I hope this message eventually finds its way to people who celebrated the death of Charlie Kirk. I struggle to comprehend the justification of celebrating anyone’s cold-blooded murder. It doesn’t mean that given the opportunity, the celebrator would have also pulled the trigger on Charlie, does it? If you celebrated, was it that you found his message offensive or are you offended by Charlie because he’s a Christian? I have heard the complaint that Charlie was imposing his Christian faith on the people he was debating. Is that it?

I am not a debater nor a theologian, just a born-again Christian. Would you allow me to share my take? You don’t have to accept what I have to say, but it comes from a place of peace and conciliation.

Every Christian that ever lived started out antagonistic to Christ. So, if you are not a fan of Christ or His followers, neither were we to varying degrees. Every person who became a Christian, even someone born to Christian parents, starts out living in a way contrary to Christ, without exception. No one comes out of their mother’s womb a Christian, quite the contrary. So, if you think Christians don’t understand what you are going through, my response is, we were you. We had the same questions, the same frustrations, and in some ways, we are still working out some things but from a completely different standing and perspective, even with new senses that we didn’t have before we were born-again as a Christian.

We appear exactly the same before and after being born again, with similar dispositions, and we are still quite prone to failure so much that we are on the receiving end of a lot of finger-pointing. So what changed when we became a Christian? EVERYTHING. Something in me came alive and I realized that a righteousness requirement for humanity does exist, and I have come terribly short of measuring up to it. It’s humbling, but great things often have humble beginnings. And when a person is willing to accept that he or she doesn’t measure up, (and no one ever measures up), we are willing to accept that gracious offer given by God to receive Jesus Christ’s “measuring up” as my own. I cannot pin-point how it happens, but I know I am changed.

When I accepted the reality that I didn’t measure up to God’s righteous requirement (we call that sin), I also receive the offer God extends to accept Jesus Christ for my measuring up. Forgiveness found in Christ Jesus not only covers my failure to measure up, but it also covers my resentment and anger towards God. Furthermore, the ability to live a life that measures up is found in Jesus’ new life in me. Because Jesus died for me on the Cross, I no longer live powered by my old life, I now live from a new source, eternal life in Christ. I stumble often, but this new life has enlivened senses that have long been deadened and I enjoy forgiveness, and peace, and joy, and love in God’s presence.

In a way, when you hear a Christian talk or try to explain things, like I’m doing, it often sounds like nonsense. We know this because we experienced this before our senses were enlivened. It’s kind of like hearing someone try to describe the smell of macadamia nut chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven to someone who has never even eaten a cookie. Or it’s like hearing someone trying to describe an ocean sunset to a blind person. Just words, meager words. So what the baker might do is drag you to their home, whip up a batch of dough, pop a tray in the oven, and watch your face at about the 8-minute mark. That’s kind of like being invited to church or to a Bible study, and we ask you to read the Bible with us and sing with us. It’s easier when you come with us and experience it for yourself. God makes a way.

You might think, why do you Christians feel compelled to go through all this trouble to tell us about Christ and the Biblical perspective? Why does Charlie and Cliffe and others feel the need to travel to college campuses and talk to people who obviously don’t want anything to do with anything Christ? In fact, Charlie received death threats to stop him from going to the campuses. He still went. You might even tell us Christians, listen, we are happy never smelling the cookies baking. Leave us alone. Why do you try so hard to share your experience with us?

Good question.