By Jordan M. Tew, Executive Director • Baptist Publishing House
Last week, we all experienced pain and shock upon learning about the assassination of Charlie Kirk. There is no way I can adequately discuss all the ways his life and death have impacted the people of our nation. Believers, in particular, seem to feel the sting of his death, while also sensing a burden to do more for the kingdom of God. There appears to be an ever-growing realization that the Lord is using this tragedy to awaken the lost to salvation, lead people to return to church and prompt believers to consider how they can serve the Lord and proclaim His gospel.
I’ve certainly felt a reawakening in my own heart. I feel compelled to be bolder for Christ, to evangelize and to minister more. I do not believe I am alone in these feelings. I cannot fully explain it. All I can say is that it feels like God flipped a switch within me, and I have a greater sense of urgency and passion in my heart to serve the Lord. Fellow Christian, do you feel this way too? I have spent the weekend praying and thinking, and I believe I have some helpful things to share:
• This is ultimately all about Jesus. While Charlie Kirk was known as a political activist, he was also known as a very clear and steady proclaimer of the gospel. We can certainly be grateful for his impact on American politics and for effecting positive and biblical changes in our society. However, if he were only a political activist, we would not grieve as we all have. No, my friends, we are mourning the way that we are because we know that a brother in Christ was killed because he followed the Lord. I am convinced that this brother died as a martyr.
I, personally, have not felt this way since the death of Cassie Bernall at Columbine High School in 1999. You may remember that she was asked if she believed in God, to which she answered, “Yes.” She was then shot in the head after declaring her faith to her shooter. The pain I felt in my heart then is the same as the pain I feel in my heart today. In a strange way, it feels like the death of a loved one, even though we never met.
Some may be tempted to make this issue a matter of politics. Others may make this tragedy all about Charlie Kirk. However, this is truly all about Jesus. He must receive the glory from any good that comes out of this tragedy. We must confess the glorious truth that God is sovereign in both good and bad times. He does no evil, but He certainly exercises His power over evil to bring about good and to glorify Himself. If we miss the fact that this is, ultimately, all about Christ, then we will fail to find any good that may come from this, and we will fail to see God’s hand in it.
• It is time for action. As I mentioned earlier, I have felt a fire in my soul that I haven’t felt in a long time. It feels very similar to when I was first called to ministry. Again, I do not believe I am alone in this. It seems to me that the Lord is using this horrendous event to awaken His people to the seriousness of the gospel work that has been entrusted to us. We must preach the gospel. We must share the message of Jesus with our neighbors. We must serve the Lord. We must teach our children about the Bible. We have spent too many years letting time pass us by. It feels like we have been in a daze, but we are waking up now. Friends, it is time to work hard for Jesus, to count the cost and to never look back.
We must renew our dedication and efforts to reach the young for Christ. I will be the first to admit that I have not done a good enough job over the years to reach young men and women with the gospel. I want that to change. I want to do more. By God’s grace, I will do more.
The assassination of Charlie Kirk showed us all that there is a very real war for the hearts and minds of our children. Satan wants to deceive and destroy them. Can I preach for a minute? Many churches have done a good job of entertaining young adults while focusing their ministries on their parents and grandparents. Many churches have neglected to teach young people how to read their Bibles, pray earnestly, understand doctrine, develop a Christian worldview and evangelize. Is it any wonder that college campuses often eat our young people alive?
These are the people to whom Charlie Kirk proclaimed biblical truth and the gospel of Jesus. I can’t help but wonder how many of these college students were failed by the local church as teenagers. Were they ever preached to? Were they ever loved? Were they ever taught God’s Word? When these young adults arrived on their college campuses, was there a church there to proclaim the gospel to them?
Friends, it is time to be reawakened to the seriousness of the Great Commission of our Lord. We must open our eyes to the dire need for Bible-saturated and gospel-saturated ministry to young men and women. They are being radicalized against Christ. We must seek to win them and radicalize them for Christ.
• Political change is not the final goal. If all we learn from this tragedy is that we need to do a better job of voting and being politically engaged, then we will miss out on the greater good. All believers should be good citizens, vote according to biblical principles and strive to establish godly standards in their communities. However, political change is not the greatest or final goal. You see, someone may learn that life is precious and marriage is sacred, but unless the gospel has changed their hearts, they will spend eternity in Hell. Their outward lives may appear good and decent, but their hearts remain dead and lost.
We must keep the proclamation of the gospel as our primary goal. When we are consistent and bold with our gospel witness and live gospel-filled lives, then true change will occur all around us. Our families and our nation need an inside-out change. The gospel is the only means by which this can occur. Charlie Kirk understood this, and we would be wise to understand this, too.
• Be cautious of ecumenism. In times like these, it is tempting to look around and see who we stand shoulder to shoulder with. I have seen both Christians and non-Christians support Charlie Kirk while he was living and express heartache since his death. Tragedies have a way of bringing people together. That can be good, but we must be careful about those to whom we unite ourselves. Just because we may share political views with those from other groups does not mean that we can endorse the things they believe and teach. By doing so, we convey to the world that truth is relative and that the gospel is open to interpretation. Jesus made it clear that He alone is the way, the truth, and the life, and no man can come to the Father except by Him (John 14:6). Therefore, we cannot blur the lines between those who affirm the biblical gospel and those who do not (such as Mormons, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, etc.). Stand firm on the gospel of Jesus and sound doctrine.
• Commit to biblical ministry. You may be asking, “How can I make a difference in my world for Christ?” It can be tempting to look for ways to make the message of Jesus more impactful. We must not do this. The power to change hearts and minds and raise the dead to life is the gospel itself. We cannot improve upon perfection. If you want to see individuals, families and communities change, then commit to gospel ministry. Look to God’s Word for examples and commands concerning the message and methods that God has ordained. I promise God’s ways are better and more effective than anything we can imagine.
A key example of this is found in Heb. 10:22-25. In this passage, we see that the gospel has transformed the people who are now part of a local church (10:22), that they are commanded to “hold fast” to their profession of faith (10:23), to stir up their fellow believers unto love and good works (10:24) and that they are to be present in their local church and encourage their fellow church members more and more as the return of Christ draws near (10:25). We would do well to follow and prioritize this pattern of ministry today.
• Guard your heart. In our sinfulness, we may harden our hearts against those who are celebrating Charlie Kirk’s death. We can, and I believe we should, have righteous indignation and disgust at the evil that is being spewed by so many. However, we must not let hatred prevent us from preaching the gospel to these people. God is going to save some of them. He has a long track record of saving the wicked — even those who cheer at the death of believers. Just think about the Apostle Paul!
If the Lord has lit a fire in your heart this past week, then do everything you can to nurture that flame. Pray. Read the Bible. Proclaim Christ. I do not usually say this, but I truly believe that some sort of revival is beginning right now. I think you believe that, too. Let’s not waste the moment.
