The early disciples in the book of Acts were not concerned with making the gospel palatable. They didn’t water it down or reframe it to avoid offending anyone. They spoke the truth boldly—even when it led to persecution and death.
And that’s because the gospel itself has always been offensive.
The message of the Cross challenges entrenched authority, exposes sin, tears down idols, and demands ultimate allegiance to Jesus Christ above all else. That reality was true in Rome, it was true in Jerusalem, and it is still true in America today.
Charlie Kirk’s recent assassination on September 10, 2025, brought that tension into sharp focus. His faith-based convictions and his refusal to compromise were not always welcomed. In many ways, his life and death echo what we see in the book of Acts: the cost of bold proclamation in a culture that does not want to hear it.
Allegiance: Caesar vs. Self/State
In the Roman Empire, loyalty to Caesar was ultimate. To say “Jesus is Lord” was to deny “Caesar is Lord”—and that was considered treason.
In America, Caesar may not be worshiped, but “self” often is. Autonomy, personal freedom, and “my truth” are treated as sacred. The gospel confronts that directly.
Jesus said:
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)
Charlie Kirk expressed it this way: “Jesus is enough, you are not enough.” In a world that insists the answers are within us, Charlie proclaimed the truth that our hope and worth are found in Christ alone.
There is only one true God.
Rome was happy to allow many gods and many forms of worship—as long as you didn’t claim exclusivity or threaten the religious status quo.
That’s why the gospel was such a threat. Peter declared:
“There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
Today, America embraces religious pluralism. “All paths lead to God” is celebrated as tolerance. But Christianity is countercultural when it insists:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
Charlie Kirk affirmed this truth repeatedly. Just days before his death, he wrote: “Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life … Tell someone about Jesus this weekend.”
There is no gospel without the acknowledgement of sin.
In Acts, the call to repentance (Acts 2:38) confronted normalized sins—idolatry, temple prostitution, greed, and hypocrisy. That was deeply offensive to a culture steeped in those practices.
Today, the gospel still calls people to turn from sin—sexual immorality, dishonesty, pride, greed, and more. Yet our culture often celebrates what God condemns.
Isaiah’s words echo:
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.” (Isaiah 5:20)
Charlie Kirk emphasized that the gospel starts with repentance: that we are all sinners in need of a Savior, and that salvation comes only by turning to Christ. As he said on the George Janko podcast: “The gospel begins with the recognition that we are broken, fallen, sinful beings—and that without Jesus, we are lost.”
Martyrs in the bible
When Stephen stood trial, he didn’t soften the truth. He said:
“Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him—you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.” (Acts 7:52–53)
Moments later, Stephen was stoned to death.
Saul (later Paul) was complicit in Stephen’s death. Yet, after encountering Jesus, Paul became one of the greatest witnesses in history—spreading the gospel to the ends of the earth, even at the cost of his own life.
Charlie Kirk’s death carries a similar weight. He proclaimed Christ boldly, refused to compromise truth, and stood unashamed of the gospel. His life—and his death—echo the early martyrs who showed us that the gospel is worth everything.
What’s Next for Christians
If Charlie was our modern Stephen, what does that mean for us?
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Pray for the lost—including those who mock or persecute Christians (Acts 7:60).
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Proclaim the gospel boldly—without diluting truth to make it more acceptable.
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Live in holiness—turning from sin and walking in the freedom of obedience to Christ.
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Stand firm in courage—knowing that cultural offense is nothing new, and that Christ is worth any cost.
The Good News
The gospel offends—but it also saves.
In the fight between good and evil, we already know how the story ends: Christ will be victorious. The cross was not defeat but victory. The resurrection is not myth but hope.
The only question left is this: will we sit on the sidelines, hoping our faith costs us nothing? Or will we let God use us—like Stephen, like Paul, like Charlie—to proclaim truth in a world desperate for it?
Even in death, the message lives on. Even in persecution, the church grows. Even in martyrdom, Christ is glorified.