Courage For His Faith

 

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. ~John 8:32

I would like to be remembered for having courage for my faith. ~Charlie Kirk

This past week, our nation and the world are rocked to our very core.  Turning Point USA founder, Charlie Kirk, is brutally assassinated at Utah Valley University while engaging students in his signature "Prove Me Wrong" discussions.  In these sessions, Charlie invited anyone to question him and his conservative outlook on life, helping young people to think for themselves in logical, moral and fundamental ways while encouraging healthy, constructive debate.  He fostered civil, respectful and compassionate dialogue, showing that everyone, no matter what their political or religious persuasion deserves to be heard and treated with dignity.

In an eerie parallel to the Butler, Pennsylvania attempt to assassinate now President Trump, this shooter accessed a rooftop on the campus where crowds had gathered to hear Charlie speak and for some, to wait patiently in line to pose their questions to this unique man wise beyond his 31 years.  The perpetrator fires only one shot, but it takes only one to end a life so boldly and unabashedly lived for Jesus, and for the freedoms of speech and religion espoused the our Constitution.

But if the killer thought that his heinous act to silence Charlie would work, he was delusional.  Instead, the exact opposite, and I would add miraculous, effect resurrected beauty from ashes.  On Sunday, as I'm drafting this post, over 36.000 requests for campus chapters of Turning Point USA have poured into their headquarters.  Charlies authenticity and grace-filled love for Jesus, some have posited, has sparked a spiritual revival among Gen-Z-ers who are returning to the church in unprecedented numbers.  And more than ever, young people aren't afraid to question, speak out and speak up with the same authority, conviction and love that Charlie showed to them.

This powerful movement which Charlie began in life will only magnify and multiply in the wake of his untimely death.  And all because he knew his Lord and Savior, spoke the truth in love, and set the minds of millions free from fear and subjugation to a secular culture that is oppressive and intolerant of anyone professing faith in God.

As a physical man, Charlie literally stood head and shoulders higher than most, but his spiritual body will be a towering touchstone for not just this generation, but for countless generations to come.

I will close this post with one of Charlie's quotes about Jesus:  Let's mirror His heart, speaking truth firmly yet tenderly, trusting that only God can open spiritual eyes.

Amen, and again I say, amen!