The Greg Laurie Show - Charlie Kirk Tribute: A Life Worth Remembering

0:00What happens when faith and mental health meet for real? What's up? I'm Grace Graber. Welcome to Breaking Through with Grace Graber, a podcast for honest conversations about anxiety, trauma, healing, hope, and the God who never backs away when life gets heavy. We are going to talk about everything mental health. No pretending, no perfect answers, just real stories, real faith, and a reminder that you're not alone. Get ready. You're going to be absolutely obsessed. Breaking through with Grace Graber, available now, wherever you get your podcasts. Life audio. It's been one year since Charlie Kirk was murdered. It was truly a dark day in American history. I think we all remember where we were when we heard the tragic news. I was in this very office with some of our staff and someone told us that Charlie had been shot. We immediately stopped and prayed, hoping that it was not fatal,

1:00but tragically it was. I remember meeting Charlie some time ago in Florida. And I was struck by how gifted he was, especially for such a young guy. He was very intelligent, very articulate, and very kind to people. That's something a lot of folks miss. If you watch the videos of Charlie, people will walk up to the microphone and insult him to his face. And he would listen patiently. And then he would respond with compassion. Sometimes he was dealing with social issues. Sometimes he was dealing with biblical issues, but no question about it. His Christian faith motivated him in everything that he did. He was as bold as a lion. You know, when I think of Charlie's such a young man, only 31 years old, I'm reminded of another young man who died young. In fact, he was the first martyr of the church. His name was Stephen.

2:01And Stephen died boldly proclaiming the gospel. And as he was dying, God gave to young Stephen a glimpse of glory. And Stephen said, look, I see the heavens open and the sun of man standing in the place of honor at God's right hand, which is interesting, because whenever we read of Jesus in heaven, he's seated by the Father. Never standing. You wonder why on that one occasion, he is standing instead of sitting. I don't know. Maybe he was standing in honor of the first martyr of the early church. But Stephen continued on and he said, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Then he fell to his knees and prayed this amazing prayer. Lord, don't charge them with this sin. It's reminiscent of what Christ himself said as he hung on the cross. His first words were, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. Then the Bible tells us that Stephen fell asleep. Now listen, he was dying of violent death,

3:04but yet the Bible says he fell asleep. That doesn't mean he literally fell asleep. It's a metaphor to basically say he passed into eternity or he went to heaven. And by the way, that phrase falling asleep is only used to describe death for a believer. Stephen went to heaven as did Charlie. When a Christian dies, he goes straight into the presence of God. When we take our last breath on earth, we take our first breath in heaven. Is that look back on Charlie's short but impactful life? I would say he ran his race well. It was Cory Tin Boom who made this statement and I quote, the measure of a life is not its duration, but its donation. And quote, Charlie made a great donation with this life. He said, and I quote, I am nothing without Jesus. I'm a sinner. I fall incredibly short of the glory of God. We all do. I gave my life to the Lord in everything I do

4:05incorporates Jesus Christ. And quote, and Charlie also said, I want to be remembered for courage for my faith. The most important thing is my faith. Well, he was remembered in his memorial service, held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. It was attended by thousands and literally millions and millions of people watched online around the world. We heard from many of Charlie's friends, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the president of the United States. But the most powerful moment of the day was when Charlie's wife, Erica Kirk, said before that stadium that she forgave the man who took the life of her husband. Reflective of what Jesus said, Father, forgive them. For they know not what they do. And of what Stephen said, Lord, don't charge them with this sin. She said later, that's exactly what Charlie would have done.

5:07Two months after Charlie was murdered, we were asked by pastors in Utah to come and hold a crusade. And we went to the very campus where Charlie was assassinated. And we held one of our harvest crusades. And I'm happy to report that many people, most of them young, gave their lives to the Lord on the day. Some of them were even present when Charlie was killed. And I have to say what is interested and even troubled me is the reaction to the death of Charlie Kirk. Oh, sure, there's the predictable trolls. And people were just evil and they've celebrated it. But for people who have hearts, it hurts. You see, it's personal because Charlie was a part of our family, the family of God. And the Bible says, when one member suffers, we all suffer. Coming back to Stephen, the Bible tells us that godly people mourned over his death. Now, I know that seems strange to some because they would say, when a Christian dies,

6:08we should rejoice. No, when we lose a loved one, especially unexpectedly, and especially under the circumstances in which Charlie died, we mourn. The Bible says there's a time to mourn. When our son Christopher died in an automobile accident, 18 years ago, I can tell you, we mourn for months. We mourn for years. We still miss him so much. And so we weep with those that weep and we should pray for Erica Kirk. Charlie's widow and his two young children. But then we must take action. Coming back to Stephen again, after his death, we read that on that day, a great persecution broke out against a church in Jerusalem and all except the apostles are scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. By the way, this was a good thing, not a bad thing because after the Holy Spirit was poured out and the deapentechos, Jesus said, you will be witnesses for me in Judea, Samaria, into the ends of the earth,

7:08but instead of spreading out and sharing the gospel, the church had this little holy huddle. They wanted to stay in Jerusalem. But after the death of Stephen, they scattered. That's what they should have done in the beginning. And I bring this up because the Bible says, God causes all things to work together for good to those that love God. The death of Charlie Kirk will never be a good thing. It will always be a horrific tragedy. But despite this very bad thing, we have to acknowledge God has brought good. As an example, Bible sales of Conim dramatically, church attendance went up dramatically, especially among young people, especially among young men. So the gospel was spread as a result of the tragic death of Stephen and the gospel has been spread through the tragic death of Charlie Kirk. I know he would rejoice in that. I know he does rejoice in that because he's very much alive

8:11in heaven, in the presence of the Lord. And Jesus said, there is joy in the presence of the angels over one sinner that comes to repentance. I think he's properly aware in heaven of the impact at his brief but powerful life made on so many others. You know, on the day that Charlie went to be with the Lord, he was holding that microphone. And we all have a microphone, so to speak. We all have a platform. We all have a sphere of influence. Think of Charlie's microphone like a baton in a relay race. They hand the baton on to the next runner and they run for a time and they hand it on to the next runner. He's handed the baton on to us. Well, we go into all of our world and preach the gospel. That's the best way that we can honor the memory of this godly young man, Charlie Kirk. This is my skyship, Tremor. My cargo is stories and our destination, Trees.

9:15With a wide sleep stories for kids, you can help your children fall asleep fast and learn about God. To find these kids' bedtime stories, go to lifeaudio.com or search your favorite podcast app for a Bied Stories for Kids. You can also download the A Bied App from more Biblical meditations at abide.com.