Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. I Corinthians 16:13

Last night I watched most of the memorial service for Charlie Kirk, attended by well over a hundred thousand people, including the President of the United States and his entire cabinet. What struck me most was the strong emphasis on the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was deeply encouraging to see public figures openly share their faith and honor Charlie’s memory by highlighting his unwavering commitment to truth.

One speaker noted Charlie’s profound influence on a generation of young men who desperately needed guidance on what it truly means to be a man. Though widely regarded as a cultural icon, his message resonated most with young men whom society often seeks to emasculate. He spoke with courage and conviction on issues that carried great social risk, and somehow that began to take root in the hearts of millions.

Charlie’s counsel to them was simple but powerful: get married, have children, and go to church. He urged young men to take responsibility for themselves and for those they loved. Luke Simon, writing for Christianity Today, summarized Charlie’s message well: “He talked about sin, salvation, judgment, and grace. He told crowds that the chaos in America wouldn’t be healed by winning elections or flipping the Supreme Court but by repentance and renewal. He urged young men not just to vote but to pray, not just to build households but to anchor them in the gospel.”

I believe what made Charlie such an effective witness for the gospel was, quite simply, that he lived as a man. In an age filled with confusion about masculinity, Charlie stood out as an example of biblical manhood. Western culture lacks a rite of passage that clearly marks the transition from boyhood to manhood. Instead, countless young men drift in that in-between space we call adolescence—a concept entirely absent from Scripture.

I believe what made Charlie such an effective witness for the gospel was, quite simply, that he lived as a man.

Simon captured this reality when he observed: “So many young men today are soaked in online irony, where everything is mocked so nothing has to be believed. It’s a posture that breeds isolation, keeps lives on pause, and, in its darkest form, produces instability—even assassins… This is the ultimate divide in America: not political or demographic but existential. The divide between a boy who hides on a roof and a man who stands in the square. The divide between frogs and fathers, nihilists and believers.”

The apostle Paul, writing to the troubled church in Corinth, offered a solution that is just as relevant today: “Act like men.” Paul clearly had a standard in mind—expectations about the roles and responsibilities of men. He knew that many of the church’s problems would be resolved if their men would “be watchful, stand firm, and do everything in love.”

To the young men who may read this blog, my prayer is that you, like Charlie, will choose to act like men. Put away childish things and embrace who God created you to be. Stand with conviction for truth. Be courageous in the face of opposition. And demonstrate the grace of humility toward everyone—even your enemies.