Luke 13:17 When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.

I can’t help but notice the many parallels between Jesus and Charlie Kirk. There is considerable risk in idolizing Charlie, but the points of comparison are still striking. Jesus was attacked physically because his opponents couldn’t win against Him logically, and that was precisely the case with Charlie. In this particular instance, the leader of the synagogue didn’t feel brave enough to attack Jesus directly for healing the woman on the Sabbath, so he essentially attacked the people for coming to Jesus on the Sabbath. Jesus’ response was so clear and logical that those who opposed Him were embarrassed, and that was what they couldn’t forgive. That was precisely why Charlie Kirk was shot. Was that fair? Not at all, but that’s how the devil operates. That’s why Jesus told His disciples, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.” (John 15:18) Charlie was about as blameless a person as you could hope to run into, “doing everything right,” so to speak. That actually added to the hatred for him, because those who disagreed with him couldn’t find a valid angle of attack. Now, the reactions to his death are clearly dividing people into two camps, which is actually helpful, because it shows us who can be trusted. Charlie is a magnificent example of both how to stand up for faith and righteousness, and also what risks we incur when we do so. We aren’t to seek martyrdom, but we aren’t to live in fear of it either. In this particular instance, we are to keep praying for Erika and the children, as well as for the widows and orphans that were left in the very recent massacre in Niger. These things have been happening for 2000 years, and we could well be next. The point is to stay true to Christ, and leave the results up to Him.

I have never been particularly afraid of martyrdom, but then, I’m not sure I’ve done much that would arouse the devil’s forces that much. I have no love of suffering, but death itself holds absolutely no terrors for me. On that score, I can’t help but notice that Charlie was killed in the middle of doing what he did best, and he loved to do, and his death was probably very nearly painless for him. That in no way diminishes the pain and devastation for his wife and children, but it’s something for us to be grateful for. I don’t know how the Lord will take me to Himself, and it’s entirely possible that He will return before my physical death, but the point for me is to be totally committed and obedient to Him, whatever the consequences. Omura has a history of martyrs, people who clung to Jesus more than to life, and I am to follow their example. As Charlie said, I want my legacy to be the courage of my faith, and the resulting faithfulness.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for how people all over the world seem to be waking up to what’s going on, because of what happened to Charlie. May the number of people genuinely committed to Christ grow exponentially, just as the requests for Turning Point chapters have done, so that as many people as possible may be led from death to life, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!