WATCHMEN
James Long

"Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word of the Lord at my mouth, and give them warning from me. 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., 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" (Ezek. 3:17-19).

Ezekiel was among 10,000 Israelite captives deported to Babylon about 597 B.C. They settled by the river Chebar where Ezekiel wrote the visions that make up much of his book. When Ezekiel was first called by God, he sat quietly for seven days. Then the word of the Lord came to him, telling him what his special mission as a prophet was to be. He was to watch for present or approaching evils and warn the wicked to leave their evil way. If he failed to do so, the blood of the wicked would be upon his head.

Is there a need for watchmen today? Oh yes, for "the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (I Pet. 5:8). In addition, as Paul warned the Ephesian elders, "For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them" (Acts 20:29-30). Paul warned the churches of Galatia that if an "angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed" (Gal. 1:8).

Who are "watchmen" today?

Elders are watchmen. The writer of Hebrews said, "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief. for that is unprofitable for you" (Heb. 13:17).

Preachers are watchmen. Paul told Timothy, "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove; rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine: but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned into fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry" (2 Tim. 4:2-5).

Christians are watchmen. Paul said,. "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand. in the evil day, and having done all to stand" (Eph. 6:10-13). James said, "Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him. Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way, shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins" (James 5:19-20).

The Old and New Testaments abound with examples of watch men, who were to declare what they saw (Isa. 21:6); Samuel to Saul (I Sam. 15:13-14); Elijah to Ahab (I Kings 18:17-24); Nathan to David (2 Sam. 12:7-15); Jesus to Pharisees (Mt. 23:1-33); Paul to church in Corinth (I Cor. 1: 10- 11). Watchmen today see such problems as indifference, apathy, religious division, worldliness, apostasy, error, agnosticism, atheism, and humanism. Someone has said, "A man's knowledge and opportunities are the measure of his responsibility."

God said, "Warn them from me" (Ezek. 33:7). The wicked are to be warned so that they may repent and obey God; the righteous have to be warned, lest they fall from their righteousness (2 Pet. 2:20-22). Watchmen are to "cry aloud, spare not, lift up ... [our] voice like a trumpet, and shew my [God's] people their transgressions" (Isa. 5 8: 1). Do we take our responsibility as a watchmen seriously?

None of us would allow enemies to die in a burning house, without doing everything within our power to pull them out of the fire; yet we will day by day allow souls to perish without warning them. May we do everything within our power to watch, warn the wicked, encourage the fainthearted, restore the fallen, and hold up the hands of the faithful.

Directory Photos
Members with names starting with "D" through "H" are asked to go to Assembly Room B today after services and have a new photo made for the directory. See Chad or Sabrina Tagtow for more information.

Youth Devo
The youth group is scheduled to meet for it's monthly fellowship and devotional after the PM worship service this evening. See Matt Faneuf for details.

Game Night
This coming Friday evening is the time designated as "game night" in the annex. This is a casual gathering and all are invited to come and participate. The activities usually start at about 6:30 pm.

Baby Shower
There is a baby shower planned for Bryan and Amanda Walling NEXT Saturday, November 11th, from 2 to 4 p.m., here in the annex. All are invited to attend.

If we believe God's requirements are not impossible, then if we set about the task of doing it, and doing all that we can, praying as though it all depended on God, and working as though it all depended on us, it will soon be done ... God will help us do it.