* Watchmen Arise: Filling the Gap

 

Apostle Paul encourages us to stay alert and hold firmly to all that we believe. He encourages us to be mighty and full of courage.  And to let all that we do be done in love.  (Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.   Let all your things be done with charity.  1 Corinthians 16:13)      

Watchmen are needed:

Set up the standard upon the walls of Babylon, make the watch strong, set up the watchmen, . .  . prepare the ambushes: for the Lord hath both devised and done that which he spake against the inhabitants of Babylon.  Jeremiah 51:12

As I sought God on what He would have me say, I was led to these 2 scriptures as encouragement to some and admonishment to others.  God says it is time for us that remain to step it up.  We’ve had the honor and privilege to be in the company of some mighty men and women of God and now they’re gone and it’s left to us to carry on – not be them – but do the work of God given to us for this time. 

In Luke 5 Jesus asks the question “Who goes to the doctor for a cure? Those who are well or those who are sick?  I have not come to call the ‘righteous,’ but to call those who know they are sinners and bring them to repentance.” 

And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.  I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.  Luke 5:29-32

This word for today doesn’t matter where you are; rather you’ve started your journey or not.  You may not be a watchman yet but it’s my prayer today that the lost will be found, the gap filled and the watchmen get on their post.  Jesus said He didn’t come to call the righteous but the sinner to repentance or to wholeness.   The cure for this sin-sick world is repentance.   It’s the responsibility - our obligation to bridge the gap of a sin-sick world to a forgiving Father.   Until Jesus comes again, we must continue the work left to us by our savior, Jesus Christ.  The work doesn’t stop because of those that were leading the way are no longer here.  Remember, God allowed Joshua a space of time to mourn Moses but then he told Him to get up, there was still work that needed to be done; he had to carry on in Moses’ stead.  There was the gap from the wilderness to the promised land that needed to be bridged.  Just as in those days - from the wilderness to the promised land - we have work to continue to bridge that gap between a sin-sick world and a forgiving father!

There’s a great spiritual gap – the gap is between the challenge of Jesus to reach the world with the Gospel and the failure of His people to fulfill that challenge.  That’s why we need to step it up. Those generals, bishops, elders, pastors, mothers, intercessors have gone as far as they could go and now, we, those of us who remain, must continue the work!  It’s time for the body of Christ to arise and be on our post; whatever that post may be.  When we recognize and accept our personal responsibility to the multitudes of sin-sick people, we become part of a special network; a network of a group of believers from all over the world who have joined together spiritually; the body of Christ – we all have a role as watchmen.  My role may not be the same as yours but we work together as a united front to accomplish the will of God. 

If we are to continue to fulfill the Great Commission and bridge the gap between sinful man and a righteous God, we must get out of cultural, theological, and denominational ruts. We have to arise, go out as Jesus instructed and share the good news of the mediator between a merciful God and sin-sick man.

But we have become so acclimated to the standards of the world, trying to blend in that we are casting shadows rather than shedding light!  We’re trying to blend in when we should be beaming the light of Jesus.  God desires us to be oily, not squeaky!  What do you mean Pastor Candy?  Squeaky implies that something is wrong; not quite right, not acting or working correctly and it attracts all types of attention; people trying to fix you in ungodly ways – according to the standards of man instead of God.  But if you’re oily it attracts those that are seeking something better than what they have; they want what you have or they don’t want any part of you.  So, we need to be unwavering in our belief; we need to be stable – otherwise you’re squeaky!

There has to be someone who will intercede on behalf of a sin-sick world, someone who will usher sinful man to a forgiving God; a God who is rich in mercy and faithful to forgive us; someone who will cast the light which leads to the path of eternal salvation.  If there are no watchmen – no one to pray, no one to fast, no one to encourage, no one to preach and teach the word – then it’s a wrap for the world; it’s lost.  Therefore, we must rise up and do the will of the Father.  The bible asks the question: 

 . . . how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?  Romans 10:14

The answer is . . . faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17

Watchmen have to share God with the world!  The times we are living in demand it!

The times are perilous. We know the condition of the world and we know the condition of the church (body of Christ) today.  In the world, these are critical times, the moral fabric of our society is just one thread away from becoming completely unraveled.   In the church there is a great falling away, we're almost spiritually catatonic as the world plummets to its destructive end and not only that,  the love of God has waxed cold in the hearts of many.

Even as in the days of old, we’re living in perverse times:  At one point, during his journey, Jesus asked:  Can’t you see how wayward and wrong this generation is? Matthew 17:17

We don’t know how long God will stay His hand so we must make haste to be about our father’s business.  We must become the watchmen; the ones who will cry out to a sin-sick dying world and let them know that there is a way, a path to salvation, a hope that can only be found in and through Christ Jesus. 

God made it possible to bridge the gap that separates us from Him.  He sent His son Jesus and Jesus upon completion of His assignment on this earth let us know:

. . . I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.  John 14:6

There is no other way.  The Bible tells us:

. . . there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. (I Timothy 2:5)

The need for a mediator indicates there is a gap or a separation between two parties who cannot accept each other. 

Jesus is the mediator between sinful man and a righteous God. Neither can accept the other without the mediator.   Jesus made it possible for man to be redeemed from sin and accepted by a righteous God.  So how do sinful men make it to Jesus – Watchmen!

Multitudes of people still wait for the message of the mediator who can bridge the gap between them and God. They may not know exactly what they are waiting on, but we know and I dare say there are multitudes in the world just waiting to be found.  The bible says:

For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.  Romans 8:22

Groaning and travailing for the hope that is only found through Jesus!  The sin-sick needs someone to lead them to Christ.  Not only that, it’s time to pick up the mantles left by the generals and mothers and harvest workers that have gone on before us.   So I’ll go back to my opening scripture:  God tells us to set up the standard, set up the watchmen, be prepared (Jeremiah 51:12) What is the standard – the word of God; get it in your heart, know it and apply it to your life so that you can be strong and courageous; prepared for whatever comes your way.

I was reflecting on a hospital stay and God begin to show me how the body of Christ should be operating.  In this reflection, God showed me the sin-sick world in need of spiritual intervention and the hospital that represented safety, hope and healing.  The world is crying out, lost, confused and without hope; many not even realizing that there is a place where their spiritual needs can be met, a place where there is hope and a place where they can be healed and delivered from their sin-sickened state.  Some are spiritually dying in their sin and don’t even realize it.  But, the bible says that

. . . God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting.  John 3:16

In my reflections, as a sinner, I didn’t realize that I was spiritually dead but God, not desiring that any should perish, dealt with me.  I was a ‘whosoever will’ that God loved.  Watchmen had been placed strategically in my life; some, I knew of and some I was unaware.  So, this brings me to my first point.  First and foremost, because of God but secondly for the sinner’s sake, as watchmen we have to live a life that is a reflection of our heavenly Father.  Others see us, they observe us and they make note of what we do and what we say.  The bible talks about living epistles; through our actions as well as our speech; people should see the God in us.  (2 Corinthians 3:1-3) So, in my reflection, as I lay there, God spoke to me in my unconscious state through a watchman; someone that I had heard deliver the word of God, someone that I observed on the pulpit as well as off the pulpit.  A watchman!  That person was speaking to me so urgently in my unconscious state that it caused me to wake up and realize that I was drowning in my sin!  Had it not been for the watchman living a life that caused his words to have an impact on me; I may not have woken up!  For anyone who calls yourself a saint of God, everybody in our life should know who we are and what we represent.  We can’t be wishy-washy and lukewarm as watchmen.  We have to be alert on our post.  How impactful are we as the watchmen on the post?  We need to prick the hearts of the sin-sick one way or the other – either they run to Jesus (like in the case of Peter) or they cut you out like in the case of Stephan.  But either way our impact should be big.  

Again, to my reflection, God has my attention now and I realize that if there’s to be any hope, I must find that place of safety, hope and healing.  The hospital represented the church and the Watchmen were on their post.  Thinking in terms of the sinner, I was laden with sin.  That means I was so weighted down that even though I was close to the entrance, I could barely make it to the door yet I was determined to make it.  I’m being drawn by God to His sanctuary – to a place of safety, healing and hope.  God sees the sinners’ tears and the sincere efforts and as His representatives, we should be there on our post ready to usher people into the presence of God.  The watchman was on his post, saw my struggle and immediately offered assistance.  What do we do when we see someone struggling – do we offer what we have; what all of us should have – it may be a smile, it may be a hug, it could be a prayer, a word of comfort, spiritual warfare, an offer to know Jesus in a better way.  The bible says:

“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”   James 4:17 

Goodness is a part of the fruit of the spirit; it doesn’t matter what the nature of sin may be, it is our obligation to help in the healing process of the sin-sick.  What good thing are we neglecting to do?  Because of our lack of action, how many sin-sick are so close yet languishing outside the sanctuary?  On our watch!

Point 2 – We have to do our part and work as a united force.  There were people working in all positions in the hospital; all working in unison; all staying in their own lane because they knew their assignment.  No one was trying to outdo the other or do a job that wasn’t theirs.  Do you know your assignment and are you sticking to it?

One thing I noted was the care and attention they showed to me.  It wasn’t fake or phony; nobody rushed through procedures; they asked questions and listened to what I had to say.  There were no games, gimmicks or tricks as they worked on me.  Their only goal was to make me better.  Sadly, that is not true today; people can’t be totally delivered and set free because some of the staff are not focused on the goal; they’re not seeing things and doing things from a godly perspective.  They’re looking for a raise, a position, a title, promotion.  Some just want to be a show horse – that look at me mentality!  Some are trying to do things they are not yet qualified for; they haven’t learned to stay in their lane.

We wonder why we see so much confusion and corruption in the body of Christ; those who will speak of God for personal gain

The bible tells us:  if anyone spreads false teaching that does not agree with the instruction of Jesus, teaching others that the holy awe of God is not important, they prove they know nothing at all! It’s obvious they don’t value or hold dear the wholesome words of Jesus. They’re covered with the clouds of conceit. They’re loaded with controversy, and they love to argue their opinions and split hairs. The fruit of their ministry is contention, competition, and evil suspicions.  They add misery to other’s lives by corrupting their minds and cheating them of the truth. They equate the worship of God with making great sums of money.  (1 Timothy 6:3-5)

And then we wonder how the infected crept in unaware.  We didn’t shut some stuff down; we didn’t set proper boundaries, we didn’t hold the standard up as a defense.

We see the word of God being fulfilled:

And because iniquity shall abound , the love of many shall wax cold.  Matthew 24:12

We have this misconception of entitlement in the church today.  We act like God owes us a favor.    We feel like just because we've given our life to God, God owes us everything our heart desires.  And when we don't get it, we have our pity parties and sometimes we walk away from God or turn our back on Him.  Is there any wonder why we are in such a perilous state?  This is what we need to understand, no matter what state we’re in; rather we are out of God’s will or in His will, He still loves us.  No, He does not like or approve; nor is He accepting of the sin we may be in but He loves us.  His word tells us that He sent His only begotten son not because we are so good, but because He loves us!  (John 3:16)  

It should be our desire to point people to Jesus.  Despite the times we know that we serve a God that is omnipotent and that when we open our hearts to Him and obey his will, His glory will be manifest.  So let’s step it up, get on our post, fill in the gaps left by those who have gone on before us.

Take the words of encouragement given by Apostle Paul to his spiritual son, Timothy that lets us know that just like Timothy, we too must rise up:

Apostle Paul gave him 3 directives:

√         stir up the gift of God,  (fan the flame and rekindle the fire of the spiritual gift God imparted to you

√        Never doubt God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

√         Be not ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, don’t shrink back from the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; 1 Timothy 1:5-8

 

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