Today, a great tragedy took place…a young man who was a strong advocate for Christian and Conservative values in America was shot down in cold blood while trying to debate with a large group of college students about why God’s ways are the right ways, instead of the values they learn in society. And out of nowhere, a bullet shot into the crowd, striking Charlie Kirk, the Founder of Turning Point USA, in the neck, and within a short time, he was dead. Such a huge loss to the Christian Community and the Conservative Movement in America, and many are mourning his death today. He was the husband of a beautiful Christian woman and the father of two beautiful young babies. It’s a sad occurrence, and I’m sure that many people are questioning in their own hearts about how unfair and heartless this act was. And yes…it was heartless and unfair. I too am grieved in my heart about this senseless death. And so, for that reason, I want to take us to God’s Word to see what scripture has to say about this issue so that we can grieve the loss of a great man of God without anger and bitterness in our hearts.
Let’s take a look at another great man’s death that took place in the Early Church that was also senseless, and the one I thought of when I heard of Charlie’s death. Because, whether we want to label it as such or not, Charlie was a martyr for his faith, and so I want to look at the very first Christian martyr.
In the book of Acts, chapter 6 we see that Stephen was chosen as one of the 7 first deacons to serve in the early church, and he was full of the Holy Spirit and performed great miracles in the Name of Jesus. And because of this, the people were stirring up trouble for him and accusing him of blasphemy. Then in chapter 7, we reed an amazing sermon that Stephen was preaching to the people. But the people were not pleased with the things he was preaching, and so beginning with verse 54, we read this:
“When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they
gnashed at him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed
into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of
God, and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at
the right hand of God!”
Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” (Acts 7:54-60)
There are a few things I want to discuss in this portion of scripture, and I think Charlie Kirk would agree with me. So please listen all the way to the end, and I think you will be blessed.
#1. Verse 54 says, “When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.” Friends, can I be perfectly honest with you? When you are truly living for Christ, you WILL suffer persecution. It’s not a maybe…it’s a FACT! Jesus warned us about it, He told us that if they hated Him they would also hate anyone who follows Him. We hear about Christian persecution in other countries, but if we were to honestly assess the situation, we would have to admit it’s been going on here in America for quite a while too…we just don’t call it that.
It is reported that mass church shootings in the US have risen significantly in recent years, the most recent being on August 27, 2025 when a shooter killed 2 children and injured 21 others at the Church of the Annunciation in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Paul
warned us about the type of people who would be on the earth before the end of
the age. In 2 Timothy 3:1-5, he wrote:
“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men
will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers,
disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers,
without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty,
lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but
denying its power. And from such people turn away!”
And this is exactly what we are seeing today, a segment of people who have turned away from God and anything that He stands for, and many have turned to the god of this world to do his bidding. Don’t get me wrong…it’s not a large number of people, but as we come closer to the end of the age, we can expect to see this trend increase.
#2
– In verses 55-56, we see this: “But he, being full of the Holy Spirit,
gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right
hand of God, and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man
standing at the right hand of God!”
Friends, if there is one thing I am certain of, and scripture verifies it over and over…the very minute a man or woman of God closes their eyes in death, they are immediately transported into the presence of God to live with Jesus and the Holy Angels and all those who have gone before them in the faith. I am sure of it! Even before Stephen closed his eyes, he saw his welcoming committee waiting for him to come home. And did you notice something wonderful? Jesus was NOT sitting at the right hand of the Father; He was standing in anticipation of Stephen’s arrival. Glory to God!
Paul
wrote very emphatically in 2 Corinthians 5:6-8, “So we are always
confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the
Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased
rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”
I remember standing at the casket of my dear mother. She had fought a long and difficult battle with cancer, but when she finally won, and she was home with her Savior and Lord, I looked into her face, and I could tell that it was nothing more than an empty shell where my mother had once lived. She was no longer in that body and we were just commemorating her life on the earth. She had reached where her heart had been for many years...she was in the presence of the Lord.
See, when a loved one dies, it’s difficult for those of us who are left behind to go on without them…but for them, they are at peace, and they are experiencing more joy than we can imagine. And you know what? As I get older and I know that my end is coming closer at the time of God’s choosing, I so look forward to the day when I can walk on streets of gold side by side with my mom again. I can hear her laugh, and we can talk over old times and we will be with the Lord forever. That’s great comfort Friends.
#3
– In verses 57 to 58, the scripture records this: “Then they cried out
with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they
cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their
clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.”
These were horrible people who killed an innocent man for no reason other than he loved Jesus and preached the truth about who He was and what He did. But the message Stephen spoke infuriated these men…so much so that they killed him, and Stephen became the first martyr for the sake of Christ. But I want you to notice the very last sentence… “And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.” I want to talk about this in more detail in the next section, but for now, I want you to realize that there have always been evil men and women in the world from the time of the very first family when Cain killed his brother Abel out of jealousy and contempt.
We need to understand that Satan has been given the authority to commit horrible atrocities in the world, but it won’t be forever. For there will come a time, and Friends, I don’t believe it will be much longer, when Jesus will return and He will make everything right in the world. There will be no more death or sorrow or injustice. He will fulfill every promise He made to bring about complete justice to every person who ever lived.
But
until that time, I want to share with you one more very important point in our
scripture…
#4 – In verses 59-60, we reed this: “And they stoned Stephen as he was
calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud
voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he
fell asleep.”
The very last words Stephen the Martyr spoke on this earth were words of forgiveness. He wanted to release them of the guilt for what they had done to him and give them the opportunity to repent of their sins and receive Christ as their Savior and Lord. And do you remember in the last point, we read of a young man who was there and witnessed everything that took place that day…and his name was Saul.
As we continue to read the book of Acts, we find that Saul was a persecutor of Christians, and he was on his way to the City of Damascus with orders to arrest any Christians he could find there…but before he could fulfill his orders, he was interrupted by a bright light that knocked him off his horse and rendered him blind. It was this event that led to his salvation, and he became the man who possibly was and still is responsible for more people coming to Christ than any man in history. That man was Paul the Apostle.
Let me ask you…how do you think he felt as he watched Stephen taking his last breath and using it to pray for forgiveness for his persecutors? Do you think that Stephen’s death could have been a great force in the salvation of Paul? I do…because I know that forgiveness is a strong force in our lives and it can and will set people free. Free from guilt, free from condemnation, free from bondage. And Friends, when we choose to forgive those who sin against us, we will know freedom that we never imagined.
So, the questions we started out with in this video was “Why does God allow good people to suffer?” and “Why do good people die young?” Let me answer that with a scripture. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
Did you notice that it says ALL THINGS? Not just the things we understand, or the things we think are okay. No…it says ALL THINGS. The truth is Friends, we may never know the reason that our friends or loved ones die young. We may never know why Charlie Kirk died today. But we must have faith that God knows, and that He will bring good out of this horrible situation. In fact, in listening to a lot of people talking on Social Media tonight about his death, I am hearing some strong determination to keep his work going. Meanwhile, we know that Charlie had great faith in a Mighty God, and we will all rejoice together around His Throne one day…and in all honesty, the way the world is going, I don’t think it will be very long. So we continue to trust, we continue to know that God has a purpose, and He is hard at work making all the pieces fit together to bring about the glorious ending we know from His Word that He has in store.
God
bless you Friends, and until the next time…you have a Jesus-filled week! Bye
for now!
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