Charlie Kirk and Keith Green: Next Man Up
For whatever reason, the shocking assassination of Charlie Kirk made me remember how devastated I felt when Keith Green died at such an early age. In addition to sympathy for a young family’s loss, the entire church feels it when such an active servant is taken away, so young and so suddenly. The message given at Keith Green’s memorial concerts is the same message I’d gently speak to Charlie Kirk’s followers and fans, when they are ready and able to hear it.
The sudden death of Keith Green was one of the seminal moments of my college years. It still moves me, even today, over 40 years later. As college students, Lisa and I were scheduled to volunteer for a Keith Green concert that became a memorial concert. I had spoken on the phone with Keith just two years prior about coming down to live at his ranch, called Last Days Ministries. My parents and pastor prevailed (probably wisely) in steering me into college instead. His death hit me so hard; when I got the news, I went into my bedroom, dropped to my knees, played his most recent album, and wept. I legitimately still miss him to this day. I continue to enjoy his music, and his passion continues to motivate me. Lisa knew that marrying me meant she would be listening to Keith Green, off and on, for as long as her husband was alive.
At the memorial concert, the leaders kept quoting John 12:24: “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” The verse, of course, is Jesus talking about himself. That’s the ultimate meaning. But Jesus himself immediately applies it as a metaphor to his disciples, so let’s not quibble too much about quoting the verse when an active servant passes. And the teaching that followed at the memorial concert was clear: Keith’s death should motivate the church to rise up and become even more active, for people to take his place, so to speak, and multiply his message.
Continue reading this free blog on Substack HERE.
The post Charlie Kirk and Keith Green: Next Man Up appeared first on Gary Thomas.
