Being a Watchman in a World That Doesn't Want Watched

I have a friend I work with who is a Christian. Yesterday he and I were discussing the recent Supreme Court decision to allow same-sex marriage in all 50 states. We were having a private discussion about our opposition to the ruling and how it's going to be bad for the country. Another coworker interrupted and said, "why do you Christians care so much what other people do. Why can't you just let people live their own lives?" I have to be honest, I failed to give him a satisfactory answer immediately. It was only later, after thinking about it, that I went back to him with my answer.

Ezekiel 33:6 says, "But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand." In other words, God has given the Christian the responsibility of warning others. This passage is often used to speak of winning the lost as it should be. It doesn't just mean that though. It says "see the sword come". This means that if we see danger coming we are to warn others. Christian people are not to live our lives silently while the world burns. We are commanded to be watchmen warning others of impending danger. If we fail to do so then God says that their blood will be on our hands. This doesn't mean we are to be arrogant and hateful towards people, but that we should be wanting to help them.

Homosexuals are people just like you and I. They're trapped in their sin. They're deceived by Satan and this world into thinking that what they are doing is Ok and even right! They need loving Christians like us to come along beside them and show what the Bible teaches about salvation. If they aren't saved then you'll never convince them they're wrong. They don't have the Holy Spirit to convict of sin. They, like my coworker, can't understand why we won't just leave them alone. Screaming that homosexuality is sin from the rooftops will only make them angry and harden their hearts toward God.

When I explained to my coworker that the Bible teaches that destruction is the end result of sin and that I have an obligation to warn others, he understood why I was opposed. He didn't agree with me, but he understood why I stood where I stood. He's one step closer to understanding the truth now then he was yesterday morning. He probably won't ask why I'm vocal about my beliefs anymore, because he knows I believe it's my duty to warn others. Not everyone will be as understanding as he was, but we aren't responsible for the reactions of others. We are responsible for warning people.

Unfortunately, there is a sect of Christianity that isn't loving when they speak to or about homosexuals or their supporters. Those Christians are one of the reasons that we are so often called "bigots" and our opposition is called "religious bigotry". Eph. 4:15 says that we are to speak the truth in love. It's a delicate balance. Think of a parent telling a child not the play in the road. The parent can yell and scream at the child, or the parent can explain to the child why they shouldn't play in the road. If the parent just screams not to do it, then the child may grow resentful and do it anyways. If the parent explains the danger of playing in the road in a loving way, then the child is more likely to obey. It's high time we quit complaining about the evils of the world and start being the watchmen God commands us to be. Speaking the truth in love for all within our sphere of influence. If we don't, America's blood will be on our hands.

Prayerfully trying to be a watchman,

Simeon Brazzell
I Tim 1:12

Preparing A Mind for Mission Work

Yes, that's a play on the title of the blog.

Have you ever heard a Christian  or pastor tell you to "just go and trust that God will take care of you"? Unfortunately, this is a mindset that many Christians have. My wife and I are 100% sure we are called to Australia. That's the "go". However, we do not know where. We do not know when. We do not know how, why, or what we'll be doing when we get there. I'll be honest, it's frustrating to me sometimes, and my wife handles it better than I do most of the time. Some would tell us to just start deputation and trust that God will give more direction as we go.

Maybe He would do that. Maybe He wouldn't, but I know that God will direct me as I follow Him. God gave us a brain so that we could be rational. God Himself says in the Bible on a number of occasions "come let us reason together". He wants us to think and not be irrational in behavior. It's important that you hear me out before writing me off. I am not saying that we should listen to our rational thought more than the moving of the Holy Spirit. I'm saying that where the Spirit is silent and the Word of God doesn't give specific direction, then we have to rely on what God has given us mentally. 

I applaud how Christian colleges are getting involved in training people in the trades. The world of tomorrow is very different than the world of yesterday. Churches that can fully support pastors are becoming a thing of the past. Should those pastors take small churches and work fast food to support their families when they could first acquire a skill that could support them? Where do you draw the line? I am actually taking online courses in Web Design and Development. I don't know how God might use that, but I'll have an option if God sees fit to place me in a small congregation. I think God calls us to support our families as well. 

It's a sticky subject, and I'm not 100% sure I know exactly where I stand. I know that there are people who depend on themselves too much. I also know there are people who irrationally rush ahead of God thinking that they are "trusting Him". I read once about a young man who left home to join the Billy Graham Crusades. He thought he would just play guitar and sing gospel music. Come to find out, the organization didn't just let any ol' teenager get up on the platform and play. He had rushed ahead of God's direction for his life.

God is working on my wife and I. He's molding us. He's bending us. He's trying our patience every day. I'm not just working a job, banking money, and saving for retirement. I'm serving in a church, saving for a survey trip, and seeking God's face daily for direction. My wife and I are contacting mission boards, conversing with missionaries, and learning more about Australia. We're also serving in a nursing home where I'm learning to how to love people and how to guide people in a more pastoral way (not that I'm trying to pastor the people. Many of them have a church home they go to as well). 

The point is that God's working on my heart and my mind. I'm trying to be as logical as I can with the funds God is giving me as well as the time I have with my wife. We'll take a survey trip when God provides the funding. When God provides the direction, we'll go. When God says it's time, He'll have prepared us financially, mentally, and spiritually enough to meet the task. God never gives us more than we are able to handle without also giving us His divine aid. 

I would ask that you'd pray for Brettnay and I. I do not want you to think we are discouraged, because we are not. We are happy in Jesus and very much enjoy where we are serving Him now! I have every confidence in my Lord and His guidance in my life. He knows the answers to my questions, but right now the answer is wait. So we wait.

Your friend and brother in Christ Jesus our Lord, 

Simeon Brazzell

I Tim 1:12