Thread by @tomascol

Should pastors have mentioned Charlie Kirk's assassination yesterday?🧵

Every pastor is responsible to shepherd the flock in which the Lord has placed him. For that reason I wouldn't presume to dictate to any pastor on this situation. But I did mention him.

Here's why. 1/

Q. 159 in the LC says pastors should preach the Word of God should be preached "wisely, applying themselves to the necessities and capacities of the hearers."

This wisdom has served me well in my ministry. "What do they need & what can they handle?" Those questions guide me. 2/

In one sense we always need more than we can handle—John 16:12 & Hebrews 5:11-12. So, every wise pastor will at times leave some needful things unsaid until a more propitious time. But we should always be thinking in these 2 categories: necessity & capacity. 3/

As our pastors evaluated our church we knew we would have been derelict of our duty to say nothing about Charlie. Our people have been taught to see the world in light of God's law & gospel. The majority recognized his murder as a violation of the law because of the gospel. 4/

Charlie was murdered because he was a Christian fulfilling his calling as a Christian in one of the most hostile, anti-God environments in the western world—university campuses. He is a Christian martyr, just as Stephen (Acts 7) & Jim Elliot are. 5/

All Christians who have been put to death for their faith are martyrs. It seemed unthinkable for our elders, therefore, not to address Charlie's murder. We did in our welcome, prayer of confession, pastoral prayer, & morning & evening sermons. 6/

Neither sermon deviated from the consecutive, expository plan. For me, that was not difficult since Genesis 7 was my text. @GundenGraham had to work a little harder in Matt 5:27-30, but did so faithfully. Our people were comforted by the Word applied in this way. 7/

That is to say, they needed it. And they handled it quite well.

Charlie Kirk's murder is not the only martyrdom the church has witnessed in our generation. But it is the most dramatic &, I believe, will prove to be the most pivotal. It has awakened something long dormant. 8/

Countless testimonies demonstrate the divide which afflicts our nation—a divide between good & evil, righteousness & sin. We do not all see this divide the same way, but no one can deny its reality. Some—many, I pray—see it & are seeking answers from Scripture & church. 9/

Others see it as merely political & think Christians like me have sold our souls to a political party. It is the former than I am most concerned with. I want to reach them & teach them the gospel of Jesus Christ—the very gospel for which Charlie was murdered. 10/

So, yes, I mentioned his death & legacy. I did so because he was martyred for the very cause of God & truth that animates my own life. I prayed publicly for God to raise thousands who will follow him as he followed Christ. I will continue to do so. 11/

I particularly will continue to challenge men to repent of cowardice & stand up to be counted for the lordship of Jesus Christ in every area of life. I praise God that the men in my church demand that I do so & would rightly fire me if I did not. The battle is not over. 12/

We have not yet seen the last martyr (Rev 6:9-11). Demons do not go quietly into the night. God's people must be equipped to stand firm. They need such equipping. An increasing number can handle such equipping. Those who are not yet able, need their capacities increased. 13/

Pastors have been given this responsibility. May the Lord help us to own the stewardship that He has given us. And may God send His Spirit with power as godly men wield His Sword in His world, regardless of cost or consequence. 14/14