In the wake of the assignation of Charley Kirk, there is much fear concerning what it means for those who are willing to speak truth, biblically. This assassination has revealed maxim of life for Christians: The truth will and still does set us free (John 8:32), but the truth is designed to lead to our death.
When I write “the truth is designed to lead to our death”, that may mean physically and so much more as we creep closer to Christ’s return. Yet, the statement is much more defined by a death, which is necessary, for us to actually follow the Lord Jesus Christ.
Luke 9:23-26 23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? 26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.
For the follower of Christ, born again supernaturally by the Holy Spirit, has a faith which calls him to deny the life we desire, for the purpose of God’s will. This is a choice to die to oneself—to die to self-seeking and self-protecting—to glorify God.
The call to take up one’s cross is a call to die daily. This means to live by the leading of the Holy Spirit, in obedience to the word of God. To die our desire and wants, for the will of God, and the praise of Christ’s glory.
Charlie Kirk, Christian and truth teller understood this and walked in the joy of this truth.
Make no mistake about it, the truth of Christ set this man free, and led him to pronounce the truth of Christ to the young adult population of the United States, on college campuses. Charlie did this through encouraging and challenging those who did not know the truth to have a discussion with him.
Although the topics ranged through many hot button topics, Charlie was gracious, humble and merciful, yet almost always undefeated in presenting a pathway to the truth, who is the Christ, which still sets humanity free.
The truth of Christ, through seeking God in the Bible, was used by Charlie Kirk to reform his mind to where his wisdom was not his, but the wisdom of God, as he was led by the Spirit of God (Romans 8:14; Proverbs 3:5-7).
Charlie Kirk sought to use the wisdom of God pertaining to political issues, as the leaping off point of sharing why he thought the way he did… because Jesus Christ saved His soul from eternal separation, through the cross.
Although his debating and leadership of young people have had vast effects on the young adults of this nation, inherently Charlie new political discourse would not change the sickness of the American culture.
He knew, as many of us do, that like Israel in the time of Isaiah “The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faints. From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; they have not been closed or bound up or soothed with ointment” (Isaiah 1:5-6).
The Gospel is the foundation of truth, with the full counsel of God in the Bible, for the purpose of healing those made in the image of God. To do this truth must first expose the sickness of the abominations against God.
Charlie Kirk did this and God worked through him to move millions of young adults to search for the Truth, to find freedom.
Charlie tried to lead college students to God’s word and Christ ultimately.
Charlie Kirk was killed for speaking the truth in love. He knew the risk and accepted it, because of his love for Christ, who set him free form sin and the fear of death, amplified his faith to joyful boldness.
Charlie Kirk was great in this generation, not because of inherent greatness, but because of his faith in Jesus Christ, who alone is the Great God and our Savior.
THE TRUTH STILL SETS US FREE, BUT WILL LEAD TO OUR DEATH, IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.
Many conservative commentators and Christians who live sharing the truth of the Gospel, are experiencing trepidation and fear, wondering if they will be next. They will either continue to throw themselves in with Christ, receiving the risk and denying themselves, or they will become silent.
As Christians in America, we must be led by the fear of God and our overwhelming desire to be lovingly devoted to our Savior’s testimony, and the truth which sets us free, rather than the fear of man, shrinking back into irrelevancy.
Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe.
Matthew 10:28 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
As Christians we are called to die to our self and not worry about the risks, for the truth does set us free, but calls us to deny our self-seeking disposition.
Christians in America often cry foul in situations such as this assassination, declaring “it’s not fair”. This is an egregious and harmful error, because our Lord told us we would face this.
John 15:18-20 18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.
John 16:1-3 1 “These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. 2 They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. 3 And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.
2 Timothy 3:12 12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM CHARLIE KIRK?
- Being a Christian means surrendering our life, for the purpose of living out God’s will, THE CAUSE, that is greater than our own life.
American Christians tend to take their Christian faith as we do most other things; a thing that benefits the person who holds it. This is an error. Our life with Christ, is about our love for Him, because He first loved us.
Like Charlie Kirk we need to understand that saying “Yes” to Jesus is not about the proliferation a better life for us, in the way of our material life being easier. Saying “Yes” to Jesus Christ, means He purchased us with His own blood (Acts 20:28).
What are the implications of Christ owning us?
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Let us remember, the two previous scriptures were not written to those who are ministers or public facing Christian people only; but to all those who are followers of Jesus Christ.
Our life, what we want and think we need, is no longer the life leading principle. Because we are given the Spirit of God, as our resident president, we are to lovingly and with joy, want to walk in God’s will, regardless of the risk.
Christians must learn that as Christ followers we are all to be salt and light in our own sphere of influence (Matthew 5:13-16). To be salt and light, we must engage with the people of the world around us and bring down the lies which keep people in bondage rather than free. This is inherently life giving and risky at the same time.
- We must use effective Holy Spirit empowered communication of truth, in a gracious manner, to glorify God and be a source of truth setting captives free.
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
Let us understand that the strongholds, arguments and high things, are ways of thinking, speaking and living, that are in direct opposition to God’s word and will. They are prevalent throughout society, and this is what pastors, evangelists and regular Christians must meet head on with truth.
Charlie Kirk was able to discern, by the Holy Spirit, what was truth from error and how to dismantle those strongholds, through God’s word. We must pursue this path as well, to know God’s wisdom and the truth, found in the Holy Bible, which brings freedom, through destroying Satanic lies.
Make no mistake about it, today’s woke ideology, sexual perversion as acceptable, diminishing and destroying the reality of our being made in the image of God, and the removal of the fear of God, is what we are call called to battle against. These things are inherently in opposition to the Gospel.
All Christians are to function as vessels of discernment and truth telling and when not employed in this path, we are immature and able to fall away.
Hebrews 5:12-14 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
- We must actively seek the reformation of our minds, to think as the Lord Jesus thinks.
Romans 12:1-2 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
When the soul is regenerated by the Holy Spirit, He (The Holy Spirit) remains to comfort, lead and teach us. In this ministry, we enter the renewal of the mind. This takes place as we judge and discern the information we received, considering how scriptures define it.
We are no longer seeking the accumulation of knowledge, but to think as Christ Himself thought and thinks. In fact, we are to have the pause of distrust of our own thinking.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
When we chose to live in this manner, we are living in the wisdom of God, therefore we must accept…
- To live for Christ is to be at risk from the very people we are attempting to reach.
1 Corinthians 2:14-15 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.
This is where we see the graduation of the faithful to their purpose and ultimately their eternal reward, just like Charlie Kirk.
Attempting to demolish the strongholds, demonic arguments and thinking which elevates itself over God’s wisdom, can be thwarted, but the risk it real. Those who are on the wrong end of God’s wisdom, often seek a means for eradicating the message and the messenger of God’s wisdom, because they cannot overcome God’s wisdom.
This occurs in churches and the world at large. Are we willing to stand as light in the darkness, seeing our life in Christ, for His glory and purpose alone?
