For Such a Time as This - Charlie Kirk

For Such A Time As This

"Jesus defeated death so you can live."

Charlie Kirk

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

‭‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“take heart! I have overcome the world.””

‭‭John‬ ‭16‬:‭33B ‭NIV‬‬

I’ve been struggling with acid reflux at night for a while now. I’ve tried various medications, but nothing seems to work consistently. Last night, though, it wasn’t acid reflux keeping me awake—it was the weight of the day’s events. Beyond a hectic day at work, we learned of the brutal sniper assassination of Charlie Kirk, a 31-year-old husband and father. We don’t yet know why this happened. There’s a trail of clues, but as of tonight, the suspect remains at large.

Charlie Kirk was, above all, a man who loved Jesus Christ. His faith shone through in how he defended his beliefs and shared the hope of Christ’s redemption in his presentations. It was equally evident in his interactions with his wife and family—full of love and devotion.

My mind is reeling. When I got home, my wife was in tears. She had grown to admire how Charlie engaged those he disagreed with, always with respect, calmly and logically presenting his case. Why, though? Why did someone feel they had the right to end his life? Why is one person’s life deemed worth less than another’s over mere words?

For the past six or seven years, “tolerance” has been the mantra. Companies have diversity and inclusion committees tasked with highlighting differences in culture, religion, race, and sexual orientation—all in the name of unity. Yet, despite all this talk of tolerance, our culture feels more divided than ever. Focusing on our differences seems to deepen the divide. Worse, we’ve dehumanized those we disagree with. Disagreement is no longer enough; now, we feel compelled to silence the opposition.

Media companies bear much of the blame, fanning the flames of hatred for ratings or to serve politically motivated agendas. Social media, with its endless stream of six-to-ten-second clips, fuels this rage machine further. The result? Growing hatred and division in a world that never seems to learn. Anti-Semitism is rising. Anti-Christian sentiment is growing. The moral foundation of North American culture—rooted in the belief in Creator-endowed rights—is nearly eroded.

The United States’ founding documents declare that all people are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,” including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

In Canada, where I live, we passed a Charter of Rights and Freedoms in the 1960s. John Diefenbaker, in proposing the bill, said:

“I am a Canadian, a free Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship God in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, free to choose those who govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.”

But are we truly free?

In Canada?

In the United States?

In 2022, Chris Barber and Tamara Lich organized a trucking convoy to Ottawa to protest government overreach during COVID mandates, which they saw as infringing on the rights past generations fought to protect. Since then, they’ve faced years of politically motivated legal battles, with threats of up to ten years in prison. Meanwhile, murderers often receive lighter sentences or early release.

Just weeks ago, a man walked up to a church in Minneapolis and opened fire, killing several children. Consumed by hate, his weapons and ammunition bore inscriptions of his targeted vitriol. Fed a steady diet of rage by a media eager to profit from division, he lost his way completely.

Then there was last week when a young woman was mercilessly knifed and killed on a train in Charlotte. Shocking video shows her collapsing from her injuries and fear in her face as she tried to grasp what happened to her.

I wish I could say things are going to get better, but I can’t.

Why?

Because humanity is broken.

The only path to lasting peace is through Jesus Christ, yet Christ is rejected today. People resist being bound by a moral code. As Scripture says, “Everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” Spurred by social media, mainstream media, and our own selfish nature, we align our hearts with cultural values—greed, lust, and desire—rather than Christ’s values. This spiral of hatred, violence, and fear will continue until people turn back to the Lord. Only then will culture find stability and prosperity again.

There’s an old saying, often attributed to Einstein: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” In the 1980s, I took debate classes in school. I hated them at the time, but now I see their value. What if we could all learn to debate with mutual respect, honoring each other’s right to hold differing opinions? How different would our world be if we could hear something we disagree with, shake our heads, and move on without stewing in anger?

Those high school debates taught me the value of respectful disagreement. We didn’t hate our opponents; we simply disagreed with their views while respecting their right to hold them. The early Christian church embodied this ideal. Some of its greatest moments came from intense debates. The Book of Acts records “Charlie Kirk-like” moments where the apostles boldly shared the gospel—ultimate truth—in pagan cities. Some, like Stephen, were stoned for their convictions. In 2,000 years, it seems we haven’t changed much.

Yet, the world did change, slowly. Before greed corrupted the church’s power, the radical faith of a few transformed society. Christians adopted abandoned babies, elevated the status of women, valued children, and cared for the sick.

In 362 AD, Julian the Apostate wrote:

“Why do we not observe that it is their [Christians’] benevolence to strangers, their care for the graves of the dead, and the pretended holiness of their lives that have done most to increase atheism [Christianity]? … It is disgraceful that, when no Jew ever has to beg, and the impious Galilaeans [Christians] support not only their own poor but ours as well, all men see that our people lack aid from us.”

Pliny the Younger, in 112 AD, described Christians:

“They asserted… that they were accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god, and to bind themselves by oath, not to some crime, but not to commit fraud, theft, or adultery, not falsify their trust, nor to refuse to return a trust when called upon to do so.”

We all feel the darkness of this moment...

Charlie Kirk’s life snuffed out in a senseless murder. Some, consumed by this world’s hate, may rejoice. But for those whose hearts aren’t fully hardened, I want to share hope—the hope ignited by the God-man, Jesus Christ. He transformed a nation by working in the hearts of ordinary people. He came as a light in a dark world, and though they hated and killed Him, His transformative power inspired a group of ragtag misfits who died for their faith, nearly all murdered for their beliefs. Jesus still seeks misfits willing to stand as light in this dark world.

Change will come when enough people live not by culture or politics but by Jesus Himself. We’ll see greater tolerance for opposing views and stronger enforcement of justice as Christian values reshape society. I pray today is your come-to-Jesus moment. Let His heart transform yours. Hate and its partner, lust, will drain you, destroy you from within, and consume you until escape seems impossible.

As Matthew 5:15 says, “Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.”

Pray this prayer:

“Jesus, I can’t do this anymore. I submit my heart and life to You. I accept Your sacrifice and resurrection for all my sins. I receive Your grace and forgiveness. Come into me, fill me with Your light and love, and lead me to renew my heart and mind in You. Help me stand as light and love, even when the world hates me. Lead me to other Christian’s so I can grow in community and in faith. Amen.”

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