Are You a Watchman
by Ann Robinson-Worley
What has God called you to do? Has he made you a watchman? The watchman sees the battle that is coming and warns the people so that they are able to run to safety. They would sit on the walls of the city gates and call out with a shout if they saw the enemy coming.
"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." Ezekiel 3:17
As Christians we are to do the same today. If we see a brother or sister who is falling into sin we are to go to them in love and gently remind them that the wages of sin is death. We sin if we do not do this. The bible warns us of this. This world is dying, the people are ignoring the sound of God’s trumpet, and instead of being WATCHMEN, many of us have closed our eyes and said there is nothing I can do.
Is that the excuse you want to give Jesus? Jesus warned, " Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man." Luke 21:36
The Bible says “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. “ Ezekiel 33:6
In the society in which we live in today this is not the popular thing to do. Nobody seems to have the guts to speak the truth in love to anyone anymore.
The way that we can stand before Jesus is by heeding His commands to manage God’s house.
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Much like Ezekiel, we, as followers of Jesus Christ, bear the responsibility for sounding the horn and alerting all who have ears to hear that the only way rebirth and restoration can occur is if we help to stop the hurting that is taking place in lives of people around us. What does it take to be a Watchman for the Hurting and Sick and poor? It’s time we open our eyes and look after them like watchmen of the Lord!
Choose to look. Choose to see. Refuse to look the other way.
We know that no one wants to be confronted with their sins but sometimes confrontation is necessary to save a soul. This is called TOUGH LOVE. We do it with our children when they act out so why don't we do it with those fellow members in the body of Christ ? Aren't we supposed to be holding each other accountable to the scriptural standards of the bible? In the Old testament Prophets were ordained by God as the watchmen over God's people. They were constantly warning the people about their attitudes and their actions. They were God's messengers but sometimes the message was not what the people wanted to hear.
The prophet is the watchman of E′phraim, the people of my God, yet a fowler’s snare is on all his ways, and hatred in the house of his God. Hosea 9:8 Do not expect everyone to be pleased when you speak out what God commands you to speak. Sometimes you will be met with hostility and hatred even inside the four walls of the Church. Remember we are to be salt and light but if the salt loses its saltiness what good are we? God knows people's hearts when they are in sin but through the prophetic message He wants to give them an opportunity to repent and if you do not speak what God gives you to speak then repentance may never come into their hearts so it is best that you do as Jeremiah did. God said “l will utter my judgments against them, for all their wickedness in forsaking me; they have burned incense to other gods, and worshiped the works of their own hands. But you, gird up your loins; arise, and say to them everything that I command you.
Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its princes, its priests, and the people of the land. They will fight against you; but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you.”
Jeremiah 1:16-19
If We are the Body of Christ and we are members of one another and we do not speak to one another the truth but instead pat each other on the back and go about our merry way we are actually hurting ourselves. God gave us the fivefold offices to help equip and perfect the Body of Christ through their gifts.
" His gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, by their craftiness in deceitful wiles.
Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every joint with which it is supplied, when each part is working properly, makes bodily growth and upbuilds itself in love."
Ephesians 4: 11-16
If the Body of Christ does not receive the message that God speaks through the Watchmen ie (Pastor,Teacher,Prophet, Evangelist,) then they will continue to be tossed to and fro carried about with every wind of doctrine and devoured by the whiles of satan himself and they will never grow spiritually and work together properly. They will always be disfunctional and never accomplish the plan and purpose that God called them to do.
