Today is a day of reflection and remembrance - 9/11 a day that will live in the minds of anyone alive at the time, forever. Certainly a, “where were you when . . .” moment. I can remember becoming aware for the first time that life is fragile and how it can change in an instant. It was a time of uncertainty, as we all wondered if more planes were about to drop. When things settled and the attack ended I remember a feeling of unity that seemed to spread across the United States. We lost our designations of right or left and in that moment helped one another, cried with one another, rebuilt together without concern of politics and joined one another at the foot of the cross. We were bound together by a tragic circumstance and a reminder of the divine and recognized those people standing beside us as neighbors. Yesterday, is a “where were you when . . .” moment for this generation.
Charlie Kirk’s assassination brought many of the same feelings of 9/11. That sinking feeling and reminder that none of us know the time of our calling home. It hit especially close to home for us as we advertised with him on his podcast. Whether you loved him or hated him, you had to respect his boldness and willingness to speak the truth. His devotion was to God first and family second and showed the rest of us that our only fear should be of God, and not man. The evidence of this fact is found in this video posted today of an interview with Charlie Kirk.
The video tells us a lot about the man and the fact that for those who know Christ we will see him again one day. It is now time for us, each one of us, to start standing and stop fearing. This was summed up well by a post I was sent on “X” by a guy named James Owen (@realjamesowen):
"Charlie Kirk. It was 2013 and it was just a video. A man at a camping table on a college campus. Alone. No stage. No crowd. Just conviction. His voice shook. His setup was weak. But his courage thundered louder than any stadium. That’s the reminder: movements aren’t born in arenas. They’re born at lonely tables. Where one man dares to stand while the world sneers. Charlie Kirk understood this. That’s why they killed him. That’s why they laughed as his body cooled. Because the enemy fears truth more than bullets. And here’s what his death reveals: You cannot wait for another leader. You cannot scroll past the fight. You cannot outsource conviction. If one man at a table can hold the line at a table, so can you! They will mock you. They will hate you. They may even come for you. But this isn’t about safety, it’s about calling. “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord.”- 2 Corinthians 6:17. This is not the time to blend in; not the time to move on; not the time to wait for someone else. It is the time to stand. To speak. To burn with truth. While the whole world burns with lies. They thought killing a man would silence a movement. But martyrs are louder than microphones. Charlie’s blood cries out. Not for surrender, but for uprising, not in violence but in truth, in courage, in fire. The remnant rises. Unashamed. Unbroken. Unstoppable."
Our resolve should be stronger than ever to speak the truth and be fearless. God is calling us deeper and it is time to answer that call. It is time to be reminded of this truth:
"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." – Romans 8:38, 39
Now go and stand in the peace we know comes from God alone, speak truth, pray fervently, love boldly and live courageously.
