The following exhortation was given to the congregation of Cross & Crown Church on Sunday, September 14th, 2025. In terms of our liturgy, these exhortations are given right before the prayer of confession. Thus, they are intended to lead us to a place of repentance.

The assassination of Charlie Kirk last Wednesday was horrifying in every sense of the word, and yet, it was and is a monumental moment of extraordinary significance. Charlie died a martyr—a lover of Jesus Christ and a hater of all things which stand in opposition to Christ’s Kingdom. He was more than just a guy who liked to debate college students: he was a mover and a shaker. He gained a ton of ground with college students, challenging their thinking about life, relationships, economics, politics, and the Lord Jesus Christ. His conversations worked—they sparked a movement of young people who saw through the stupidity of COVID, BLM, and everything surrounding those issues. He helped them see the morally corrupt system of Nihilism which marks our age. His work may have moved the Overton Window, but his death has completely shattered it. 

In the book Acts we find the apostles, in response to being told to shut their mouths about this Jesus character, replied, “We must obey God rather than men” (5:29). Shocking, isn’t it? To learn that Christianity requires a backbone? To see men ignore the unlawful commands of others in pursuit of a higher calling? The problem many Christians have today is following through, and all the way through, with what they say they believe. It’s a shock to the world when they find out that there are people like us who genuinely believe what they say they believe. I see this first hand every time I go to a college. They don’t know what to do with someone who isn’t afraid of death, who most certainly isn’t afraid of a silly argument. 

It’s shocking to someone who rejects the gospel when they stumble upon a Christian who really does mean it: the Bible is the infallible word of God; Jesus Christ really did take on human flesh and die a brutal death—the death we deserved to die—so that our sins could be forgiven; He really did rise from the grave, and He really is seated on high in the heavenly places. Furthermore, He really does rule the nations with a rod of iron and He really does expect His Church to follow in His train. Jesus Christ is Lord, and so we must act like it. We must behave accordingly. 

Charlie believed this. He believed culture is downstream from religious presuppositions, and that the only way to really deal with the horrific perversions we see today is to confront it head on with the gospel of the Kingdom. When many pastors and Christians reject such a thing—their judgment is just, and may God decrease their number—Charlie pushed against the grain. He swam against the current in order to save the fountainhead.

And so we should, too. Instead of going back to whatever callous normalcy and apathy may have marked our lives, we must instead double down on our convictions. Double down in your families. Double down in your jobs. Double down in the culture. Be completely and entirely inflexible to evil. Say it louder and with your chest: evil must be destroyed by the gospel. Evil will be destroyed by the gospel. 

Instead of speaking vaguely about these things, let us speak very specifically. Call out the trannies and the homosexuals and the insane Democratic Left who support this wickedness. Name them—they have a pulse. Be very specific about which thoughts, persons, and ideas are damaging to the sanctity of human life. Expose evil at every level. You can never, ever back down from the fight that was brought to your doorstop. War is upon you whether you would risk it or not. So don’t be vague and don’t desire to curry favor with compromised demons. Bury them in gospel-soaked preaching. Double down on your Christianity. Charlie Kirk even harder. There cannot be a false peace—ever. Especially in our churches, and including the political arena. There is no neutral ground so stop tip-toeing around it. Preach Christ to these very specific sinners, boldly, unflinchingly, and compassionately. 

Charlie’s assassination will undoubtedly do more than his life ever could, and this is because our God knows how to conquer the grave. This tragedy shocked us all because it reminded us that there is evil in the world and that evil often shows up in flesh and blood. It reminds us that faithfulness will cost us something, perhaps our own lives. But we shouldn’t love our lives and thus never consider the cost of following our crucified Savior. Jesus told us: if you would save your life now, you will lose it later. Spend your life today, and you’ll actually save it later.

Paul said of Christ that if the rulers of this age had known what it is they were doing, they wouldn’t have crucified the Lord of Glory. The same is true in this case because Charlie is a child of God. The insane Left has no idea what they just did–and they are complicit. They have supported violence at every level, particularly when it comes to child sacrifice. They have chosen to hurt one of Christ’s sheep and they will thus meet His unyielding wrath. May God vindicate His servant Charlie, and may God vindicate His name as we live with resolve for the Kingdom of Christ. 

May God’s Spirit light a fired and may the world be consumed accordingly. 

Let us start by confessing our sins and saying it with our chests. 

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