FROM THE DAWGHOUSE…
So, What Now?
Charlie is gone. The line has been drawn in the sand. And now every one of us must answer the question: what will we do with the time we have left?
As Pastor Pete so strongly communicated at Forge this week, some Christians and churches have chosen silence, some have chosen anger, and others have chosen what Charlie chose – the gospel, boldly proclaimed, no matter the cost. The question for us, the men of Forge and the church at large, is this: what now?
The answer is not “the same old, same old.” Jesus never called His disciples to comfort, predictability, or routine. He called them to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him (Luke 9:23). That’s not bucket-list living. That’s mission-list living.
- Bucket list living says, “What do I want to do before I die?”
- Mission list living says, “What has God called me to do before I die?”
The fruit is ripe. People are searching. Culture is cracking. And God has put His church here for such a time as this. We don’t have the luxury of being easily offended. Paul reminded the Corinthians that love is “not easily provoked” (1 Cor. 13:5). Jesus Himself, mocked, spat upon, and crucified, never lashed back in offense. He entrusted Himself to the Father and stayed on mission.
If we want to honor Charlie’s life and more importantly honor Christ, we must become men who are unoffendable. Not because we are passive, but because we are urgent. We don’t have time to waste energy on petty arguments, social media outrage, or wounded egos. The gospel is too pressing. The mission is too clear. The time is too short.
So, what now?
We preach Jesus…
Not ourselves. Not our politics. Not our preferences. But Christ crucified (1 Cor. 2:2).
We live sent…
Every home, church, workplace, and neighborhood is a mission field. Our mission list starts at the dinner table and stretches to the ends of the earth.
We embrace urgency…
“The night is far gone; the day is at hand” (Rom. 13:12). The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. That must change, particularly in the church, but also at Forge.
We toughen our skin…
When a brother is killed for his faith, silence is not an option. The early church knew this well. They remembered Stephen’s stoning, they honored the apostles who were executed, and they told the story of Polycarp being burned at the stake. Why? Because their deaths preached just as loudly as their lives. To stay quiet when one of our own pays the ultimate price is to distort the witness of Scripture itself.
The Bible is clear: “Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body” (Heb. 13:3). Revelation 12:11 does not celebrate those who stayed comfortable; it celebrates those who overcame by the blood of the Lamb and “did not love their lives even unto death.”
To downplay, ignore, or avoid Charlie’s name out of fear of political fallout is to teach the men of Forge, and congregants of the church that cultural approval matters more than costly obedience. That isn’t shepherding. Its self-preservation dressed up as prudence.
Charlie stood boldly for the truth of Christ, and he paid with his life.
To honor him is not to elevate a man, but to magnify the gospel he lived and died for. Romans 12:15 calls us to weep with those who weep. To honor martyrs is to honor Christ. To remain silent is to teach people that comfort outranks courage.
If we cannot name those who fall for their faith, how will we prepare our people to stand for theirs?
