Some parts of the Bible I have read so many times my worn-out and deeply-loved book just naturally falls open to them. Some areas are a rainbow of purple, pink, red, blue, and orange high-lighters and pens. Verses are underlined, notes are written in the margins, little drawings and doodles fill the edges of some pages. But some areas are barely touched, especially in the Old Testament. The New Testament frequently just seems so much more applicable to my life, and I just love reading about Jesus and the works and wonders His disciples did during and after His physical time here on earth.
One Old Testament part of the Bible that has been well-worn with reading is Ezekiel 18. The chapter is covered in neon-yellow highlighter and black underlining of verses I wanted to draw even more of my attention towards. So, I figured I should check out the rest of Ezekiel, because I haven't read it enough to remember what it is really about.
From my understanding of the first chapter, Ezekiel is written by the prophet Ezekiel, so far about his mission to speak God's words to the rebellious nation of Israel.
Now first I'll just say that Chapter 1 was super cool. But it's not what I'm writing about right now, though I probably will some other time. So you should definitely go read it, because it was just awesome! My favorite line was, "Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him [God]." So awesomely poetic and such a beautiful description of the glory of God.
The whole point of the first chapter is God revealing Himself to Ezekiel as He gives Ezekiel the words to say to the rebellious Israelites. In chapters 2 and 3, He gives Ezekiel instructions on how he is to give the information to the people. He then gives Ezekiel some warnings,
"When I [God] say to a wicked man, 'You will surely die,' ad you [Ezekiel] do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself."
Wow. Reading this I was just like, "Oh crap, I'm screwed." Because how many people do I know who are living very deeply in sin and I don't do or say anything?
But the question is, what to really do? I struggle with this so much. On the one hand, we are instructed very blatantly in the Bible to preach the Good News to all mankind, spread the truth about God's love and grace and mercy. So really what I personally struggle with is what that looks like 2,000 years later. The instructions are the same, but the application is different...it has to be, this is a different world.
Standing on a street corner proclaiming the Good News won't really attract much of an audience. Well, it might, but mostly they're there to mock and scorn. Not that we can't endure these things, we definitely should! It just won't be making much of a difference. Walking around handing out tracts and asking people what they believe and then telling them they are sinners and destined for Hell without the salvation from Jesus we want to tell them about also doesn't do a lot (can you tell I strongly dislike the form of "ministry"?). These aspects of outreach, that used to be quite functional, now turn people away, feed the stereotypes about Christianity.
Salvation is about a person's heart, we can't make anyone believe in God. All we can do is tell people about Jesus, His beautiful sacrifice, and come along side to encourage people that the lifestyle they are living is wrong. But how to do that last part without being judgmental? How to lovingly tell people they are in the wrong without sounding stuck-up and holier-than-thou?
This verse in Ezekiel is a good reminder to be living an active Christian life. Sitting on the sidelines, praying and going to church, and watching all the lost souls pass you by is not the way we are to live. We are to be out there, caring not for ourselves, but for everyone around us. Pouring ourselves, our lives, and our love into those around us and not worrying about what we have or don't have. We shouldn't be worrying about our strengths or weaknesses, God will always provide what we need. Like Moses when he was sent to preach to the Egyptians, he was not a good orator, and he tried to use that as an excuse for why God shouldn't send him...so what did God do? He sent Aaron, Moses' brother, along for the ride. Moses told Aaron what to say, as he was gifted in public speaking. God will always provide.
I guess the key is to not be afraid. Not to fear what others will think, not to care if we are labelled as "Jesus-freak" or whatever. To live a life like we are called to in the Bible, one full of love for others. According to James, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep one-self from being polluted by the world."
So I don't think we should be running around sticking our noses in people's business and informing them of every aspect of their life that is sinful. I think we should first of all be a good example, living as sinless of a life as we can, which can only be accomplished through Jesus, because we are incapable of this feat on our own. But accompanying that, humility is key. Admitting when we sin, which if we really face it, is daily, and then repenting. And not just to God, but before other people as well, so others can see that we see ourselves as broken, sinful, and in desperate need of a savior.
We should be telling others as much as we can about Jesus. That could be through actual words, or through the life we live. Striving to be like Jesus, to care for others far more then ourselves, to give up our time and resources for others, so be joyful and filled with the light of Jesus, people will see a difference in us. And then we have to again be humble, and always give the credit to God.
And when a door is opened to say something, to share faith, to tell someone they are in the wrong, we must act upon that. We have to ask God for the strength to cast off fears of judgment or loss of friends and just be who He wants us to be. No inhibitions. God will always help us and be along side us in our times of need. He's just that awesome. And our life should be spent telling everyone we know about Him.
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