Hosted by TBN’s own Matt and Laurie Crouch along with other popular personalities, Praise features the best in contemporary Christian music and worship, fresh and impacting ministry voices, engaging interviews from a wide variety of guests, and a fast-moving hour of relevant talk you won’t want to miss!
Closed captions
Show Timecode
Praise | Nicky Cuz: Transformed by God’s Grace | Praise | September 9, 2025
- Coming up tonight on praise...
- 00:00:01.024 --> 00:00:04.828
- Then that's when he screamed,
- 00:00:01.024 --> 00:00:08.031
- God had the power to change your life.
- 00:00:08.031 --> 00:00:10.400
- And i said, you shut up.
- 00:00:10.400 --> 00:00:11.935
- There's no god. get out of here.
- 00:00:11.935 --> 00:00:15.505
- You don't belong here.
- 00:00:15.505 --> 00:00:16.673
- You know, you can get killed here.
- 00:00:16.673 --> 00:00:19.576
- He started screaming loud, kill me,
- 00:00:19.576 --> 00:00:23.046
- Kill me! nicky, you can kill me.
- 00:00:23.046 --> 00:00:27.784
- Cut me in thousand pieces.
- 00:00:27.784 --> 00:00:30.920
- You can throw them right on the street.
- 00:00:30.920 --> 00:00:34.224
- Every little piece gonna cry out to you that jesus love you,
- 00:00:34.224 --> 00:00:40.396
- Nicky. and i spit at him and i curse him.
- 00:00:40.396 --> 00:00:43.967
- I call him every name in the book.
- 00:00:43.967 --> 00:00:49.139
- And i told him, if you say,
- 00:00:49.139 --> 00:00:51.674
- If you say another word, you are dead, man.
- 00:00:51.674 --> 00:00:57.947
- Tonight, on praise from los angeles, former new york city
- 00:01:01.551 --> 00:01:06.356
- Gang leader turned worldwide evangelist, nicky cruz.
- 00:01:06.356 --> 00:01:11.127
- And now your host, matt and laurie crouch.
- 00:01:14.297 --> 00:01:18.301
- Nicky cruz,
- 00:01:18.301 --> 00:01:20.103
- This is a day that lori and i have been looking forward to
- 00:01:20.103 --> 00:01:23.773
- For a very long time.
- 00:01:23.773 --> 00:01:26.409
- The original man from the phrase run, baby, run.
- 00:01:26.409 --> 00:01:33.149
- Okay.
- 00:01:33.149 --> 00:01:34.150
- Okay. that has been around all of my life.
- 00:01:34.150 --> 00:01:35.585
- You have to realize as a tiny little girl,
- 00:01:35.585 --> 00:01:39.589
- Absolutely little tiny baby girl.
- 00:01:39.589 --> 00:01:43.092
- Beautiful girl.
- 00:01:43.092 --> 00:01:44.394
- I was in the theater watching your story, and it changed our
- 00:01:44.394 --> 00:01:47.797
- Lives from then.
- 00:01:47.797 --> 00:01:48.765
- I mean, it was the biggest,
- 00:01:48.765 --> 00:01:50.800
- Most beautiful thing we'd ever seen.
- 00:01:50.800 --> 00:01:52.769
- Love is more powerful than hate.
- 00:01:52.769 --> 00:01:54.804
- It's the only thing that you've said for a million years now.
- 00:01:54.804 --> 00:01:58.341
- You look amazing.
- 00:01:58.341 --> 00:01:59.876
- 86 years young.
- 00:01:59.876 --> 00:02:02.378
- I love it. 86 years young.
- 00:02:02.378 --> 00:02:05.515
- You haven't changed a minute since i saw you last.
- 00:02:05.515 --> 00:02:09.085
- Seriously.
- 00:02:09.085 --> 00:02:10.320
- And we're telling a story today on this broadcast that,
- 00:02:10.320 --> 00:02:15.391
- Nicky, i need your help.
- 00:02:15.391 --> 00:02:17.560
- I need your words. what do you--
- 00:02:17.560 --> 00:02:19.362
- How do you want to start this off?
- 00:02:19.362 --> 00:02:21.731
- Kind of giving us a very, very powerful look at everything
- 00:02:21.731 --> 00:02:26.569
- From run baby, run, to cross and
- 00:02:26.569 --> 00:02:29.038
- The switchblade to teen challenge.
- 00:02:29.038 --> 00:02:31.574
- And how do you want to start this off?
- 00:02:31.574 --> 00:02:34.277
- I really don't know why i live this long to tell this story,
- 00:02:34.277 --> 00:02:40.316
- And i believe i'm the last one.
- 00:02:40.316 --> 00:02:43.386
- And there's so many things that happened,
- 00:02:43.386 --> 00:02:47.790
- Miracles that they are registered in heaven.
- 00:02:47.790 --> 00:02:53.529
- And i feel privileged that i can
- 00:02:53.529 --> 00:02:58.534
- Tell this story because i am still alive and i'm still with
- 00:02:58.534 --> 00:03:04.440
- With laurie and with you, matt.
- 00:03:04.440 --> 00:03:07.277
- I want to hear about the moment in new york.
- 00:03:07.277 --> 00:03:13.283
- You were fighting for your territory.
- 00:03:13.283 --> 00:03:18.254
- You were a gang member.
- 00:03:18.254 --> 00:03:20.990
- You were, you were in your area, and god chose to point into
- 00:03:20.990 --> 00:03:27.830
- That part of new york and find you.
- 00:03:27.830 --> 00:03:32.402
- Tell us a little bit about the atmosphere and that time
- 00:03:32.402 --> 00:03:36.039
- In your life.
- 00:03:36.039 --> 00:03:37.774
- Well, i was totally, totally lost.
- 00:03:37.774 --> 00:03:41.544
- I mean, there's no answer of god or jesus christ, either
- 00:03:41.544 --> 00:03:47.784
- Angels or whatever you want to call them, because it was a sad
- 00:03:47.784 --> 00:03:52.955
- Story, because i was born in the womb of a witch.
- 00:03:52.955 --> 00:03:58.461
- That was my mother.
- 00:03:58.461 --> 00:04:00.363
- And there was a tremendous
- 00:04:00.363 --> 00:04:01.531
- Hatred there between son and, uh,
- 00:04:01.531 --> 00:04:07.103
- It's happened that there was a lot of abuse.
- 00:04:07.103 --> 00:04:10.273
- And to a place that, that you come into a place that you
- 00:04:10.273 --> 00:04:14.243
- Don't believe in nothing.
- 00:04:14.243 --> 00:04:16.179
- And i tried to hang myself from the mango tree because
- 00:04:16.179 --> 00:04:18.981
- I don't want to live.
- 00:04:18.981 --> 00:04:20.283
- I was young, ten years old, and i don't know why
- 00:04:20.283 --> 00:04:28.991
- He put me in the womb of a witch.
- 00:04:28.991 --> 00:04:31.928
- It's a miracle that the devil committed a mistake.
- 00:04:31.928 --> 00:04:36.366
- And that is because that rejected child, that abused
- 00:04:36.366 --> 00:04:41.771
- Child, that gang leader,
- 00:04:41.771 --> 00:04:46.142
- He became a mark for the holy spirit in sending
- 00:04:46.142 --> 00:04:52.148
- David wilkerson to come to new york city.
- 00:04:52.148 --> 00:04:56.219
- And he didn't know nothing about the city.
- 00:04:56.219 --> 00:04:59.689
- And yet he came into my turf and my territory to
- 00:04:59.689 --> 00:05:04.794
- Announce the good news.
- 00:05:04.794 --> 00:05:07.430
- And when i was with my girlfriend and many other guys.
- 00:05:07.430 --> 00:05:11.534
- And you get high and you-- all of this, you hear this voice
- 00:05:11.534 --> 00:05:16.873
- Screaming so loud, and then you walk.
- 00:05:16.873 --> 00:05:20.910
- You start running because you want to know what's going on
- 00:05:20.910 --> 00:05:22.745
- Because a lot of people in my
- 00:05:22.745 --> 00:05:24.814
- Neighborhood got around wilkerson.
- 00:05:24.814 --> 00:05:29.185
- So then that's when he screamed, god had the power to
- 00:05:29.185 --> 00:05:33.656
- Change your life.
- 00:05:33.656 --> 00:05:34.757
- And i said, you shut up.
- 00:05:34.757 --> 00:05:36.359
- There's no god.
- 00:05:36.359 --> 00:05:38.294
- Get out of here. you don't belong here.
- 00:05:38.294 --> 00:05:41.197
- You know, you can get killed here.
- 00:05:41.197 --> 00:05:44.267
- And then i want to see the guy.
- 00:05:44.267 --> 00:05:46.202
- There was about close to 300 people listening to him
- 00:05:46.202 --> 00:05:48.671
- On the street with his voice.
- 00:05:48.671 --> 00:05:51.407
- And i got to see him face to face.
- 00:05:51.407 --> 00:05:54.010
- And i spit at him, and i cursed him.
- 00:05:54.010 --> 00:05:56.779
- And i call him every name in the book.
- 00:05:56.779 --> 00:06:01.951
- And i told him, if you say, if you say another word,
- 00:06:01.951 --> 00:06:05.521
- You're a dead man.
- 00:06:05.521 --> 00:06:08.057
- Wilkerson was shaking. i'll be honest to you.
- 00:06:08.057 --> 00:06:11.427
- He wasn't expecting that response so fast.
- 00:06:11.427 --> 00:06:15.465
- And the people were scared because they knew me.
- 00:06:15.465 --> 00:06:18.734
- And there was-- a guy from the
- 00:06:18.734 --> 00:06:20.369
- Gangs, so i got right in his face.
- 00:06:20.369 --> 00:06:27.376
- He was shaking a little bit.
- 00:06:27.376 --> 00:06:29.812
- And the way he was dressing, he wasn't a new yorker.
- 00:06:29.812 --> 00:06:33.916
- A new yorker, that's not the way that you you dress.
- 00:06:33.916 --> 00:06:37.887
- And then he says something that
- 00:06:37.887 --> 00:06:44.494
- Turn around my whole life.
- 00:06:44.494 --> 00:06:47.396
- Few words.
- 00:06:47.396 --> 00:06:49.499
- When i got close to his face
- 00:06:49.499 --> 00:06:51.033
- And he can see hate all over me,
- 00:06:51.033 --> 00:06:55.037
- He started screaming at me.
- 00:06:55.037 --> 00:06:58.641
- And you don't say this.
- 00:06:58.641 --> 00:07:02.078
- He start screaming loud, kill me,
- 00:07:02.078 --> 00:07:05.448
- Kill me!
- 00:07:05.448 --> 00:07:07.049
- I said, what's the matter with this guy?
- 00:07:07.049 --> 00:07:08.651
- What's the matter with him? this is easy,
- 00:07:08.651 --> 00:07:11.420
- You know. nicky, you can kill me.
- 00:07:11.420 --> 00:07:16.225
- Cut me in thousand pieces.
- 00:07:16.225 --> 00:07:19.328
- You can throw them right on the streets.
- 00:07:19.328 --> 00:07:22.732
- Every little piece going to cry out to you that jesus loves
- 00:07:22.732 --> 00:07:28.538
- You, nicky.
- 00:07:28.538 --> 00:07:29.505
- And i went like this.
- 00:07:29.505 --> 00:07:32.742
- That's when i spit and i just walk away.
- 00:07:32.742 --> 00:07:38.514
- The damage was done.
- 00:07:38.514 --> 00:07:40.816
- Jesus love you, jesus love you.
- 00:07:40.816 --> 00:07:42.752
- Jesus love you.
- 00:07:42.752 --> 00:07:43.653
- For two weeks i could not sleep. wow.
- 00:07:43.653 --> 00:07:46.188
- Even my girlfriend, i just, i just, i was laid down in that
- 00:07:46.188 --> 00:07:49.659
- Bed and, and i pushed
- 00:07:49.659 --> 00:07:50.726
- And i said, get out, get out, get away.
- 00:07:50.726 --> 00:07:53.429
- She said, what's the matter with you?
- 00:07:53.429 --> 00:07:54.697
- You getting crazy? yes, i'm getting crazy,
- 00:07:54.697 --> 00:07:57.199
- This thing about that guy over here came over here and told me
- 00:07:57.199 --> 00:08:00.603
- That jesus loved me.
- 00:08:00.603 --> 00:08:03.205
- Do you believe in that?
- 00:08:03.205 --> 00:08:04.774
- I don't believe in that kind of junk.
- 00:08:04.774 --> 00:08:07.610
- And then in the subway, in the train,
- 00:08:07.610 --> 00:08:11.714
- Fighting. cheating, lying.
- 00:08:11.714 --> 00:08:15.051
- Getting high.
- 00:08:15.051 --> 00:08:16.986
- Everything was jesus love you,
- 00:08:16.986 --> 00:08:18.888
- Jesus love you
- 00:08:18.888 --> 00:08:20.289
- Until i went to hear david wilkerson speak, and i took
- 00:08:20.289 --> 00:08:23.626
- About 75 guys from the gangs.
- 00:08:23.626 --> 00:08:26.495
- So and to let you know,
- 00:08:26.495 --> 00:08:28.998
- Wilkerson was very, he was very naive.
- 00:08:28.998 --> 00:08:33.269
- You don't bring 12 gangs in the same place.
- 00:08:33.269 --> 00:08:39.275
- That's going to be a lot of blood.
- 00:08:39.275 --> 00:08:41.243
- Yeah.
- 00:08:41.243 --> 00:08:42.244
- There's dracula going to be happy.
- 00:08:42.244 --> 00:08:44.180
- Yeah.
- 00:08:44.180 --> 00:08:45.381
- You see, and you have 2000 people. you know, the puerto
- 00:08:45.381 --> 00:08:49.452
- Ricans began to, i don't know what they was doing there,
- 00:08:49.452 --> 00:08:53.556
- And they were backing david wilkerson.
- 00:08:53.556 --> 00:08:56.926
- And i remember that a lot of things happened, and the other
- 00:08:56.926 --> 00:09:00.963
- Gang was, come on over here.
- 00:09:00.963 --> 00:09:02.598
- We were challenging one another, and i'm going to kill you
- 00:09:02.598 --> 00:09:07.136
- When we get out of here.
- 00:09:07.136 --> 00:09:08.504
- When this man finished, we're going to have it out.
- 00:09:08.504 --> 00:09:12.241
- This is the way we're talking back and forth, and we
- 00:09:12.241 --> 00:09:14.610
- Interrupted everything.
- 00:09:14.610 --> 00:09:15.711
- The people were scared
- 00:09:15.711 --> 00:09:18.681
- And the man came in.
- 00:09:18.681 --> 00:09:20.983
- Dave stood there, and that's when he came with the message
- 00:09:20.983 --> 00:09:24.720
- Of the thing that we don't preach that much,
- 00:09:24.720 --> 00:09:29.525
- The message of the cross,
- 00:09:29.525 --> 00:09:32.795
- The crucifixion of jesus christ,
- 00:09:32.795 --> 00:09:36.332
- The blood of jesus that can cleanse you from all your sins
- 00:09:36.332 --> 00:09:41.637
- And unrighteousness.
- 00:09:41.637 --> 00:09:44.540
- And, uh, i was committed to it that i
- 00:09:44.540 --> 00:09:48.511
- Was committed to kill that night.
- 00:09:48.511 --> 00:09:51.013
- We both--
- 00:09:51.013 --> 00:09:52.648
- David didn't know what he was doing.
- 00:09:52.648 --> 00:09:55.084
- It was the holy spirit that
- 00:09:55.084 --> 00:09:56.385
- Knew what is going to happen.
- 00:09:56.385 --> 00:09:58.754
- And that was the--
- 00:09:58.754 --> 00:10:00.289
- That was the night that i got,
- 00:10:00.289 --> 00:10:04.560
- That i felt that
- 00:10:04.560 --> 00:10:07.096
- I, i promised when i was--
- 00:10:07.096 --> 00:10:11.400
- When i tried to kill myself
- 00:10:11.400 --> 00:10:14.303
- Ten years old or nine,
- 00:10:14.303 --> 00:10:18.307
- And i was in that mango tree, ready to settle all the way down
- 00:10:18.307 --> 00:10:23.112
- With a rope around my neck
- 00:10:23.112 --> 00:10:26.549
- And to watch my brother crying.
- 00:10:26.549 --> 00:10:29.852
- He knew that i was going to commit an act that had to do
- 00:10:29.852 --> 00:10:33.656
- With my life.
- 00:10:33.656 --> 00:10:35.791
- And he-- you know, when you have a guy that wants to say
- 00:10:35.791 --> 00:10:38.327
- Something and he opened his mouth and there's nothing
- 00:10:38.327 --> 00:10:41.163
- Come out, but like so much tears and he said, no, no.
- 00:10:41.163 --> 00:10:49.338
- He climbed the tree and he pulled me down.
- 00:10:49.338 --> 00:10:51.674
- And i told him, jim,
- 00:10:51.674 --> 00:10:56.145
- I'm never going to love again,
- 00:10:56.145 --> 00:10:59.248
- And i'm never going to cry again.
- 00:10:59.248 --> 00:11:01.117
- And i went like this, never.
- 00:11:01.117 --> 00:11:05.020
- Until that day when jesus christ touched my life,
- 00:11:05.020 --> 00:11:09.492
- Not only i cry, but humbled me in front of my gangs, in front
- 00:11:09.492 --> 00:11:14.363
- Of all those people.
- 00:11:14.363 --> 00:11:15.931
- I went down on my knees, choked up with so much pain inside.
- 00:11:15.931 --> 00:11:20.536
- So many things that i carry on, memories and all of this.
- 00:11:20.536 --> 00:11:26.408
- And there it i,
- 00:11:26.408 --> 00:11:28.144
- Without knowing why i was crying.
- 00:11:28.144 --> 00:11:31.013
- You know i wasn't a crying baby. yeah.
- 00:11:31.013 --> 00:11:34.016
- And cry in front of my girlfriend.
- 00:11:34.016 --> 00:11:38.587
- Another thing is about 12 of the guys came forward with
- 00:11:38.587 --> 00:11:42.958
- Their girlfriends,
- 00:11:42.958 --> 00:11:45.227
- And i heard this sound moaning, and
- 00:11:45.227 --> 00:11:50.866
- I mean crying that it was different.
- 00:11:50.866 --> 00:11:53.435
- And the girls hugging the guys, and they were crying.
- 00:11:53.435 --> 00:11:57.873
- All my my friends.
- 00:11:57.873 --> 00:12:01.544
- And there's carl. he was a killer.
- 00:12:01.544 --> 00:12:05.514
- Crying like a baby.
- 00:12:05.514 --> 00:12:06.916
- He was tongue tied. he had--
- 00:12:06.916 --> 00:12:09.385
- He it takes forever to say a word. he was saying jesus.
- 00:12:09.385 --> 00:12:13.556
- Jesus. jesus, jesus.
- 00:12:13.556 --> 00:12:16.392
- And then he started screaming, help me please!
- 00:12:16.392 --> 00:12:21.630
- Clear. clear. he took forever to say.
- 00:12:21.630 --> 00:12:27.036
- No stutter. no stutter.
- 00:12:27.036 --> 00:12:29.672
- And that was the first time when i experienced the
- 00:12:29.672 --> 00:12:34.143
- Resurrections of life, that either when you are living in
- 00:12:34.143 --> 00:12:39.415
- This earth, you are dead
- 00:12:39.415 --> 00:12:41.784
- If you don't have jesus christ. you don't know what the
- 00:12:41.784 --> 00:12:46.155
- Final destiny of your life is.
- 00:12:46.155 --> 00:12:49.225
- Nicky, you've told us about the very
- 00:12:49.225 --> 00:12:53.229
- First moment you ever saw david wilkerson.
- 00:12:53.229 --> 00:12:58.067
- You spit in his face and cursed him.
- 00:12:58.067 --> 00:13:00.536
- Mhm. what was your second conversation like when you met
- 00:13:00.536 --> 00:13:06.809
- Him, after you had felt the touch of jesus because of his
- 00:13:06.809 --> 00:13:11.914
- Message of the blood of jesus, the cross salvation?
- 00:13:11.914 --> 00:13:17.119
- You felt that touch.
- 00:13:17.119 --> 00:13:19.788
- What was your second conversation?
- 00:13:19.788 --> 00:13:21.891
- What did you say to him when you saw him the next time?
- 00:13:21.891 --> 00:13:26.195
- Well, he gave me advice and i, you know, i'm
- 00:13:26.195 --> 00:13:31.567
- I'm thinking like a like a gang leader.
- 00:13:31.567 --> 00:13:36.038
- But he told me this.
- 00:13:36.038 --> 00:13:38.407
- He said, nicky, when you go back to your room-- i have a
- 00:13:38.407 --> 00:13:42.044
- Little apartment, a little room,
- 00:13:42.044 --> 00:13:45.147
- You're going to hear a lot of voices, and one is going to
- 00:13:45.147 --> 00:13:49.051
- Tell you you are a fool.
- 00:13:49.051 --> 00:13:52.221
- Look what you have done in front of your gangs.
- 00:13:52.221 --> 00:13:55.691
- You, you humiliated yourself, the gangs.
- 00:13:55.691 --> 00:14:01.964
- And i said, it's all right, david.
- 00:14:01.964 --> 00:14:03.532
- I can handle that.
- 00:14:03.532 --> 00:14:04.533
- You see, like like a-- like a--
- 00:14:04.533 --> 00:14:08.437
- Tough guy. like a tough guy.
- 00:14:08.437 --> 00:14:10.139
- And he was right.
- 00:14:10.139 --> 00:14:13.442
- He was right. about 1:00 in the morning,
- 00:14:13.442 --> 00:14:17.379
- All these thoughts were coming in.
- 00:14:17.379 --> 00:14:19.982
- I make a fool of myself.
- 00:14:19.982 --> 00:14:21.517
- What am i going to do tomorrow morning when the guy sees me
- 00:14:21.517 --> 00:14:24.553
- And all of this?
- 00:14:24.553 --> 00:14:25.921
- And then it came in the paper, too.
- 00:14:25.921 --> 00:14:29.658
- It came in the newspaper and all of these things.
- 00:14:29.658 --> 00:14:32.561
- And how am i going to confront the situation?
- 00:14:32.561 --> 00:14:38.300
- And i could not sleep.
- 00:14:38.300 --> 00:14:40.903
- And david said, just say a little prayer,
- 00:14:40.903 --> 00:14:44.006
- And jesus is going to be there.
- 00:14:44.006 --> 00:14:45.641
- But i was searching for words.
- 00:14:45.641 --> 00:14:47.209
- I didn't know how to pray.
- 00:14:47.209 --> 00:14:48.644
- Yeah. you know what? i say
- 00:14:48.644 --> 00:14:51.146
- Good night, jesus. and i went to bed.
- 00:14:51.146 --> 00:14:54.483
- I'm serious. good night, jesus.
- 00:14:54.483 --> 00:14:56.685
- You know, with that kind of attitude.
- 00:14:56.685 --> 00:14:58.654
- Good night, jesus.
- 00:14:58.654 --> 00:14:59.688
- Man, i slept 12 hours.
- 00:14:59.688 --> 00:15:02.758
- Wow. wow. wow.
- 00:15:02.758 --> 00:15:04.626
- For the first time in my life, this running
- 00:15:04.626 --> 00:15:10.366
- Creature, this running man had come to still.
- 00:15:10.366 --> 00:15:15.237
- Wow. peace.
- 00:15:15.237 --> 00:15:16.638
- Wow! peace.
- 00:15:16.638 --> 00:15:19.708
- I love it. david is gone.
- 00:15:19.708 --> 00:15:23.645
- Hmm. and a lot of the original guys, we say ogs, the original
- 00:15:23.645 --> 00:15:32.287
- Gangsters of this whole thing.
- 00:15:32.287 --> 00:15:33.822
- And, i mean, we're talking david wilkerson.
- 00:15:33.822 --> 00:15:36.091
- We're talking teen challenge.
- 00:15:36.091 --> 00:15:37.393
- We're talking nicky cruz.
- 00:15:37.393 --> 00:15:39.194
- Nicky, you've been around the world.
- 00:15:39.194 --> 00:15:40.996
- Sonny was my first convert. sonny arguinzoni.
- 00:15:40.996 --> 00:15:43.665
- Look, sonny's gone now.
- 00:15:43.665 --> 00:15:45.901
- Yeah, he's with jesus. and i miss him.
- 00:15:45.901 --> 00:15:49.104
- Yeah. we do.
- 00:15:49.104 --> 00:15:50.406
- And one of the things that
- 00:15:50.406 --> 00:15:52.207
- Makes this story so interesting and,
- 00:15:52.207 --> 00:15:54.943
- And you're going to have to help me tell the story, okay?
- 00:15:54.943 --> 00:15:59.448
- Because i need to know some of these details.
- 00:15:59.448 --> 00:16:02.151
- And maybe there's a generation viewing, uh, tbn now that
- 00:16:02.151 --> 00:16:09.258
- Doesn't know that nicky cruz, the former, uh, mau mau gang
- 00:16:09.258 --> 00:16:16.098
- Leader, served on the board of a trinity broadcasting network
- 00:16:16.098 --> 00:16:20.636
- Board of directors.
- 00:16:20.636 --> 00:16:22.171
- Sonny arguinzoni was on the board of directors of one of the
- 00:16:22.171 --> 00:16:25.808
- Organizations, the tv station that we that we owned.
- 00:16:25.808 --> 00:16:30.913
- And you have been a part of my mom and dad's generation.
- 00:16:30.913 --> 00:16:35.551
- You're a part of our generation.
- 00:16:35.551 --> 00:16:37.553
- You've lived the longest to help tell the story of
- 00:16:37.553 --> 00:16:41.523
- Something miraculous that happened in your generation.
- 00:16:41.523 --> 00:16:46.295
- Jesus reached down into the middle of new york, pulled you
- 00:16:46.295 --> 00:16:49.665
- Out, put you together with other gang members that largely
- 00:16:49.665 --> 00:16:55.270
- Stayed true to the calling,
- 00:16:55.270 --> 00:16:57.940
- True to the message of the cross
- 00:16:57.940 --> 00:17:00.209
- All of your life. you're here today.
- 00:17:00.209 --> 00:17:03.979
- 86 years young. oh my goodness.
- 00:17:03.979 --> 00:17:06.715
- You haven't changed a
- 00:17:06.715 --> 00:17:08.250
- Day since the last day i saw you.
- 00:17:08.250 --> 00:17:10.752
- That's true. and you're--
- 00:17:10.752 --> 00:17:12.521
- You're strong.
- 00:17:12.521 --> 00:17:13.755
- You're healthy.
- 00:17:13.755 --> 00:17:15.090
- Your story is going to be told in a major way.
- 00:17:15.090 --> 00:17:19.595
- They're working on a story of your life.
- 00:17:19.595 --> 00:17:21.964
- We want to be able to help promote that when it, when it
- 00:17:21.964 --> 00:17:25.501
- Comes out, and you've got the right people behind you.
- 00:17:25.501 --> 00:17:28.270
- I love all that.
- 00:17:28.270 --> 00:17:30.172
- But there is, there is this unique connection of thousands,
- 00:17:30.172 --> 00:17:36.378
- Millions of lives that were changed through teen challenge,
- 00:17:36.378 --> 00:17:39.381
- That millions of lives that were changed simply because
- 00:17:39.381 --> 00:17:43.919
- David wilkerson was bold enough to challenge you,
- 00:17:43.919 --> 00:17:48.924
- You ultimately were found by jesus, and that combination of
- 00:17:48.924 --> 00:17:55.531
- Uranium and plutonium created an explosion that lasted all of
- 00:17:55.531 --> 00:18:01.970
- These years and millions of lives changed.
- 00:18:01.970 --> 00:18:04.873
- Your first convert,
- 00:18:04.873 --> 00:18:07.676
- Okay. you're now a gang member turned evangelist.
- 00:18:07.676 --> 00:18:12.080
- Take us to the first moments with you and sonny arguinzoni.
- 00:18:12.080 --> 00:18:15.918
- Dave wilkerson tried to reach sonny. by the way, he took him
- 00:18:19.421 --> 00:18:23.425
- To his house, but sonny ran away when dave was--
- 00:18:23.425 --> 00:18:28.997
- He didn't know too much about
- 00:18:28.997 --> 00:18:30.632
- The streets and things like that.
- 00:18:30.632 --> 00:18:32.534
- Drove to his neighborhood and sonny opened the door
- 00:18:32.534 --> 00:18:35.504
- And he ran out.
- 00:18:35.504 --> 00:18:37.539
- Then i came, i got married, i got married in december.
- 00:18:37.539 --> 00:18:43.912
- I had my honeymoon in new york, locked up in the fourth 16th
- 00:18:43.912 --> 00:18:47.683
- Clinton avenue at the teen challenge center.
- 00:18:47.683 --> 00:18:51.520
- Wow. it was a ghost place.
- 00:18:51.520 --> 00:18:54.523
- Wow.
- 00:18:54.523 --> 00:18:55.490
- And here i am, 23 three years old and and
- 00:18:55.490 --> 00:19:02.698
- And here i was given that responsibility.
- 00:19:02.698 --> 00:19:06.702
- But there's something about the anointing of the holy spirit.
- 00:19:06.702 --> 00:19:09.638
- The things that you don't know,
- 00:19:09.638 --> 00:19:11.506
- God lets you know it's alright.
- 00:19:11.506 --> 00:19:14.042
- I'm going to help you because there's an anointing,
- 00:19:14.042 --> 00:19:17.045
- A special anointing, for those that have been used by god that
- 00:19:17.045 --> 00:19:22.317
- You cannot deny it, right?
- 00:19:22.317 --> 00:19:25.988
- I tell you, it was, it was hard.
- 00:19:25.988 --> 00:19:29.625
- The hardest thing to minister to killers, to
- 00:19:29.625 --> 00:19:33.428
- Minister to drug addicts.
- 00:19:33.428 --> 00:19:35.063
- And here's my wife.
- 00:19:35.063 --> 00:19:37.099
- She's 20 years old and we're living in a little tiny room
- 00:19:37.099 --> 00:19:41.036
- In teen challenge.
- 00:19:41.036 --> 00:19:43.005
- And she believed in jesus,
- 00:19:43.005 --> 00:19:47.075
- Believed in me, believed in evangelism.
- 00:19:47.075 --> 00:19:50.012
- And that's the reason-- she married me because
- 00:19:50.012 --> 00:19:54.383
- Evangelism, and i said no, you marry me because me.
- 00:19:54.383 --> 00:19:58.120
- Because i'm handsome. because i'm handsome.
- 00:19:58.120 --> 00:20:01.523
- Thank you for helping me.
- 00:20:01.523 --> 00:20:02.791
- Yes and--
- 00:20:02.791 --> 00:20:05.193
- And the greatest thing is i started with little service and
- 00:20:05.193 --> 00:20:10.766
- Little chapel, and people started coming in.
- 00:20:10.766 --> 00:20:15.103
- And sonny came in with his friend, rafi.
- 00:20:15.103 --> 00:20:19.308
- And then he didn't know what's going to happen.
- 00:20:19.308 --> 00:20:23.512
- So he came in and i approached him.
- 00:20:23.512 --> 00:20:26.581
- And then i knew he was high,
- 00:20:26.581 --> 00:20:30.786
- And i challenged him and i said, you know,
- 00:20:30.786 --> 00:20:32.688
- God can change your life.
- 00:20:32.688 --> 00:20:34.589
- And you know what? i challenge you.
- 00:20:34.589 --> 00:20:37.426
- I'm going to take you to the third floor of the building,
- 00:20:37.426 --> 00:20:41.930
- And you stay with me.
- 00:20:41.930 --> 00:20:44.566
- In three days, you're going to change.
- 00:20:44.566 --> 00:20:48.770
- Father, son and holy ghost.
- 00:20:48.770 --> 00:20:52.140
- And he accepted.
- 00:20:52.140 --> 00:20:55.811
- So i took it.
- 00:20:55.811 --> 00:20:56.978
- I left my wife,
- 00:20:56.978 --> 00:20:59.448
- One month or two months, no more than that,
- 00:20:59.448 --> 00:21:03.385
- We have been married.
- 00:21:03.385 --> 00:21:04.820
- And here i left my wife and i took her to this place.
- 00:21:04.820 --> 00:21:08.090
- So i was in the half in the spirit, half in the flesh,
- 00:21:08.090 --> 00:21:11.560
- The honeymoon.
- 00:21:11.560 --> 00:21:12.661
- And i went over there, and there was two beds.
- 00:21:12.661 --> 00:21:18.033
- I said, sonny, you sleep here?
- 00:21:18.033 --> 00:21:20.302
- I, i took my bed and i put it against the wall, so sonny had
- 00:21:20.302 --> 00:21:24.139
- To go through me, you see, because--
- 00:21:24.139 --> 00:21:26.942
- In case was going to bail out.
- 00:21:26.942 --> 00:21:28.009
- You got to be wise, you know.
- 00:21:28.009 --> 00:21:29.578
- You wasn't born yesterday.
- 00:21:29.578 --> 00:21:31.947
- Anything can happen.
- 00:21:31.947 --> 00:21:33.281
- And what happened was that,
- 00:21:33.281 --> 00:21:36.585
- That i fall asleep.
- 00:21:36.585 --> 00:21:37.919
- I could not watch him anymore.
- 00:21:37.919 --> 00:21:41.790
- And something strange happened.
- 00:21:41.790 --> 00:21:44.593
- Sonny waked me up laughing and crying, and i got it, i got it,
- 00:21:44.593 --> 00:21:50.232
- I said, you got--
- 00:21:50.232 --> 00:21:51.800
- Yes. jesus came into my life.
- 00:21:51.800 --> 00:21:57.072
- He said that day he served the lord.
- 00:21:57.072 --> 00:22:01.343
- One time he, uh, i don't know--
- 00:22:01.343 --> 00:22:05.447
- David was preaching
- 00:22:05.447 --> 00:22:07.716
- A hard message, and sonny took it personal.
- 00:22:07.716 --> 00:22:11.887
- And so he left.
- 00:22:11.887 --> 00:22:13.922
- I was out, and when i came in, they say sonny left.
- 00:22:13.922 --> 00:22:17.459
- I said, what? and laurie and matt,
- 00:22:17.459 --> 00:22:21.830
- This is the most painful type of thing when
- 00:22:21.830 --> 00:22:25.901
- You come in and
- 00:22:25.901 --> 00:22:29.404
- You begin to say, why?
- 00:22:29.404 --> 00:22:31.206
- And i started searching for him all over new york because he
- 00:22:31.206 --> 00:22:34.409
- Told me the place that he used to hang out and i went to all
- 00:22:34.409 --> 00:22:37.913
- Those places, came 2:00 in the morning, broken heart, because
- 00:22:37.913 --> 00:22:42.784
- We began to get together and do things together.
- 00:22:42.784 --> 00:22:46.388
- And then gloria was sleeping and she'd wake up.
- 00:22:46.388 --> 00:22:52.327
- I would put my pajamas-- and that's when i, when i, uh,
- 00:22:52.327 --> 00:22:56.698
- I said, i forgot this place,
- 00:22:56.698 --> 00:23:00.101
- And i put my clothes at 2:00 in the morning, and i went.
- 00:23:00.101 --> 00:23:03.338
- It was on broadway in this cafeteria.
- 00:23:03.338 --> 00:23:07.542
- And their sonny is contemplating to--
- 00:23:07.542 --> 00:23:10.011
- Kill-- take a shot.
- 00:23:10.011 --> 00:23:11.446
- Which would have killed him.
- 00:23:11.446 --> 00:23:14.182
- And i walked in.
- 00:23:14.182 --> 00:23:15.917
- He was very pensive to really do it.
- 00:23:15.917 --> 00:23:19.754
- And that's my greatest memory of that.
- 00:23:19.754 --> 00:23:24.292
- The same thing that god did in my life,
- 00:23:24.292 --> 00:23:27.028
- He did it for sonny.
- 00:23:27.028 --> 00:23:28.129
- And he became a very powerful person. to me,
- 00:23:28.129 --> 00:23:34.569
- Sonny was, a lot of people called themselves,
- 00:23:34.569 --> 00:23:37.138
- They have 50 people they call apostle.
- 00:23:37.138 --> 00:23:41.042
- Yeah. that's not apostle.
- 00:23:41.042 --> 00:23:44.212
- When you have, that's sonny, been to about 400 churches,
- 00:23:44.212 --> 00:23:49.784
- Little and bigger, and many drug addicts, thousands of thousands
- 00:23:49.784 --> 00:23:54.856
- Of them that have given their life to jesus,
- 00:23:54.856 --> 00:23:58.159
- That is apostle. yeah.
- 00:23:58.159 --> 00:24:01.229
- That is paul. yeah.
- 00:24:01.229 --> 00:24:03.632
- Going from places to places. that's what i mean.
- 00:24:03.632 --> 00:24:08.470
- That i can remember that i can tell you guys, that
- 00:24:08.470 --> 00:24:13.508
- Is the most beautiful thing
- 00:24:13.508 --> 00:24:15.644
- When the glory of the lord shine in our life,
- 00:24:15.644 --> 00:24:21.116
- That that shining light can touch other life,
- 00:24:21.116 --> 00:24:25.253
- And that would happen to sonny.
- 00:24:25.253 --> 00:24:27.055
- You have traveled the world.
- 00:24:27.055 --> 00:24:31.626
- You've spoken personally with your mouth and a microphone to
- 00:24:31.626 --> 00:24:37.198
- Tens of millions of people. mhm.
- 00:24:37.198 --> 00:24:39.467
- And so god has found you in new york and taken you
- 00:24:39.467 --> 00:24:44.906
- Around the world. yes.
- 00:24:44.906 --> 00:24:47.642
- So we would have to sit
- 00:24:47.642 --> 00:24:52.314
- As we are now talking about the legacy of your story,
- 00:24:52.314 --> 00:24:57.919
- Your story involves david wilkerson, your first convert,
- 00:24:57.919 --> 00:25:01.623
- Sonny arguinzoni.
- 00:25:01.623 --> 00:25:03.358
- All of these pieces all wrap around with the tbn story.
- 00:25:03.358 --> 00:25:08.129
- You were a official board member.
- 00:25:08.129 --> 00:25:10.165
- Sonny was an official board member.
- 00:25:10.165 --> 00:25:12.000
- David wilkerson has been in this studio many times,
- 00:25:12.000 --> 00:25:15.537
- The studio across the parking lot many times.
- 00:25:15.537 --> 00:25:18.707
- There are pictures of david that have adorned the
- 00:25:18.707 --> 00:25:21.610
- Hallways of tbn for years.
- 00:25:21.610 --> 00:25:24.179
- And you're now the one left.
- 00:25:24.179 --> 00:25:27.882
- You're the you're the guy.
- 00:25:27.882 --> 00:25:31.886
- For some reason, god chose you
- 00:25:31.886 --> 00:25:33.722
- To narrate our story and help us.
- 00:25:33.722 --> 00:25:35.924
- Let me ask you some challenge questions now.
- 00:25:35.924 --> 00:25:39.094
- Tell me a story of what, without an understanding or a
- 00:25:39.094 --> 00:25:45.300
- Deeper understanding, the world would call a failure.
- 00:25:45.300 --> 00:25:49.037
- Tell me about something that you did that failed.
- 00:25:49.037 --> 00:25:52.674
- Because-- that looks like it failed.
- 00:25:52.674 --> 00:25:55.543
- That looks like it failed.
- 00:25:55.543 --> 00:25:57.212
- The way that the world would describe it, you know, until
- 00:25:57.212 --> 00:26:00.982
- They know something deeper about it or whatever.
- 00:26:00.982 --> 00:26:03.451
- Because you largely
- 00:26:03.451 --> 00:26:07.722
- Are known for this life of winning people to jesus,
- 00:26:07.722 --> 00:26:14.796
- Of love overcoming hate.
- 00:26:14.796 --> 00:26:18.133
- That's what you're known for.
- 00:26:18.133 --> 00:26:19.634
- Okay. you were a gang member, a killer, a whatever you did.
- 00:26:19.634 --> 00:26:26.374
- Which i can hardly believe. but i know it's true.
- 00:26:26.374 --> 00:26:29.878
- You seem a little too sweet.
- 00:26:29.878 --> 00:26:31.179
- You know, your smile is a little too natural
- 00:26:31.179 --> 00:26:33.181
- Now for-- yeah.
- 00:26:33.181 --> 00:26:35.183
- I'm in television.
- 00:26:35.183 --> 00:26:36.618
- I don't want to give you a sad look or being scared of you.
- 00:26:36.618 --> 00:26:41.456
- I'm afraid of you, matt and laurie.
- 00:26:41.456 --> 00:26:44.092
- No, no. i'm natural.
- 00:26:44.092 --> 00:26:46.294
- Okay. i love it.
- 00:26:46.294 --> 00:26:47.996
- And but if you tell us a story that sounds like failure, then
- 00:26:47.996 --> 00:26:57.005
- It encourages the next generation that a life
- 00:26:57.005 --> 00:27:01.076
- In christ is going to have challenge.
- 00:27:01.076 --> 00:27:05.246
- Tell us a story of that--
- 00:27:05.246 --> 00:27:07.248
- Tell us something that's, that's terrible.
- 00:27:07.248 --> 00:27:11.686
- You pushing the button,
- 00:27:11.686 --> 00:27:14.255
- And i'm going to do it for the first time.
- 00:27:14.255 --> 00:27:15.790
- I have to say this. thank you.
- 00:27:15.790 --> 00:27:19.627
- When i was in teen challenge,
- 00:27:19.627 --> 00:27:22.797
- Uh, you're dealing with
- 00:27:22.797 --> 00:27:28.069
- Hookers and drug addicts,
- 00:27:28.069 --> 00:27:31.172
- And i told dave, don't miss them.
- 00:27:31.172 --> 00:27:34.476
- They want to bring the girls,
- 00:27:34.476 --> 00:27:37.812
- Staying in for 16 clinton avenue.
- 00:27:37.812 --> 00:27:41.015
- And this is going to be in the movie
- 00:27:41.015 --> 00:27:42.450
- They make of my life,
- 00:27:42.450 --> 00:27:44.419
- And that question is powerful about failure.
- 00:27:47.756 --> 00:27:53.895
- I told dave, don't do it.
- 00:27:53.895 --> 00:27:57.098
- David was at that time getting stronger and stronger in
- 00:27:57.098 --> 00:28:01.870
- Character and things like that
- 00:28:01.870 --> 00:28:06.207
- And we end up having a problem with lesbianism.
- 00:28:06.207 --> 00:28:13.047
- And two of the girls from bible college, bible college,
- 00:28:13.047 --> 00:28:16.684
- From springfield, missouri, they run out with a lesbian.
- 00:28:16.684 --> 00:28:21.990
- So that was projected.
- 00:28:21.990 --> 00:28:23.224
- I knew it was going to happen.
- 00:28:23.224 --> 00:28:25.527
- And all the things that happened, i--
- 00:28:25.527 --> 00:28:30.098
- When you have mixed girls and guys, you're going to deal with
- 00:28:30.098 --> 00:28:34.803
- Fornication and adultery.
- 00:28:34.803 --> 00:28:36.905
- And they were having relationships in the, in the
- 00:28:36.905 --> 00:28:39.908
- Rooftop and across the street.
- 00:28:39.908 --> 00:28:43.011
- And i-- and i told david,
- 00:28:43.011 --> 00:28:45.747
- We don't-- it's not going to work.
- 00:28:45.747 --> 00:28:49.484
- It's happened.
- 00:28:49.484 --> 00:28:52.353
- I was fasting and praying, and i teach all of that, to read the
- 00:28:52.353 --> 00:28:56.524
- Bible, to pray.
- 00:28:56.524 --> 00:28:58.660
- And i used to fast three, three times a week,
- 00:28:58.660 --> 00:29:02.697
- And some of the guys. the place was packed.
- 00:29:02.697 --> 00:29:06.467
- We couldn't-- we didn't have
- 00:29:06.467 --> 00:29:07.235
- No more place to put the people.
- 00:29:07.235 --> 00:29:10.238
- I want to make sure i understand.
- 00:29:10.238 --> 00:29:14.509
- You foresaw problems? yes.
- 00:29:14.509 --> 00:29:18.613
- With having discipleship with men and women living in the
- 00:29:18.613 --> 00:29:23.518
- Same 416 building, you saw that?
- 00:29:23.518 --> 00:29:26.855
- This is the first time i'm talking about this stuff.
- 00:29:26.855 --> 00:29:30.091
- Yeah. okay.
- 00:29:30.091 --> 00:29:31.259
- So you you saw it, you felt it.
- 00:29:31.259 --> 00:29:34.596
- You were fasting and you foresaw-- the model ultimately
- 00:29:34.596 --> 00:29:40.635
- Did become men's and women's, right?
- 00:29:40.635 --> 00:29:43.271
- It was separated eventually
- 00:29:43.271 --> 00:29:46.107
- That ultimately did happen.
- 00:29:46.107 --> 00:29:49.110
- The-- was that what really
- 00:29:49.110 --> 00:29:53.281
- Thrust you out into your own ministry?
- 00:29:53.281 --> 00:29:56.818
- Yes, i felt because because there was jealousy, because,
- 00:29:56.818 --> 00:30:00.922
- Uh, there was a division between the white and the
- 00:30:00.922 --> 00:30:04.893
- And the hispanic. i'll be honest to you.
- 00:30:04.893 --> 00:30:07.262
- Um, and, uh,
- 00:30:07.262 --> 00:30:10.765
- It's happened that place was full of spanish people.
- 00:30:10.765 --> 00:30:15.303
- Arguinzoni is puerto rican.
- 00:30:15.303 --> 00:30:16.571
- Yeah. a lot of people think that he's italian.
- 00:30:16.571 --> 00:30:19.540
- Beautiful parents.
- 00:30:19.540 --> 00:30:21.209
- So when that didn't
- 00:30:21.209 --> 00:30:24.312
- Happen, that relations didn't happen,
- 00:30:24.312 --> 00:30:27.148
- Then got together to try to get me out
- 00:30:27.148 --> 00:30:29.484
- Because then find out that i--
- 00:30:29.484 --> 00:30:31.853
- That i was a threat to either to the organization or david,
- 00:30:31.853 --> 00:30:36.557
- But the people that was running the money and all of that.
- 00:30:36.557 --> 00:30:41.596
- And before that came,
- 00:30:41.596 --> 00:30:45.867
- One of the girls by the name of teresa,
- 00:30:45.867 --> 00:30:48.603
- She was shacking up with one of the guys.
- 00:30:48.603 --> 00:30:51.606
- And then, then i know the whole thing,
- 00:30:51.606 --> 00:30:55.076
- So then they have a conspiracy
- 00:30:55.076 --> 00:30:57.045
- Two weeks later to try to put a bag on me.
- 00:30:57.045 --> 00:31:01.716
- And then, uh, about a girl that she's about six-- 6'2.
- 00:31:01.716 --> 00:31:07.755
- I'd have to have a chair to go and kiss the girl.
- 00:31:07.755 --> 00:31:11.726
- And that when i say, did you believe that, dave,
- 00:31:15.096 --> 00:31:18.766
- And then when he gave me the look.
- 00:31:18.766 --> 00:31:21.202
- Well, i don't know,
- 00:31:21.202 --> 00:31:22.503
- I said, call the people. call them.
- 00:31:22.503 --> 00:31:25.106
- You said that they are waiting in one room.
- 00:31:25.106 --> 00:31:27.008
- Call them.
- 00:31:27.008 --> 00:31:29.143
- So it seemed like wilkerson called them
- 00:31:29.143 --> 00:31:31.479
- And they came.
- 00:31:31.479 --> 00:31:33.581
- That broke my heart.
- 00:31:33.581 --> 00:31:35.383
- That's when i said to myself,
- 00:31:35.383 --> 00:31:38.586
- No, i failed. i don't want to preach anymore.
- 00:31:38.586 --> 00:31:42.223
- I don't want to testify anymore.
- 00:31:42.223 --> 00:31:44.025
- I don't want to see anything anymore.
- 00:31:44.025 --> 00:31:46.427
- I took my wife.
- 00:31:46.427 --> 00:31:47.695
- I left in a shackle in a place, and
- 00:31:47.695 --> 00:31:52.233
- People began to find out.
- 00:31:52.233 --> 00:31:53.968
- The cross switchblade book came in.
- 00:31:53.968 --> 00:31:56.871
- I became instantly on the news and all of these things.
- 00:31:56.871 --> 00:32:01.342
- And then people called me and said, i don't want to preach.
- 00:32:01.342 --> 00:32:04.379
- I don't want, i never want to go into a pulpit.
- 00:32:04.379 --> 00:32:08.182
- I felt like a failure.
- 00:32:08.182 --> 00:32:10.018
- I felt betrayed.
- 00:32:10.018 --> 00:32:12.120
- I felt that that i, that i, that i put my wife into
- 00:32:12.120 --> 00:32:17.458
- Something like this and, and of course, my wife didn't believe
- 00:32:17.458 --> 00:32:22.930
- In that things.
- 00:32:22.930 --> 00:32:24.532
- We were sold out for this thing, for jesus.
- 00:32:24.532 --> 00:32:27.135
- So what happened was that i received an invitation.
- 00:32:27.135 --> 00:32:31.005
- We don't have no food.
- 00:32:31.005 --> 00:32:32.774
- I cannot pay the rent.
- 00:32:32.774 --> 00:32:34.375
- I live in a shack type of place.
- 00:32:34.375 --> 00:32:38.146
- I felt like nobody.
- 00:32:38.146 --> 00:32:41.416
- I got a little bitter in my heart.
- 00:32:41.416 --> 00:32:45.486
- And then people invited me and i said, no, i don't want it.
- 00:32:45.486 --> 00:32:50.491
- I don't want to ever touch a pulpit in my life again.
- 00:32:50.491 --> 00:32:56.230
- Well, when you don't have no money, i received invitation
- 00:32:56.230 --> 00:33:00.068
- In castro valley
- 00:33:00.068 --> 00:33:02.737
- And it's one of the big, the biggest assembly of god church,
- 00:33:02.737 --> 00:33:08.009
- I could not resist because i don't have enough food.
- 00:33:08.009 --> 00:33:11.746
- So i accepted. they give a lot of publicity and the place
- 00:33:11.746 --> 00:33:15.716
- Was jam packed.
- 00:33:15.716 --> 00:33:19.620
- And then i just-- they called my name, and i had an interpreter
- 00:33:19.620 --> 00:33:24.625
- I used to speak spanish, translate for me.
- 00:33:24.625 --> 00:33:30.264
- When they introduced me,
- 00:33:30.264 --> 00:33:33.201
- I went and i put my hands in the pulpit,
- 00:33:33.201 --> 00:33:37.772
- Jeff stood on the side and i looked at the crowd.
- 00:33:37.772 --> 00:33:42.844
- And i started crying hard. and i say,
- 00:33:42.844 --> 00:33:48.216
- I want all of you to forgive me.
- 00:33:48.216 --> 00:33:51.853
- I came over here not to give my testimony.
- 00:33:51.853 --> 00:33:54.222
- I came over here for the money.
- 00:33:54.222 --> 00:33:57.291
- God is my witness, and i fall down on my knees
- 00:33:57.291 --> 00:34:02.230
- Behind the pulpit.
- 00:34:02.230 --> 00:34:03.431
- And jeffrey picked me up, and i gave my testimony.
- 00:34:03.431 --> 00:34:07.635
- A lot of people came forward,
- 00:34:07.635 --> 00:34:11.105
- And i have the time, i had money to take my wife to eat.
- 00:34:11.105 --> 00:34:16.177
- So i wanted to go to chinatown. i was in oakland.
- 00:34:16.177 --> 00:34:18.913
- I want to go to chinatown. i could not make it.
- 00:34:18.913 --> 00:34:21.282
- I said, let's go home.
- 00:34:21.282 --> 00:34:22.383
- Let's go back to our place and let's thank jesus.
- 00:34:22.383 --> 00:34:26.120
- That's the first time.
- 00:34:26.120 --> 00:34:27.922
- Okay. i want to make sure i get this because you just told a
- 00:34:27.922 --> 00:34:34.428
- Pretty intriguing story, nicky, that the evangelist that has
- 00:34:34.428 --> 00:34:39.667
- Been around the world felt betrayed,
- 00:34:39.667 --> 00:34:44.038
- Felt caught in a
- 00:34:44.038 --> 00:34:46.774
- Fight between raising money and not raising money.
- 00:34:46.774 --> 00:34:51.479
- You were becoming too popular.
- 00:34:51.479 --> 00:34:56.117
- In some circles there was racism, there was an
- 00:34:56.117 --> 00:35:01.622
- Accusation against you.
- 00:35:01.622 --> 00:35:04.158
- And in the earliest days, there was a moment in nicky cruz's
- 00:35:04.158 --> 00:35:09.864
- Life where you said, i don't want to touch a pulpit again.
- 00:35:09.864 --> 00:35:13.100
- That's true. and from that low point
- 00:35:13.100 --> 00:35:19.106
- Again, god found you.
- 00:35:19.106 --> 00:35:23.644
- You took yourself to your knees.
- 00:35:23.644 --> 00:35:26.447
- Yeah. no one had to
- 00:35:26.447 --> 00:35:28.649
- Take you to your knees. very sensitive.
- 00:35:28.649 --> 00:35:31.652
- Yeah. you took yourself to your knees.
- 00:35:31.652 --> 00:35:35.022
- Isn't that what a generation needs to know?
- 00:35:35.022 --> 00:35:38.926
- That if you take yourself to your knees, god will not have
- 00:35:38.926 --> 00:35:42.263
- To drive you to your knees.
- 00:35:42.263 --> 00:35:44.532
- You did it yourself, nicky.
- 00:35:44.532 --> 00:35:46.400
- And look what god did with you over all these years.
- 00:35:46.400 --> 00:35:50.004
- I think it's amazing what god allows.
- 00:35:50.004 --> 00:35:53.774
- I had a pastor look at me one day that i was complaining
- 00:35:53.774 --> 00:35:57.311
- About how i was, how i was treated by someone.
- 00:35:57.311 --> 00:36:01.349
- I couldn't believe that this woman did, what she said
- 00:36:01.349 --> 00:36:04.418
- What she said to me. i was just floored.
- 00:36:04.418 --> 00:36:06.354
- And my pastor just gently said, it's amazing what god allows to
- 00:36:06.354 --> 00:36:11.692
- Get you over yourself.
- 00:36:11.692 --> 00:36:13.261
- And i know that god uses
- 00:36:13.261 --> 00:36:17.632
- People in your life, even brothers and sisters in christ,
- 00:36:17.632 --> 00:36:21.602
- To get us to our purpose and destiny.
- 00:36:21.602 --> 00:36:25.439
- And some of that is kind of horrible stuff to walk through
- 00:36:25.439 --> 00:36:29.610
- And to live through.
- 00:36:29.610 --> 00:36:31.646
- Um, but i want to talk to you about transformation.
- 00:36:31.646 --> 00:36:36.117
- I want to talk to you about how
- 00:36:36.117 --> 00:36:37.718
- God transformed your life from sinner
- 00:36:37.718 --> 00:36:44.659
- To saved and preaching the gospel of jesus, and that just
- 00:36:44.659 --> 00:36:49.664
- The transformation that i think a lot of times-- and i'm not
- 00:36:49.664 --> 00:36:54.201
- Sure how to even say this,
- 00:36:54.201 --> 00:36:55.836
- But a lot of times we want to see people
- 00:36:55.836 --> 00:36:59.740
- That commit their life to christ, that say,
- 00:36:59.740 --> 00:37:01.842
- I'm a christian now,
- 00:37:01.842 --> 00:37:03.611
- We want to see a transformation, especially
- 00:37:03.611 --> 00:37:06.447
- If they're in the spotlight at all.
- 00:37:06.447 --> 00:37:08.449
- We want to see this transformation of
- 00:37:08.449 --> 00:37:12.153
- You need to clean up your act.
- 00:37:12.153 --> 00:37:14.889
- You need to, uh-- you know, all the kind of--
- 00:37:14.889 --> 00:37:17.925
- Say whatever you have to say, laurie.
- 00:37:21.162 --> 00:37:23.864
- Um, all the--
- 00:37:23.864 --> 00:37:25.132
- We just want to see everyone clean up their act, i guess,
- 00:37:25.132 --> 00:37:27.902
- Is what i'm trying to say
- 00:37:27.902 --> 00:37:29.170
- And really see god transform because we know he can do it.
- 00:37:29.170 --> 00:37:32.440
- He said to the little adulteress that they threw
- 00:37:32.440 --> 00:37:36.110
- At his feet,
- 00:37:36.110 --> 00:37:38.479
- They said, we want you to condemn her.
- 00:37:38.479 --> 00:37:40.915
- And that's when he said, well, those that haven't sinned,
- 00:37:40.915 --> 00:37:45.686
- Go ahead and you start.
- 00:37:45.686 --> 00:37:48.489
- And then they all just slowly walked away.
- 00:37:48.489 --> 00:37:51.492
- And jesus looked at the lady and he said,
- 00:37:51.492 --> 00:37:53.994
- Where are your accusers?
- 00:37:53.994 --> 00:37:58.399
- And those were the religious people, right?
- 00:37:58.399 --> 00:38:02.336
- Those were the ones that wanted jesus
- 00:38:02.336 --> 00:38:04.071
- To-- the pharisees.
- 00:38:04.071 --> 00:38:05.072
- The pharisees, they were the religious ones.
- 00:38:05.072 --> 00:38:07.308
- Get her, you know, condemn her.
- 00:38:07.308 --> 00:38:09.510
- And he said, neither do i accuse you.
- 00:38:09.510 --> 00:38:11.612
- And then he said, go and sin no more.
- 00:38:11.612 --> 00:38:15.883
- Jesus would have never told her to go and sin no more, had he
- 00:38:15.883 --> 00:38:20.621
- Not given her the power to do that.
- 00:38:20.621 --> 00:38:23.257
- Wow, that's a very-- right?
- 00:38:23.257 --> 00:38:25.726
- It's true. that's because of--
- 00:38:25.726 --> 00:38:30.164
- Because we are-- we are exposed.
- 00:38:30.164 --> 00:38:35.169
- The whole world.
- 00:38:35.169 --> 00:38:37.505
- If you don't live a life close to jesus,
- 00:38:37.505 --> 00:38:41.909
- Sanctification and confession,
- 00:38:41.909 --> 00:38:46.447
- Because every time you feel that you are walking in heaven,
- 00:38:46.447 --> 00:38:50.651
- Sometimes you have to understand that things happen
- 00:38:50.651 --> 00:38:54.121
- In your life.
- 00:38:54.121 --> 00:38:55.389
- It's how you deal with all those things and how,
- 00:38:55.389 --> 00:39:00.594
- Uh, i was so vulnerable that i allowed that thing to hit me,
- 00:39:00.594 --> 00:39:04.865
- But it was needed for me to understand that there is such a
- 00:39:04.865 --> 00:39:10.971
- Thing that you have to watch out.
- 00:39:10.971 --> 00:39:13.207
- The biggest worry of many
- 00:39:13.207 --> 00:39:15.876
- People that are successful is failure.
- 00:39:15.876 --> 00:39:18.612
- Yeah. and to me, i learned,
- 00:39:18.612 --> 00:39:21.949
- I learned in my early stage of my life--
- 00:39:21.949 --> 00:39:25.619
- Yeah. and i learned how to
- 00:39:25.619 --> 00:39:27.721
- Deal with that. yeah.
- 00:39:27.721 --> 00:39:30.090
- And i don't allow everything to-- you know, the only thing
- 00:39:30.090 --> 00:39:34.462
- That can hurt me is my children.
- 00:39:34.462 --> 00:39:37.465
- I want all of them to serve jesus.
- 00:39:37.465 --> 00:39:39.633
- I want all of them to know that there was--
- 00:39:39.633 --> 00:39:43.003
- They grew up with principles, spiritual principles, that if
- 00:39:43.003 --> 00:39:48.042
- You ask me, the question, is longevity.
- 00:39:48.042 --> 00:39:50.711
- That's what i'm living.
- 00:39:50.711 --> 00:39:52.913
- Longevity. and i love my jesus with all my heart.
- 00:39:52.913 --> 00:39:58.252
- And that's the way i want it.
- 00:39:58.252 --> 00:40:00.454
- By the way, when i die, i want, i want that they put
- 00:40:00.454 --> 00:40:03.123
- These words, jesus loves you, nicky cruz.
- 00:40:03.123 --> 00:40:06.494
- Amen. because that's the only thing
- 00:40:06.494 --> 00:40:08.395
- That i have for. i got everything.
- 00:40:08.395 --> 00:40:10.831
- Yeah. and i have nothing.
- 00:40:10.831 --> 00:40:13.200
- And yet he gave me whatever i want.
- 00:40:13.200 --> 00:40:15.469
- That's something because it took that moment to
- 00:40:15.469 --> 00:40:20.774
- Separate me to be what i am today.
- 00:40:20.774 --> 00:40:24.078
- Do you see
- 00:40:24.078 --> 00:40:25.312
- That moment, though, that you confessed in front of that
- 00:40:25.312 --> 00:40:29.116
- Crowd is a pivotal moment in your life?
- 00:40:29.116 --> 00:40:32.152
- It feels that way to me, nicky,
- 00:40:32.152 --> 00:40:34.922
- That there was a moment where
- 00:40:34.922 --> 00:40:36.757
- You did not have to disclose that.
- 00:40:36.757 --> 00:40:39.326
- And you did.
- 00:40:39.326 --> 00:40:40.427
- And you confessed before god and the people.
- 00:40:40.427 --> 00:40:44.231
- Yes, i did.
- 00:40:44.231 --> 00:40:45.432
- Stood, and god used you and took you around the world.
- 00:40:45.432 --> 00:40:49.436
- Was that a pivotal moment?
- 00:40:49.436 --> 00:40:51.238
- I believe, i believe that,
- 00:40:51.238 --> 00:40:56.977
- That i had to go through that process
- 00:40:56.977 --> 00:41:00.614
- Because if i didn't, i'd not be here.
- 00:41:00.614 --> 00:41:05.119
- I'd be dead.
- 00:41:05.119 --> 00:41:07.388
- Wow. i would have.
- 00:41:07.388 --> 00:41:08.556
- Why do you say this?
- 00:41:08.556 --> 00:41:09.857
- Because i'd go back to the old time and began to curse jesus.
- 00:41:09.857 --> 00:41:14.662
- Wow.
- 00:41:14.662 --> 00:41:15.729
- And that is is not in my vocabulary.
- 00:41:15.729 --> 00:41:19.567
- That moment, that moment,
- 00:41:19.567 --> 00:41:23.504
- It was planned by the holy spirit for me to go through
- 00:41:23.504 --> 00:41:27.308
- That situation and to see, as i
- 00:41:27.308 --> 00:41:31.078
- Saw about a thousand people there.
- 00:41:31.078 --> 00:41:35.215
- And i looked
- 00:41:35.215 --> 00:41:38.218
- And i said, nicky, you have to be honest.
- 00:41:38.218 --> 00:41:41.322
- Wow. you got to be honest.
- 00:41:41.322 --> 00:41:43.390
- But it took the accusation--
- 00:41:43.390 --> 00:41:46.393
- To drive him.
- 00:41:46.393 --> 00:41:47.728
- It took all of those things.
- 00:41:47.728 --> 00:41:49.763
- That was all the stuff that god used to get you to where
- 00:41:49.763 --> 00:41:53.334
- You were going.
- 00:41:53.334 --> 00:41:54.268
- Well, it was very hard for me to leave
- 00:41:54.268 --> 00:41:55.970
- Teen challenge. i loved what i was doing.
- 00:41:55.970 --> 00:41:59.406
- But let's be honest, it was the holy spirit who pushed me
- 00:41:59.406 --> 00:42:03.010
- Out for this calling that i had.
- 00:42:03.010 --> 00:42:05.713
- I had to go to that process to understand that in this life
- 00:42:05.713 --> 00:42:09.984
- Depends on jesus christ.
- 00:42:09.984 --> 00:42:11.986
- Uh, you know, one of the things that i--
- 00:42:11.986 --> 00:42:16.490
- That sometimes i feel myself-- this is personal.
- 00:42:16.490 --> 00:42:21.729
- Uh, i feel that i'm not worth it,
- 00:42:21.729 --> 00:42:25.032
- What i'm doing.
- 00:42:25.032 --> 00:42:27.034
- I don't know how to take it.
- 00:42:27.034 --> 00:42:28.802
- You're a man of god, do this, and that
- 00:42:28.802 --> 00:42:30.904
- Embarrassed me. and a lot of people
- 00:42:30.904 --> 00:42:34.575
- They put you on that pedestal, and that
- 00:42:34.575 --> 00:42:36.944
- Embarrassed me.
- 00:42:36.944 --> 00:42:38.212
- And i'll be honest, this is a naked truth.
- 00:42:38.212 --> 00:42:42.583
- Yeah. that i feel that
- 00:42:42.583 --> 00:42:52.159
- The kingdom of heaven has been abused.
- 00:42:52.159 --> 00:42:54.695
- Mhm. there are a lot of abuses.
- 00:42:54.695 --> 00:42:59.433
- There are a lot of people there for themselves.
- 00:42:59.433 --> 00:43:03.370
- And we don't get ready of that
- 00:43:03.370 --> 00:43:06.640
- Thing and clean up of that thing,
- 00:43:06.640 --> 00:43:08.809
- We are going to be the
- 00:43:08.809 --> 00:43:09.910
- Miserable preacher in this earth
- 00:43:09.910 --> 00:43:12.980
- Because we should know the truth.
- 00:43:12.980 --> 00:43:15.382
- And you know why they cry now,
- 00:43:15.382 --> 00:43:16.684
- All those people that listen to these pastors and evangelists
- 00:43:16.684 --> 00:43:19.987
- And everything, especially the churches?
- 00:43:19.987 --> 00:43:23.190
- Tell me the truth.
- 00:43:23.190 --> 00:43:25.993
- I just want to know the truth about this jesus.
- 00:43:25.993 --> 00:43:30.130
- I heard so many things, so many people
- 00:43:30.130 --> 00:43:35.402
- Leaving the living the gospel.
- 00:43:35.402 --> 00:43:38.939
- And i heard so many ministers living a double life.
- 00:43:38.939 --> 00:43:43.377
- Yeah.
- 00:43:43.377 --> 00:43:46.680
- Talking about theology that god never heard about it.
- 00:43:46.680 --> 00:43:52.853
- And then go over there and, you know, think that they can
- 00:43:52.853 --> 00:43:57.024
- Change the whole world in 20 minutes?
- 00:43:57.024 --> 00:43:59.326
- Yeah. it take me 86 years.
- 00:43:59.326 --> 00:44:03.864
- Yeah, it's 86 years
- 00:44:03.864 --> 00:44:09.269
- To stand for jesus christ,
- 00:44:09.269 --> 00:44:11.271
- To confess my sin. yeah.
- 00:44:11.271 --> 00:44:13.574
- To suppress that pride.
- 00:44:16.443 --> 00:44:18.345
- Mhm. to surrender.
- 00:44:18.345 --> 00:44:20.881
- Yes. yes.
- 00:44:20.881 --> 00:44:22.182
- To surrender.
- 00:44:22.182 --> 00:44:23.450
- You know, when i was in south africa, i thought i spoke to
- 00:44:23.450 --> 00:44:26.353
- 17,000 in johannesburg students.
- 00:44:26.353 --> 00:44:30.090
- And they make me do make an altar call.
- 00:44:30.090 --> 00:44:33.360
- And thousands came forward.
- 00:44:33.360 --> 00:44:35.129
- And then i went to my hotel.
- 00:44:35.129 --> 00:44:37.464
- I had no eat.
- 00:44:40.267 --> 00:44:42.202
- I had to call downstairs to bring me room service.
- 00:44:42.202 --> 00:44:47.040
- And what happened to me? i feel empty.
- 00:44:47.040 --> 00:44:51.211
- I feel lonely.
- 00:44:51.211 --> 00:44:52.412
- I miss gloria, i miss my daughters.
- 00:44:52.412 --> 00:44:56.583
- I miss my friends.
- 00:44:56.583 --> 00:44:58.852
- And here i just was, in the midst of this,
- 00:44:58.852 --> 00:45:01.455
- Thousands of people.
- 00:45:01.455 --> 00:45:02.856
- And you're here in this hotel,
- 00:45:02.856 --> 00:45:06.093
- In this room crying?
- 00:45:06.093 --> 00:45:10.264
- Pick up the bible to read to and read one,
- 00:45:10.264 --> 00:45:14.501
- One of the psalms.
- 00:45:14.501 --> 00:45:17.371
- And then just like this, i fall asleep on my bible.
- 00:45:17.371 --> 00:45:20.274
- When i wake up, it's on the floor?
- 00:45:20.274 --> 00:45:24.011
- He put me to sleep.
- 00:45:24.011 --> 00:45:27.381
- I got my baby. he know how to take care of us.
- 00:45:27.381 --> 00:45:31.185
- Yes he does.
- 00:45:31.185 --> 00:45:32.286
- Because he went through that himself.
- 00:45:32.286 --> 00:45:34.388
- Yeah. there's nothing you can say,
- 00:45:34.388 --> 00:45:37.090
- Like oh, i'm the only person who gone through this.
- 00:45:37.090 --> 00:45:39.793
- Yeah. my jesus went through all of that and worse.
- 00:45:39.793 --> 00:45:43.096
- Yeah.
- 00:45:43.096 --> 00:45:44.998
- But at 86, you're sitting across from us.
- 00:45:44.998 --> 00:45:47.434
- Here again.
- 00:45:47.434 --> 00:45:48.735
- With a smile on your face, and you're you're able to do what
- 00:45:48.735 --> 00:45:55.209
- And understand what god did for you.
- 00:45:55.209 --> 00:45:57.845
- He found you in new york, took you around the world.
- 00:45:57.845 --> 00:46:01.615
- You surrendered your life again, anew and afresh, year
- 00:46:01.615 --> 00:46:05.252
- After year after year.
- 00:46:05.252 --> 00:46:07.421
- And what would be the most amazing thing is if one more
- 00:46:07.421 --> 00:46:13.360
- Time you would look into our camera, just like in the 80s
- 00:46:13.360 --> 00:46:18.632
- When it was paul and jan crouch, you sat across from paul and
- 00:46:18.632 --> 00:46:23.503
- Jan crouch times many, many, many times,
- 00:46:23.503 --> 00:46:27.474
- And if you would just look into our camera and invite people to receive
- 00:46:27.474 --> 00:46:33.747
- That jesus that found you in new york
- 00:46:33.747 --> 00:46:36.250
- City all those years ago.
- 00:46:36.250 --> 00:46:38.552
- I just want to say that i'm so happy to be here.
- 00:46:38.552 --> 00:46:42.823
- This i wasn't expecting this type of interview.
- 00:46:42.823 --> 00:46:46.927
- And you got to be honest, you cannot cover heaven with the
- 00:46:50.530 --> 00:46:54.668
- Palm of your hands.
- 00:46:54.668 --> 00:46:57.771
- I have to say that the greatest
- 00:46:57.771 --> 00:47:00.140
- Moments in this life is to be free
- 00:47:00.140 --> 00:47:04.478
- From those burdens that you carry and that loneliness and
- 00:47:04.478 --> 00:47:08.682
- Insecurity and uncertainty and depressions.
- 00:47:08.682 --> 00:47:12.586
- And i tell you, and sometimes you can smell death.
- 00:47:12.586 --> 00:47:17.357
- And sometimes you want to die.
- 00:47:17.357 --> 00:47:20.494
- But the thing is that we forgot that
- 00:47:20.494 --> 00:47:24.264
- We are all different.
- 00:47:24.264 --> 00:47:26.266
- We are different.
- 00:47:26.266 --> 00:47:28.468
- We are different human beings.
- 00:47:28.468 --> 00:47:31.004
- God didn't make us the same.
- 00:47:31.004 --> 00:47:33.373
- Something different.
- 00:47:33.373 --> 00:47:34.641
- We might look like somebody,
- 00:47:34.641 --> 00:47:36.510
- Yes, but there's something that in that person that you cannot
- 00:47:36.510 --> 00:47:40.881
- Detect that is different because he makes us different.
- 00:47:40.881 --> 00:47:45.385
- And to me, the greatest moments of my life,
- 00:47:45.385 --> 00:47:48.455
- Guess what? forgiveness.
- 00:47:48.455 --> 00:47:53.260
- Not only god forgive my sins, not only he cleanse my hands
- 00:47:53.260 --> 00:47:59.766
- That were full of blood,
- 00:47:59.766 --> 00:48:01.668
- Not only that he came into my
- 00:48:01.668 --> 00:48:03.570
- Heart and just kissed my pains away,
- 00:48:03.570 --> 00:48:07.341
- Not only that he took me like like being into the hospital
- 00:48:07.341 --> 00:48:11.511
- And could see myself walk in and see the doctor
- 00:48:11.511 --> 00:48:14.948
- Running to try to save my life because i'm wounded.
- 00:48:14.948 --> 00:48:19.987
- I'm close to die,
- 00:48:19.987 --> 00:48:21.521
- And here i see the doctor,
- 00:48:21.521 --> 00:48:23.623
- Jesus christ, coming to my rescue.
- 00:48:23.623 --> 00:48:26.626
- And then he tells me, close your eyes.
- 00:48:26.626 --> 00:48:29.096
- I close my eyes.
- 00:48:29.096 --> 00:48:30.697
- Then i feel that he came in. i'm here.
- 00:48:30.697 --> 00:48:34.101
- I'm talking like, let's,
- 00:48:34.101 --> 00:48:35.469
- Let's go to the hospital.
- 00:48:35.469 --> 00:48:37.337
- And here he opened on my chest,
- 00:48:37.337 --> 00:48:40.007
- Pulled his hands all the way out,
- 00:48:40.007 --> 00:48:43.176
- I see my heart beating and dropping right on the floor.
- 00:48:43.176 --> 00:48:47.647
- And then i see him just--
- 00:48:47.647 --> 00:48:52.886
- I see my heart beating in his hands.
- 00:48:52.886 --> 00:48:56.023
- And then he got close and he kissed my heart.
- 00:48:56.023 --> 00:49:00.694
- And then he put my heart back, closed to my chest.
- 00:49:00.694 --> 00:49:06.700
- Wake up.
- 00:49:06.700 --> 00:49:08.769
- I was born again.
- 00:49:08.769 --> 00:49:10.837
- I was a new creature.
- 00:49:10.837 --> 00:49:12.706
- I got a new heart.
- 00:49:12.706 --> 00:49:14.341
- I got a new mind.
- 00:49:14.341 --> 00:49:16.076
- I got a destiny to meet.
- 00:49:16.076 --> 00:49:18.078
- It's to see jesus christ face to face.
- 00:49:18.078 --> 00:49:20.881
- I'm here to tell you that jesus loves you.
- 00:49:20.881 --> 00:49:24.718
- That jesus had the power to help you with your family, with
- 00:49:24.718 --> 00:49:28.221
- Your marriage, with your children, because the world is
- 00:49:28.221 --> 00:49:31.625
- Going crazy.
- 00:49:31.625 --> 00:49:33.727
- Don't be part of that world.
- 00:49:33.727 --> 00:49:36.163
- There's a christ that is the one we call
- 00:49:36.163 --> 00:49:41.735
- The prince of peace.
- 00:49:41.735 --> 00:49:45.238
- That is the one who sleep with me and walk with me.
- 00:49:45.238 --> 00:49:50.243
- That's the message.
- 00:49:50.243 --> 00:49:51.878
- Jesus loves you.
- 00:49:51.878 --> 00:49:53.914
- You turn your life to him.
- 00:49:53.914 --> 00:49:56.116
- It's not easy because it wasn't easy when i got converted.
- 00:49:56.116 --> 00:50:01.755
- It wasn't easy, by the way.
- 00:50:01.755 --> 00:50:03.723
- Four days after my conversion, i came out from church and
- 00:50:03.723 --> 00:50:07.527
- Boom, i got stabbed.
- 00:50:07.527 --> 00:50:09.362
- I had my bible in my hands.
- 00:50:09.362 --> 00:50:12.099
- Do i leave jesus?
- 00:50:12.099 --> 00:50:14.568
- No. i entered the hospital for two days, and in that hospital
- 00:50:14.568 --> 00:50:18.805
- There was an old man that read in
- 00:50:18.805 --> 00:50:21.374
- The papers that about my conversion.
- 00:50:21.374 --> 00:50:24.311
- And i was-- my bed was close to him.
- 00:50:24.311 --> 00:50:27.414
- And he said, are you that
- 00:50:27.414 --> 00:50:29.149
- Young, young kid that got converted
- 00:50:29.149 --> 00:50:33.687
- That that that i read that you changed?
- 00:50:33.687 --> 00:50:38.425
- I didn't know how to say because i didn't know how to
- 00:50:38.425 --> 00:50:41.027
- Deal with a situation like that.
- 00:50:41.027 --> 00:50:42.863
- And i told him, yes.
- 00:50:42.863 --> 00:50:45.599
- And your name is nicky, right?
- 00:50:45.599 --> 00:50:47.601
- I said yes.
- 00:50:47.601 --> 00:50:50.670
- Pray for me.
- 00:50:50.670 --> 00:50:51.938
- I didn't know how to pray.
- 00:50:51.938 --> 00:50:54.975
- He asked me for the impossible.
- 00:50:54.975 --> 00:50:58.612
- I wasn't educated about how to pray,
- 00:50:58.612 --> 00:51:01.348
- When to pray.
- 00:51:01.348 --> 00:51:02.549
- No.
- 00:51:02.549 --> 00:51:04.451
- I just told him what wilkinson told me.
- 00:51:04.451 --> 00:51:08.121
- Jesus loves you and the man start crying.
- 00:51:08.121 --> 00:51:12.926
- So the message it works.
- 00:51:12.926 --> 00:51:16.496
- That's true, jesus christ
- 00:51:16.496 --> 00:51:19.199
- Like in the movie the cross and the switchblade
- 00:51:19.199 --> 00:51:21.902
- Jesus love nicky cruz.
- 00:51:21.902 --> 00:51:28.141
- For 53 years now, tbn has been sharing that same message.
- 00:51:28.141 --> 00:51:33.547
- Yes. for all these years, nicky cruz has been saying the
- 00:51:33.547 --> 00:51:36.650
- Same thing, jesus loves you.
- 00:51:36.650 --> 00:51:38.685
- Yes, that's what we do,
- 00:51:38.685 --> 00:51:41.021
- Nicky, sometimes people
- 00:51:41.021 --> 00:51:44.124
- Don't know how to pray.
- 00:51:44.124 --> 00:51:45.926
- Maybe lead somebody in a short little prayer of salvation that,
- 00:51:45.926 --> 00:51:50.597
- That is really for them more to to understand what's happening.
- 00:51:50.597 --> 00:51:55.435
- Just lead them in a prayer.
- 00:51:55.435 --> 00:51:58.972
- Sweet jesus of the bible,
- 00:51:58.972 --> 00:52:03.376
- We thank you for coming to this earth.
- 00:52:03.376 --> 00:52:07.280
- Thank you that you
- 00:52:07.280 --> 00:52:11.551
- Were so unselfish
- 00:52:11.551 --> 00:52:14.754
- That you lay your life for nobody like myself, for nobody
- 00:52:14.754 --> 00:52:20.493
- Like those who in this moment think that there's somebody but
- 00:52:20.493 --> 00:52:24.264
- They are sad inside.
- 00:52:24.264 --> 00:52:27.300
- I pray that you have, oh, jesus, the power of forgiving,
- 00:52:27.300 --> 00:52:32.505
- Forgiving sin.
- 00:52:32.505 --> 00:52:34.207
- I pray that you will come in right now, in this specific
- 00:52:34.207 --> 00:52:39.079
- Moment, and touch the heart that is so full of loneliness,
- 00:52:39.079 --> 00:52:46.419
- A burden they are carrying when you can take it in your hands.
- 00:52:46.419 --> 00:52:51.958
- I pray for the spirit of salvation.
- 00:52:51.958 --> 00:52:54.928
- I pray, i pray that right now
- 00:52:54.928 --> 00:52:56.596
- You surrounded every, every place.
- 00:52:56.596 --> 00:52:59.332
- When these people
- 00:52:59.332 --> 00:53:01.801
- Are listening to this prayer, touch their life.
- 00:53:01.801 --> 00:53:07.374
- Let a miracle take place, a resurrection.
- 00:53:07.374 --> 00:53:14.180
- The same thing that happened to nicky cruz,
- 00:53:14.180 --> 00:53:17.450
- It can happen to you.
- 00:53:17.450 --> 00:53:19.386
- In jesus' name, amen.
- 00:53:19.386 --> 00:53:21.788
- Amen. amen.
- 00:53:21.788 --> 00:53:23.757
- Wow. um,
- 00:53:23.757 --> 00:53:27.294
- Feels like that's the only thing you get excited about is
- 00:53:27.294 --> 00:53:30.397
- Just getting to share your story,
- 00:53:30.397 --> 00:53:33.266
- Getting to see lives change,
- 00:53:33.266 --> 00:53:35.302
- Getting that that that feeling i, i,
- 00:53:35.302 --> 00:53:40.040
- I have a deeper appreciation of
- 00:53:40.040 --> 00:53:42.776
- You because of this conversation.
- 00:53:42.776 --> 00:53:46.012
- I knew the highlights.
- 00:53:46.012 --> 00:53:48.915
- I can-- anybody can google the highlights of who you are.
- 00:53:48.915 --> 00:53:52.819
- Um, but until they've invested in this time with us, they
- 00:53:52.819 --> 00:53:58.058
- Didn't know that you had felt like unworthy.
- 00:53:58.058 --> 00:54:03.263
- They didn't know you had felt, you know, betrayed,
- 00:54:03.263 --> 00:54:06.099
- They didn't know you--
- 00:54:06.099 --> 00:54:07.434
- And here you are at the end of
- 00:54:07.434 --> 00:54:09.869
- Life, smiling, leading people to--
- 00:54:09.869 --> 00:54:13.440
- You didn't quit. you kept going.
- 00:54:13.440 --> 00:54:15.175
- You didn't stop. i love you for that.
- 00:54:15.175 --> 00:54:17.644
- Thank you, laurie.
- 00:54:17.644 --> 00:54:18.678
- Look at all the lives that have been changed
- 00:54:18.678 --> 00:54:20.380
- Around the world because you didn't stop,
- 00:54:20.380 --> 00:54:23.183
- Because you didn't quit, that you finally said yes,
- 00:54:23.183 --> 00:54:26.019
- Because god had to make you hungry enough to say yes.
- 00:54:26.019 --> 00:54:30.190
- I had no idea you had been accused of--
- 00:54:30.190 --> 00:54:33.993
- All things-- of messing with a 6'2 woman.
- 00:54:33.993 --> 00:54:37.297
- That was news to me.
- 00:54:37.297 --> 00:54:39.999
- I had to put a big chair. chihuahua.
- 00:54:39.999 --> 00:54:43.303
- Why do you have to read that?
- 00:54:43.303 --> 00:54:46.773
- Of course.
- 00:54:46.773 --> 00:54:48.208
- Like, my wife's laugh like that you had to bring a chair
- 00:54:48.208 --> 00:54:51.544
- Like this to grab.
- 00:54:51.544 --> 00:54:55.382
- Oh my gosh.
- 00:54:55.382 --> 00:54:56.850
- So that's that's that's--
- 00:54:56.850 --> 00:55:00.253
- Thank you.
- 00:55:00.253 --> 00:55:01.354
- That's the first time this has been public anyway.
- 00:55:01.354 --> 00:55:03.623
- Thank you for your life. thank you, laurie.
- 00:55:03.623 --> 00:55:05.892
- Thank you for loving jesus like you.
- 00:55:05.892 --> 00:55:07.894
- Before we go,
- 00:55:07.894 --> 00:55:09.596
- Revisit this book.
- 00:55:09.596 --> 00:55:12.165
- It's evangelism 101.
- 00:55:12.165 --> 00:55:14.801
- It's a life in jesus.
- 00:55:14.801 --> 00:55:16.870
- And nicky cruz, jamie buckingham.
- 00:55:16.870 --> 00:55:20.707
- What a saint he was,
- 00:55:20.707 --> 00:55:22.876
- On tbn so many times.
- 00:55:22.876 --> 00:55:24.878
- And, uh, introduction by somebody.
- 00:55:24.878 --> 00:55:27.447
- I've heard of billy graham.
- 00:55:27.447 --> 00:55:29.382
- So thank you for being with us, nicky.
- 00:55:29.382 --> 00:55:31.818
- Run, baby, run! available,
- 00:55:31.818 --> 00:55:33.653
- Uh, little, little organization called amazon
- 00:55:33.653 --> 00:55:36.389
- You could probably find it on.
- 00:55:36.389 --> 00:55:37.991
- And, uh, millions in publication.
- 00:55:37.991 --> 00:55:41.728
- Run, baby, run!
- 00:55:41.728 --> 00:55:42.762
- The life of nicky cruz.
- 00:55:42.762 --> 00:55:44.564
- Thank you for being with us today.
- 00:55:44.564 --> 00:55:46.299
- Thank you. love you.
- 00:55:46.299 --> 00:55:47.667
- We'll see you next time. bye bye.
- 00:55:47.667 --> 00:55:47.667
