"Am I? Really."

Cain murders his own brother. When God asks him where Abel is, Cain replies.

Genesis 4:9 (AMP) - "And the Lord said to Cain, Where is Abel your brother? And he said, I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"

Remember who is giving the response. It is Cain and he is ducking his responsibility to cover his tracks. He lies to God.

Today one might respond with "I don't know. It's wasn't my turn to watch him."

I have actually heard Christians say "I'm not my brother's keeper".

God disagrees and it is contrary to His Word.

In Hebrew the word for "keeper" is "shamar", which means to save, guard, and protect.

So...are you your fellow man's (brother's) keeper?

When it comes to the issue of their salvation and well being, indeed we are.

A chilling reminder from God lest we forget or misunderstand:

Ezekiel 33:8-9 (KJV) - "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. 9 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."

God required Abel's blood from Cain.

Paul reminds us in Romans 10:14  - "But how are people to call upon Him Whom they have not believed [in Whom they have no faith, on Whom they have no reliance]? And how are they to believe in Him [adhere to, trust in, and rely upon Him] of Whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher?"

It's a design of God's that we need to rely upon each other. The foundation is love. This is not some religious obligation. This is the Jesus way of life. It's how He operated, and it is His example to us. How will the lost be saved if we do not love them enough to tell them?

We are our brother's keeper because we love our brother (fellow human being). If we love them we will care about whether they are saved, healed, and delivered. It is "shamar", which is essentially the Hebrew version of "Sozo".

The Church essentially grows by conversion, not by believers moving around from church to church. The local church might grow that way, but the universal Body of Christ does not. 

Never be content, or be caught up, with numbers games. They might not tell the whole truth. Be content only when you are in God's will. His will is always that you (yes YOU) grow the Kingdom by conversion.

The blood of the lost will cry out to God as surely as did Abel's. 

God will want to know why.

Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><