The Watchman
Ministry is a solemn responsibility. The charge that Paul places on Timothy is a responsibility that Timothy will someday give an account of before the judgment bar of God.
“I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things… I Timothy 5:21
One of the most sobering passages in the Bible relates this truth to the task of the watchman.
The watchman was commissioned with a task of being an “early warning system” if an army was coming to invade the land.
God relates this to the work of Ezekiel the prophet: Ezekiel 33:1-7
1 The word of the LORD came to me:
2 “Son of man, speak to your people and tell them: Suppose I bring the sword against a land, and the people of that land select a man from among them, appointing him as their watchman,
3 and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows his trumpet to warn the people.
4 Then, if anyone hears the sound of the trumpet but ignores the warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head.
5 ⌊Since⌋ he heard the sound of the trumpet but ignored the warning, his blood is on his own hands. If he had taken warning, he would have saved his life.
6 However, if the watchman sees the sword coming but doesn’t blow the trumpet, so that the people aren’t warned, and the sword comes and takes away their lives, then they have been taken away because of their iniquity, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.
7 “As for you, son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. When you hear a word from My mouth, give them a warning from Me.
As we consider our responsibility to share the gospel with those around us- let us not forget that we will give an account.
We are not empowered to secure results- those are with God- but we must “give warning” so “blood is not on our hands”.
May the Lord find us faithful.
Because of grace,
Tim
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