Hello everybody!
I spent yesterday watching the aftermath of the assassination on Charlie Kirk, and seeing the tears of journalists, podcasters, and others that had personal interaction with Charlie. After hearing the unfortunate cold-hardheartedness from others who just considered him an enemy (even from some so-called Adventists), I thought I’d jot down some thoughts.
I am not always “concise” and this ode turned out a bit longer than anticipated, but I wrote it for what it is. I challenge you to “think about it.”
This week our world, our nation, and yes, our SDA Church, lost what I would consider one of the two most publicly prominent Sabbath keeping Christians. Charlie Kirk was assassinated.
And while I don’t know how all his doctrinal views line up with historical Adventists, I’m pretty sure most of them did. Whether he had had time to study and embrace the Three Angels Messages—as I believe it was presented to him this last spring at the convention put on by Wisdom Pearl in AZ—we will never know.
He carried a “feel-good-positive” demeanor and while I did not know him personally, I presume many of you might have watched him or seen him interviewed at various times and felt a closeness to him as his on-air persona was very affable. “Charlie” was reachable ~ I don’t think I’ve ever heard him referred to as “Mr Kirk.” If your only exposure to him was slanted or negative from a left-oriented media outlet, I encourage you to pull up and listen to him. Don’t rely on a Soros [George] or other socialist-influenced-edited sound byte.
While his ministry and politics crossed generational borders, his reach was primarily focused on young people and youth. And I’m pretty sure he’s known by and had impact on many of our SDA kids.
While he was not an official member of our denomination, could it not be argued that he was going into the highways and byways and was the most prominent current 7th day “Adventist” Evangelist of our time (he believed in the 2nd Coming of Jesus and he kept the Sabbath holier than a vast number of SDA’s).
“Then I heard a voice from Heaven saying to me, ‘Write, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” ‘Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may ‘rest’ from their labors, and their works follow them” (Revelation 14:13).
Charlie Kirk is not up in heaven “Now” as many in the media will espouse, for the Bible says he now “rests” ~ “sleeps in the grave” until Jesus’ Second Coming. But I have more confidence of his salvation than some of our United Nations NGO’d embellished leaders, for “by their fruits you will know them” (Matt. 7:15-20).
A Role Model for SDA’s ?
Charlie Kirk” was a role model to me. With his organization “Turning Point” he championed Christianity and Conservative Christian values to Christian and non-Christian college campuses across our nation. This took courage.
But I want you to PAUSE and PONDER just a bit (and maybe just a whole lot) how we as individuals and especially the youth in our SDA Church, can look to his style, outreach, evangelism, and yes, particularly martyrdom as a role model. He would go out to college campuses, where the majority didn’t carry the Christian worldview and ‘talk’ with them. “Come let us reason together says the Lord” (Is 1:18).
He made himself available to talk to young people.
He knew the reasons for what he believed to such a degree that he could instantaneously talk on whichever subject/belief students presented to him. He listened to them with respect and often asked questions to help them see the holes in their arguments and the strength of his Biblical and/or conservative biblical views.
We have a serious problem when we have at least one faction of our political machinery in this country that wants to shut up dialogue and speech of different views with censorship, force, slander, and even fear and violence. We even have this spirit within our church organization.
As Adventists, we are called to give the “last message of mercy” — the Three Angels Messages to this dying world.
A key present truth duty of our church—and we have no excuse for not doing so with haste—is to prepare a people to stand,
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15).
This is what Paul did when brought before King Agrippa (Acts 26).
That is what Charlie Kirk did when speaking on university campuses.
Are we—and more pointedly—our SDA teens, ready to engage with Biblical courage and with an humble manner and demeanor as evangelists? We are in the time of the 4th Angel of the Three Angels Messages (Rev 14 & 18).
Are we ready and willing to be assassinated & martyred for our faith? Do we “Love not the world, and love the TRUTH” enough?
Think about it.
“Judgment begins at the House of God”. Think about it.
Always with Christ.
David Ruf
Southern California
