A LESSON FROM CHARLIE NO ONE’S TALKED ABOUT
The assassination of Charlie Kirk, a man of devout Christian faith and heroic courage, provides a unique opportunity, I believe, for something very important to come to light. I’ve been working on this article since the Lord took Charlie home. I felt it was time to share it.
Millions of Christians, across many denominations, held prayer vigils honoring this heroic young man of faith. Millions watched the remarkable, Christ-honoring service, in the jam-packed football stadium, honoring his life and boldly proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to millions watching on TV.
I believe God desires to use the martyrdom of this young man to help us all understand and consider something of vital, spiritual significance.
Did you know Charlie’s wife is a devout Catholic Christian who takes her children to mass every day? This heroic, godly woman loves Jesus Christ, and is devoted to the word of God. They were a devout, sacrificial, godly Christian couple.
Here is a quote from his wife, Erika Kirk:
Meditate on His Word like it’s oxygen.
Don’t let your heart grow numb; don’t let your eyes skim over sacred sentences you’ve read a hundred times.
This isn’t just a book. This is the living, breathing voice of your Savior.
Treat it as holy.
Stop multitasking with the holy.
Don’t “habit stack” Jesus.
Drop everything.
And worship.
This is not productivity.
This is presence.
This is sacred.
Be intentional.
Be still.
Be postured in awe.
Because you’re not meeting with a character in one of the greatest books ever written.
You’re meeting with the King of Glory.
Here is a quote from Charlie Kirk:
“I love devout Catholics, so many in my life that I treasure. My wife baptized Catholic, my mom baptized Catholic, and my grandmother was (one of) the greatest Catholics who ever lived. I have such GREAT RESPECT for really serious Catholics in so many different ways. My team has a lot of devout Catholics.”
Did you know Chuck Colson, the man who founded Prison Fellowship, who wrote the book Born Again and some of the most powerful, profound Christian books of the last 60 years was married to a devout Catholic Christian?
Did you know Chuck Colson wrote a very insightful book entitled Evangelicals and Catholics Together: Toward a Common Mission? I’ve read it. It’s a powerful book with important things to consider.
Did you know The Passion of The Christ, that profound, deeply spiritual, Christ-honoring movie, was written, directed, and produced by a devout Catholic Christian, Mel Gibson? Did you know that the powerful portrayal of Jesus in the film, and his agonizing suffering, was performed by a devout Catholic Christian, Jim Caviezel? God used them both and their tremendous love for Christ, and their powerful film, to bring Jesus Christ to millions and transform lives.
Did you know it was the highest grossing Christian film of all time, the highest grossing independent film of all time, and as of 2023 the highest grossing domestic R rated film?
Read this quote from George Barna, renowned Christian author and highly respected researcher. He is commenting on his research into The Passion of The Christ movie. Barna also highlighted the power of movies in transforming people’s lives. “Don’t lose sight of the fact that about 13 million adults changed some aspect of their typical religious behavior because of the movie, and about 11 million people altered some pre-existing religious beliefs because of the content of that film. That’s enormous influence,” the California-based researcher noted, “and you cannot fault The Passion for not satisfying religious agendas that some people assigned to it. More than any other movie in recent years, The Passion focused people on the person and purpose of Jesus Christ. In a society that revolves on relativism, spiritual diversity, tolerance and independence, galvanizing such intense consideration of Jesus Christ is a major achievement in itself.”
Did you know that one of the greatest Supreme Court Justices of all time is a devout Catholic Christian named Clarence Thomas? An extremely godly man. His preserving faith in spite of relentless vilification, injustice, and persecution, has been a great encouragement to me personally. His biography, Judging Thomas, was a wonderful blessing to me.
Did you know that the most recorded Christmas song in history, translated into 300 languages, Silent Night, was written by a devout Catholic Christian Priest named Father Joseph Mohr?
Did you know that the smash hit series on the life of Jesus, loved and watched by millions of Christians, The Chosen, starring Jonathan Roumie in the powerful portrayal of Jesus and his life, is a devout Catholic Christian? The Chosen has been used by God to share Jesus Christ with millions who do not know the Lord.
I believe with all my heart, that it’s time to recognize the tremendous blessing that could be had if devout Evangelical Christians and devout Catholic Christians would find ways to unite with each other, forged by our deep abiding love for Jesus Christ and our shared beliefs, and push back the forces of evil and advance Biblical righteousness, Biblical morality, truth, and a life of passionate devotion to Jesus Christ.
We will not agree on everything. We will have our sacred differences. But I can say with Billy Graham, and tell you from my own personal experiences, I have much more in common with devout Catholic Christians than I do with the majority of nominal Christians of other denominations.
I close with this thought to ponder—Did it ever occur to you that quite possibly a primary reason Charlie Kirk’s life and ministry was so powerful and impactful, that TPUSA spread far and wide across the land on college campuses amongst places where leftism and lies dominant the landscape, where Christianity and conservatism are hated and vilified the most, is because Charlie, as a devout Christian, united with other Christians, including devout Catholic Christians, for a righteous purpose, and as a direct result—God greatly blessed it?
Never forget this—The single most important thing that unites us is our deep, abiding love for Jesus Christ, and our belief that he is God’s only Son, the Savior of the world.
Friends, I understand some of you may not agree with what I have tried to convey to you today. I simply, humbly ask you to consider it and pray about it. My greatest desire is that each of us lives a life that truly honors our Savior, Jesus Christ.
May we remember well the divine creed of the Apostle Paul, given by God—
There is one Lord. One Faith. One Baptism. One God and Father of us all.
Helping you become a Strong Disciple,
Because of Jesus,
Pastor Mark Darling
