A look at two separate deaths, one of a friend in private and one of a generational influencer.
A fellow submariner
I was during the week of March 10th, 2024 when a close friend of mine died from the long term health problems, the unfortunate result of a life long love affair with a bad diet. He and I served on the same submarine, the USS Bremerton SSN 698. He was my closest confidant from my days serving at sea for several reasons: We were trained by the Navy in the same specialty and even shared the same birthday, were both left handed, enjoyed muscle cars, and talking about several of the same subjects even thirty years after we left active duty in 1986.
We did have some significant differences also, but something that truly bonded us together was our shared special operations experience in 1983. My friend rarely shared the tribulations and tragedies of his personal life publicly, unlike the trend many of us have experienced though social media. He wasn’t one to direct attention to himself and before he died in 2024, he made it clear to his family that he did not want to make any broad announcements.
When he died though, it was as though an entire human record of my military life vowed to secrecy disappeared with him. What I mean is, even though a submarine crew consists of up to about 120 men, with rare exception, there are only a few other people who could help me re-live in minute detail, those times of daring to the extent my friend could. Actually, there is no one else among mortal men who I could resonate with virtually identical operational experience, technical knowledge, and personnel familiarity. Although we had our differences in the past, we had reconciled those areas that were due to the often tribal nature of the military.
Despite his health, his mind remained very sharp until the end although I dd not speak with him in his last month. For me, his death came suddenly. Admittedly, I had regrets about not anticipating his death based on the longevity of the serious health condition he endured. He was a good stoic also, as I look back, he only offered me subtle hints as to the actual severity of his condition.
He and I spent a fair amount of time on the phone the last few of years of his life and after I had surrendered to Christ, I began to tactfully bring up the subject of the gospel and salvation. I knew he was like many people who grew up in a church but, like myself before, was clueless to the truths of the gospel. Whenever those serendipitous moment arose, I would bring up the subject of Jesus Christ’s work on the cross. I presented the gospel like a win-win business deal without the overtly religious overtones yet still pressing that we need to be saved from our sins and there’s only one way.
He had thoughtfully and thoroughly prepared his estate to be handed off to his children after his death. I had hoped that he would take the relatively simple extra step in preparing for his life after death by placing his faith and trust in the work of Jesus Christ. Accepting, understanding, and surrendering to God’s grace can be an awfully difficult thing for us, proud men who had once thrived in the illusion of self-sufficiency, but I do pray that he is saved by God’s grace and have hopes of meeting him again in the heavenly kingdom.
Patriot, role model & evangelist
Speaking of the other side of death, the glorification of Jesus Christ has been quite main stream since the martyring of Charlie Kirk. I think a lot of people, including many who call themselves Christian, are just learning the truth about Charlie Kirk and just how much of a powerful and courageous generational evangelistic voice he was. He was amazing in many ways, but the gospel was foundation to it all. He was courageous in sharing his faith in God and the gospel of Jesus Christ at scale, at large scale. His unabashed and simple manner to communicating Godly truths from the Bible is now becoming more and more ubiquitous and it is becoming a litmus test for churches, particularly Protestant or non-denominational churches around the United States, if not around the world.
Moreover, Charlie’s emphasis that young men and women to take on the Biblical model for Marriage will challenge mainstream churches. New disciples and converts will go into random churches with an expectation of receiving powerful encouragement in the areas highlighted by Charlie Kirk. Given that many mainstream churches have over the course of many years accommodate the more liberal culture, some changes are likely to be seen.
More conservative churches will need to be planted since many more liberal churches will find it difficult to make abrupt changes to their woke cultural accommodations. This must be one of the missions of TPUSA Faith is to make sure Christians with conservative values can find congregations and pastors who not only support the inerrancy and authority of the Bible but also promote Biblically based guidance for marriage and family.
Long before Kirk’s death, I listened to many of his talks and debates carefully and have found his views pretty accurate in regards to what the Bible teaches, especially the design of the family, the necessity of Christian involvement in public decisions at all level, including public office, and the unique call of the United States having been founded on Christian principles. I find nothing wanting in his presentation of the gospel which undergirds everything and offers every follower of Christ the hope that spans into eternity as part of God’s family.
Going back to my friend from the Navy, if I had been following Charlie Kirk and identified earlier the growing movement as not only political but gospel centered, I believe it would have helped my personal evangelism. Like any movement, it begins with a small group of risk taking leaders, but when there becomes a critical mass of people, that helps encourage those who are less inclined to take risks.
Whether people arrive early to follow Christ, late or from diverse backgrounds, we should take a lesson from the Parable of the Vineyard Workers:
20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace; 4 and to those he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ And so they went.5 Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he *said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day long?’ 7 They *said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He *said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’
8 “Now when evening came, the owner of the vineyard *said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’ 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius. 10 And when those hired first came, they supposed that they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. 11 Now when they received it, they were grumbling at the landowner, 12 saying, ‘These last men have worked onlyone hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 13 But he answered and said to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?’ 16 So the last shall be first, and the first last.” – Matthew 20 1:26
One of the points of this parable is, whether you come early, like Jesus’ disciples, or late, like the thief on the cross, the Grace of God is free for all who will believe. God is sovereign. Moreover, people established in the faith should repent from the temptation to look down at new believers who had once been consumed by a life of sin. It is another stumbling block not to forgive those who have trespassed against you.
God’s justice will prevail, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God – Romans 3:23. God, who is Holy and Righteous, will judge all of humanity.
With the hope of saving lives, the Gospel is shared, a gift of God’s Grace made possible through the Son Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ took the punishment of God’s wrath for all who believe or who will believe. As people come to faith in Christ’s redeeming work, they are saved.
Christians are to faithfully follow Christ, to trust in His work, to focus on His will, and to give Him the honor. Despite our human weaknesses, even our eventual deaths*, everything will come to pass for the Glory of God.
For a one minute explanation of the Gospel from the late Pastor John MacArthur, watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCP9UcC7BzE
For a review of the Ten Commandments: https://www.challenyee.com/the-ten-commandments/
All quoted excerpts have footnotes removed, usually from Legacy Standard Bible (LSB), sometimes from New International Version (NIV), on rare occasion the Amplified Bible (AMP).
* …our eventual deaths, unless we are Raptured.
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3.17.2024