Being a Watchman

Ezekiel 3:16-21(HCSB)
16Now at the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me: 17“Son of man, I have made you a watchman over the house of Israel. When you hear a word from My mouth, give them a warning from Me. 18If I say to the wicked person:£ You will surely die, but you do not warn him—you don’t speak out to warn him about his wicked way in order to save his life—that wicked person will die for his iniquity. Yet I will hold you responsible for his blood. 19But if you warn a wicked person and he does not turn from his wickedness or his wicked way, he will die for his iniquity, but you will have saved your life. 20Now if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and practices iniquity, and I put a stumbling block in front of him, he will die.£ If you did not warn him, he will die because of his sin and the righteous acts he did will not be remembered. Yet I will hold you responsible for his blood. 21But if you warn the righteous person that he should not sin, and he does not sin, he will indeed live because he listened to ëyourû warning, and you will have saved your life.”

Questions to ask from this scripture...
1. Was Ezekiel, as a watchman over Israel, the only person to whom these verses apply?
2. Do these verses imply that we will be held accountable for failure to share the truth of God's word with others when we know their actions will bring destruction?
3. How should these verses change how you relate to other people?
4. Is there a limit to who you might warn of danger? If so what are those limits?

As a pastor, I have always found it difficult to remain silent when I here or see obvious evil or violations of God's word and His principles for living. This doesn't always make life easy. Some people just don't want to hear what the Bible says, or at least what it says when it is critical of their lives.

Where do we draw the line? When do we share wisedom from God's word, and when do we remain silent? I am praying that people will respond to this post, but if you do respond, I would ask that you support all your contributions with contextual scripture references.