My last Ezekiel post was on Ezekiel 16. I've been slowly reading through the next seventeen chapters; I just haven't posted. A lot of them are laments for cities that were strong and beautiful and good, that will be brought down and ruined because they've rejected God.
I was struck by chapter 33. In it, God gives Ezekiel a job: as a watchman. A watchman does nothing but stand up on the city wall and peruse the horizon to see if anything dangerous is coming. And if something dangerous does come, he warns everybody so they can be prepared.
So what happens if the watchman falls asleep? What if he sees the danger coming but he knows not everyone will be able to see it, and he doesn't want to embarrass himself? What if he sees the danger coming and he is too depressed by the certain destruction to tell anybody?
God says that when the danger comes, if he hasn't warned the city for any reason, then the blood of everyone who dies will be on his head. He's guilty of murder.
Clear correlation: We are all watchmen, and we see danger coming - final judgement for sin. If we don't warn the city, and they die because they never had the chance to repent because we didn't warn them, their blood will be on our heads. And all the reasons apply. We can fall asleep - that is, look somewhere besides the dreadful judgement, and pretend it doesn't exist; we can focus on our own good deeds and ignore the fact that those who benefit from our good deeds might go to hell unless we warn them.
We can avoid embarrassment by not telling anyone, and this is the biggest excuse I have. "It's not good timing to share the gospel." "I'm afraid they'll take it the wrong way." "I don't want to lose a friend; I don't want our relationship to change." "It hasn't come up in conversation." These are all valid fears. But isn't it better to risk that someone will think you're crazy, than to have that person die because you didn't warn them, and be a murderer?
Sure, we should be careful to preach the gospel within loving relationship. We should be appropriate. We should learn how to share the gospel.
But I think the best way to learn how to share the gospel is to live it. Yes, good deeds and nice relationships are part of it. But we can't always wait for someone to ask us, "why are you so nice?" so that we can say "because I'm a Christian, and you can be one too."
I think that if my whole mind and heart revolves around Christ - if I am thinking about his mission, searching my heart for sin to repent of, reading his word and hearing his word and marinating in him - then I will talk about him with my mouth to other people, and not just my good deeds. "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh." This is the only way that it will seem "normal" to evangelize. And it won't be from a sense of duty or guilt, but a genuine concern for your friends' lives.
I was struck by chapter 33. In it, God gives Ezekiel a job: as a watchman. A watchman does nothing but stand up on the city wall and peruse the horizon to see if anything dangerous is coming. And if something dangerous does come, he warns everybody so they can be prepared.
So what happens if the watchman falls asleep? What if he sees the danger coming but he knows not everyone will be able to see it, and he doesn't want to embarrass himself? What if he sees the danger coming and he is too depressed by the certain destruction to tell anybody?
God says that when the danger comes, if he hasn't warned the city for any reason, then the blood of everyone who dies will be on his head. He's guilty of murder.
Clear correlation: We are all watchmen, and we see danger coming - final judgement for sin. If we don't warn the city, and they die because they never had the chance to repent because we didn't warn them, their blood will be on our heads. And all the reasons apply. We can fall asleep - that is, look somewhere besides the dreadful judgement, and pretend it doesn't exist; we can focus on our own good deeds and ignore the fact that those who benefit from our good deeds might go to hell unless we warn them.
We can avoid embarrassment by not telling anyone, and this is the biggest excuse I have. "It's not good timing to share the gospel." "I'm afraid they'll take it the wrong way." "I don't want to lose a friend; I don't want our relationship to change." "It hasn't come up in conversation." These are all valid fears. But isn't it better to risk that someone will think you're crazy, than to have that person die because you didn't warn them, and be a murderer?
Sure, we should be careful to preach the gospel within loving relationship. We should be appropriate. We should learn how to share the gospel.
But I think the best way to learn how to share the gospel is to live it. Yes, good deeds and nice relationships are part of it. But we can't always wait for someone to ask us, "why are you so nice?" so that we can say "because I'm a Christian, and you can be one too."
I think that if my whole mind and heart revolves around Christ - if I am thinking about his mission, searching my heart for sin to repent of, reading his word and hearing his word and marinating in him - then I will talk about him with my mouth to other people, and not just my good deeds. "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh." This is the only way that it will seem "normal" to evangelize. And it won't be from a sense of duty or guilt, but a genuine concern for your friends' lives.
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