Week of Monday, March 22 – Sunday, March 28
Got Your Six – Man as a Battle Buddy
“When I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand.” – Ezekiel 3:18
In the military, “Got your six” means “I've got your back.” Anyone who has been in the armed services understands what that means: defending and protecting your battle buddy from an attack from the rear, his blind spot. In the event that bullets start flying, it is imperative to pair up and defend one another, to have each other’s back. When it comes to warfare, we get that. But often less clear to us is the spiritual duty we each have to preemptively act and speak to warn those who are headed for certain destruction (Phil. 3:18).
You could probably name a few guy friends and members of your family who have not committed their lives to follow Jesus. Because of their ignorance of the gospel or their reluctance or even refusal to believe it, they are in fact separated from God and headed toward certain spiritual and eternal death. There are other guys in your life who maybe profess to know Christ but their lives don’t match their mouths, and the choices they are making right now are going to result in some bad consequences sooner or later. Armed with that knowledge, we need to do something about it in our role as a battle buddy. We need to “have their back” by warning them like God instructed the prophet Ezekiel here.
This verse is a part of God’s commissioning of the prophet while he was in exile with the Jews in Babylon. God gave Ezekiel a message meant for a wayward and sinful people. Obviously, with the message God gave him came a responsibility, the responsibility to speak that message and warn them of the consequences of their choices. If he failed to do so, God had a sobering message for Ezekiel: “that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand.”
It is a sobering message for us. If we fail to be a battle buddy by “having their six” and warning our friends and family members of the consequences of their choices, then God is going to hold us accountable. However, if a person goes on headlong through that dangerous warzone and certain death despite your urgent and heartfelt warnings, sadly that would be on him. You will have done your duty. Unfortunately, many of our friends are headed down the wrong road spiritually because no one has warned them or told them there is a different path to life and freedom which only can happen through submitting to Christ as Savior and Lord.
We must humbly speak and warn because we cannot expect anyone else to. At the same time, I am not suggesting that we should be in a battle buddy’s face with rants about the hell that lies ahead for them, but I do urge you to talk to the lost about the peace and assurance that comes through a relationship with Christ. And let the Holy Spirit lead you through this process of being a witness to the lost brother or family member. And yes, there may be a time when you do in fact need to come down hard on a friend with a reminder of the reality and schemes and deception of Satan as well as the reality of hell. Having someone’s six carries a huge responsibility, so muster your courage and be a true battle buddy, speaking the truth in love.
When we do, they will either accept or reject our warning, but they will have been given an opportunity to avoid heartbreak or even worse. Think of all the friends and family members you have who do not follow Christ. Think of the guys in your life who profess to know Christ but whose lifestyles tell a totally different story. Have you ever humbly called them out on their choices and lifestyle? Have you ever tried to help them understand their need to repent and submit to Christ? Can you truthfully say to these friends and family members: “I’ve got your six”?
Got Your Six – Man as a Battle Buddy
“When I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand.” – Ezekiel 3:18
In the military, “Got your six” means “I've got your back.” Anyone who has been in the armed services understands what that means: defending and protecting your battle buddy from an attack from the rear, his blind spot. In the event that bullets start flying, it is imperative to pair up and defend one another, to have each other’s back. When it comes to warfare, we get that. But often less clear to us is the spiritual duty we each have to preemptively act and speak to warn those who are headed for certain destruction (Phil. 3:18).
You could probably name a few guy friends and members of your family who have not committed their lives to follow Jesus. Because of their ignorance of the gospel or their reluctance or even refusal to believe it, they are in fact separated from God and headed toward certain spiritual and eternal death. There are other guys in your life who maybe profess to know Christ but their lives don’t match their mouths, and the choices they are making right now are going to result in some bad consequences sooner or later. Armed with that knowledge, we need to do something about it in our role as a battle buddy. We need to “have their back” by warning them like God instructed the prophet Ezekiel here.
This verse is a part of God’s commissioning of the prophet while he was in exile with the Jews in Babylon. God gave Ezekiel a message meant for a wayward and sinful people. Obviously, with the message God gave him came a responsibility, the responsibility to speak that message and warn them of the consequences of their choices. If he failed to do so, God had a sobering message for Ezekiel: “that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand.”
It is a sobering message for us. If we fail to be a battle buddy by “having their six” and warning our friends and family members of the consequences of their choices, then God is going to hold us accountable. However, if a person goes on headlong through that dangerous warzone and certain death despite your urgent and heartfelt warnings, sadly that would be on him. You will have done your duty. Unfortunately, many of our friends are headed down the wrong road spiritually because no one has warned them or told them there is a different path to life and freedom which only can happen through submitting to Christ as Savior and Lord.
We must humbly speak and warn because we cannot expect anyone else to. At the same time, I am not suggesting that we should be in a battle buddy’s face with rants about the hell that lies ahead for them, but I do urge you to talk to the lost about the peace and assurance that comes through a relationship with Christ. And let the Holy Spirit lead you through this process of being a witness to the lost brother or family member. And yes, there may be a time when you do in fact need to come down hard on a friend with a reminder of the reality and schemes and deception of Satan as well as the reality of hell. Having someone’s six carries a huge responsibility, so muster your courage and be a true battle buddy, speaking the truth in love.
When we do, they will either accept or reject our warning, but they will have been given an opportunity to avoid heartbreak or even worse. Think of all the friends and family members you have who do not follow Christ. Think of the guys in your life who profess to know Christ but whose lifestyles tell a totally different story. Have you ever humbly called them out on their choices and lifestyle? Have you ever tried to help them understand their need to repent and submit to Christ? Can you truthfully say to these friends and family members: “I’ve got your six”?
- What does this verse say to you personally about your responsibility for those around you?
- Do you have a guy in your life who professes to know Christ but his choices and lifestyle are currently telling a different story? Think about how you can have an honest conversation about the direction of his life in light of his profession and try to set a time to meet. Before you attempt to follow through on this, read Galatians 6:1-5 to be sure you are doing it in the right spirit. No “holier than thou” attitude allowed. Emphasize that the reason for the conversation is that you “got his six.”
- Think about a guy friend or family member who has never given his life to follow Christ. How about asking him for some time over coffee or a meal to have a conversation about the gospel?