Leadership Responsibilities - "Watchmen on the Wall"

Ezekiel 33:1-9 may not be a well-known passage, but in the times in which we find ourselves today, it should move the Christian Church (and each person who is a devoted Christian) to the core.

In the day and age where a high and wide wall surrounded cities to protect them from their enemies, the "Watchmen on the Wall" were key components.

People within the city walls could go about their business in peace, knowing that trusted men were "watching out" for them.

The job of the watchmen was to constantly and diligently look over the distant landscape to identify any potential threat to the city.  If the watchmen saw a threat coming, they would immediately WARN the people in the city and summon the city's soldiers to prepare to defend the city against an enemy coming to harm the city and its people.

If and when a watchman did his job correctly, the city would be ready and preserved through readiness.  That watchman is praised.

However, if the watchman was not diligent and failed to see an enemy or if he saw an approaching enemy and said nothing, the city, and its inhabitant's survival would be in jeopardy.  In that case, the people's blood would be upon this watchman's hand.

A third scenario would be that the watchman saw the enemy approaching and warned the people, but the people ignored his warning and were defeated.  Yes, the city would be destroyed, but the people's blood would be on their own hands, not the watchman's.

Of course, the "City" (in those nine verses) is the Church, and the watchmen are the leaders of the Church.  The lesson is too clear to miss.  Leaders, we have been called and entrusted with the task of "warning" our Churches when danger, harm, unbiblical doctrine, wickedness, evil, un-Christlike, un-Godly, and sinful attacks are coming at the Church.

So, number one, we need to walk the walls and watch daily.  Our people trust us to be on the lookout and be serious about our tasks.  We must never let our guard down.  We must always assume that the enemy will come to attack our Churches.

Secondly, leaders need to know what the enemy looks like.  Leaders need to be wise and Biblically knowledgeable enough to say, "This is from God and for our good" and "That is from the enemy and is on the way to harm us."

Thirdly, leaders must clearly, boldly, loudly, confidently, and urgently warn the Church when an enemy is coming.  If the leaders are trusted, the people will prepare to meet and defeat the enemy.

Fourthly, the people have another path to consider.  They can ignore the warning and be unprepared and, as a result, be overcome by the enemy.

In that case, the blood of the people will be on themselves.  Leaders can not "MAKE" people defend themselves against the enemy, but they "MUST" try with all their strength to call them to readiness out of their love for them.

The worst case scenario is when leaders fail to identify the enemy, warn about the enemy, and be negligent in their Spiritual watchman's role of calling approaching evil for what it is.

Leaders, please be moved to your core from the first nine verses of Ezekiel 33.  Let us know our roles, accept those tasks, and protect our Churches from the constant threat of the enemy.  May the Word of God help us clearly identify the threats and the Holy Spirit give us the wisdom and the fortitude to boldly announce the enemy's approach.

Let's pray that God makes us such drastically needed "Watchmen on the Wall!"