I started watching the videos last night and they're still coming. One person after another sharing that they had gone to church yesterday. Some were returning after being away for a few years. Others attended after being absent for 15 or 20 years. A few went to church for the first time.
And I was amazed at the number of folks who explained that last week they purchased a Bible. Others told how they went and found a Bible that had been given to them a few or many years ago and started reading. Most of those folks had some knowledge of the Scriptures. A few mentioned that they were introduced to the Bible at Vacation Bible School. One young lady told of how her family read a chapter of the Bible each night before sitting down to dinner. When she left home she gave up that practice. But last weekend she went home and at the family dinner table she read the Bible with her family.
They are calling it the "Charlie effect." I think it's just another example of God taking something meant for evil and using it for good. God has a way of doing that. Just look to the cross. The evil of the devil and sinful men was trumped by the blood Jesus shed on that cross which covers our sins and make us acceptable to the Father. I owe my forgiveness and salvation to an evil act which God used for my good and for the good of the whole world.
Does this mean that I'm glad Charlie was killed? Of course not. Oh, if there was just a way of rewinding time. We could spare the evil done to Charlie. He would be home with his amazing wife and children. He would be planning for future events. He would have more opportunities to challenge young people to think about what they espouse. He would continue to be free to witness his faith in and love for Jesus Christ.
Instead, I suspect that there were thousands and thousands, here in America and throughout the world, who attended church for the first time or after an absence of years. I pray that they heard a message rooted in the grace that is found in Christ alone. And there have been thousands of requests for help in planting new Turning Point groups on High School and College campuses.
Will all these people return to church next Sunday? Who knows. I remember how packed churches were after 9/11. Many of the folks who came to church then stopped coming after a few weeks or a few months.
Still, I was so encouraged by the videos that I watched. These people were not pledging to join Turning point or become Republicans. No, it was church they were returning to. Looking for direction. Seeking answers. Wanting to make sense of faith. Wanting to learning who Jesus is and what He can do to change their lives.
Isn't it amazing what one man's witness of faith and love for Jesus can do in the world?
