Their condemnation will be charged against you
I’m definitely not the gloom and doom type. My compatriots at Church Volunteer Central can attest to the fact that I don’t like how much we talk about background checks–though I concede their importance. The point is, I try stay positive and I don’t like negative thoughts. Just look through my earlier posts and you’ll see what I mean. But my Bible time this morning really grabbed me and I’m afraid that if I don’t speak I’ll be just as guilty as those I’m trying to warn!
Ezekiel 33:1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, speak to your countrymen and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, 3 and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, 4 then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not take warning and the sword comes and takes his life, his blood will be on his own head. 5 Since he heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning, his blood will be on his own head. If he had taken warning, he would have saved himself. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.’
7 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 8 When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. 9 But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself.
I’m a firm believer that we should be loving heaven into people rather than scaring hell out of them. But the reality is that we have an obligation to warn people that there are consequences for not choosing to follow Jesus. So let me speak especially to those who are in spiritual teaching positions because I think you have the responsibility of a watchman. Yes, by all means I think the love and grace of Jesus should be our primary message. But if we neglect to also tell people the other side, we risk being held accountable by God.
