Miraculous! 700 Club with Torben Søndergaard - June, 2019

Welcome to this show. We often tell you
stories about people come to Christ,

or today we're going to show you the
moment of former NFL football player,

heard the gospel, accepted Christ,
got baptized in water and then received

the Holy Spirit.

Before you see this, you might remember
a Danish evangelist we've had on this show

before, Torben Sondergaard. Torben was
invited to the home of Ikaika Alama-Francis.

Ikaika once played for the Detroit Lions,
the Miami Dolphins and the San Francisco 49ers.

In this video you'll see Torben share
the good news with him

and you'll see Ikaika's response. What
you're about to see is real. Take a look.

My name is Ikaika Alama-Francis and
I was labeled my whole life as a sports guy.

Played sports my whole life, as a little kid,
growing up in Hawaii, born and raised,

so I had the chance to see a lot of
sunshine days and living under, you know,

the umbrella a lot, on the beach.
But life has took me in so many turns

through my sports that I identified
just as a sports person.

And, you know, I had the blessing to play
professional sports at the highest level.

I played for the Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins
and the San Francisco 49ers.

And now settled back here in Florida.
I've had the chance to experience

some really crazy and amazing things.
But there was something missing

in my life always. I always felt that was
something missing.

And I didn't know what it was.
And from myself growing up,

I believed in Jesus Christ. You know,
I grew up in the Catholic Church.

You know, several things happened
to me, but I was always known as a sports guy.

Just Ike - the sports guy. And football,
if you don't know, it's a very aggressive sport.

You do a lot of damage to not only your body,
but you hurt a lot of other people, along the way.

And we see guys there are suffering,
you know what I mean,

just not only football players, but the wives,
the children.

I mean, they are really suffering because
the man has to really take control

of his actions and what he is doing.

The crazy thing about it is everybody
glorified me and say: Hey, Ike,

you do a such a great job. I remember that:
Hit you put on that guy.

I remember all the damage you were
doing on that guy and they praised me for it.

But it's so crazy, every time I'd go home
I'd still have this empty feeling in my heart.

No matter how many people told me
they love me, I had this empty feeling

inside of me.

And you get blinded by a lot of things.
You get blinded by money,

you get blinded by fame,
you get blinded by...

it was almost fake love.
And...

The hardest thing for me was finding my
identity as a human being, while playing sports.

And, like I said, I was just a football guy.
Hey, man, you're the football player.

I didn't want to be identified as that
because after my career was over

I had a life to live. And the hardest part
that I had to learn was finding who I was

in this world, other than sports.

You know, if you play chess, that game is like:
you move and then is my turn,

and then is your turn, and is my turn. But I'm
not allowed to suddenly move three times.

I'm only allowed to move one time and wait
for it becomes my turn again.

The same way is with God. You have sinned.
You have done wrong. We've all done wrong.

But you have sinned. And the things you have
done have been a bad move.

That was not good. God looked down and
said: I love you. I want to save you.

So I send my son Jesus to die for you.
Which turn is it now? It's your turn.

God is not just going to save you automatically.
He have done everything He should do -

He sent His Son Jesus to die for you,
for everyone. But now it's our turn to move.

When I would hurt more people or I'd do
more great things, they give you more money.

And at the time, right here, like:
Man, money to me was success.

Like everybody portraits it: Money is success.

If you don't have money you don't have success.

Oh, if you are not rich, then you won't have
all the nicest cars, the biggest houses.

You are not successful. So I fell into the trap
where I gotta have the nicest car.

I gotta have the biggest house.
Oh, I gotta hurt more people because

the more people I hurt, the more money
they're gonna give me.

But guess what? The emptier I felt.
And money really changed me as a human being.

It changed me as a person. And I hate to say:
I hate money now.

My wife always tells me, you know: Every time
we have no money you're the happiest person

in the world, but every time we have money
something comes out of you.

I don't know if it's a demon, or the devil.
What?

But we have to understand that money is a
useful tool, but it should be nothing that we praise.

Jesus came here on earth, but where we have all
falling, He walked here around us without falling.

Where we fall in sexual sin, in lust, in lie,
in stealing, in worshiping other gods,

in having idols - He didn't.
He was the only man without sin.

When He was around 30 years old
He got baptized.

When He came out the water the Holy Spirit
came over Him as a dove.

And from that day on He was walking around
here, preaching the gospel of the Kingdom,

healing the sick, casting out demons, telling
people what they need to do,

that you need to repent and then be born again
out of water and spirit.

To turn away from your sins.
Follow Him as His disciples.

I'm sorry for my sins...
I'm sorry for my sins...

I'm sorry for what I've done...
I'm sorry for what I've done...

for those people I've hurt...
for those people I've hurt...

I repent...
I repent...

And I ask You...
And I ask You...

Set me free...
Set me free...

God, I thank You for this family.
God, we thank You for what You're doing, God.

Thank You for Your Holy Spirit, God.

Hallelujah!
(tongues)

...really whiteness, I saw a light.
I felt everything coming into me.

- The Holy Spirit.
- Oh my God!

- It's a new life!
- Yes! Yes!

- Yes!
- Yes! Yes, Jesus!

The old Ike is going to be buried. He's going
to die and you are going to rise up

and it's no longer you who live but Christ.
Christ in you. And it's a new beginning.

- Are you ready?
- I am ready!

Are you ready to see your husband die
and a new man rise up?

So, on your own faith we baptize you
to Jesus Christ. Bend down.

Die with Christ. Rise up with Christ.
(tongues)

The old thing is gone. Something new
have started. Sin is washed away.

The old thing is gone. It's broken, it's over,
is out. Hallelujah! (tongues)

It's exciting, but there's a process to
everything.

For myself, football, my life is a process.
But now, my new life is a process.

So, every day: how do I get better,
like I really everything to sports.

And my coach used to say:
Bang on the rock. It may be a big rock.

You may never break it, but keep
banging against that rock.

And I'm gonna take that same mentality
that I have with sports

and I'll put it to Jesus Christ.
I'm gonna keep banging on that rock.

I'm gonna keep fighting for Him.
I'm gonna keep fighting, I'm gonna keep fighting,

no matter what comes about.
I'm gonna keep fighting, keep fighting,

keep fighting, because my life is worth it.
And guess what?

Other people's lives that I hope
I can save in the future.

I hope they can feel the same thing that
I feel in this moment and right now.

Cause I've never felt the level of comfort
like this before in my life.

And it's an amazing feeling.

And the Holy Spirit, I believe, is the only thing
that can really help anybody do that.

Did you hear him? I've never felt this level
of comfort before in my life.

Because he had an encounter with God
of all comfort.

That what the Holy Spirit is very name.
The Comforter.

And He comes to you to let you know
you're not alone, not alone in the universe.

He's there. You were made
to have a relationship with Him.

You were made to be in constant fellowship
with God almighty.

He wants to be your all in all.
He wants to be your Father.

He wants to be your Savior.
He wants to be your Comforter.

You don't have to convince Him of that.
You don't have to argue with Him,

you don't have to bargain with Him.
The bargain has already been made.

He's already made His move.
How much more do you want God to do

than to send His only begotten Son
to die for you? To say: I'll take your place.

I'll suffer all the consequences of
everything you've ever done wrong.

I'll take it all. Why will I do that?
Because you are my child and I love you.

And I want to reverse everything
that you ever done wrong.

So that you can be with me and you can
have righteousness, peace and joy again.

Now, you saw the steps that Torben took
and what he said.

Right now, if you want to experience this,
if you want to have the same experience,

all you have to do is take the same steps.