The Day Charlie Kirk Was Martyred: How One Man's Sacrifice Became a Revival

September 10th, 2025

I was staring out my office window, captivated by the beauty of a perfect Florida day—the kind that beckons you outside. I was meditating on the sermonette I had prepared for our student ministry that evening, centered on discipleship. My thoughts lingered on the Apostle Peter and the profound cost of following Jesus of Nazareth.

Buzzz, buzzz, buzzz. An incoming call shattered my focus. I glanced at my watch to see my brother-in-law’s name scrolling across the screen. It wasn’t uncommon for him to call, but it was odd for him to reach me at work. “Hello, what’s up?” I asked, my voice tinged with curiosity.

“Charlie Kirk has been shot,” he said, his voice trembling with an earnest warble, the kind that portrays shock and deep concern. I was stunned. “Wha—what?” I stammered, my lungs squeezing out the sound.

“Charlie Kirk was at an event and was shot,” he continued. “My friend who was there heard what sounded like a large-caliber round…” I know I responded, but that’s the last of the conversation I can recall.

Later that day, my brother-in-law called again, this time with devastating news: Charlie Kirk had passed away. I wept. The tears flowed down my face, my closed eyelids failing to hold them back. My face rested in my hands as the questions began to swirl like a whirlpool in my mind.

How was I supposed to respond to this? As a Christian and a leader in our church, how could I comfort or console others? Who would do the same for me? Charlie was an icon for conservative Christian youth in America, accomplishing so much for Christ. He had been a man I was inspired by. Why would God allow such a faithful servant to be taken from us?

The Martyr 

These questions have plagued me since that day, wrestling with my soul day in and day out. The only thing keeping me from being pinned down by them is the Word of God. Charlie was a Christian—a genuine one. His pursuit of Christ was evident both on and off the platform. Jesus wasn’t just a brand or slogan for him; Charlie was the real deal, a true follower of Jesus Christ. Everyone could see it in how he lived.

Charlie Kirk was a towering advocate for the Christian life, putting others first even when he didn’t have to, giving sacrificially, and loving unconditionally. This shone brightest in his honest conversations with those who opposed him, answering their evil not with malice but with genuine love—a love rooted in a heart devoted to Jesus.

That Christ-like witness made him a target, and on September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk was martyred—a model of Christ’s love Satan could not allow to continue. President Donald Trump recognized this in his tribute, calling Charlie a martyr for “truth and freedom”—slain by the radical left for daring to speak the unfiltered gospel of Jesus Christ in a world that hates the light. Yet, as I grieved, an unsettling question robbed me of comfort: why would God allow Charlie to be taken?

Lessons from a Grain of Wheat

As I wrestled with this question, I turned to Scripture, where Job reminds us that Satan is powerless unless God permits him. Jesus provides the answer in John 12:24: ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.’

Speaking to farmers, Jesus used this parable to reveal a profound truth: a wheat seed, no bigger than a BB, must dry out, be planted, and die to produce an exponential harvest. So it was with His own death and resurrection, sprouting countless believers through the gospel’s cascade: God loves us, Jesus died for our sins, and He rose to give us new life—a life we can live now.

This is the truth Charlie Kirk gave his life for, and his martyrdom, like that grain of wheat, now plants seeds for a harvest of souls. Many may remember him for his politics, but those were secondary to his belief in Jesus Christ’s power to transform lives. That power is now unfolding before us.

A New Day Dawns

Today is September 15, 2025, five days since I received news that changed my life in ways I never imagined. America is divided, but I am hopeful. I am more on fire for Jesus today than I have been lately. The news is filled with prayer vigils for Charlie around the world, but what excites me most is that people are more open to the gospel.

My church alone has received calls from families outside our congregation who want to return to faith. People are coming back to Jesus. I can’t fully explain this phenomenon, except that Jesus was right: Charlie Kirk’s martyrdom is the “grain of wheat” that may spark a great revival in America.

Now, it’s our job to be ready to give an answer for the hope within us, that many may come to faith in Jesus Christ. I have no doubt that when Charlie arrived in heaven, he heard the words, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant.’ I long to hear the same. Erika, Charlie’s wife, shared in her public address that his life’s goal was to ‘make heaven crowded.’ Now, it’s our turn to carry his challenge forward, sharing the truth of Jesus Christ boldly to make heaven crowded.