Ezekiel 3:17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. 18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. 19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.
This passage of scripture brings to light the enormous responsibility devolving upon the shoulders of every true Christian, to fulfill the great commission in our neck of the woods, a mandate that is becoming all the more weighty, given the daily massacres and loss of life now taking place across the globe. The Lord has repeatedly warned the inhabitants of the earth that perilous times will come, and since we are now living in the times Christ spoke of, it thus behooves us to work diligently for the salvation of our fellowmen, for the days are coming when we will not be able to carry the gospel to a dying world, without encountering great difficulty.
The above passage tells us that we are to warn the wicked, meaning that the results of such warnings remain with the individual and God, but the work of warning them belongs to us. Especially is this kind of work needed in our day when the tendency of many televangelists is to pacify the sinner, by presenting a smooth, watered-down version of the gospel, in which eternal life is offered to the masses without repentance and forsaking of sin. That's why it becomes all the more urgent for the true soldiers of the Cross, who have been blessed with a knowledge of God and of His truth, to step up to the plate in whatsoever capacity we can, so that the work of the gospel can be finished throughout the world.
The seriousness of the mandate given is explained in words that should cause all Christians to think twice about our priorities, and the issues on which we expend our energies, for according to what is written in the passage, a "good" Christian, who pays his taxes on time, and who abides by the laws of the land, and who attends church and prayer meetings regularly, and who has no speeding tickets, will not be permitted entrance into God's kingdom of glory, if he fails to warn those with whom he comes in contact with, of the consequences of their choices and actions. Furthermore, the warnings of God must be given, regardless of whether the sinner will listen or not. In other words, if the sinner closes his eyes and ears to hearing the warnings from God, the Christian is still to stand and declare those truths, so that every opportunity to repent can be given to our fellowmen. Let's read:
Ezekiel 3:4 And he said unto me, Son of man, go"..... "and speak with my words unto them. 7 But".. they will not hearken unto me: for all"... "are impudent and hardhearted. 11 And go to"... "the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord God; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.
In our day the warnings of God's word seem to be falling on deaf ears, as the popular theology of the day is giving to the multitudes a false sense of security, and the satanic doctrine of natural immortality has now become so widespread that the masses of people do not see the need to repent. Therefore the onus is on us to speak up and tell the world that there is a judgment taking place in the courts above, and that the wages of sin is still death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ. Some will accept and some will reject, but at least let's make sure that the opportunity is granted, for how will they hear if no one says anything to them?
Instead of wasting our time with those mundane things that are of no consequence, instead of frittering away our precious hours with useless text messaging and social chatter, let us rather look for souls who are wandering in darkness, and present the triumphs of the cross to their benighted minds, so that they too like ourselves may find pardon and peace in Christ. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to do the work that has so long been neglected, and if we rise to the occasion, God will give us the enabling power to carry the gospel to earth's farthest reaches. Let's read:
Romans 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!