So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. Ezekiel 33:7-9
Wielding the Word of God
Anthony, a servant of Jesus Christ called to be a minister according to his foreordained election. Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the Father of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus. To my brother Al, Grace and peace be unto you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I write these things unto you with a heavy heart, because I know that God is true which has called me. I desire to speak unto you those things which the Lord has put upon my heart concerning you, but Satan hindered me. Therefore have I set down in writing those things which God has directed me unto for your edification and sanctification in the Spirit of truth; for I know that you have a zeal within your heart towards God, and that you desires that which is true and right.
Therefore I do earnestly pray that you will receive this letter in love; for what am I, but a man of like passions like unto you. For we are ministers of righteousness; called to be servants of the flock, and to bring them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord.
Behold, is a vine to be beaten down, because it does not bear fruit as soon as it is planted. No, but the vinedresser nurtures the vine, until it brings forth fruit in its season. Or does a father chasten his young child when he stumbles and falls. No, but rather he gather’s him up in his arms, and takes care of his wounds. Even so we are called to nurture the young children whom Christ has brought unto himself, and not to smite them down to the ground, because they stumble and fall.
The Lord has seen this, and is not well pleased: for he has called you to be a minister of righteousness; to lift up the feeble, and to feed his young with the sincere milk of the word. As he hath spoken to you, If you will follow me I will be with you and guide you, but if not I will judge you in righteousness. I know you that you have a zeal for God, but this I must say that zeal without temperance is foolishness.
Remember that which I wrote afore saying; some men are wiser than others, but none so wise as God. Therefore show out of a pure heart thy wisdom using it to the edifying of the body that the hearers thereof may rejoice in the Lord which has given your wisdom unto you. But and if you wield the word of God improperly, then are you more foolish than he which has no knowledge, and you shall be even worse than an infidel.
If you will be wise, consider the root of the righteous, and how it grows up into a fruitful tree nourishing those that pluck off the fruit thereof. Does it not grow beside the river of living water, and the watchman thereof comes at a certain season to prune its branches that it might bring forth more fruit in its season?
Remember that we are but caretakers of God’s vine, and nurturers of his children; feeding them with the fruit of the Righteous one, that it might spring up within their souls an everlasting habitation with the Father and the Son.
