The question about 9/11 everyone has asked; ‘where were you when you heard about and saw the Twin Towers collapsing from the Islamic attack’? And now last week, what were your thoughts when you became aware of the assassination in Utah? What I am about to share are my initial thoughts. Four different people and four different scenarios, with one overriding similarity. First, I need to share the very first scripture I went to.
‘When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe, and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been’ (Rev. 6.9-11).
John the Baptist was a little over 30, preaching the kingdom of God and the coming of the Savior of the world, Jesus. He called out the high-ranking Roman kings and queens about their sinfulness, and for that he was beheaded. So young, but look at the impact he had in preparing the way for the coming Kingdom.
Stephen was one of the early faithful and in his mid-thirties he gave a powerful speech before the Sanhedrin as recorded in Acts 7. He called them out, they became enraged and killed him by stoning. One of the most powerful Pharisees was standing there, endorsing it, Saul. Stephen’s dying words of “Lord, do not hold this sin against them”…had an amazing impact on Saul’s heart. And we know that Saul met Jesus within days on the way to Damascus to persecute more Christians. And, now Paul, became one of the most effective ministers of the gospel to the Jews, and yes, the gentiles. And he wrote the majority of the New Testament epistles.
In the 1960s, the Civil Rights movement peaked. There was an American Baptist Church pastor, Martin Luther King, Jr., who was the vocal leader. His words, ‘I have a dream’, and so many more powerful statements about racial equality and God’s truth made him a target at age 39 for an assassin’s bullet. He died, but his legacy and his work for God’s kingdom in America have never died to this day.
Fast forward to last week. Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was assassinated at age 31 for his conservative and Biblical stance. An outspoken evangelical Christian and political activist who was dedicated to turning our country around to embrace God’s truths and return to our founding roots. Especially appealing to the next generations. Time will tell how God will use his legacy, but I believe it will be powerful and enduring.
All four men are, to me, martyrs; giving their lives for God’s kingdom. All in their 30’s, all believers, all dedicated and passionate. And this spans 2,000 years. Good versus evil still exists, and so does the gospel. Jew and gentile, good and evil people, all need the saving grace of this gospel.
O, there was one other notable 33-year old who gave his life willingly, and the Romans and Jews crucified him. The world is a recipient of his act of sacrificial love. Unlike the other four, and countless millions over the years, he lives today at the right hand of the Father. The other four are waiting as recorded in Revelation. They gave their lives for the gospel, but Jesus Christ is the Gospel! Let’s join together to bring about God’s Kingdom going forward in our families, our circles of influence, wherever God plants us. These four martyrs would say, yes, and amen, whatever is required!