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Ep 240// A Prayer for Boldness as Christians After the Death of Charlie Kirk
00:10:45
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Okay, guys, so this is a little bit different episode today. I am just gonna sit here, and we're gonna have a little chat about Charlie Kirk and just kind of the effect that his death is having and I think will continue to have. I'm gonna give you just a few lessons that I think we as Christians can take and learn from and implement into our own lives. And then I'm gonna close this out in prayer. So I'm not even gonna pop in the intro music or anything like that, because today's just different, and I think that it's okay and good that it's different. So just for context, I'm recording this on a Sunday. Sunday, September 21st, actually, and Charlie Kirk was murdered on September 10th. I just basically grieved, started grieving instantly. And I know myself well enough to know that I need some time to process and that the closer I grieve to the actual event, the healthier it is, the better do all of those things. And so I pretty much just hit pause on several things for a few days. And then my family and I actually had a vacation. So I was, like, really just, like, off on all of it in all of the possible ways, like offline, off from work, like, just being with my family in beautiful mountain scenery and spending extra time with the Lord. And so I think it's been really good, personally, to have that, you know, space and distance between when the tragedy occurred and when I say something now. I don't say this. I don't have this podcast to be like, I'm a know it all on all the data and all of the info and all the conspiracy theories. Like, I literally don't care about that. I am here to speak as a Christian to other hurting people and just kind of offer some wisdom that the Lord has given me and share it and hope that it blesses you. So I think I'm honestly still reeling. Like, I'm a little bit still in shock, still a little bit scared, still holding my babies a little. A little bit extra close, because I believe on September 10, we saw what we used to mistakenly believe was impossible in our country. A man was murdered for speaking about his Christian faith. And, you know, we live in America. It's supposed to be the land of the free, because of the brave nation founded on the freedom of religion. A nation whose founders understood that to be forced into any religion was to remove the gift of worship from the equation, because worship that's forced isn't worship. Right? And so here we see. I didn't actually see the footage. I don't want to see the footage. But here we see a man in the prime of his life just assassinated in front of the watching world for speaking boldly about his faith and how that influenced his political beliefs. And to be honest, I still cry. I cried today, as I'm sure many of you do as well. But as absolutely tragic, absolutely tragic as Charlie Kirk's death is, I hope that it's the wake up call that our nation's Christians so desperately need. Because I feel like in America it is. Has been at least easy to be a Christian. There's not a lot of persecution as far as, like, fearing for your life, right? There's not a lot of pushback as long as you're a quiet Christian. Okay? And many, many Christian Americans, many of us have been living so comfortably with our quiet faith that we have forgotten a very, very fundamental truth of the gospel. And that is this. That following Jesus supposed to cost you your life? And I don't mean that in an every Christian needs to be a martyr kind of a way. No. Like Romans 12 says, to offer yourselves as a living sacrifice, our. Our lives should be a sacrifice to Christ. But we've sadly believed this very quiet but dangerous lie, that following Jesus is free. That saying yes to Jesus is like a free ticket to Disneyland. All fun, all games, and no real cost. When in reality, scripture is filled with weighty real words like take up your cross and follow me. And then David says, I will not offer to the Lord a sacrifice that costs me nothing. And Paul says, less of me and more of Christ. And then again, Paul says, I count my life as nothing compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ. You guys, the cross of Jesus Christ extends the offer of salvation, which is a gift that we could never earn. But it is in exchange for our lives, we are to lay down our lives and follow Him. And I hope it is my hope that we see this tragedy, we see the shift in our nation and realize that we have to stand up and follow Christ with our whole lives, not just when it's comfortable. Because when we make Jesus the Lord of our lives, he's not just the Lord on Sunday mornings. He's not just the Lord in our church circles. He should be the Lord of our political beliefs, how we act online, how we treat people in person, how we engage in conversation, because it's when Jesus is our Lord, it's no longer an option of whether we should speak the truth in love or hold back one who is staggering towards slaughter. It's not a Choice of whether we should carry ourselves with love and joy and peace and mercy and kindness. We should be the hands and feet of Jesus and we should be exemplifying his character and his nature in every situation. Okay? And I think. I think that in our nation we have just forgotten that comfortable Christianity helps no one. That we are in an all out spiritual war against the kingdom of darkness. I think we've forgotten that if we don't share the gospel and do our part to rescue people from the kingdom of darkness, then they will spend eternity in hell, separated from God and forever trapped in the torment of hell. I think we've forgotten, but I think now we're remembering. I think we're remembering. And it is my prayer that our nation would not forget as we have distance between the tragedy. It is my prayer that Christians would rise up and live their faith out boldly. It is my prayer that we would honor God above all else. That we would fear God and not man. That we would put the kingdom of God above our own agenda. And it is my prayer that we would look at the life of Charlie Kirk, look at the life of other saints who have gone before us and learn from them. That we would raise our children to know the Lord, that we would interact with our neighbors in a way that shows them that the love of God is real and transformative. And it is my prayer that whether you are in business, whether you have a day job, whether you are serving in church or outside of church or any organization, that you would have no separation between your faith and your life. You would have no separation between your faith and your politics. You would have no separation between your faith and your work because everything should be sacred as though unto the Lord. So I'm going to pray us out and I hope that you take this to heart, that you take this and you sit on it, that you look up all the scriptures that I rattled off, that I didn't find addresses for. They're just scriptures that are in my heart. And it is my prayer that you would walk closer with Jesus from now forward than you ever have before. Well, Father, I just lift up, Lord, the listeners here, everybody, under the sound of my voice, Father. And Lord, I also lift up our nation. Father, I ask that you would help Christians, Christ followers to rise up and boldly follow you. That you would teach our nation, that you would teach Christians to fear you, Lord, that we would walk in the fear of the Lord, Father, that honoring you would be the only thing that matters. And Father, I ask that you would help people to step into their God given sphere of influence and speak the truth in love. Father, I thank you for your protection. I thank you for your provision. I thank you that you make a way where there is no way. But, Father, I also ask that you would help us to see that following you is worth it. That whatever the cost, following you is worth it. Honoring you is worth it. And, Father, I ask that you would comfort those who mourn. Lord, that you would comfort Charlie's family and friends. And, Father, that you would help the gift that was on him, Lord, to not die with him. That the anointing that was on him to be multiplied. Father, I thank you for wisdom and discernment. As we step into what I feel like is a new season in this nation. Father, I thank you for wisdom and discernment. Lord, that you would help us to hear your voice and to obey right away. Because you were king. Because you are king. And, Father, I ask that you would help us to live in such a way that there is no separation between our worship and our work. That there's no separation between our faith and our politics. That there's no separation between Sunday morning and Wednesday afternoon, Father, because we are ambassadors for Christ every moment of every day. And, Father, I ask that you would help our nation to be a nation who honors you, Lord. That we would turn and repent, Lord. And that we would be a light proclaiming the gospel, proclaiming the truth, Lord. And helping to rescue those who are lost. To show them your love, Father, and to show them your kindness that leads men to repentance. In Jesus mighty name. Amen. Amen. All right, y', all, we'll talk to you again soon. Bye.