What is our Hope in Life and Death? - Remembering Charlie Kirk (Acts 6-7)

Acts 6:10 "But they could not withstand the wisdom and Spirit with which he was speaking." 

Yesterday Charlie Kirk was murdered in cold blood in broad daylight. Why? Because he spoke the truth of God openly, in public. He was unashamed of the name of Jesus and shared the gospel of Christ boldly. 

He was brilliant, eloquent, and persuasive but his life was cut short in front of the entire world because of his faith and witness. He was unjustly put to death for the same reasons they killed the very first martyr Stephen in the early Church. 

In Acts 6 it says the crowds approached Stephen to debate him but “they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke” (vs 10). Sound familiar? A few verses later in Acts 7, Stephen delivers a master class Old Testament survey (from memory) and argues powerfully from the Scriptures that Jesus was not only the Messiah but that their hard-hearted unbelief in Him was the very thing that caused His death. 

Their reaction? They became unhinged. They literally plugged their ears to stop themselves from hearing what he had to say (Acts 7:54-57). Their visceral response to his words was driven by their pride and rather than accepting the truth Stephen spoke, they were filled with rage and attacked him to force Him to stop speaking permanently. 

Most shocking of all was Stephen’s response. Rather than responding to their violence with matched anger and hate, Stephen kept his eyes on Jesus and prays for the forgiveness of the very ones who were taking his life. His faith on full display to the world, Stephen stood firm to the very last breath. 

While Stephen’s death was absolutely tragic and shocking, God used it in a very profound way to accomplish more than anyone would have dreamed possible. The final verse of Acts 7 introduces the villain of the story, Saul of Tarsus, a young man who no doubt played a part in Stephen’s murder. 

In the way that only God can, Stephen’s death planted the seed of the gospel in Saul’s life that day, which God later used to bring Saul to faith in Christ. It was Saul’s transformation that gave us Paul the Apostle, who went on to become the greatest missionary who ever lived and who’s faith and witness accomplished more for Christ in his lifetime than Stephen would have ever dreamed possible in his own.

As the first martyr of the early Church, Stephen’s life proves the promise of Jesus, later penned by the man who stood in approval of his execution- “God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28