That’s the baton in our hands now. When Charlie held a microphone, he was handing us the torch. The only question is: will you take it? Or will you fumble it and watch the culture burn to ash? In the end, the choice isn’t complicated. Stand bold in the face of evil, or shrink back and let rot take over. One road leads to despair. The other to revival. The time is now.

“We will be putting TPUSA on every high school campus in Oklahoma,” explained Walters a press release announcing the decision, one of many decisions—including bringing Bibles back into the classroom—that sparked fury on the radical left. “Charlie Kirk inspired a generation to love America, to speak boldly, and to never shy away from debate.”

From South Korea to Australia, the UK, New Zealand, Japan, and numerous other nations, vigils are being held to honor his name and memory. Professional sports teams are holding moments of silence before their games, and employers at major universities and elsewhere are firing workers who grossly cheered and celebrated this father and husband's violent murder. It has all the earmarks of a cultural awakening... but it isn't stopping there.

Charlie understood this risk, counted the cost, took a stand, and for that, he paid a price. But this was a price he knew was worth the risk, and through his amazing life and even by his death, he set a powerful example for the rest of us. Like a modern-day Stephen, his courageous ambition to speak the truth in love cost him everything, the result of which has shaken this nation to its core.

“The Name of Jesus was certainly heard at Charlie Kirk’s memorial service today,” Franklin Graham wrote on Facebook. “Speaker after speaker lifted up Jesus Christ, and this included many of President Donald J. Trump’s cabinet. The Gospel was clearly shared for all who were listening. As I watched, I couldn’t help but say, ‘Thank You Lord!’” 

You may not think you can impact a nation, but Charlie Kirk's life proves that one person inspired by the power of the gospel and willing to speak truth, engage with the lost, and shine the light of Christ in the darkness can impact countless lives. Choose this day whether you will rise to that challenge.

Charlie Kirk was an individual who took the opportunities that God set before him with passion and courage. The impact that he made in 31 years on this earth was incredible. After tragedy struck, many Christians have rightfully reflected on their own impact on society and the people around them, asking if they are truly being bold ambassadors and laborers for Christ. As Christians living in the nearness of Christ's return, I can think of no call to action more timely.

Charlie Kirk understood that without addressing education and stopping the escalating indoctrination of children, evil would win and the West would die. He told me so repeatedly. Homeschooling and getting the government out of education entirely is not just desirable, but essential, he argued.   

Charlie Kirk’s death feels personal because he was part of the family of God. And even though you may have never met him, we, as Christians, are all part of that same family.  The Bible says about the body of Christ, “if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it” (1 Corinthians 12:26). We lost a member of that body and a leader within it—this is, in fact, personal for us. So it’s appropriate to mourn. 

Following the shooting, a team of BG-RRT chaplains deployed to Utah and Phoenix, Arizona, where Charlie Kirk’s home and nonprofit headquarters—Turning Point USA—are located. Most people the chaplains encountered felt broken by the state of our nation, and they needed someone to help them process the tragedy and their grief. “Something that I found that’s unique to this deployment [is that] no one has refused prayer,” said chaplain Jo Rozier. “This is an act of grace. [We] just offer prayer and follow where the Spirit leads.”

“Mr. Tumey simply wants to bring people together to inspire encouragement and hope in his town. It is outrageous that Morristown singles out religious as well as political speech for censorship,” the attorney added. “These are the very forms of expression the First Amendment is designed to protect. Morristown’s ordinance is blatantly unconstitutional.”

When Jesus died on the cross, no one could have imagined good to result, but in God’s great plan, He won the greatest victory of all time through what others intended for evil. Only God could bring victory out of what looks like defeat and so much good from evil actions.  On a much smaller scale, Kirk’s death has been a wake-up call. Not all the ripples from Kirk’s murder have been evil or hate-filled. We can see God moving mightily in America – since Sept. 10

“I spent so much of my professional career as a coward ... shamefully afraid to say true things because it might jeopardize my position. One of the great things about having no ‘position’ anymore is the realization that a platform is actually useless without courage. I mourn for Charlie’s family. I mourn for our country. But I have renewed hope that many, like me, will find the courage to lovingly speak the truth boldly in the public square, as he often did.”

“By publishing a vile cartoon about the political assassination of Charlie Kirk, the paper has mocked tragedy, stoked division, and poured gasoline on the flames of political violence. This isn’t journalism. It’s a reckless, partisan attack that blames the victim, silences free speech, and shames everything this country should stand for.”

The shooting of Charlie Kirk was especially difficult because, while only one person pulled the trigger, millions rejoiced. That thought staggers the mind. Large numbers of Americans were positively overjoyed by the gruesome murder. In Matthew 12:34, Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” If we go by the words we find on social media, we must conclude that hearts have grown dark and evil across the land.

In a moment, with one fatal shot, the gunman killed 31-year-old Kirk, striking terror into the hearts of many. But just as on September 11, 2001, this terrorist didn’t defeat what Kirk represented. I believe what this murderer intended for evil will be turned into good, as a chorus of Christians with a biblical worldview are now emboldened to live out their faith in the public square.

Have you had enough yet? Violence and lawlessness seem out of control. Senseless violence. Snipers unleashing bullets carved with evil messages on them! Who thinks this way? The line-up of atrocities never ends. An innocent Ukrainian woman coming home from her pizza job, casually scrolling on her phone on a train in North Carolina, is stabbed to death by a demonized thug. She had left war-torn Ukraine for the supposed safety of America. Yet a monster lurked in the shadows and ended her young life. And it was all captured on camera.

The admonition was as timely then as it is now. Lawlessness, violence, and bloodshed have become so frequent in American life that very little shocks our collective conscience. Yet the assassination of 31-year-old Charlie Kirk, as he peacefully engaged in dialogue on a university campus, is a loss that has stunned millions of Americans across the political spectrum.

To the earth dwellers in the Tribulation Period, God’s truth causes such severe physical and mental pain, the death of the two witnesses will be celebrated as an international holiday.  How could people act so wickedly?  Wonder no more.  The vile reactions which have flooded social media in response to the death of Charlie Kirk demonstrates that the same blackened heart which exists in the future earth dwellers is just as prevalent in the church age.    

President Donald Trump on Thursday announced that slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk will be posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, as federal and state investigators intensify their search for the assassin responsible for his death.

Let us mourn the loss of a bold and faithful servant of God. But let’s rise to the challenge of this moment and determine to be as dedicated to Truth and bold in its proclamation as Charlie was. Let’s refuse to tolerate the perpetuation of evil, even as we are known by our love for those ensnared in darkness and advocating wickedness.

Tragically, Charlie did not get to live a long life—he was just 31 years old, but he did live an impactful one. As Corrie ten Boom said, “The measure of a life, after all, is not its duration, but its donation.”  Charlie certainly made a great donation with his life. He began TPUSA at just the age of 18 and made a difference on many college campuses. He talked with students, gave speeches, and powerfully communicated through logic, clarity, courage, and peace. He was a patriot and American who loved his country.

I am shocked and I am broken. Charlie Kirk, leader of a generation of young adults, has been assassinated in a purposely public manner. More senseless violence struck Israel on Monday. Two Palestinians snuck through a hole in the fence from the West Bank. They were picked up by an accomplice and driven to a bus stop where they boarded a bus and opened fire, executing six innocent people and wounding 12 more.

Charlie has now finished his race, his earthly course, and we celebrate his glorious graduation into the presence of Jesus Christ. It is now up to us to carry on the love, the defense and the courage that Charlie had in proclaiming Christ in America - his glowing vision that our nation would soon honor God and be great in His eyes by turning back to Him in all things.