Who’s Watching, Winnowing, Warning… I Wonder?

Good day, marathoners in and for Christ. (1 Corinthians 9:24; Hebrews 12:1; 2 Timothy 4:7) Pull up a seat at The Training Table and get ready to feast!

Feast of the Heart exists to help bring about Christ-centered “reformation, revival, and constructive revolution” (Francis Schaeffer, Death in the City) so that God will be glorified and people blessed.

Reformation… we seek to abide by and serve up the true truth, pure doctrine of the Bible

Revival… we seek to model biblical Christians living in word and deed

Constructive Revolution… we seek to spread the true gospel right where God has planted us with urgency, compassion, and radical self-abandonment

Statism and a Silenced Church

A reminder: A definition of “Statism” is the principle or policy of concentrating extensive economic, political, moral, and related controls in the state, federal level at the cost of individual liberty.

Just the other night, my time of grabbing some nightly news was book-ended by such a wide and deep reality of “what’s upside-down in America”, my tattered mind was somehow jolted into remembering some resources I included in the Appendix of my book on suffering. Specifically, the questions in my heart were, “What is the relevance of The Church in our day? How is the Trinity’s light and salt actually effecting the increase of darkness and decay in America? No doubt whatsoever God’s securely seated on the throne, with Jesus Christ at his right hand, and the Holy Spirit released and empowered in the world to be “God’s intervention” before Jesus’ return, but in what ways are his disciples keeping watch… and interceding in the chaos?”

The piece from my book then came to mind. Enjoy. Employ. Oh, and in answer to the title of this Training Table, “Who’s Watching, Winnowing, Warning… I Wonder?”… Let it be me, Lord. Let it be you.

An Excerpt from “The Weeping, the Window, the Way,” Appendix A:

An Important Consideration for the Way Forward: Ezekiel and the Role of “The Watchmen on the Wall”

The prophet Ezekiel points to the prophetic role God calls all Christians to play in a culture that strays from God in all sorts of awful ways, a culture very much like the one in which Ezekiel and the other prophets ministered. Regularly applying God’s protocol, the weeping, the window and the way helps transform our hearts in such a way that we become “watchmen on the wall,” just as Ezekiel was.

Perhaps this is obvious, but let me remind you that the watchman’s audience is primarily the church, not the world. Some of God’s people there have, to be sure, devoted themselves to faithfully following God’s will. But others have gone astray, drifting from the God’s True Truth and Love. And some, sad to say, have become as worldly and corrupt as the culture of comfort all around us. But all tend toward forgetfulness. All need constant reminding.

• Watchmen are called by God. This calling does not ordinarily come with dramatic fireworks or a striking vision but rather as we are born again, as we become new creations in Christ. With the new birth comes a new direction.

• Watchmen love Christ and his followers in a way that provides a covering of God’s person and provision, especially in times of wandering away from God, which happens in every generation! Therefore, Watchmen continually remind God’s people of who he is in every way possible, while also encouraging fellow believers of the many and multifaceted provisions God has mercifully promised to his own.

• Watchmen remain well-aware of the ways in which God has radically transformed their own hearts, emotions, and lives. They are also aware of their ongoing need for further transformation. This awareness creates deep humility, and a broken-heartedness that makes it possible to serve in joy, entrusting the results of their service to God.

• Watchmen live in the world, but are not of it (cf., John 17:15-17). They stand on the wall, as it were, serving as a lookout for approaching spiritual dangers. This provides a unique and much-needed perspective unattainable by those who do not regularly separate themselves from the distractions and deceptions of the world.

• Watchmen take full advantage of the heart transformations God offers. Through this cyclic process, they become more They also grow increasingly passionate in their role as watchmen, offering God’s perspective and counsel to his people in: a) remembering who they are, b) warning them of the dangers they face, c) encouraging them in God’s pardon and unconditional love, d) exhorting them toward increasing holiness, Christ-likeness, and e) sharing the hope that flows from Jesus’ open tomb and impending return to rescue his bride.

• Watchmen love the Church Universal as the bride of Christ, the body of true believers scattered throughout the world, God’s people of every tribe, language, and nation. Watchmen also love the church on earth as the institution Jesus has set in place to steward the mysteries of God (cf., 1 Corinthians 4:1-2). While imperfect and flawed, the church on earth is vitally important to our Lord’s mission here on earth. Watchmen stand on the wall, committed to love the church in truth, and to speak truthfully about the church in love.

• Watchmen do not shrink from their God-given responsibilities because of any push-back from the world, the flesh, or the devil, knowing all of these are pitted against God’s plan of redemption.

• Watchmen regularly and intentionally spend time with the Triune God of the Bible, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Watchmen rise early in the day to be with God and in his Watchmen also surround themselves by a community of spiritual friendship and direction, because they know their own hearts and refuse to allow isolation to damage either their faith or their effectiveness in ministry.

Having read this description, in what ways do you believe God has called you to be a watchman for his people? Why? How does your personal story relate to a universal need for Watchmen? In God’s Sovereignty, there is a connection between the two: please discover it ASAP!

Can’t wait to see you at The Training Table next week, Beloved Marathoners in, of, for Christ,

JohnDoz