Like many people, I was shaken by the news of Charlie Kirk’s shooting at Utah Valley University. Kirk died of his wounds shortly thereafter, leaving behind a grieving widow, two small children and a growing multitude of young conservative enthusiasts.
Less than three months before his death, Kirk was asked how he would like to be remembered. “I want to be remembered for courage for my faith,” Kirk responded. “That would be the most important thing; the most important thing is my faith.”
As someone who took his faith seriously and viewed the Bible as the Word of God, I’m sure it came as no surprise to Kirk that there were people who hated him for his beliefs.
In a country increasingly hostile to God, persecution has become the norm for Christians, not the exception.
Jesus told His disciples, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.”
Paul wrote to Timothy, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God — having a form of godliness but denying its power.”
“Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus,” Paul continues, “will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”
Paul was no stranger to persecution and suffering. “Three times I was beaten with rods,” he said, “once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countryman, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.”
Paul asked God three times to remove the “thorn in his side.” God responded by telling him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. “Therefore,” Paul says, “I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
In Peter’s first epistle, the apostle writes, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.”
In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells those present, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Charlie Kirk was true to his faith, and in the end, he was shot and killed for what he believed, but while his life on earth may be over, his journey with Jesus through eternity has just begun.
And if Kirk’s widow, Erika, is to be believed, his work here on earth will continue despite his absence.
“In a world filled with chaos, doubt and uncertainty, my husband’s voice will remain, and it will ring out louder and more clearly than ever, and his wisdom will endure,” she said.
Like His disciples, Jesus is sending today’s believers “out like sheep among wolves.” He told his disciples to be as “shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” He warned them that on His account they “will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”
God sent Charlie Kirk into a dangerous world filled with evil and evildoers to be a vessel for His grace, and young people across the country responded positively to his message.
Kirk knew what he was doing was dangerous, but he obeyed Christ, who said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
In the end, Kirk was killed by someone who believed he could silence his voice by killing his body. But Kirk and his message are still very much alive, and I am convinced God will use his legacy to accomplish His will in the lives of millions of people around the world.
“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me void, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” — Isaiah 55:10-11
Charlie Kirk may have been killed, but what he believed and what he stood for will never die, no matter how many people turn their backs on God, and no matter how many of His saints they decide to kill.
Chris Roemer resides in Finksburg. He can be contacted at chrisroemer1960@gmail.com.
