating people to a pulp

with what was in their pockets

or just because he didn'tlike the color of clothes

they were wearing.

As a gang member of The Bloods,

this was all in a day'swork for Jerry Roberts.

Then, one day, Jerry jumpeda man and stabbed him.

Soon, Jerry was lookingat 10 years behind bars.

Well, what made it even worse,

Jerry had to share that sentence

with an arch enemy from a rival gang.

- [Narrator] Jerry Roberts remembers well

growing up in povertyin the rural community

of Manchester Texas.

- We've had to pump ourwater, warming our water,

even on the stove to take a bath.

We would have to usethe, even the restroom,

like in buckets.

I've had to fight with a lot of shame

and so, but, I had a lotof anger because of that.

- [Narrator] What angered himmore was watching his father,

a drug addict and alcoholic,

verbally and physically abuse his mom.

- I can remember my dadliterally taking an elbow

to my mom's face and to seemy mom be abused that way,

that, even as a child,instilled so much anger in me.

- [Narrator] When Jerry wassix, his parent's divorced

and he went to live withhis grandparents on a farm.

While in the fifth grade,he developed a lazy eye

and was the subject ofrelentless bullying.

He responded the only way he knew how.

- I learned that if you made me angry,

then from what I saw growing up,

either I need to either verballyor physically abuse you.

- [Narrator] The anger alsofueled Jerry to prove himself.

In high school, he did well in his classes

and on the football field,becoming a star linebacker,

with hopes of going pro.

It was his ticket out of poverty.

- I thought football was gonna be my way

of me being able to take care of my mom

and my two sisters, my family.

- [Narrator] After high school,Jerry made one more step

toward his dream when he wentto William Penn University

in Iowa to study mechanical engineering

and to play football.

Then, in his first game,he broke his arm so badly,

it ended his footballcareer, shattering any hopes

of going pro.

Depressed and angry, hestopped going to class

and was kicked out of school.

- I had no hope, I didn'treally care anymore, you know?

- [Narrator] Jerry moved backto Texas to live with his mom,

where his life took a drastic turn.

He would spend the next 13 years

in a gang called The Bloods,dealing and using drugs.

While he joined for acceptance,

he found a new outlet for his anger.

- I looked at them as afamily that I didn't have,

like, somebody I could talk to,

people that, when I needed something,

you know, I could go to.

I never thought that Iwould be beating people up

for what was in theirpocket, you know, for money

or just because I didn'tlike a certain color

of clothes that they had on.

- [Narrator] By 26, he wasmarried and had two children,

a daughter with his wife and a son

who was living with his ex-girlfriend.

Now on probation for stealing,he was trying to make

an honest living working ina chicken processing factory.

Still carrying the anger, shame and guilt,

he fell deep into drug addiction.

- And that's when I reallystarted doing the heavy drugs,

the methamphetamines,the cocaine, you know,

drinking a lot because I wasstill bringing all that anger.

- [Narrator] He also became suicidal.

- If I take my life, lifewill be better for her

and then, life will bebetter for my daughter

because then they wouldn'thave to put up with someone

that has this temper andthis anger that I would have.

- [Narrator] Then, one night,outside a convenience store,

some friends got into a fight.

Jerry jumped in and stabbed a man.

The next day, he turned himself in

and was arrested on aggravated assault

and violating his probation.

Awaiting sentencing, heran into a familiar face,

a rival gang member whowas facing 60 years.

- He was a whole completelydifferent person.

I could not, I didn'tunderstand how he was

just somebody so peaceful.

- [Narrator] They became fast friends

and Jerry started watchingChristian television

with him every morning.

Eventually, he could nolonger ignore God's call.

- I just fell and Iasked, cried out to God,

"Forgive me, God."

"I need you Jesus."

I was just crying and I said,"God, I give my life to you,

I give my," and I was justtelling him I'd give up my whole

and I did, I gave up everything.

I realized that God was not mad at me,

but he was madly in love with me.

And how He forgives.

He desired to come and live in me.

You know, how the spiritof God wants to dwell in me

and I was crying to God andsaid, "You mean, you forgive me

and you want to come andlive in me after everything

I have done and what I've done to people?"

And all of a sudden, and Istill can't explain it today,

it was like the very sunitself come out of the sky

and, like, hit me and I was just crying

and I had, like, every porein my body was opened up,

my body was on fire and I had, like, this,

a peace hit me so hard andI can't even explain it.

- [Narrator] From then on,Jerry read his Bible and prayed.

- I was someone thatwas addicted to drugs,

I was addicted to alcohol, you know,

and God delivered and setme free completely from it.

I felt the love of Godand for the first time,

my life had meaning.

- [Narrator] Serving 5 and a half years

of a 10 year sentence,Jerry became a leader

in the prison ministry.

Although he and his wife would divorce

after his release in October of 2016,

it didn't change thefact he was a new man,

delivered from his addictions and healed

from the wounds of the past.

- Now, that anger and that peace,

that shame and guilt is gone.

He is a deliverer, he's aGod that fills you with peace

and a comfort that you can't explain.

- [Narrator] He started workingat an egg production plant,

learned a new skill and isnow the maintenance manager.

Jerry is married to Leslieand has a great relationship

with all of his children and his parents.

He and his wife do prisonministry and marriage counseling

and Jerry is an ordained elder

who shares the messageof hope on radio stations

and platforms all over the world.

- God can deliver youtoday from addictions,

he can deliver you from anger today,

he can deliver you from fear today,

but it's something youcan only find in Jesus.

- I like that, "God wasn't mad at me,

he was madly in love with me."

Isn't that a wonderful statement?

God isn't mad with you,he's madly in love with you.

God's, the Bible says, "I take no pleasure

in the death of thewicked, I take no pleasure

in somebody dying, I take no pleasure

in sending somebody tohell, I don't do that."

"I love you because youwere created in my image,

you were made in the image of God."

And Jerry began to find that out.

And all that anger, youknow, anger builds up,

you know, you havesomebody who mistreats you

when you're a littlekid, you have a parent

who's abusive to you, you've got a spouse

who cheats on you, you'vegot somebody who hurts you,

you've got teachers who are unfair to you,

you wind up with people in some gang

and they, they mistreatyou and the only way

you can get back is to hitand fight and kill and shoot,

that's your life.

But God says, "I forgive you all this."

That's what's so wonderfulabout what Jesus did.

He died for our sins that you and I

might live forever in him.

And so, what I'm askingyou to do right now,

why don't you just goto the one who loves you

and right now I'm gonnalead you in prayer,

I'm gonna ask you to praywith me, just bow your head

and say these words, say themout loud or say them quietly,

Lord, Jesus, I know thatyou know that I'm a sinner,

you know the terrible things I've done,

you know how I've hurt people,

you know how people have hurt me,

Lord, you know the pain I've suffered

and you know the painI've inflicted on others,

but, God, I come to you now, as a sinner,

and I ask you, come into myheart, live your life in me

and I will live for youand I will serve you

all the days of my life.

Thank you, Lord, thatyou've heard this prayer

and thank you, you've come into my heart.

And, Father, in the name of Jesus,

may the power of God comeinto those who pray with me.

And if you prayed, what I want you to do

is go to your telephone, call in,

I've got a little bookthat I want to give you,

called, "A New Day",there'll be some things

that'll help you.

But, you just call, it's 1-800-700-7000,

and just say, "I prayedwith that guy on TV,

I have come to the lord."

Well, it's all the timewe've got for this program.

We leave you now withthese words from the Psalm.

"For the lord is good,his mercy is everlasting

and his truth endures to all generations."

For Terry and all of us, we'll see you.

Bye bye.

(upbeat music)