Did you know that the Word of God tells us that we are responsible for the souls of those with whom God instructs us to share the gospel and we don’t? What a sobering thought. If the Lord is leading you to share the gospel with someone and you disobey, you will be held accountable.
Consider:
“4Then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, and the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. 5He heard the sound of the trumpet and did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning shall save his life. 6But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, he is taken away in and for his perversity and iniquity, but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand.“ Eze 33:4-6
“17Son of man, I have made you a watchman to the house of Israel; therefore hear the word at My mouth and give them warning from Me. 18If I say to the wicked, You shall surely die, and you do not give him warning or speak to warn the wicked to turn from his wicked way, to save his life, the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at your hand. 19Yet if you warn the wicked and he turn not from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity, but you have delivered yourself.” Eze 3:17-19
“But,” you may say, “I am not a watchman.”
Consider:
“That you are not [consciously] falling behind or lacking in any special spiritual endowment or Christian grace [the reception of which is due to the power of divine grace operating in your souls by the Holy Spirit], while you wait and watch [constantly living in hope] for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and [His] being made visible to all.” 1 Cor 1:7
“17And take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit wields, which is the Word of God. 18Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God's consecrated people). 19And [pray] also for me, that [freedom of] utterance may be given me, that I may open my mouth to proclaim boldly the mystery of the good news (the Gospel),” Eph 6:17-19
“So call to mind the lessons you received and heard; continually lay them to heart and obey them, and repent. In case you will not rouse yourselves and keep awake and watch, I will come upon you like a thief, and you will not know or suspect at what hour I will come.” Rev 3:3
We are called to watch for His coming, and as in the passages in Ezra, we are called to warn others of His coming. We are called to speak to warn the wicked to turn from his wicked way and to save his life.
Several years ago as a relatively new Christian, I went with a fellow Christian to visit at a nursing home, and we were to have a ministry meeting following a Bible study with the residents. At the end of the study, one of the senior ladies, whose salvation was questionable, asked my friend to take her for a walk (she was wheel-chair bound) around the grounds before he left. As we were to have a meeting, he declined. The Lord prompted me, “You take her.” “I can’t Lord, You see I have this very important meeting and people are waiting for me, blah, blah, blah.”
The following Tuesday evening when we returned, I learned she had had a stroke and was unconscious in the ICU. Further, she had suffered the stroke early on Wednesday of the week before. The next Tuesday, sadly, I learned that she had passed away.
The Tuesday evening she had asked the Christians simply to take her for a stroll was the last opportunity she had to hear and receive the gospel. The Lord had compelled me to take her, but I was much too busy with my important ministry work; too busy doing what I wanted to do for the Lord to consider doing what He was telling me to do for Him.
According to the Ezra passage, I will be held accountable, not only for my disobedient rebellion, but also I will answer for her soul.
It was a sobering lesson. When the Lord compels, obey. You will never regret being obedient, but you may regret a disobedience. I pray that mine did not cost that woman her eternal life.
“17So faith comes by hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the preaching [of the message that came from the lips] of Christ (the Messiah Himself).” Romans 10:17
She could have heard it, but I was silent.
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