THE *GOD* ENFORCED 'DUTY' OF THE MINISTRY!!!

EZEKIEL 3: 18-21...
18/ If I say to the wicked man, You shall surely die; and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his wicked conduct so that he may live: that wicked man shall die for his sin, but I will hold you responsible for his death.
19/ If, on the other hand, you have warned the wicked man, yet he has not turned away from his evil nor from his wicked conduct, then he shall die for his sin, but you shall save your life.
20/ If a virtuous man turns away from virtue and does wrong when I place a stumbling block before him, he shall die. He shall die for his sin, and his virtuous deeds shall not be remembered; but I will hold you responsible for his death if you did not warn him.
21/ When, on the other hand, you have warned a virtuous man not to sin, and he has in fact not sinned, he shall surely live because of the warning, and you shall save your own life.

All people Called by THE LORD to serve as Priests, Prophets, Ministers, Pastors, and so on, ARE *GOD'S* mouth to HIS Children, having GREAT responsibility TO sharing THE TRUTH as WRITTEN, and the SCRIPTURES are written for our admonition. Those who fail to deliver THE TRUTH, which will guide, protect, comfort, and lead TO *GOD*, will pay a hefty price...

But, because that which is delivered vivâ voce—by the living voice, commonly makes the deepest impression, God is pleased, by men like ourselves, who are equally concerned, to enforce upon us the warnings of the written word. Now the prophet, in his preaching, must distinguish between the wicked and the righteous, the precious and the vile, and in his applications must suit his alarms to each, giving every one his portion; and, if he did this, he should have the comfort of it, whatever the success was, but, if not, he was accountable.

(1.) Some of those he had to do with were wicked, and he must warn them not to go on in their wickedness, but to turn from it, v. 18, v. 19. We may observe here, [1.] That the God of heaven has said, and does say, to every wicked man, that if he go on still in his trespasses he shall surely die. His iniquity shall undoubtedly be his ruin; it tends to ruin and will end in ruin. Dying thou shalt die, thou shalt die so great a death, shalt die eternally, be ever dying, but never dead. The wicked man shall die in his iniquity, shall fie under the guilt of it, die under the dominion of it. 

[2.] That if a wicked man turn from his wickedness, and from his wicked way, he shall live, and the ruin he is threatened with shall be prevented; and, that he may do so, he is warned of the danger he is in. The wicked man shall die if he go on, but shall live if he repent. Observe, he is to turn from his wickedness and from his wicked way. It is not enough for a man to turn from his wicked way by an outward reformation, which may be the effect of his sins leaving him rather than of his leaving his sins, but he must turn from his wickedness, from the love of it and the inclination to it, by an inward regeneration; if he do not so much as turn from his wicked way, there is little hope that he will turn from his wickedness. 

 [3.] That it is the duty of ministers both to warn sinners of the danger of sin and to assure them of the benefit of repentance, to set before them how miserable they are if they go on in sin, and how happy they may be if they will but repent and reform. Note, The ministry of the word is concerning matters of life and death, for those are the things it sets before us, the blessing and the curse, that we may escape the curse and inherit the blessing. 

[4.] That, though ministers do not warn wicked people as they ought of their misery and danger, yet that shall not be admitted as an excuse for those that go on still in their trespasses; for, though the watchman did not give them warning, yet they shall die in their iniquity, for they had sufficient warning given them by the providence of God and their own consciences; and, if they would have taken it, they might have saved their lives. 

[5.] That if ministers be not faithful to their trust, if they do not warn sinners of the fatal consequences of sin, but suffer them to go on unreproved, the blood of those that perish through their carelessness will be required at their hand. It shall be charged upon them in the day of account that it was owing to their unfaithfulness that such and such precious souls perished in sin; for who knows but if they had had fair warning given them they might have fled in time from the wrath to come? And, if it contract so heinous a guilt as it does to be accessory to the murder of a dying body, what is it to be accessory to the ruin of an immortal soul? 

[6.] That if ministers do their duty in giving warning to sinners, though the warning be not taken, yet they may have this satisfaction, that they are clear from their blood, and have delivered their own souls, though they cannot prevail to deliver theirs. Those that are faithful shall have their reward, though they be not successful. Some of those he had to deal with were righteous, at least he had reason to think, in a judgment of charity, that they were so; and he must warn them not to apostatize and turn away from their righteousness... 

As *GOD'S* Ministers speak THE TRUTH, since the beginning, even today, we see adverse reactions TO THE TRUTH, as many, in their rush to justify their own actions, stand in defiance of THE WRITTEN *GOD* BREATHED WORD!  IF these Ministering, ARE delivering THE WORD, they have fulfilled their role! Those who fluff over THE WORD, and deliver ONLY that which the masses WANT to hear, have failed *GOD*, and the people, for they have given only PART of the WHOLE, leaving the people in continued ignorance, and misunderstanding, which CANNOT save them, as their understanding is not sufficient enough for them to discern, let alone make ALIGNED decisions! Because of those who fluff over THE WORD, many are convinced that they ARE saved, regardless! Those saved are no longer slaves to sin, instead to CHRIST, thus they LIVE according TO HIS WILL!!! 

HEBREWS 5: 8-10... 
8/ Son though he was,  he learned obedience from what he suffered; 
9/ and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, 
10/ declared by God high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

Thus, those Ordained, are wise to always remember the above SCRIPTURE, and GALATIANS 1: 10; then to KEEP their strength IN THE LORD, at ALL times, DOING what HE has set them apart to do, FOR, and TO HIS GLORY; FOR, and TO the safety of HIS people!!!

Apostle Paul left us much wisdom concerning the life of those mouths of THE LORD!!!

REV. LWINSOR © 2013
BIBLICAL, and/or other references, marked BOLDLY IN COLOURS