Not Of The World

The assassination of Charlie Kirk has shaken us to the core.  

Years ago, I wrote about the hatred of this world toward those who follow Christ.  The world yells that Christians are haters because we don’t condone every lifestyle that they promote and legislate.  

In their mind, it’s ok to hate the haters.  Haters must not be tolerated.  Sin of every sort must be tolerated, but not those who call their choices sin.  

The words of Jesus ring very true to us today.

“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.  If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.”   (John 15:18-19)

Clearly, if we are following Christ we will be hated by the world.  We stand in the good company of Jesus in that regard.

If you are comfortable in this world…if the sins of Romans 1 don’t cause you great alarm and concern…then you are of this world and you will be warmly welcomed by this world.

But those of us who follow Christ will not be tolerated by this world.  

We saw that full display of intolerance when Charlie’s blood was so publicly spilled by the blind hatred of Satan himself.

Martyrdom seems so other-worldly.  

So not American.

But no longer.  The mask is off.  

Light and darkness are on full display.

Spiritual warfare has become a reality to American Christians.

I read again the story of Stephen, the first Christian martyr.  How much his story resonates with us now!

“And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people.  But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen…rose up and argued with Stephen.  BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO COPE WITH THE WISDOM AND THE SPIRIT WITH WHICH HE WAS SPEAKING.”  (Acts 6:8-10)

We know what happened.  Stephen preached a great sermon.

The reaction?  When they heard his words, they were cut to the quick and began gnashing their teeth at him.

They drove Stephen out of the city and then stoned him to death.

But let’s not forget this part of the story.

Those murderers took off their robes and laid them at the feet of a very religious murderer of Christians. 

His name was Saul.

And Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death, we are told.

But Saul was later miraculously saved and became the Apostle Paul.

Fear not, Christians!

I believe that we are going to see a great work of God on this earth because of the death of Charlie Kirk.

I believe we will have many Sauls who will become Pauls…ones whom God will raise up to proclaim Him.

God knows what He is doing.

And we know that we can trust Him fully to perfect and perform His plan.

Suit up in the armor of God, believers!  

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Author: Patty hesaidwhatks

I'm Patty and I write about our adult son who has Epilepsy and Autism, who still lives with my husband and me, and who is a package full of many surprises and joys and challenges and TALK! Lots of talking, which creates laughter and some other reactions as well. I also write about how God shows Himself to me in everyday life.

23 thoughts on “Not Of The World”

      1. oh my word, we are shaken as well. The Lord has provided comfort to me in so many ways. I walk forward in His love and the strong reminder He is in control. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and God’s supporting Word. May The Lord richly bless you and your family.

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  2. I agree, thank you for speaking up, so many have remained silent. ( tried commenting through WordPress not sure if it went through.) Sent using Hushma

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  3. This man you spoke of should of not been killed, however he spoke of hate. It is more important to have people be killed each year so others can have the second amendment of having guns. I am saying have strong laws too many children are dying on school because of guns. The words he spoke of are not the words of Christ in which we all need to follow. Let us each examine our hearts to be more like Christ and less of ourselves.

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      1. Patty I am not here to argue but we all have a different view of this person what I saw of him and listen to him it was not in a loving way he said guns are more important than someone loosing their life. The best thing we can all do is to love our neighbors as ourselves regardless if the are white, brown, black straight or gay that is what Jesus would have us do

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      2. Yes, believers are to love everyone but we are not to condone sinful lifestyles. That’s where the rub is and where the anger occurs. Why do you think Jesus said that he was hated and therefore we would be hated as well? Speaking God’s truth in this culture is called hate, no matter how loving we are.

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      3. We can go around in circles you and I, I disagree with this man’s beliefs they are not the teachings of Jesus Christ. I am a woman who preach and teach others. So we can’t respect each others opinions

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  5. Thank you for your heartfelt observations about Christians and their ongoing challenges. Comparing Stephen, the first Christian martyr, to Charlie Kirk is eye-opening. Too many people are distancing themselves from God’s Word so they repeat the same tragic mistakes. God bless you, Patty.

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  6. Patty, you’ve expressed the truth with clarity. Charlie always spoke with love and grace especially with those who disagreed with him. He listened to his opponents present their perspective and responded from the biblical world view, always making it known that he aligned himself with Jesus.

    The nature of debate is opposing ideas. Dialogue is a good thing. It challenges us to question and articulate our stance on a given topic.

    In the Bible, Proverbs 27:17, refers to iron sharpening iron–debate, dialogue, discussion. The literal process of iron sharpening iron can cause sparks to fly and so can a dialogue of differing ideas. The problem is when a person thinks that anyone who’s thoughts don’t align with theirs affords them the right to kill the opposer rather than debate.

    Jesus Christ had enemies, people who wanted to silence him, people who hated his message of truth, and ultimately Jesus laid down his life at Calvary for us all. For those who agree and those who don’t. The Gospel is offensive to those who are perishing.

    Thank you for boldly sharing the truth, Patty!

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    1. And thank you, Manette, for your very wise and biblical words. Jesus had good reason for saying that we would be hated. He knew that hate all too well. Human nature hasn’t changed one bit over the centuries. Christians now speak truth and it’s called hate, but in reality the ones screaming at us for being haters are the ones doing the hating and the killing. May we as followers of Christ stand strong in His strength in these challenging times.

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      2. Patty, I agree with you 100%. I was shocked when I heard the terrible news. I have listened to him for years. I was always impressed by his example of speaking the truth in love. God bless you and yours as you serve the King of Kings! 🙏

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  7. AMEN, Patty. Charlie Kirk’s death is a horrific tragedy. My heart aches for his family and friends who knew him well; my heart aches for our nation, even the world at large, that lost a strong voice of wisdom, knowledge, sound logic, and testimony of the difference Christ makes in a person’s life. But I agree with Erika Kirk alluded to in her statement Friday evening. The perpetrators (the shooter AND those who inspired him) have no idea what they’ve unleashed. There will undoubtedly be MANY who’ll take up the fight in honor of Charlie. May God empower and impassion them to reach thousands more with the truth.

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    1. I agree, Nancy. I’m reminded of the early church in Acts and how their persecution was used by God to disperse them around the countries in order to spread the gospel. God had a reason for Charlie’s death, hard as it is for us to accept, and I wonder if it’s in order to spread the gospel around the world like a wildfire. I pray we are all emboldened by Charlie’s example to share the truth no matter the price we may have to pay. I had written this piece and put it on FB. Later, I felt impressed to also use it as a blog. I hesitated because I wondered about the angry feedback that might happen. But then I thought of Charlie’s courage and was ashamed at my fear. This is such a very small example of speaking out but I pray I will continue to do what’s right no matter the outcome.

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  8. Wow!! Powerful post. I’m always a fan of your Aaron stories, but this one is in a league of its own with encouragement, and wisdom, and hope for a desperate and lost world.
    Many people in my generation didn’t even know of Charlie Kirk, but they sure do now and because of that more people are seeing who and what he was about, and finding Jesus therein. I believe a wave of revival is growing for His name’s sake.
    Thank you for posting this, Patty!

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