christianity

Charlie Kirk and the Great Revival

The afternoon following Charlie Kirk’s assassination, by brother in Cleveland called. Brad was greatly shaken by the horrible news of Charlie’s death but shared something that was incredibly encouraging. He had just discovered that his 13-year-old son, Calvin, was an avid follower of Charlie on social media. “All of my friends loved him,” Calvin told his dad. They watched his videos daily. Charlie’s conservative messaging had made a positive impact on young Calvin and his friends.

I wholeheartedly believe there are millions of teenagers that echo Calvin’s sentiments and were greatly influenced—not just politically, but spiritually—by Charlie’s life.

Later that evening, I received a call from my one of my sons, Ben, who lives near Phoenix. He was traumatized—and in tears—because of Charlie’s death.  He too, was an avid follower of Kirk. Ben told me he had just returned from Costco and witnessed quite a few younger employees literally in tears as they attempted to do their various duties in the store. “There’s no more time to mess around,” Ben adamantly told me. “I’ve got to get off the fence and get serious about my faith.” He recognized that Charlie’s death was part of a spiritual battle. “Sunday,” he stated, “Chandler, the kids, and I are going to visit a church near our house.” Ben had not been to church in years. He informed me if the church wasn’t preaching a proper Gospel message, “…we’ll find one that is.”

Once again, I believe there are millions of twenty and thirty-somethings saying the same thing, because of Charlie.

Then, a few days later, on Saturday morning, another amazing “Charlie moment” occurred. For many years I have hosted an online Bible study each Saturday. Men from all over the United States, and the world, join together for an hour of fellowship, encouragement, and a brief study of God’s Word. One of our men lives in Nigeria where he oversees a very productive ministry. His country is a hotbed of Islamic extremism and Christian’s are being martyred there on a daily basis. He told us, “I had never heard of Charlie Kirk until after his death. In fact, I did not know anyone who had ever heard of him. But since his martyrdom, everyone is now watching his videos online. He is having an impact on our people!”

I believe Charlie’s death is being used by God to bring forth a revival in America, and, might I add, the planet.

Prior to my retirement from radio in 2020, Charlie was a guest on my San Francisco program several times. He was always full of energy, well-informed, and never pulled a punch. Truly, he was a great brother in Christ, a wonderful husband, a tremendous dad, and a true patriot.

As I close, I am reminded of Psalms 116:15,

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful servants.

Thank you, Lord, for Charlie Kirk.

Help Wanted: Foreign Christians to Evangelize America

America was originally founded by those who came to this new land on the Mayflower and subsequent ships, to be a place where Christians could openly express their faith and, in turn, send missionaries to the ends of the earth to see people come into a personal relationship with the Creator of the Universe–the Messiah Jesus.

This nation made good on that intent for a long time. Certainly millions around the world can trace their hearing of the Word to Christians who came from the United States, not to mention the material aid in all forms that has plentifully flowed from the USA to the far reaches of the globe.

Now America is in a crisis. Christianity is in the crosshairs of the government and the left at large. Secularism has taken over. At the same time sin (and the occult) flourishes. Addictions, depression, racial division, gender rebellion and gender confusion, and vaccine conflicts are the norm.

Today, in a Zoom Bible study I’m a part of, a Christian brother from Nigeria said something that must be heard:
“America is in need of missionaries.” His comment received “amens” from other brothers in Eastern Europe and Kurkistan.

In other words, our Christian brothers and sisters in other nations believe missionaries from their lands need to come to evangelize the United State of America.

These are dark times indeed. Let’s pray for a harvest of souls in the USA and a revival of true faith worldwide.

Christians Must Stand Against the Jewish Hate

By the way,  I have an extensive podcast on this topic, but here’s the tidy overview…

I grew up thinking that Christianity was hostile towards the Jewish people.  My primary examples of such violent hatred were the Roman Catholic Church in the Middle Ages, Adolph Hitler, and the KKK.  I was told they were all Christians and obviously, and devilishly, hated Jews.

Then I researched Christianity for myself by reading the New Testament. There is NO WAY an authentic follower of Jesus (Yeshua) could align themselves with the activities of those three examples.

Not even for a millisecond!

Let’s take a step back for a moment and look at history. Jesus, his mother Mary, and her husband Joseph were all highly observant Jews.  All of the disciples called to follow Jesus were Jews who loved Torah. John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin, was a Jew.  Prior to being known as the Apostle Paul (who wrote much of the New Testament), Rabbi Saul was (you guessed it) Jewish.

And speaking of guesses, guess what?  They were all persecuted for following the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  In the case of Jesus he was persecuted to death for claiming to be the promised Messiah, in accordance with prophets like Isaiah who said 700 years prior to the crucifixion:

He was despised and abandoned by men,
A man of great pain and familiar with sickness;
And like one from whom people hide their faces,
He was despised, and we had no regard for Him.

However, it was our sicknesses that He Himself bore,
And our pains that He carried;
Yet we ourselves assumed that He had been afflicted,
Struck down by God, and humiliated.
But He was pierced for our offenses,
He was crushed for our wrongdoings;
The punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him,
And by His wounds we are healed.
All of us, like sheep, have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the wrongdoing of us all
To fall on Him.
(Isaiah 53:3-6) 

Hatred of the Jews goes back to the beginning. When God called Abram out of Ur of the Chaldees and promised that his seed would become a great nation, possess the land of Israel and that God would use the nation of Israel to bless the world, the Jewish people became public enemy number one in the eyes of Satan!

That’s right, Antisemitism is Satanic.

Whenever or wherever antisemitism has occurred in history, up to and including the current outbreak of disgusting acts being performed by Muslims.

The question is, what action should we take as followers of Jesus the Messiah?  Jesus loved and wept for his brethren, God’s Chosen People.  In fact, as Messiah he died a sacrificial death first for the Jews, and then for the Gentiles.

Is antisemitism to remain unchallenged by the true followers of Jesus?

NO. We cannot–we must not–stand by silently!

I know that true Christians love the Jewish people. In these increasingly troubled times, the Church has a unique opportunity to show Jewish friends that they are loved and, more importantly, that Yeshua loves them!

Through the Jewish patriarchs, the prophets, and the temple, God used the Jews to bring forth His Word, the Law, and morality to a world of sin. He sent forth His son, Jesus the Messiah, in a Jewish body to redeem the world of sin. Satan, the prince of the earth (John 14:30; Ephesians 2:2), has poisoned the minds of men with his hatred of the Jews.

Jewish persecution and antisemitism at large is sign of Satan’s hatred for a people chosen by God to reveal the Word of God, and the Messiah of God.