Speaker 1: 0:01

It's time now to get the hell out of your life. A weekly broadcast with real people sharing real struggles and offering real hope. Today's show will encourage, inspire and empower you to face life's challenges with a bold confidence and renewed hope. Now let's join our host, ron Myers. The promoter.

Speaker 2: 0:22

Listeners, so good to be with you once again. I'm still getting over some of the emotions I have went through with the assassination of our brother Charlie Kirk, and to have a conversation today. I called a friend I met a few years ago at the National Religious Broadcasting Convention and a lot of you call me a Jesus freak. Well, I'm nothing compared to my guest. He is on fire for God and I just have the pleasure to talk to him today. His name is Jason Jimenez. Did I say it right? You?

Speaker 3: 0:52

almost did, ron, it's Jimenez, but hey, you know what? I still love you.

Speaker 2: 0:57

Amen. Well, Jason, tell the listeners a little bit about you and your ministry.

Speaker 3: 1:02

Yeah, well one. I appreciate being reconnected with you, ron. Like you said, it was a God thing how God just put us together and how we've stayed connected through prayer and obviously following each other on social media, and I've always loved your big smile and your joy for life and family and, most importantly, our savior. But real quickly, yeah, god called me at 18 years old in Arizona as a pastor. I had no clue what that looked like, other than the few figures that I had in my life who were pastors.

Speaker 3: 1:30

My family came out of the Catholic church and so we were young in our faith and looking for a Bible, teaching church and learning about grace, and it was around that time when my mom was then suddenly killed in a car accident. So it's hard to be with people that were lost or had questions, as I had many, many questions, and so it became clear that God was going to call me to be a pastor. But I wanted to study, and so, lo and behold, I was at the University of Arizona, studied philosophy, loved apologetics, loved the biblical worldview stuff, but wasn't getting enough where I was in Tucson, arizona. So my wife and I packed up bags, you know, a few years into the ministry with two small kids packed up our bags, sold our house, moved to Charlotte, north Carolina, where I still reside today, 20 years ago, and went to seminary and got to meet the legendary Dr Norman Geisler, who was one of my professors. He attended my church he was a member there where I was pastoring families and students, and he and I started to do ministry together. We would do Wednesday night electives, we would do Q and A's, we would have mini meals together, and he began to disciple me and teach me and I would grow and learn, and it wasn't long after I was at a big mega church pastoring all these families where God had called me to start our own ministry, which is known as Stand Strong Ministries, where we get to travel around the globe, primarily the United States, and I have the distinct pleasure to go into a lot of churches and equip pastors and parents and young people, and so I'm actually currently writing my 10th book now on spiritual warfare, and so I partner with Focus on the Family Summit Ministries, stand to Reason, with Greg Koukl and his team, where we do these massive student conferences all over the country and, as we're going to be remembering our dear friend Charlie Kirk, who just loved young people and loved interacting with them.

Speaker 3: 3:17

I do too, and that's one thing why I just was so fond of Charlie was his ability to connect with people when most of the people you know that were in power would neglect them. And so that's what we do now. We use apologetics, we use the case for Christ to go out there and engage people who are seeking so you mentioned the name, charlie Kirk, and the day you heard about the assassination.

Speaker 2: 3:42

What went in your mind?

Speaker 3: 3:43

Yeah, actually I was preparing for this conference, I was putting a talk together and I came up to just kind of see you know, usually when I'm writing and working my phones off and so I've been really in the dark for hours but I happened to come out and turn my phone on to check, you know, some texts and to communicate with some people, and I had several texts there telling us you know, did you hear about Charlie? Did you hear about Charlie? And so, like everybody, I, you know, jumped online to see what had happened and began to immediately text some of my friends who work there with Charlie. And that's when I saw the news, and so I immediately, I was shocked, I was startled, I was angry, I was fearful, I was prayerful, I startled, I was angry, I was fearful, I was prayerful, I started to worry about several friends.

Speaker 3: 4:28

Actually a dear friend of mine, frank Turek, who actually is one of my mentors. We go way back. We went to church together as kids from my youth group. He was, you know, trained under Dr Norman Geisler, as I was. He runs a great, powerful ministry called Cross-Examined. He has mentored Charlie Kirk since 2020. And he actually was there, ron, at the campus, and he had just been spending time with Charlie that day and he was right off to the side of Charlie, filming right next to the tent by some of his security, and Frank was one of the guys in the vehicle that was rushing Charlie to the nearest hospital and witnessed.

Speaker 3: 5:09

Really, charlie was like a son to Frank. You know Frank is an amazing father, raised three boys. They're all out of the house and so Charlie, remember he was only 31. So he was the age of many of Frank's kids. So just, you know, when you hear this and you see, you know I didn't know Charlie that well. I had the distinct honor to meet him a couple times with some of the events that we were teaching at, and he's always very cordial, filled with life, big smiles, wanted to know you know, everybody you know and was very personable, and so I always felt that around him and we were always very supportive of this young man, how God's hand was on him. So to see that at that moment and the impact that it had on people, I just it brought us down to our knees, to be honest. I just I was stunned. The rest of the day Many of us were on the phone that do that for a living, that are in those arenas that speak to young people. We just went numb and, yeah, it was very sad.

Speaker 2: 6:16

You may not have been surprised, as I have been seeing how popular, how many people across the globe love this man. I mean I thought he was a rock star but then all of a sudden, I'm seeing things in London, in Korea, and these memorials and the thousands and the millions of people that are watching his videos and I thought, my God, lord, you were really using that man. I had no idea. I don't know, maybe, besides someone like Billy Graham, I don't know in my lifetime if I've ever seen or met anyone, the Christian faith, that had that much influence.

Speaker 3: 6:45

Have you? No, and matter of fact, before I came on with you, I'm writing an article for the Christian Post and we're gonna be making a video and, simply put, is Charlie Cook a modern Christian martyr. I would go to step further and say we have not seen in our lifetime and a person in America who is homegrown one of us, for those who are listening here who are Americans that we've seen someone who was murdered for their faith.

Speaker 3: 7:12

For their faith, because let's be clear, you know, and I've had some open, cordial conversations with some very prominent leaders who say, no doubt I love Charlie, stood with Charlie, but they viewed him more as a political activist, and those people who think that don't know who Charlie was. Then, exactly Because Charlie was very clear that he lived by faith. In fact, frank Turek, when he first publicly came out and gave just a moving, heartfelt podcast to Erica and remembering his dear friend, he said there was one point in time when many donors came to him after an event and they said, charlie, we love you, we want to keep supporting this, but can you kind of remove some of the gospel conversation that you're having, because we really just need to focus it on the politics and get these young people to be out there to vote. He says then send your money somewhere else. This is a gospel-centered ministry, and so my language that I'm trying to convey to people because, you're right, we've never seen anything like this With Billy. Incredible, I mean again, one of the greatest evangelists ever, right, I mean since the days of John the Baptist and DL Moody. But he wasn't martyred for his faith, right, we were blessed to have Billy Graham for 99 years, and you know, and he quietly, you know, went to go be with the Lord.

Speaker 3: 8:35

And here we see a 31-year-old who knew and let me just speak, if I may, ron, to some of the people listening, having a little bit of an inside track from a lot of people who loved and worked with Charlie, great boss, great man of God. What you saw on the stage. He was in real life, with his wife, erica, and his two girls. He would see things in people that they didn't see in themselves. In fact, his chief of staff that has run his life for several years. He said I want you to be my chief of staff. And the guy was like are you kidding me? There's no way. I'm capable and did not want to do it. And now again, the people, just, of course, that's what Charlie sees in you, because you know what I mean. God gave him a gift, and so I say this because what we're seeing now in response of this man who laid down his life, this guy would get not just complaints, not just threats, but he would literally be out in public on his own time with his family and people would come up to him and try to assault him in public, in front of his family.

Speaker 3: 9:37

So when you, when you realize as I was one time at an event coming in on a on a campus and he was leaving and we got to you know, see each other for a little bit, and he was on his way out and he had his security detail afterwards Somebody had made mention to that and like, oh there's, charlie, this big shot, blah, blah, blah, whatever.

Speaker 3: 9:57

And I just respectfully said, hey, you know the kind of life that he lives, and he was probably 27 at the time. And I said, hey, you know the kind of life that he lives, and he was probably 27 at the time. And I said, do you realize what he goes through? And he doesn't care because he's honored to proclaim Christ. So when we see him out there in public, knowing that there's limited security, knowing that there have been threats, knowing that there have been suggestions to pull back and not do some of these big outings, he says I have to, this is what God has called me to do. So he knew what he was doing, ron. And so I think the response now is because people saw someone who was martyred for their faith.

Speaker 2: 10:35

And I was listening to something yesterday I think it was Jonathan Kahn was saying had a video out and said that probably 10 times the people that have never heard of Charlie Kirk have watched his videos since then. Charlie Kirk is bigger now and more popular than he was when he was alive. And I was drawn yesterday Something just told me to look in the book of Acts and I come across Stephen and I'm thinking about Stephen, the first martyr in the Bible, and they stoned him because of his language and his speech. They hated what he was saying. And then it says he looked up and proclaimed, he saw Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and then they went nuts and then they killed him and I'm thinking the Holy Spirit.

Speaker 3: 11:24

And then they went nuts and then they, they killed him and I'm thinking, my God, this is a template of Charlie Kirk. Yeah, yeah, I mean, his life embodied that charge You're right, I mean, and I and you're so right in looking at the life of Stephen. I know it's hard for people who are listening, ron, who we've been blessed to be in this great country of ours and to be able to have all these Bibles, and where you and I met to have a massive, you know, conference, where people that are in this world of sharing the gospel through the airwaves, you know we can come together in a beautiful hotel and share and tell stories and support one another. But there's parts of the world where they don't have that. And so this idea to think in America that someone was killed for their faith.

Speaker 3: 12:07

You know, we try to look for a different explanation, but didn't the Bible say in 2 Timothy 3, verse 12, this is indeed all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. And so, as he was being persecuted, as I mentioned earlier in his own private life, you know he could have easily said you know what this isn't for me. This is why you'll never see the face of their children, because they shunned them, they hid their face because they knew there are evil, despicable people out there who want to try to go after his family, who's protecting his kids at all costs. But you know what? There was a charge that he boldly proclaimed the word of God according to 2 Timothy, 4, verse 2, preach the word be ready in season and out of season, and that's what Charlie did. 4, verse 2, preach the word be ready in season and out of season, and that's what Charlie did. He was, he was preparing himself, and now nobody knows when the when the day will come when any of us go be with the Lord.

Speaker 2: 12:53

But he was ready. He was ready, yeah, he was ready. And the day that it happened, and really for the next few days, there was a shift or something in me. I mean I'm a Jesus freak, I mean I am a wild, crazy guy with Jesus. But something happened that day and I told myself there really is a target on us Christians.

Speaker 2: 13:12

There really is, as you just said, evil, evil times 10 out there and I've had a boldness and had to come from the Holy Spirit because I always thought I was bold. But there's something that's changing now in my ministry. I don't really know what it is, but it is that we really this walk we have with Christ, we not only have to take it serious for our life, but those around us, because there are people right now I've talked to Jason that they're afraid, they don't know what to do. They're kind of saying, well, I don't know if I want to go out there. What would you tell the people out there listening that still are grieving and mourning over Charlie and they just don't know how they're going to go on.

Speaker 3: 13:52

Well one. As Christians, we have an eternal perspective. So as they hated Christ, they said they will hate us. So we are sojourners. This isn't our comfortable life that we are just to put all of our eggs into one basket. So if anybody, I would just say, gently, graciously, I myself have had to learn and repent throughout my life. I know, ron, you as well as someone who is a Jesus freak like me. We love our savior Jesus, who died for us.

Speaker 3: 14:18

Romans 5.10 says it's through the life of Christ that we are saved, and it's no longer we who live, but it's Christ who lives in us. Galatians 2.20,. As Paul said, because he first loved us, right. And so what I would say for Christians, like when something like this happens, we are to mourn, we are to be sad, we are to pray for justice, we are to pray for Erica, we are to as one member suffers in the body, we all suffer. But as we look at our lives, and when you do have a representation of someone and the fact that he was 31, so young, and yet what he did, that is one thing is that's what the Holy Spirit can do to a life that's consecrated before him. So one thing you can learn from somebody like that who didn't go to college, didn't go to seminary, right, and you're hearing pastors like Jack Hibbs and Frank Turek, one of our leading apologists, who's 64 years old. He says on his podcast in honor of his dear friend says Charlie was smarter than me. You know, he's half his age, but he acknowledged. I love that. There's this winsomeness, that he had this humility but this deep intellect. So I would say, be convicted. Yes, as we mourn and say, what can I learn from a man who lived out his life at such a young age but he accomplished so much in Christ? Two, I would encourage people as we do mourn, as we look within and we confess some of these sins. Remember the hope, though, that we have is in that eternal perspective, and it goes back to 2 Timothy 4, verse 8. Remember, it says that there's laid up for me a crown of righteousness, and every single one of us who live for Christ here on earth, when we do die, when our time is up, whether we're raptured or we die before the rapture, when we're taken up, that we will receive that crown of righteousness.

Speaker 3: 16:02

And one thing that brought me to tears just to encourage people, is when you have people that we respect and admire, like Jack Hibbs, the pastor there in Calvary, california, who was such a dear friend to Charlie and they did so many amazing ministry things together. In his sermon that night could you imagine this? He goes way back with Charlie and, you know, before Charlie really even started TPUSA, they saw this anointing in this young guy who was 18 years old and they clapped and they said well done, good and faithful servant, and I think that that's that's what I think, what we, you know. So, as we shed tears and stuff, but you also kind of get that shivers and the fear of God in us and also rejoicing when we see one of our own, even though he took a bullet, for Christ he's with the Lord, he is, and I don't want us to be discouraged. I don't want us to get discouraged. I want us to be encouraged. I don't want us to feel defeated. I want us to use this and feel triumphed and known and knowing that that, like you said, listen, let's put it in perspective too. This is what's powerful.

Speaker 3: 17:06

They had an estimated of over approximately, from high school to college, almost 4,000 chapters two days after his assassination 35,000 requests for new chapter, 35,000. Wow, okay, yeah, so, as Erica said, you thought you silenced him. Just wait and see what's going to happen. And the mission now that we all have so anybody listening is what Charlie was known to say, and Frank is repeating it and I heard it loud and clear. And so, in our ministry, in all whatever partnerships to advance God's kingdom, we work for him. He is our Lord and our master. We want to do the work that God has called us to do so we can crowd heaven, yep crowd heaven, yep, crowd heaven.

Speaker 2: 17:46

I love that. When I heard him say that and last week I've made a comment that well, charlie is not with the Lord, but there's a million Charlie Kirks that were just born His voice, his message is going to be louder and, like I said, something that happened that in me and I've talked to some people that you know we want to share Jesus with people. Now we want to go out there and be bold, like Charlie was, and and talk with people and engage in people, not being mean or nasty, but the gift he had to have a conversation. People say, oh, he just spoke a lot of hate. I said, well, I'll tell you what. If you go find a video and you have hate in there, bring it to me, charlie talking hate and I'll give you $100. But I won't be giving you anything because he did not, he did not speak that.

Speaker 2: 18:36

Now, to shift just a little bit because of time, you live in Charlotte, north Carolina. Something horrific. It just shuddered when I saw this on the news a few weeks ago the young lady from Ukraine when you saw that that's not a religious thing, but that's just another sort of evil that's in this world.

Speaker 3: 18:57

Well, yeah, and after that you have the shootings you know, at a Catholic school up in Minnesota.

Speaker 3: 19:03

And you're seeing our most precious, and that's not the first time. But to think about young kids the first day of school, just like Charlie Kirk, that was his first event on campus when school season just started. And you know, you see a young girl from Ukraine. She gets off, she's in the CATS train which, by the way, for all your listeners to know, I've been on that many times going up to Uptown with my family. My neighbor actually works for them and he even told me after the brutal murder arena was that they have had major complaints. We have known. I remember seeing the news where they removed.

Speaker 3: 19:40

When we talk about violence we have to understand about the leadership you know. So as we shift into the political spectrum, in this case by city council, that has now gotten national news, and good, because now all their names are going out there, ron. And the thing is, is what they did was they said that's too much money to have professional, full-time police officers protecting our public transportation. So what we're going to do is we're going to remove those individuals, even off-duty officers, who are making an extra buck but are professional and have live ammunition. We're going to put part-time security guards who the vast majority of the time, don't even check people's stubs. So this is what we have is we have people who are coming and going, getting on and off the CATS train without having a ticket. They're homeless people. Homeless people that just ride it when it's hot for AC, when it's cold for the heating system, and nobody cares to check, to screen, to protect people. So when you see this occur, you think yeah, it was bound to happen eventually.

Speaker 2: 20:41

You know, jason, you obviously have so much wisdom and I appreciate your heart and you're taking time to visit with my listeners Now. I would like you to just give hope to those that are listening right now. Anything you feel the Lord is putting on your heart, please share that.

Speaker 3: 20:59

Well, juan, I appreciate you. Ron, thank you for being an example in your heart to get the word out and in using it with with such, I think, grace and joy. And that's one thing I would just say to encourage people. I know we're living in hard times, but the Lord is with us, he is faithful, he will not abandon us. You know, he was in us as greater than he's in the world. And the last three things, I think that, yeah, if I may, and I appreciate you giving this opportunity just to give encouragement pastorally. Number one is if you know Christ as your Lord and Savior, don't privatize it. If you need to be more public with your faith, I pray that you do it. Secondly, confront the evil that is in your area, in your town, your community, family, church, whatever.

Speaker 3: 21:45

And like we learned from our dear friend Charlie Kirk and there was a saying that I was actually putting in my article and I'd like to share with you guys, because it's about calling out unrighteous behavior when he was sitting doing an interview, charlie Kirk was asked about you know, why do you do what you do? You know, and why are you so public about your faith? And he said my faith compels me to fight corruption in government and culture, just as prophets like john the baptist did. Wow. So here you have. Here you have ron.

Speaker 3: 22:13

Here you have a man who literally read the scriptures, believed in a literal john the baptist, who was the herald who came to proclaim the way of the lord right, his cousin. That was prophesied going back to Isaiah 40. And here you have this young man, charlie Kirk. He reads that he sees God use John the Baptist. He calls out corruption in the government and power. He's arrested, he's imprisoned and he's eventually beheaded. And that's what Charlie and it's almost prophetic Notice a year before he's assassinated. They're asked why he's so public about his faith and he says because my faith compels me and I see people like John the Baptist do it. Wow, isn't that incredible?

Speaker 2: 22:52

Yeah, yeah. I always say when you get so full of Jesus, it has no choice but to come out. You start talking. It bubbles out of your pores. There's a Roman about you. If people know there's something different, and that's the opening to tell them about our loving Savior and that he does have a plan. And I mentioned last week that, listen, god was not asleep. He knew what was happening, but the story's not over. Let's look at this in a year and see what has happened. How is I believe his ministry is going to absolutely explode.

Speaker 2: 23:25

As a matter of fact, I have went to the website. When I'm not doing podcast, I'm a promoter, I do events and I have signed up to be a part of the Turning Point USA and want to host some events here on the Gulf Coast. I want to get involved. I want to see, I see these young people so hungry for something and very well could be the beginning of a revival in this nation that we have never seen, birthed on the backs of young high school and college kids that are just ready to let loose, and let God loosen this country. What do you think?

Speaker 3: 24:01

Yeah, no, I think you're onto something. I think, as we see persecution on the rise, you see revival. Amen, that's the.

Speaker 2: 24:10

Jason, if people want to find out more about your ministry and how to get in touch with you, where do they go?

Speaker 3: 24:16

Yeah, they can go to our website, which is standstrongministriesorg, or you can always Google my name, Jason Jimenez J-I-M-E-N-E-Z, and the website there has our videos, podcasts that I do, all the books that I've written, articles that we do with the Christian Post that we also put on our website to help people grow strong in their faith.

Speaker 2: 24:36

Well, one last thing. Would you please close this out in prayer.

Speaker 3: 24:40

Amen, let's do it. Father, we do. Thank you for the life of Charlie, lord. We know that he's in your loving arms. And you say in your word, lord, that if they hated you, they will hate us, and so we should not be shocked or ashamed, lord, because we know you. But we're grateful and, lord, we continue to pray for Ron, for all the people who are listening right now, no matter what's going on in their life. You know even the number of hair on their head. You are so detailed about us because you love us and we're made in your image.

Speaker 3: 25:09

And so, father, I pray that one day we can say that we fought the good fight, fight of faith, that we finished the race, that we've kept the faith, that we know that Charlie did. And so I pray that we'll continue to not just inspire and motivate, but, god, as Ron said, lord, that a revival will come, that the power of your Holy Spirit will fall upon people in politics, in government, in health, in education, in family, all across this nation and all across all nations around the world. That is held in your hand. And, father, we pray, lord, if there's any sin that has hindered us, that has caused us to be ashamed of our faith or scared. Lord, we know there are people who are afraid and they've seen some tragedy. And, god, we just pray that you would embolden them. We pray that you would give them the comfort as you can only give as your good shepherd, and we pray this in Jesus' name, amen.

Speaker 2: 26:03

Charlie Kirk, how do you want?

Speaker 1: 26:05

to be remembered.

Speaker 2: 26:06

If I die, everything just goes away. How would you if you could be associated with one thing? How would you want to be remembered? I want to be remembered for courage, for my faith. That would be the most important thing is my faith. As we close out today's program, I want to encourage you to pray for Erica Kirk and her children and friends. This is our time. The world is getting darker, but our light is getting brighter. I will be back next week with another inspirational program of Get the Hell Out of your Life, available on your favorite podcast platform. Until then, this is Ron Myers, reminding you that I love you, jesus loves you, and when you give Jesus your heart, you not only get the hell out of your life, but you walk out of the darkness into the light.

Speaker 1: 27:11

Today's show is proudly underwritten by the Christmas City Gift Show. Mark your calendars for November 7th through the 9th and experience the magic inside the Christmas City Gift Show inside the Mississippi Coast Convention Center located on the beach in Biloxi, mississippi. For more information, visit ChristmasCityGiftShowcom. If you would like to be a guest and share your story of God's amazing grace, visit our website, thepromoterorg and click the Share your Story tab button. Thanks for listening. Join us next week for another edition of Get the Hell Out of your Life Real stories, real struggles and real hope.