To an estimated audience of over 100 million people, the name of Jesus was exalted, the gospel was declared and demonstrated. The memorial service of Charlie Kirk was a spectacle to behold, the significance of which we probably have not really begun to consider fully. So why does Charlie Kirk’s memorial matter to the United Kingdom?
Put simply, it matters because it has global political and spiritual ramifications that will be felt for years to come. It matters because it marks a turning point in the spiritual warfare that has been intensifying over the last few years. It matters because it was not so much a funeral as a statement of the triumph of life over death.
“He refused to accept the continual decline of the nation and it led him to confront the lies of the devil head on and he was not afraid to do so in the public square”
Charlie Kirk was no ordinary man. He was an utterly extraordinary individual who had a zeal and zest for life and a God-given calling to see his nation saved and turned around. To see the rising tide of liberalism and marxism reversed and see young people standing for truth. He refused to accept the continual decline of the nation and it led him to confront the lies of the devil head on and he was not afraid to do so in the public square, something that ultimately cost him his life.
Charlie was one of those once-in-a-generation types who are raised up with an extraordinary calling that goes way beyond themselves. Charlie was aware of the importance of his calling, yet he never let it get to him. He remained humble, he remained focused on his calling and he remained focused on Jesus.
For Charlie, everything was about Jesus. And that is ultimately why he was hated by his opposers. The legacy media who regularly maligned him will tell you he made enemies for himself because of his ‘divisive views’, but the reality is the views he espoused came straight from the pages of the Bible. If you have a problem with many of the views Charlie Kirk held, then you also have a problem with God. Those seeking ‘unity’ for unity’s sake at the cost of the truth would do well to remind themselves there is plenty unity in the fires of hell.
“If you have a problem with many of the views Charlie Kirk held, then you also have a problem with God”
That is not to say Charlie was perfect. He was his own worst critic and often stated he was not deserving of salvation and that on judgement day he will have a lot to answer for. He was realistic about what Christ had done for him. That grace and mercy had taken the place of justice. He was simply a beneficiary of Jesus’ gift of salvation and eternal life available to all who confess their sins, believe in their heart and confess Jesus as their Lord & saviour.
Right to the end he was seeking to gain greater knowledge. He was in touch with pastors the day before his assassination making plans to work out responses to difficult questions as he was determined to be at the top of his game because it was for Jesus he went on the campus tours, not for his own benefit.
When Charlie Kirk was assassinated, it sent shockwaves around the world – quite literally in the case of Arizona where a 4.1 earthquake was measured in the hours after his death. His death was significant because of what it represented and who had been taken out. It represented the very worst of opposition to biblical truth. It highlighted the demonic possession of troubled individuals who saw violence as the answer to their disagreement. Charlie himself said that when discourse ends, violence begins and he sadly found that to be true.
In a world where many have turned their back on Jesus and outright rejected any notion of God. In a world where many have decided they know best, so have no need for God. In a world where the truth has been watered down to the point where there is a greater focus on feelings over objective fact. In a world where the devil has taken far too many lives hostage and used them to promote evil agendas, Charlie Kirk stood as a strong voice for objective truth and genuine justice.
Charlie wasn’t just motivated by what he saw, he was motivated by what he was called to do. Equipped with the power of the Holy Spirit, he dared to enter the lion’s den and put himself in front of his greatest opposers and he did it with grace. He understood that in an age where the art of discourse has been largely lost where many conversations now revolve around online shouting matches that do nothing except promote greater division, the only antidote was to engage directly with those who disagreed with him.
“In a world where the devil has taken far too many lives hostage and used them to promote evil agendas, Charlie Kirk stood as a strong voice for objective truth”
Over time, the movement he spearheaded, Turning Point USA became the largest youth political movement in America with branches across hundreds of schools and universities. The operation he oversaw in 2016 got President Trump elected and then re-elected in 2024. Charlie’s instinctive reaction to the election victory on the night was simply to give glory to God and stated, “we did not deserve this. This was grace.”
What is remarkable and is a testament to his understanding his holy assignment, he never grew too big for his boots. He never abandoned his family. He never presumed to know best. He never lost sight of the goal and he never decided he no longer needed Jesus. In fact, as time went on, he grew to speak of Jesus more openly, more boldly and more regularly.
Charlie’s influence stretched across the ocean to the UK where Turning Point UK was launched. However, many in the UK had not heard of him until he was murdered. Yet in death, Charlie’s talks and videos have been viewed by thousands across the UK and hardly anyone has now not heard of him. Many are talking about him, many are asking questions about life and many are turning to Jesus as a result.
Charlie’s life on earth may have ended on 10th September, but his influence has really only just started to get going. Take his Instagram profile, for example. On the day he died he had over 4.5 million followers on that platform alone. Today that figure is over 13 million.
Charlie visited the UK a few months ago when he spoke at both Oxford and Cambridge universities, doing what he did best: participating in debate and answering student’s questions. Not once did he waiver from the truth. Not once did he compromise. Not once did he even show an ounce of giving any ground. Not once did he lose his cool. Not once did he lose the moral high ground. He calmly but firmly answered every question, refuting all the claims made against him with clarity and wisdom that went well beyond his 31 years. It was obvious that the Holy Spirit was speaking through him and inspired the words he spoke. In an interview with GB News he spoke prophetically about the need to confront the lies of the left and how free speech was under attack because people hate to hear the truth because the devil is the father of lies.
It is rare that a political activist carries such a wide influence as Charlie. But he was no mere political activist. It is rare to have the drive and ability to do all Charlie did. However, when you appreciate the spiritual dimension to what he did, it starts to make more sense and the significance of what and why he did what he did starts to come into focus.
When he died, I suspected the funeral would be a big event because of the scope of his profile, but few could have anticipated just how big an event it would be. Indeed, it appears to have taken those who organised it by surprise as well. It was originally slated to take place in a large church, then moved to a larger hall, then an auditorium and then latterly the stadium. It was clear to me that Erika Kirk and others involved in putting this extraordinary memorial together were determined not only to make it a massive event, but to ensure first and foremost that it was an event that proclaimed Jesus and offered life in place of death and hope in place of despair. It was less of a funeral and more of a revival crusade, so much so many souls were saved when they responded to the call to follow Jesus right at the start of the service. The proclamation of Jesus was not an accident; it was very deliberate because those speaking knew who would be watching. They knew this was an open window they could speak the truth into.
“It was less of a funeral and more of a revival crusade”
It delivered in its goals and far exceeded them. From the nearly three hours of worship before the main memorial even started that laid the foundations for what was to come, to the repeated declarations of the gospel throughout from the various speakers who knew Charlie. To the most poignant and significant part of it all: The address given by Charlie’s wife Erika Kirk.
Here you have a young mother and wife who just lost her husband in the most tragic and evil of circumstances. Publicly assassinated in front of the world that she herself witnessed. A mother who is dealing with unimaginable pain, grief and heartache. A mother who now has to raise her two young children without their father. You would forgive anyone in that position for not even appearing in public. Yet, as she stepped out onto the platform and took it all in, you could sense something shifting in the spiritual realm. She knew the significance of the moment.
Even before she had arrived on stage, the congregation had worshipped, people had been saved and the gospel had been proclaimed more times than you could really count. Yet, now it was the time for that same gospel to not only be proclaimed again but to be demonstrated.
As Mrs Kirk started to talk about her husband Charlie, his calling and ministry and their shared faith in Jesus, nothing could have prepared us for what was to come. In a single moment that shifted the spiritual dial of the whole world several notches, she declared that Charlie made it his mission to rescue young men who had lost hope and got caught up in distractions. She recalled the words of Christ who when hanging on the cross said, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do”. She then paused, took a deep breath and whispered the words, “that man” and then with more confidence, “that young man, I forgive him.”
“that young man, I forgive him.”
Erika Kirk
I cannot even begin to imagine the strength, courage and faith it required to forgive the killer of your husband, let alone to proclaim it publicly to an estimated audience of over 100 million people. When she made that declaration a demonic power that had hung over this assassination crumbled completely. There is great power and release in forgiveness and as hard as it may be to do, we must forgive for Christ forgave us.
You can decide to not agree with the views Charlie Kirk espoused. You can choose to disagree with the politicians he chose to support. You can disagree with the football team he supported. You can disagree with his methodology and style. But, you cannot deny that God raised up this young man and placed on him a mantle and calling the likes of which we rarely see. It carried him through thick and thin, the good times and the challenging. It kept him close to Jesus and we rejoice that today, because Charlie placed all his hope, trust and faith in Jesus he is now standing in glory in the arms of his precious Lord and saviour Jesus Christ.
The intensity of the spiritual battle for the heart of western civilisation has been gaining over recent years because the devil knows his time is up. What was formally thinly veiled is now out in the open. What used to be loosely disguised is now openly flaunted. The devil has thrown everything he can and used the twin axes of liberalism and Islam to seek to destroy western values and ways of life. It is in this context that Charlie Kirk operated and it is because he challenged the demonic spirits of the day that he faced such attack and vitriol. Because he dared to challenge evil and wickedness in high places he enraged the devil. Because he dared to confront evil and understood the reality of the spiritual battle he faced death threats on a daily basis, but this did not deter him. The spiritual battle Charlie Kirk engaged in is the same spiritual battle we need to be engaged in. That is why the memorial service and the content of it was so significant in the spiritual realm. You can look at the way that so many came together to pull off an event in a week that usually takes about six months planning to put together. You can look at the estimated $7,000,000 of time, labour, equipment and expertise donated to make it happen. However, it was the content of the worship, the repeated declarations of Christ’s Lordship, the call to repent and turn to Jesus and the focus on the eternal and spiritual that made this event so significant. The event itself was a powerful declaration that the devil’s time is up. Charlie knew his ministry was part of a spiritual battle far bigger than him. He knew he was called for such a time as this and he understood the spiritual significance of what he was called to.
The memorial service of Charlie Kirk matters to the UK because it was less of a funeral and more a revival and prophetic declaration. Where the devil wanted people wallowing in grief, they instead lifted their voices in worship to Jesus. Where the devil wanted riots, instead there was revival. It matters to the UK because this was not just a local event in the USA, it was a global event with global spiritual significance. It matters because even in death, Charlie Kirk has shifted the tectonic plates of discourse, debate and the cause of the cross and Jesus.
God is already moving in the United Kingdom and my prayer is that as more young people over here encounter all those clips of Charlie Kirk speaking and preaching truth, they will reach out to Jesus and find new life in him. My prayer is that this will indeed be our turning point as a nation.
