Has Kirk's Death Prompted You?

[tampasteve]

 

[Pepperdoodle]

Well, if the purpose is to lead someone to Christ, there CAN be wrong things; especially if there is incongruency between word and deed.

What specifically are you referring to?

 

[rambot]

What specifically are you referring to?

I'm not referring to any ONE thing but if you profess something and then don't live it out, that has not pulled nonChristians toward Christ.

A good example of that (that I HAVE seen happen to a family I know) is this idea of helping the poor, widows etc...and then their child calling the parent out for supporting political policies that run counter to that belief. The kid ended up leaving his parent's church.... (thankfully he found one closer to his heart...)

 

[1Tonne]

I’ve already said we do not all have the same calling. Not all of us are apologists, called to debate, etc. our witness for each one of us is unique. I’m definitely no Charlie Kirk.

Jesus commanded us to go and preach the Gospel to all people. That call wasn’t just for a few who feel especially gifted; it was for every believer. We can’t rely only on showing compassion or simply standing firm in our faith; those are good, but they don’t replace opening our mouths. We may not all be apologists or skilled debaters, but we should all love our neighbours, friends, and co-workers enough to tell them about the great sacrifice Jesus made for them.
So, in this sense, we all have the same calling. That the lost hear the Gospel.

Please consider:

Nonchristians will watch you FAR more intently than they will listen to you.

Well, if the purpose is to lead someone to Christ, there CAN be wrong things; especially if there is incongruency between word and deed.

People are watching us, but this still does not replace the fact that we need to speak the Gospel. The Gospel is a spoken message. How shall they here without someone to tell them?
Our actions substantiate what we know and believe. And we can either be a good or a bad witness.
If we do bad things, our word becomes compromised, and people will be less likely to believe what we say. The opposite of this is when we act in love; this will lend credibility to our word. For example, in a court of law, if you have 2 people with conflicting testimonies, one is a prostitute, and the other is a doctor. The doctor is the one most people would believe, as his word is not compromised by his deeds, like the prostitute's. He is a good witness.
So, your actions validate what you believe, and then, when you do say the Gospel, people will be more likely to believe what you say.
But when doing good deeds, we must not forget to share the Gospel. We need to share the Gospel by speaking it. Our good deeds are not the power of God unto salvation. They only give us an opportunity to share, and they give our words credibility. Then, when we do say the Gospel, it will give glory to God.

Another example. If I were talking to someone downtown and a passerby heard me use God's name as a curse word, that would not be very good. Then, if I were to go to a park a few days after this and say the Gospel to that same passerby, my words that I say have been tainted because of my previous conduct. He would think to himself, "This fuller does not even truly believe himself because he uses his own God's name as a curse word." So, I am therefore not a good witness. My actions did not bring Glory to God. Instead, they were a disgrace. Our actions substantiate our words. Therefore, bringing Glory to God.

So, love our neighbour by caring for their needs. But also, love them enough to warn them of the condemnation that they are under. It would be unloving to know of God, everlasting life, Judgement, death and the way out, and then not to tell people of it. Love by deed and word.

There is nothing wrong with being bold in what a person shares.
Several individuals in the Bible are recognized for their boldness in speaking for God or advocating for justice!!
The apostle Paul is a prominent example. Others are Nathan, Stephen and Isaiah.

Agreed. The Holy Spirit was given so we would have boldness and clarity when speaking. In Acts 2, when the Spirit first came, the disciples immediately declared the works of God, even to complete strangers, and they did it with such clarity that people from many nations understood them.
As believers who have the Spirit, we must not silence the Spirit within us out of fear. We are called to speak boldly, even if it’s only to our neighbours, friends, or family. To know about everlasting life and everlasting death, and yet remain silent, is hardly a witness at all. In fact, it reveals either a lack of belief in what Scripture says is coming or a lack of love for our neighbour.

So yes, we need to be like Charlie, not in his platform, but in his courage and love for others. That love compels us to tell people the Gospel, not just hope our actions somehow replace the message.

 

[Michie]

Jesus commanded us to go and preach the Gospel to all people. That call wasn’t just for a few who feel especially gifted; it was for every believer. We can’t rely only on showing compassion or simply standing firm in our faith; those are good, but they don’t replace opening our mouths. We may not all be apologists or skilled debaters, but we should all love our neighbours, friends, and co-workers enough to tell them about the great sacrifice Jesus made for them.
So, in this sense, we all have the same calling. That the lost hear the Gospel.


People are watching us, but this still does not replace the fact that we need to speak the Gospel. The Gospel is a spoken message. How shall they here without someone to tell them?
Our actions substantiate what we know and believe. And we can either be a good or a bad witness.
If we do bad things, our word becomes compromised, and people will be less likely to believe what we say. The opposite of this is when we act in love; this will lend credibility to our word. For example, in a court of law, if you have 2 people with conflicting testimonies, one is a prostitute, and the other is a doctor. The doctor is the one most people would believe, as his word is not compromised by his deeds, like the prostitute's. He is a good witness.
So, your actions validate what you believe, and then, when you do say the Gospel, people will be more likely to believe what you say.
But when doing good deeds, we must not forget to share the Gospel. We need to share the Gospel by speaking it. Our good deeds are not the power of God unto salvation. They only give us an opportunity to share, and they give our words credibility. Then, when we do say the Gospel, it will give glory to God.

Another example. If I were talking to someone downtown and a passerby heard me use God's name as a curse word, that would not be very good. Then, if I were to go to a park a few days after this and say the Gospel to that same passerby, my words that I say have been tainted because of my previous conduct. He would think to himself, "This fuller does not even truly believe himself because he uses his own God's name as a curse word." So, I am therefore not a good witness. My actions did not bring Glory to God. Instead, they were a disgrace. Our actions substantiate our words. Therefore, bringing Glory to God.

So, love our neighbour by caring for their needs. But also, love them enough to warn them of the condemnation that they are under. It would be unloving to know of God, everlasting life, Judgement, death and the way out, and then not to tell people of it. Love by deed and word.

Agreed. The Holy Spirit was given so we would have boldness and clarity when speaking. In Acts 2, when the Spirit first came, the disciples immediately declared the works of God, even to complete strangers, and they did it with such clarity that people from many nations understood them.
As believers who have the Spirit, we must not silence the Spirit within us out of fear. We are called to speak boldly, even if it’s only to our neighbours, friends, or family. To know about everlasting life and everlasting death, and yet remain silent, is hardly a witness at all. In fact, it reveals either a lack of belief in what Scripture says is coming or a lack of love for our neighbour.

So yes, we need to be like Charlie, not in his platform, but in his courage and love for others. That love compels us to tell people the Gospel, not just hope our actions somehow replace the message.

I don’t know how much clearer I can be. You keep repeating things I’ve already said. Preaching the gospel is done in many various ways. It does not require me to do things as Charlie did. If I recall, you are the guy preaching the gospel where people gather. So yeah, he might be a role model for you. But none of us are required to witness in the exact same ways. So you do you. Charlie did Charlie. And I’ll do Michie and live my faith as I am called to do through word and deed. Not all of us are called to the same way of doing things and there are various way to witness. That’s Scriptural.

 

[Pepperdoodle]

View attachment 370434

If all of us were half as bold in speaking the truth as Paul, Stephen, Isaiah and people like Charlie, the world might be a better place, not perfect, but better.

 

[1Tonne]

I don’t know how much clearer I can be. You keep repeating things I’ve already said. Preaching the gospel is done in many various ways. It does not require me to do things as Charlie did. If I recall, you are the guy preaching the gospel where people gather. So yeah, he might be a role model for you. But none of us are required to witness in the exact same ways. So you do you. Charlie did Charlie. And I’ll do Michie and live my faith as I am called to do through word and deed. Not all of us are called to the same way of doing things and there are various way to witness. That’s Scriptural.

I never said we were all called to be public speakers or to be Charlie Kirks. I said the opposite. This is what I wrote: "We may not all be apologists or skilled debaters, but we should all love our neighbours, friends, and co-workers enough to tell them about the great sacrifice Jesus made for them." So, as believers, we should love our neighbours, friends and co-workers enough to warn them. This can be done as the opportunity arises. And in reality, if we truly love our neighbour, then we would try to make those opportunities happen because we never know when they will die.

 

[Michie]

I never said we were all called to be public speakers or to be Charlie Kirks. I said the opposite. This is what I wrote: "We may not all be apologists or skilled debaters, but we should all love our neighbours, friends, and co-workers enough to tell them about the great sacrifice Jesus made for them." So, as believers, we should love our neighbours, friends and co-workers enough to warn them. This can be done as the opportunity arises. And in reality, if we truly love our neighbour, then we would try to make those opportunities happen because we never know when they will die.

Yeah… you should go back and read what I actually wrote.

 

[1Tonne]

If all of us were half as bold in speaking the truth as Paul, Stephen, Isaiah and people like Charlie, the world might be a better place, not perfect, but better.

I often wonder the same thing: what would happen if we spoke more boldly? I try to see it from an unbeliever’s perspective.
Our lack of proclamation gives them reason to doubt that our God is real. If you saw a house on fire, you would yell and warn the people inside; you believe the house is burning and that lives are at stake. You wouldn’t let it rest on your conscience that you did nothing. Likewise, if we truly believe in everlasting punishment for the lost, we must warn everyone we can, as urgently as possible. Our actions must match our beliefs.
Sadly, our silence often shows the world the depth of our belief, or the lack of it, and it weakens our witness.
So, our lack of proclamation gives the unbeliever plenty of reason to believe that our God is not real.

Imagine if all Christians spoke about God and the Gospel with the boldness of Paul, Stephen, Isaiah, or even someone like Charlie. Unbelievers would notice. They would see that we truly believe the reality of sin, the cross, and the hope of salvation.
Yet so many profess faith and remain silent. That’s shocking and wrong. Just like we would warn people in a burning house, we too should warn that people are going to face eternal punishment.

Silence in the face of this is not innocent. It reveals either a lack of belief in God’s Word or a lack of love for our neighbours. True belief overflows into action. If we truly believe, it will come out of our mouths. The world desperately needs Christians who speak boldly, not timidly.

 

[Pepperdoodle]

I often wonder the same thing: what would happen if we spoke more boldly? I try to see it from an unbeliever’s perspective.
Our lack of proclamation gives them reason to doubt that our God is real. If you saw a house on fire, you would yell and warn the people inside; you believe the house is burning and that lives are at stake. You wouldn’t let it rest on your conscience that you did nothing. Likewise, if we truly believe in everlasting punishment for the lost, we must warn everyone we can, as urgently as possible. Our actions must match our beliefs.
Sadly, our silence often shows the world the depth of our belief, or the lack of it, and it weakens our witness.
So, our lack of proclamation gives the unbeliever plenty of reason to believe that our God is not real.

Imagine if all Christians spoke about God and the Gospel with the boldness of Paul, Stephen, Isaiah, or even someone like Charlie. Unbelievers would notice. They would see that we truly believe the reality of sin, the cross, and the hope of salvation.
Yet so many profess faith and remain silent. That’s shocking and wrong. Just like we would warn people in a burning house, we too should warn that people are going to face eternal punishment.

Silence in the face of this is not innocent. It reveals either a lack of belief in God’s Word or a lack of love for our neighbours. True belief overflows into action. If we truly believe, it will come out of our mouths. The world desperately needs Christians who speak boldly, not timidly.

Speaking boldly about the Gospel is first and foremost...but we do live in the world and we also need to speak boldy about things going on in the world, but that is secondary to the first!!

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

Whether you were a fan of Charlie's or not, has this prompted you to be more outspoken?

No. Because my voice, my opinion, just contributes to the discord of this now fragile nation and world. Rather, I am trying to listen better, to be more humble about my opinions, and to look past the Left/Right illusions that have engendered so much hatred.

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

So I seek to proclaim my faith by deed and lifestyle rather than by words that are now tainted by so much political ideology.

 

[Pepperdoodle]

Sorry.

When has the right been timid and quiet?

They're not as "loud and proud" as the Left are.

 

[Pepperdoodle]

No. Because my voice, my opinion, just contributes to the discord of this now fragile nation and world. Rather, I am trying to listen better, to be more humble about my opinions, and to look past the Left/Right illusions that have engendered so much hatred.

I took a years break from social media a while back because things were bad. Came back and they weren't any better.
So I'm going to share what I share, some will like it and some won't.
If we don't speak up to all the ungodly things and lies in the world, it doesn't help things improve.
If all of us were half as bold in speaking the truth as Paul, Stephen, Isaiah and people like Charlie, the world might be a better place, not perfect, but better.

 

[1Tonne]

No. Because my voice, my opinion, just contributes to the discord of this now fragile nation and world. Rather, I am trying to listen better, to be more humble about my opinions, and to look past the Left/Right illusions that have engendered so much hatred.

If Jesus thought the same, then I am pretty sure most of us would not be around today. I am glad that Jesus spoke up in a world full of discord that was really fragile.

So I seek to proclaim my faith by deed and lifestyle rather than by words that are now tainted by so much political ideology.

Can you tell me how your actions relay to someone that Jesus died on the cross for their sins? - Our actions are not the power of God unto salvation. The Gospel is the power of God, and it is a spoken message.

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

If we don't speak up to all the ungodly things and lies in the world, it doesn't help things improve.

We tend to make the judgment about lies and ungodliness with our political blinders.

 

[Pepperdoodle]

We tend to make the judgment about lies and ungodliness with our political blinders.

Some do, some don't.
Where are you politically...democrat, republican, independent, etc?

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

If Jesus thought the same, then I am pretty sure most of us would not be around today. I am glad that Jesus spoke up in a world full of discord that was really fragile.

Can you tell me how your actions relay to someone that Jesus died on the cross for their sins? - Our actions are not the power of God unto salvation. The Gospel is the power of God, and it is a spoken message.

Words have their limits, otherwise we would all be united. Even the Gospel can be weaponized for political ends.

The Feast of St Francis is coming soon. He was perhaps one of the most influential preachers since Jesus. But it was his lifestyle and holiness that made his words effective. I think we each should start there with ourselves.

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

We tend to make the judgment about lies and ungodliness with our political blinders.

Independent, but why should that matter to you? That labeling and judgment is part of the problem.

 

[1Tonne]

Words have their limits, otherwise we would all be united.

Words do have their limits, but the Gospel is more than words. It is the power to change a heart of stone into a heart of flesh.
So, yes, our lives should align with what we believe, and we need to speak and act in accordance with our beliefs. To simply say nothing while knowing that people are perishing is wrong.
And, we should all be united under the banner of God with the goal to tell the whole world the Gospel.