Sunday, September 28, 2025

985 - Sing a New Song

Friends: Charlie Kirk’s memorial service Sept. 21, 2025, brought unprecedented Christian witness from public officials broadcast to a gargantuan live, national, and global TV and Internet audience. Who might sing a new song? Blessings! Bob

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Spirituality Column #985

September 30, 2025

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

Sing a New Song

By Bob Walters

“… by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation … Worthy is the lamb who was slain …” – Revelation 5:9, 12

It is generally useless to quote scripture to people who don’t believe the Bible, trust the person of Jesus, acknowledge the reality of God, or accept the Holy Spirit.

Share the Gospel? Absolutely! But the first step is to share God’s truth with one’s own life, love, and kindness. Shouting out John 3:16 and 14:6 – “God so loved the world that He sent his only Son so that whoever believes in Him shall have eternal life”, and “No one comes to the Father except through Jesus” – is beautiful language to a believer but a clanging gong to a hostile soul where pride blocks grace’s entry to its humanity.

Let the Holy Spirit capture a human heart and spirit, though, and the richness and authority of the Bible blossom into an eternal and previously unseen palette of purpose, possibility, faith, and embedded truth in a regenerate human heart.

My own heart regenerated for Christ at age 47 not because someone handed me a Bible or quoted a verse, but because I saw Christians I respected believing the Bible, worshipping Jesus, and living in His truth. I discovered a whole new land that I knew almost nothing about – Christian faith – except that now it was real, trustworthy, and inviting me in. I heard a new song, and didn’t want to stop listening. Only, to learn and grow.

I think that was the overwhelming power of Charlie Kirk’s memorial service.

Hostile hearts may well remain hostile hearts; there are those who have been and will continue beating their breasts in rage and contempt not just at Jesus but for the politicians who spoke of Jesus and even for Kirk’s memory. Softened and perhaps seeking hearts who paused for the spectacle – whose ears could suddenly hear and whose eyes could suddenly see – augment the joy I perceive. Faith grew that day.

The hundred thousand in attendance inside State Farm Stadium in Phoenix, a total 277,000 active cell phones (i.e., people) in the immediate area, millions watching the video in our nation and nations worldwide, thousands of requests for Turning Point USA chapters, and nonstop media and internet discussion should call to more than a few unbelievers that Christ is something – and somebody – to reverently pursue.

“Worthy is the lamb who was slain” (Revelation 5:12) refers to the heavenly host praising Christ in heaven.  Millions and millions see Charlie Kirk as a slain lamb in the service of Christ.  Charlie’s death – and his memorial – were momentous national, international, and eternally significant, events. Who now believes? Who now can see?

As for critics who decry “Christian nationalism,” fine. No sane person wants a theocracy. But I did not see Christians wrapping themselves in the American flag; I saw Americans wrapping themselves in Christ. I saw a grieving widow forgive her husband’s killer in the name of Christ.  I saw American leaders offer bold, powerful, persuasive, and in my experience unprecedented witness for Jesus Christ as Lord, Savior, King … and the Way, the Truth, and the Life alone. I saw and sensed peace and resolve, not violence.

I saw U.S. President Donald Trump, a grossly underappreciated defender of Christian freedom, wander off script (he does that) but land in a Christian confessional: he hates his enemies while citing Erika Kirk’s admirable forgiveness, grace, and mercy in Christ.

Trump, with humor and possibly a touch of humility, implied he “needs to work on it.”

I did not see Christian nationalism; I saw Christian revival.

Christians are dealing with modern pharisees on all sides, whose anger ratchets up as Christ’s message grows. Let us keep singing louder; Jesus was ransomed for all.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) watched all five hours of the memorial, through tears,  and shares this 2013 Passion Conference “Revelation Song” video link of Kari Jobe who performed with Hillsong at the Kirk memorial. Walters also notes a pattern he has observed: the more a Christian likes Donald Trump and watches Fox News, the more likely they were to know of Charlie Kirk. Oppositely, Christian non-fans of Trump who never watch Fox News generally knew little about Kirk until he was assassinated. Charlie was a gifted conservative political protagonist, but also the Christian apologist of recent years with the biggest megaphone. Pro-Jesus and pro-Trump, the legacy media rarely mentioned him.


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