Charlie Kirk and Martyrdom

 

“13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

Revelation 7:13-14.

I reflected on Charlie Kirk’s death on my Monday night livestream. We also did this as Church on Sunday, as many people have been affected by what happened last week. Here is the written version of what I share in the video:

Charlie wasn't the only martyr made last week. Christians are the most persecuted people group in the world. I'm not trying to do a "we should care more about this person or that person post" here. I want to highlight something vital.

Charlie puts a very prominent and famous face on a true and genuine problem: this world hates Christianity. Whenever it can it strikes out and attacks Christians, and when it can it kills them. Countless Christians experience this daily, especially in non-Christian countries. Countless ideologies have risen up and made those who follow Christ their victims. Make no mistake Charlie was martyred by for his faith. He was attacked for believing what many Christians believe.

But Christianity has always refused to become a victim culture. Even though to be unjustly murdered is to be a victim. Even though we worship a Lord who was the victim of evil men. Why is this?

Because we know this world is not our true home. It is a stepping stone to something better, something greater, something eternal. We also know that even though the devil thought he was victimising Jesus, really Jesus was defeating him thoroughly on the cross. While simultaneously turning away God's wrath for all who trusted in him.

The reason Christians refuse to be victims, despite every attempt by this world to make us into such, is because we know we deserved that wrath, and we know that escaping it is the greatest possible privilege. How can those who have escaped the most terrifying wrath see themselves as victims? We are the redeemed. Every day we get in this life is a gift, and we also know that dying for our faith is a great privilege, as well.

The evil that killed Charlie wanted to stop his message. But it wasn't Charlie's message. He was just an agent of Jesus' message. And there are many, many more of us. And more were made when Charlie was martyred and more will be made. And more were made when others were martyred across the world last week.

What happened to him does not turn us from preaching that message. It reminds us just how important the message is and why we should share it.

Let this event galvanize you to be more open and bold about sharing your faith. What happened to Charlie was evil and wrong. But already we see God turning this evil act to good, because now many unbelievers are open to talking about the gospel because of what happened. I have spoken to people who have said their neighbours, co-workers and others are really wrestling with what happened here. Now is your chance to share the message of repentance and hope in Jesus Christ, the message that Charlie preached.