Jesus Painting Survives in Perfect Condition After Blazing Inferno Destroys Church - CBN News Emily Jones

Jesus Painting Survives in Perfect Condition After Blazing Inferno Destroys Church

10-25-2018

CBN News Emily Jones

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A 150-year-old church in Wakefield, Mass. erupted into flames Tuesday during a lightning storm. While most of the church was destroyed, one thing survived the inferno – a large painting of Jesus.

Parishioners were meeting at The First Baptist Church of Wakefield Tuesday when a fire was reported at about 7 p.m.

Firefighters and community members battled the blaze for three hours. Wakefield Fire Chief Michael Sullivan says the church, which has a 180-foot-spire, is completely destroyed.

However, people were shocked when they saw a first responder emerge from the burned-out church with a perfectly preserved painting of Jesus.

According to the Boston Globe, neither fire, smoke, nor water destroyed the picture.

"What a beautiful reminder that the Lord we serve is alive and active," the church wrote in a Facebook post.

Some church members see it as a miraculous sign from God. 

"The building had been ravaged by the fire, so it's amazing that anything on the inside made it out intact. At a time when our church community was experiencing a lot of grief, I think God was sending us a reminder that we should keep our eyes on Jesus, who is still alive and active. The building may be gone, but our church is still here, and the God we serve is definitely still here," Maria Kakolowski a church member told CBN News. 

The Globe reports that the painting will be given to a former pastor.

Kakolowski said the church is taking the recovery process "one step at a time."

The First Baptist Church has set up a GoFundMe page to help the aftermath and recovery.

The church also posted a statement on its website expressing complete faith in God.

"We know that we serve a God who specializes in restoring brokenness and who can bring beauty even from ashes," the statement reads. "So we move into the future with trust, hope, and gratitude."

Did you know?

God is everywhere—even in the news. That’s why we view every news story through the lens of faith. We are committed to delivering quality independent Christian journalism you can trust. But it takes a lot of hard work, time, and money to do what we do. Help us continue to be a voice for truth in the media by supporting CBN News for as little as $1.

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Former LGBT People Now Christians to Share Message of Jesus' Love in LA - CBN News Emily Jones

Former LGBT People Now Christians to Share Message of Jesus' Love in LA
10-22-2018

CBN News Emily JonesA group of ex-LGBTQ people are getting ready to take the streets of 

Los Angeles, California to declare the transforming power and love of Jesus Christ.

The march takes place on Nov. 4 and will feature worship, praise, and testimonials from people who
call themselves former homosexual, bisexuals, and transgender individuals. Each person comes from
different parts of the country but all of them have the same message -- there is freedom from sexual
confusion and sin through Jesus.

It is the second Freedom March since the first one in May, which took place in Washington D.C. It
featured two survivors of the Pulse nightclub shooting, who say they left behind their LGBT lifestyles
after the attack to have a transformative relationship with Jesus.


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"Going through old pictures of the night of Pulse, I remember my struggles of perversion, heavy 

drinking to drown out everything and having promiscuous sex that led to HIV," Luis Ruiz told CBN 

News.

"It wasn't a gay to straight thing. It was a lost to a saved thing. Someone encountered me and told me
how much God would change me if I stopped doing it on my own strength. If I fall in love with Christ, 

He would do everything else," he explained.

Jeffrey McCall, a former prostitute who lived as a transwoman named Scarlet, is the founder and 

CEO of the Freedom March.

He told CBN News he wants former LGBTQ people to have their voice heard. He wants the world to

know that you can change your lifestyle, no matter who you are.

"I wanted to have a march where everyone who came out of homosexual or transgender lives could 

come together, to have an event to hear each other's stories and also to have an event to speak on the 

freedoms we found through Jesus Christ," McCall said.

Did you know?

God is everywhere—even in the news. That’s why we view every news story through the lens of 

faith. We are committed to delivering quality independent Christian journalism you can trust. But 

it takes a lot of hard work, time, and money to do what we do. Help us continue to be a voice for 

truth in the media by supporting CBN News for as little as $1.

Support CBN News

Eddie James Brings the Gospel to the Holy Land Through Powerful Worship - CBN News Emily Jones

Via Instagram

Eddie James Brings the Gospel to the Holy Land Through Powerful Worship

10-10-2018

CBN News Emily Jones

Internationally renowned worship artist Eddie James is in Israel this week on a mission to bring the 

gospel to the Holy Land.

"Several times a year we take our team to the nations!" James said in an Instagram post. "We bring the 

gospel to the broken all over the world!"

James and his team are there to walk in the footsteps of Jesus and participate in several worship events, 

including the Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem. Thousands of Christians from around the world 

gathered with Jewish and Christian leaders at the Haas Promenade overlooking the Old City of 

Jerusalem.

Related

---

Christians, Jews Gather to Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem

Millennial Pastors See Israel through 'Fresh Lens'

---

James led the worship with Misty Edwards as thousands sang, danced, and celebrated the God of the 

Bible.

The team did outreach around the country and occasionally broke out into spontaneous worship at holy 

sites. One video of James and his team singing "Holy Spirit" in the place believed to be the upper room 

where Pentecost took place went viral. It hit well over 1 million views on Facebook.

"Although we had a bit of opposition it was so CRAZY AWESOME!!" James said in an Instagram 

post.

James was also there to participate in Awake Jerusalem, a 3-day event that focuses on gathering 

Christians to worship God in Israel.

One video shows hundreds of believers singing and worshiping in Jerusalem.

This is one of several trips James has taken to spread the gospel through praise and worship in Israel.
 

Lauren Daigle Tops Music Charts, Beating Ariana Grande, Drake, Nicki Minaj - CBN News Emily Jones

Lauren Daigle Tops Music Charts, Beating Ariana Grande, Drake, Nicki Minaj

09-25-2018

CBN News Emily Jones

Lauren Daigle made history this week by becoming the first Christian singer to top all five of Billboard 

Magazine's Christian charts, while also beating out top artists like Ariana Grande, Travis Scott, Nicki 

Minaj and Drake.

Daigle's latest album, Look Up Child, took first place on the Top Christian Albums Chart by a long 

shot. The singer also placed third in the all-genre Billboard 200 category, ranking well-ahead of the 

world's top rappers and pop stars.

Daigle told Billboard she's excited her music is reaching so many people.

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---

"We're all pinching ourselves," Daigle told the music magazine upon hearing the news. "To have that 

type of reception and that sort of welcome back, it feels so good."

Although other artists like Drake, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj have been on the charts for weeks, 

Look Up Child's release rivals that of other top artists. For example, Daigle sold 115,000 albums in her 

first week, while Camila Cabell's album Camila sold 110,000 in its debut.

It is a welcomed success after Daigle's first album How Can It Be went platinum after its 2015 release.

Daigle made sure to thank her fans on social media.

""This is an image of me FREAKING OUT! Why? Because of how incredibly grateful I am for the 

support all of you have shown for Look Up Child!" Daigle wrote in an Instagram post.

"There was quite a bit of time between the last record and this one - time to reflect, time to appreciate, 

time to consume, time to create, time to rest, time to re-evaluate. Once we hit the studio, joy began 

spilling over & passion for music making went deeper than ever! I don't know if I can ever turn back 

now. I'm ruined for the better! Thank you thank you thank you! I hope while you listen to Look Up 

Child, you get the same JOY KISS I was given while making these songs come to life! #lookupchild," 

she added.

Daigle's success highlights the impact Christian music has on American culture. In fact, Christian 

music radio stations rival country music stations and news stations in size and reach.

The New Yorker recently reported that half of the 20 most popular rock songs of 2017 were by 

"bands whose members have espoused the Christian faith."

"Faith no longer seems so alien to popular music — ours is an era where plenty of artists, not just 

religious ones, aim to send inspirational messages," The New Yorker's Kelefa Sanneh notes.

HELL... Yes or No? Why Franklin Graham Is Suddenly Tackling This Eternal Debate - CBN News Emily Jones

bible-verse-underline_si.jpg

HELL... Yes or No? Why Franklin Graham Is Suddenly Tackling This Eternal Debate

09-21-2018

CBN News Emily Jones

A recent article in the conservative Wall Street Journal titled "Do We Still Need to Believe in Hell?" 

has raised questions about the issue of eternal punishment in the afterlife.

Dr. Scott G. Bruce, professor of history at Fordham University, argues in the piece that "Hell is a cruel 

and oppressive concept" that has lost its power on mankind thanks to new scientific theories like 

Darwinism.

The professor believes humanity should rid itself of the concept of Hell.

"In some distant, better future, the foreclosure of Hell will be an important step in the maturation of 

human communities that can mete out justice on their own, without supernatural aid," he writes.

The article caught the attention of evangelist Franklin Graham who says Hell isn't a concept but a 

"reality." He says it's important not to doubt it because it's the reason Jesus died on a cross to save 

us from our sins.

"Jesus spoke about it a great deal. The Bible describes it as a 'blazing furnace, where there will be 

weeping and gnashing of teeth.' It will not change with the maturing of human culture, or anything 

else we might dream up. Hell is a very real place that will be the eternal destination of souls who 

reject the forgiveness and salvation that a loving God offers us through His Son, Jesus Christ," 

Graham writes in a Facebook post.

"Heaven is also a real place, prepared for those who put their faith and trust in Christ. Now is the 

time when we choose our eternal destiny—the Bible tells us '…now is the day of salvation" 

(2 Corinthians 6:2). If you die today, are you sure of your destination?" Graham continued.

Jesus talked about Hell more than any other person in the Bible. He told several parables describing 

Hell as a place of "weeping and gnashing of teeth" where the soul is destroyed in an 

"unquenchable fire."

The Bible says the sins of humanity are what separate us from God and send us to Hell. John 3:18 

says about Jesus, "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands 

condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son."
In other words, we condemn ourselves by our own choices.

Sin isn't just doing bad things, but rejecting God and ignoring his commands. "All have sinned and 

fall short" of God's standard of holiness by choosing to disobey him and going our own way.

It's clear from Jesus' teaching that the consequence of sin is eternal death, but there is good news – 

Heaven is a free gift to all who believe in Jesus.

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me," Jesus says in 

John 14:6.

"I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades (or Hell)," Jesus 

says in Revelation 1:18. In other words, he defeated death by his resurrection and he can rescue anyone 

from Hell – anyone who believes in him.

The Bible says anyone who confesses that Jesus is Lord and believes that he died and rose again will 

be saved from Hell and spend eternity with a God who loves them.

That's why Franklin Graham and so many other Christian leaders say we should never be dismissive 

or cavalier about a place where many will spend eternity – a place of torment they could easily avoid 

if they only knew it existed.

God has made it possible for you to know Him and experience an amazing change in your own life. 

Click here to discover how you can find peace with God."

You can also talk to someone by calling CBN directly at 1(800) 700-7000.

'Jesus is on Your Side': Tim Tebow Preaches Powerful Message to Fans - CBN News Emily Jones

Photo Credit: Liquid Church via Facebook

'Jesus is on Your Side': Tim Tebow Preaches Powerful Message to Fans

09-09-2018

CBN News Emily Jones

Pro-athlete Tim Tebow preached an inspiring message for fans on his Instagram page this week.

Tebow starts out by comparing life to a football game in a video titled, "Jesus is on your side."

"If we were playing in a game right now and we were down by a huge margin, 50 to nothing, in the 

middle of the game and it's still the first quarter. But we knew, we just knew that at the end we're going 

to have a miraculous comeback, how much confidence would we have?" he asks.

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"That's what we get in life. Sometimes for some people we are down 50 to nothing in the first quarter," 

Tebow continued. "But when we know Jesus, at some point in our game, we win. At some point, we 

come back. At some point, our MVP steps up and balls out for us."

The Heisman Trophy winner has had his share of trials.

Tebow went from being a winning quarterback with the Denver Broncos, to getting traded after the 

first season. He was cut or released from three more teams until he left football altogether.

"When you're going through that, what do you have to hold onto?" Tebow told CBN News. "What is 

your foundation? Who are you? And more importantly, whose are you in your relationship with Christ?"

Now he plays minor-league baseball in the New York Mets organization. But even his career path in 

baseball was tested when he suffered from a broken hand in July.

Still, these setbacks have yet to stop him.

The outspoken Christian serves hurting people through his Tim Tebow Foundation. He is also producing

 a new movie called "Run the Race," and has written several inspirational books.

'Evil Does Exist': Franklin Graham Responds to Murder of Couple That Thought Evil is 'Make-Believe Concept' - CBN News Emily Jones

'Evil Does Exist': Franklin Graham Responds to Murder of 

Couple That Thought Evil is 'Make-Believe Concept'

08-20-2018

CBN News Emily Jones

A young American couple was brutally murdered by alleged ISIS terrorists while biking along the 

Afghan border.

Jay Austin and Lauren Geoghegan quit their jobs last year and commenced a journey to see the world 

by bike. Austin wrote in his personal blog that he was tired of his ordinary life and wanted to see the 

beauty of the outdoors.

"I've grown tired of spending the best hours of my day in front of a glowing rectangle, of coloring the 

best years of my life in swaths of grey and beige. I've missed too many sunsets while my back was 

turned. Too many thunderstorms went unwatched, too many gentle breezes unnoticed." he wrote. 

"There's magic out there, in this great big beautiful world."

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The couple went on a 369-day trip that took them from Cape Town, South Africa, all the way to 

Tajikistan. While in Morocco, Austin wrote on his blog that evil does not exist.

"You watch the news and you read the papers and you're led to believe that the world is a big, scary 

place. People, the narrative goes, are not to be trusted. People are bad. People are evil. People are axe 

murderers and monsters and worse...I don't buy it. Evil is a make-believe concept we've invented to 

deal with the complexities of fellow humans holding values and beliefs and perspectives different 

than our own," he wrote.

Tragically, on July 29, the couple and two other cyclists were stabbed to death by terrorists on the Tajikistan/Afghanistan border.

CBS News reported that, "ISIS followed an initial claim of responsibility in print with a video showing 

the five purported attackers pledging allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi."

The New York Post released a grainy video of the incident.

A Daewoo sedan passes the cyclists, circles back around and runs them over. Then, men get out of the 

cars and stab them. Two days later, the Islamic State released a video of the attackers sitting before an 

ISIS flag vowing to murder "disbelievers."

Evangelist Franklin Graham believes this couple's tragic death is an important lesson for everyone – 

there is in fact evil in the world and it is alive and well.

"This is evil. Be assured, evil does exist in this world; God warns us in His word that Satan is prowling 

like a roaring lion and we are to be on guard. My deepest sympathy to the families of those who were 

so tragically slain," he wrote in a Facebook post.

'We Stand With Israel': Nikki Haley Cites Her Faith in Jesus as Reason for Support of Israel - CBN News Emily Jones,David Brody

'We Stand With Israel': Nikki Haley Cites Her Faith in Jesus 

as Reason for Support of Israel

07-24-2018

CBN News Emily Jones,

David Brody

United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley delivered the keynote address before an audience of 

thousands at the Christians United for Israel Summit in DC Monday night.

The crowd honored Haley with a standing ovation as CUFI founder Pastor John Hagee presented 

her with the Defender of Israel Award.

"Each year the leadership of CUFI elects the one person in America that we feel has done the most 

to defend and protect Israel. We are delighted and highly honored to present this award to Ambassador 

Haley," Hagee said as he gave her a golden plaque.

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Haley is known as a loud defender of Israel at the United Nations – a place she refers to as the "global 

epicenter of anti-Semitism."

"The United Nations is an interesting place. There are times when it can be a force for good," she said. "The UN can also be an enormously frustrating and bizarre place. Nowhere is that more pronounced than in the truly awful way that the UN has treated Israel for decades"

Despite the United Nation's repeated attempts to condemn and undermine the Jewish State, Haley says 

the US is changing that behavior.

"Change comes with leadership and clarity from the United States. That leadership and clarity was on 

full display when President Trump made the bold and right decision to move the United States embassy to Jerusalem," she said. "Jerusalem has historically been, is now, and will always be the capital of Israel."

Haley also took a stand for Israel amidst violent protests on the Gaza border in May. While most of the 

world condemned the Jewish State for responding to the molotov cocktails and flaming tire attacks, 

Haley made her voice loud and clear in the United Nations.

"When I heard country after country in the United Nations Security Council critically standing in 

judgment of Israel, I spoke out. What I said shocked the people at the UN, but I'll say it again because 

it's the truth. Israel has acted with more restraint than just about any country would under those same 

conditions," she said.

During that time, Haley vetoed a resolution that condemned Israel and ignored Hamas' actions on the 

border.

Now it appears her actions are beginning to pay off as skeptical UN members begin to see the 

anti-Israel terrorist group Hamas for what it is.

"The idea that we could get the majority of the General Assembly for the first time to even 

acknowledge that Hamas was an issue is a fantastic win," she said.

She also pulled the United States out the UN Human Rights Council, a body known for its 

unbalanced attacks against Israel.

"The Human Rights Council is a farce," she charged. "What we've said is you've got serious human 

rights abuses, whether it's in Venezuela, whether it's in Iran where they are protesting their regime, 

whether it's in Nicaragua, and they're doing nothing about it."

"America will always be the world's leader in advocating for human rights, but we will not do that in 

a place that makes a mockery of the very human rights ideals it is supposed to uphold," she added. 

"It's very important to me that we represent truth and reality at the UN, even if it makes other countries uncomfortable."

READ: 'We Don't Trust Russia': Nikki Haley Lowers the Boom on Putin, Puts Iran on Notice

Haley doesn't plan on stopping there or shutting her mouth any time soon.

"Being silent was never something I've been good at," she joked.

Haley also sees a winning team in the support evangelicals have shown Israel for decades.

"When you look at the anti-Semitism, when you look at all the harassment that they're getting from 

around the world, you do feel for them because you know these are good people trying to live a good 

life that are in a dangerous region, and I think Christians United sees that for what it is," she said.

Speaking at the CUFI summit Monday evening, Haley told the crowd of Christians and Jews that it 

is her faith in Christ that has driven her strong support of Israel.

"I am not Jewish, even though that surprises some people. I was not raised as a Christian either. 

Twenty years ago, my faith journey brought me to Christianity, where I have found strength in my 

faith and trust in my heart," she explained.

"But I am also a person who is humble in her faith. I don't claim to have the wisdom of what God has 

in store for me or for other people," Haley continued. "What I do know is that God has blessed 

America with greatness and with goodness and I know that in the dangerous world we live in, it 

is absolutely critical for America to stand up and have the backs of our friends."

Haley summed up her message with a simple phrase: "We stand with Israel."

Watch here: Nikki Haley with CBN News