When we began this series of blogs on a “Winsome Witness” in July, we discussed
our calling as “the salt of the earth” [Part 1 HERE.] and in August, “Being Salt in
Controversy” [Part 2 HERE.].
Little did we know that we would be remembering the life and “winsome witness”
of Dwayne Frank who went home to Heaven on September 7 [Part 3 HERE.].
And then, three days later, we mourned the assassination of God’s
witness for the Gospel, Charlie Kirk.
So, in Part 4, we will consider how the love of God inspires Christ-followers
to be “winsome witnesses” of the love of Christ in the face of hate and death.
The Gospel:
Harsh Truth?
Charlie Kirk was a lover of God, His Word, and everyone he tried to reach with Truth. Still, many are criticizing Kirk’s approach as having been too harsh and disrespectful. Granted, Charlie repeatedly made clear that his primary intention was to present his witness for Christ and the Gospel (“good news”) of salvation in a genuine and encouraging way. However, his application of the Gospel message to various moral and social issues was not always favorably received by everyone across the diverse political and ethnic landscape of America.
Charlie would have been the first to admit he was not perfect. One can find recordings in which, during the heat of the moment, his words appeared inappropriate and may have hurt some of his listeners. Add to these the snippets of Charlies speeches, often taken out of context and propagated in social media. Regardless, it is easy to resort to fault-finding to evade a convicting message. We believe that most of Charlie’s critics who judged his words as “hate speech” did so, not because they have reason to reject Charlie, but because they have not found justification and peace in their relationship to God. To them in their broken spiritual and emotional state, even loving words of moral truth can appear hurtful and hateful.
“Good
News,
“Hate Speech?”
How can we account for the fact that what Almighty God and His children intend to be a witness for “Good News” is labeled by some as “hate speech?” The history of Christianity according to the Bible account helps us answer this perplexing question. For example, the Apostle Peter who just days earlier had denied Christ and had run away in fear, suddenly began to boldly proclaim the Gospel of the Cross to the Jews and people of different nations and ethnic groups (Book of Acts, Ch. 2). Some considered Peter's message as "hate speech." However, about three thousand in the crowd repented of their sin and were saved!
It is no surprise that the Gospel is considered by many as hate speech. The Apostle Paul who was hated, persecuted, and eventually martyred for his faith wrote, For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1: 18). And, within hours of His crucifixion, Jesus prepared His followers with these words (John 15:18-19): If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
Had Charlie simply preached a more “user-friendly Gospel” that “God is love,
and God wants us to be happy in what we choose to do for ourselves,” few would
have heard and responded in hate and violence.
But Charlie’s message was like the message of Stephen, the first
Christian martyr (Acts 7). According to Acts
7: 54, when Stephen’s audience heard him say they were disobedient to God, they
were enraged and they gnashed their teeth at him. Then, they covered
their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him
(v. 57). Finally, they drove Stephen out
of the city and stoned him to death.
Like Stephen, Charlie boldly confronted his listeners and urged them to
evaluate their personal beliefs in light of God’s Word. As we noted in Part 2 of this series [Click HERE to read.], when Christ-followers take a firm stand against immoral or unethical claims or actions, they are acting as the "salt" that preserves our culture against decay. However, they also risk being misunderstood and even under threat of violence and death.
Murder of God’s Messengers
Ultimately, like so many historic Christian martyrs, and like many more around the world today, Charlie was hated because of the Gospel message he presented. His message was that God came in human flesh as Jesus Christ to reconcile rebellious, sinful mankind regardless of their socioeconomic status, ethnicity, religion, or political party (John 3: 14-21). This Jesus lived a sinless life, died in our place as a substitutionary sacrifice for sinners, and rose again from the dead in victory over sin and death. All who accept Jesus’s death and resurrection by faith and reason as payment for their sin can be saved from eternal separation from God (Romans 10: 8-13). When a person submits to God in this way and is enlightened by God’s Word through His Spirit, he or she begins to put off the old person and lifestyle. The Bible describes this transformation in mind, body, and spirit in Galatians 5: 19-23:
Now the deeds of the flesh [the old, sinful nature] are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, indecent behavior, idolatry, witchcraft, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the [new life in the] Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Hatred
Is Rooted in Our Hearts
Charlie Kirk recognized that he was engaged in a war, …not against flesh and blood, but against… the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6: 12).” The weapons, or “flaming darts,” of spiritual darkness include hate, lies, deception, accusation, isolation, doubt, distraction, masquerade, pleasure, unforgiveness, and fear. If we allow these weapons of Satan to penetrate the spiritual armor God provides and commands us to put on (Ephesians 6: 10-18), our minds become confused about who we really are and who our enemy really is. Then, we mistakenly turn against others—our brother or sister in Christ, our spouse, our neighbor, our pastor, or our president and other leaders. Sound familiar? Sound close to home?
Let’s be honest! (I’ll admit, I am speaking from experience.) The inner attitudes and thoughts that I battle are the seeds that could grow into actions that make the daily news—hateful rhetoric, riots, and murder. James 1: 14-15 describes a progression that occurs when we are “carried away” by our passions which, when they have conceived, give birth to sin which leads to death. In Matthew 5: 22, we read Jesus’s claim: whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. Notice that Jesus takes the sixth commandment, “Thou shall not murder,” and goes to the source within the human heart where the underlying sins of pride, hate, and envy are rooted. Sin within the heart if unchecked leads to hateful speech and even murder. To this we should cry, “God help us!” And He will.
Choosing
Better Weapons
But God through Christ and His Gospel pleads with us:
“Please don’t think that way.
Turn from your selfish, sinful ways.
They will destroy you.
I have something better and
I want you to have it because I love you.”
In our culture where hateful hearts, violent rhetoric, guns, knives, and bombs are subjects of our daily news, true Christ-followers have access to three more powerful “weapons”—thankfulness, repentance, and forgiveness. Each of these “weapons” are necessary if we are to gain victory against our fleshly passions and the flaming darts of spiritual wickedness hurled at us.
Thankfulness is our weapon or prescription against our tendency toward discontent, envy, boasting, and covetousness. Thankfulness for what God has already provided frees our minds to realize the blessings of freedom and material provisions we have in Christ and in our country; and, for those both living and dead who have made these blessings possible.
Repentance is our second weapon. When a disposition of fear, envy, or covetousness threatens our outlook, we need to be quick to repent—i.e. to confess (say what God says about) our lack of faith and any sin, and turn from it toward faith in our loving God. Not easy, but in every circumstance, by prayer …[we are to let our requests] be made known to God, and the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension, will guard [our] hearts and [our] minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4: 7).
Forgiveness and a forgiving spirit may be the most powerful weapon of all. It is the pure expression of God’s love, spoken through His Son while nailed to a Roman cross when He said, Father forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing (Luke 23: 34). Charlie’s wife, Erika, chose to forgive Tyler Robinson who shot and killed her beloved husband. Her statement of forgiveness is a powerful testimony and “winsome witness” of God’s love.
Charlie Kirk’s assassination on September 10 escorted him into the presence of an estimated 70 million Christians believed to have been martyred for their faith since the death of Stephen.
Harsh Truth?
Charlie Kirk was a lover of God, His Word, and everyone he tried to reach with Truth. Still, many are criticizing Kirk’s approach as having been too harsh and disrespectful. Granted, Charlie repeatedly made clear that his primary intention was to present his witness for Christ and the Gospel (“good news”) of salvation in a genuine and encouraging way. However, his application of the Gospel message to various moral and social issues was not always favorably received by everyone across the diverse political and ethnic landscape of America.
Charlie would have been the first to admit he was not perfect. One can find recordings in which, during the heat of the moment, his words appeared inappropriate and may have hurt some of his listeners. Add to these the snippets of Charlies speeches, often taken out of context and propagated in social media. Regardless, it is easy to resort to fault-finding to evade a convicting message. We believe that most of Charlie’s critics who judged his words as “hate speech” did so, not because they have reason to reject Charlie, but because they have not found justification and peace in their relationship to God. To them in their broken spiritual and emotional state, even loving words of moral truth can appear hurtful and hateful.
“Hate Speech?”
How can we account for the fact that what Almighty God and His children intend to be a witness for “Good News” is labeled by some as “hate speech?” The history of Christianity according to the Bible account helps us answer this perplexing question. For example, the Apostle Peter who just days earlier had denied Christ and had run away in fear, suddenly began to boldly proclaim the Gospel of the Cross to the Jews and people of different nations and ethnic groups (Book of Acts, Ch. 2). Some considered Peter's message as "hate speech." However, about three thousand in the crowd repented of their sin and were saved!
It is no surprise that the Gospel is considered by many as hate speech. The Apostle Paul who was hated, persecuted, and eventually martyred for his faith wrote, For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1: 18). And, within hours of His crucifixion, Jesus prepared His followers with these words (John 15:18-19): If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
Murder of God’s Messengers
Ultimately, like so many historic Christian martyrs, and like many more around the world today, Charlie was hated because of the Gospel message he presented. His message was that God came in human flesh as Jesus Christ to reconcile rebellious, sinful mankind regardless of their socioeconomic status, ethnicity, religion, or political party (John 3: 14-21). This Jesus lived a sinless life, died in our place as a substitutionary sacrifice for sinners, and rose again from the dead in victory over sin and death. All who accept Jesus’s death and resurrection by faith and reason as payment for their sin can be saved from eternal separation from God (Romans 10: 8-13). When a person submits to God in this way and is enlightened by God’s Word through His Spirit, he or she begins to put off the old person and lifestyle. The Bible describes this transformation in mind, body, and spirit in Galatians 5: 19-23:
Now the deeds of the flesh [the old, sinful nature] are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, indecent behavior, idolatry, witchcraft, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the [new life in the] Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Charlie Kirk recognized that he was engaged in a war, …not against flesh and blood, but against… the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6: 12).” The weapons, or “flaming darts,” of spiritual darkness include hate, lies, deception, accusation, isolation, doubt, distraction, masquerade, pleasure, unforgiveness, and fear. If we allow these weapons of Satan to penetrate the spiritual armor God provides and commands us to put on (Ephesians 6: 10-18), our minds become confused about who we really are and who our enemy really is. Then, we mistakenly turn against others—our brother or sister in Christ, our spouse, our neighbor, our pastor, or our president and other leaders. Sound familiar? Sound close to home?
Let’s be honest! (I’ll admit, I am speaking from experience.) The inner attitudes and thoughts that I battle are the seeds that could grow into actions that make the daily news—hateful rhetoric, riots, and murder. James 1: 14-15 describes a progression that occurs when we are “carried away” by our passions which, when they have conceived, give birth to sin which leads to death. In Matthew 5: 22, we read Jesus’s claim: whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. Notice that Jesus takes the sixth commandment, “Thou shall not murder,” and goes to the source within the human heart where the underlying sins of pride, hate, and envy are rooted. Sin within the heart if unchecked leads to hateful speech and even murder. To this we should cry, “God help us!” And He will.
But God through Christ and His Gospel pleads with us:
“Please don’t think that way.
Turn from your selfish, sinful ways.
They will destroy you.
I have something better and
I want you to have it because I love you.”
In our culture where hateful hearts, violent rhetoric, guns, knives, and bombs are subjects of our daily news, true Christ-followers have access to three more powerful “weapons”—thankfulness, repentance, and forgiveness. Each of these “weapons” are necessary if we are to gain victory against our fleshly passions and the flaming darts of spiritual wickedness hurled at us.
Thankfulness is our weapon or prescription against our tendency toward discontent, envy, boasting, and covetousness. Thankfulness for what God has already provided frees our minds to realize the blessings of freedom and material provisions we have in Christ and in our country; and, for those both living and dead who have made these blessings possible.
Repentance is our second weapon. When a disposition of fear, envy, or covetousness threatens our outlook, we need to be quick to repent—i.e. to confess (say what God says about) our lack of faith and any sin, and turn from it toward faith in our loving God. Not easy, but in every circumstance, by prayer …[we are to let our requests] be made known to God, and the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension, will guard [our] hearts and [our] minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4: 7).
Forgiveness and a forgiving spirit may be the most powerful weapon of all. It is the pure expression of God’s love, spoken through His Son while nailed to a Roman cross when He said, Father forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing (Luke 23: 34). Charlie’s wife, Erika, chose to forgive Tyler Robinson who shot and killed her beloved husband. Her statement of forgiveness is a powerful testimony and “winsome witness” of God’s love.
Charlie Kirk’s assassination on September 10 escorted him into the presence of an estimated 70 million Christians believed to have been martyred for their faith since the death of Stephen.
Charlie is quoted as saying, “What God wants from me is a life fighting for
truth. I want to be remembered for
courage for my faith.” He certainly
fought hard for truth, and we fondly remember him for his outstanding courage
and “winsome witness” right up to the moment God took him home to Heaven.
Further
Encouragement:
The month of September has seen many challenging events, both
encouraging and disheartening. Thankfully,
when our souls become frustrated and fearful, God stands ready with a
three-part prescription from His Word. During a similar time of turmoil
in 2019, I shared my basic “three R’s” as an encouragement—not “Readin’,
‘Ritin’, and ‘Rithmetic;” but instead, REPENT, REJOICE, and RECONCILE. [Read more HERE.]
