Disclaimer: Not necessarily all original material. Some material contained in my sermons may be gleaned from other sermons.
Are you wearing shoes or are you barefoot? Eph 6:15
"I arrived in the city of EVERYWHERE early one morning. It was cold, and there were flurries of snow on the ground. As I stepped from the train to the platform, I noticed that the baggage man and the redcap were warmly attired in heavy coats and gloves, but oddly enough, they wore no shoes. Repressing my impulse to ask the reason for this odd practice, I went to the station and inquired the way to the hotel. My curiosity, however, was increased by my discovery that no one in the station wore any shoes.
Boarding the streetcar, I saw that my fellow travelers were likewise barefoot; and upon arriving at the hotel I found that the bellhop, the desk clerk, and all the residents were void of shoes! Unable to restrain myself any longer, I asked the manager what this strange practice meant.
"What practice?" said he. "Why," said I, pointing to his bare feet, "Why don’t you wear shoes in this town?"
"Ah, said he, "that is just it. Why don’t we?"
"But what is the matter? Don’t you believe in shoes?"
"Believe in shoes, my friend! I should say we do! That is the first article of our creed--shoes. They are indispensable to the well-being of humanity. Such frostbite, cuts, sores, and suffering those shoes prevent! It is wonderful!"
"Well, then, why don’t you wear them?" I asked, totally bewildered.
"Ah" he said thoughtfully, "That is just it. Why don’t we?"
Though considerably bewildered I checked in, secured my room, and went directly to the coffee shop. There I deliberately sat down by an amiable-looking but barefoot gentleman. Friendly enough, he suggested that we look around the city after our meal.
The first thing we noticed upon emerging from the hotel was a huge brick structure of impressive proportions. He pointed to this with pride. "You see that?" said he "That is one of our outstanding shoe manufacturing establishments!"
"A what?" I asked in amazement. "You mean you make shoes there?"
"Well, not exactly," said he, a bit embarrassed. "We talk about making shoes there, and believe me, we have one of the most brilliant fellows you have ever heard. He talks most thrillingly and convincingly every week on this great subject of shoes. Just yesterday he moved the people profoundly with his exposition of the necessity of shoe-wearing. Many broke down and wept. It was really wonderful!"
"But why don’t they wear them?" said I insistently.
"Ah, that is just it. Why don’t we?"
Just then, as we turned down a side-street, I saw through a cellar window a cobbler actually making a pair of shoes. Excusing myself from my friend, I burst into the little shop and asked the shoemaker how it happened that his shop was not over-run with customers.
"Nobody wants my shoes," he said. "They just talk about them."
"Give me what pairs you have ready," I said eagerly, and paid him twice the amount he modestly asked. Hurriedly I returned to my friend and offered them to him, saying, "Here, my friend, one of these pairs will surely fit you. Take them, put them on. They will save untold suffering."
"Ah, thank you," he said, with embarrassment, "but you don’t understand. It just isn’t being done. The front families, well, that is just it. Why don’t we?"
And coming out of the city of Everywhere, over and over and over that question rang in my ears; "Why don’t we? Why don’t we? Why don’t we?"
The parable of the Barefoot Christians was written more than a hundred years ago by an English Preacher named Hugh Price Hughes. The city of Everywhere could be New York, London, St. Louis, Paris, Baghdad or Florence, SC! It’s any place in the world where people know the most basic, obvious ways of living in right relationship with one another--yet they refuse to do it!
Paul tells us that we need our shoes on to be effective Christians. The shoes he tells us to wear are the good news of peace, yet many choose to go barefoot.
There are shoes for different times, different occupations and activities.
Lehman Strauss, speaking of “the shoes of peace” once said; “The soldier’s shoes are not the dancing slippers of this world or the lounging slippers of the slothful, but the shoes of the Christian warrior who knows Christ and makes Him Known.”
Paul calls these sandals or shoes that we are to put on “shoes of peace.”
Lloyd Cory said, “PEACE IS THE BRIEF GLORIOUS MOMENT in history when everybody stands around reloading.”
The third and very important piece of equipment used by the Roman soldier is a sturdy shoe, without it the soldier was ill-equipped for battle. The Roman soldier’s shoes were fashioned from thick leather with nails through the soles.
The studded soles enabled the soldier to stand firm. They kept the soldier’s feet from slipping in battle and allowed the soldier to maintain his position against his enemies.
The phrase “fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace” means that you and I are to anchor or set our feet in a position of readiness. It means to be equipped and ready to move the gospel forward and never backward.
But the real question today is, do we have what it takes to carry the gospel to the world? Does EBC have what it takes to share the gospel of peace? Because…
a. If EBC is not sharing the Gospel of peace, not-yet-believers will never come to faith in Christ Jesus. If the church is not going to share the gospel of peace, through the shed blood of Jesus then who will?
b. If the EBC is not sharing the Gospel of peace, then our entire ministry becomes sidetracked and we lose our focus. VBS is more than just a day or week for the church to spend money on decorations and bring a bunch of kids in for fun, food and games. A lot of the kids each of our churches will deal with this year live in a war zone. My thought is WHY lead them to Jesus just to send them back into that war zone. We should be reaching moms & dads too. Our focus gets off and all we are is an entertainment center and no longer a hospital for the sick and dying.
c. If the EBC is not sharing the Gospel of peace, enthusiasm for the important work of God weakens. If VBS workers have no enthusiasm for VBS the church will not care and if the WHOLE body doesn’t get behind it, it’s just another day of fun, food and games. If Sunday school teachers are not excited about teaching, there will be no excitement about learning. Bible study classes with no excitement will be just another boring lecture etc.…
d. If the EBC is not sharing the gospel of peace our world will be filled with hate and violence…OH wait it already is! Does that mean we’ve been silent too long? Does that mean the church has been too busy trying to mimic the world instead of being that ray of hope for a world going to hell on a slide greased with pig lard? “Well preacher, the BIBLE says that in the last days things will get worse and there will be violence and stuff like this. There’s just nothing we can do about it!” Baloney! That’s just about the silliest cop-out I’ve ever heard. Yes the Bible says that in the last day’s thing will get worse BUT it NEVER gives you and me permission to sit back, do nothing and watch as humanity slides over the edge into the depths of hell…Jesus said in, [Mat 24:14 NIV] “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”
And again in, [Mar 13:10 NIV] “And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.”
ELIM BIBLE CHURCH! IT IS TIME TO PUT OUR SHOES ON…
But before you and I can carry the gospel of peace to the world we must find something first.
1. FIND PEACE WITH GOD.
[Rom 5:1-2 NKJV] “1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
We cannot share the excitement of the Gospel of peace with others until we have first felt the excitement of it in our own lives. You cannot share with someone that which you do have. You cannot lead someone to experience what you have not experienced in your own life, which is a Savior who took your punishment and mine in His own body, on the cross…
Before we can have our feet ready for the spiritual battle we need to honestly evaluate our own lives by asking ourselves a simple question.
“How much impact does this Gospel of peace have on me?”
Now I want to make sure we understand this question.
• The question is not, “Do you believe in Jesus?”
• The question is not, “Are you a member of a church?”
• The question is not even, “Are you saved?”
Each of us must come to a realization that in God’s eyes I was ugly and full of sin. BUT God cared enough to shake me and open my eyes so that I could see for the first time, my hate for my Creator and how senseless it was.
That’s the gospel of peace and when we realize just how much God has done to give us real peace, peace that could only come through the shed blood of His only Son, THEN it will be natural for our lives to be radically different.
Once we find true peace with God, we are ready to put on the shoes of peace. This leads us to the second point.
2. Sharing peace with ALL people.
[John 20:21b NKJV] “… As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
Turn to Matthew 28: 19, 20 [VBS, backyard Bible club, Widow’s ministry etc.]
How can you and I be obedient to the command…NOT THE SUGGESTION of Jesus in Matthew 28?
By becoming Acts 1: 8 men and women. Flip there with me… “Well pastor this verse is NOT for us because we don’t live in that part of the world.”
a. Where is your Jerusalem?
b. Where do you think your Judea might be…
c. How about your Samaria? Compare Judea/Samaria…
d. Empowered by the Spirit of God, our reach WILL be worldwide…
But we must understand something of this power. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is yours…BUT…flip to chapter 8
Simon, the sorcerer got all excited when he watched Peter working miracles and so in; Acts 8:18-20 READ
The power that Jesus spoke of in Acts 1: 8 is not for sale, nor is this power for showing off and IF that’s the only reason you desire power then I suggest you stay home. Look what Peter told Simon Acts 8:21 NKJV.
Jesus makes this power available so that you and I can go and share the gospel of peace of peace with a lost and hurting world.
[Mar 16:15 NKJV] “And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”
We are to share Jesus with every man, woman, boy and girl; without reservation or hesitation…
Can I ask you, who guides your feet? If your answer is Jesus but you still worry about talking to people about Him I want you to understand something.
[Eph 1:22 NKJV] “And He put all [things] under His feet, and gave Him [to be] head over all [things] to the church,”
EBC we follow the One has everything under His feet and controls it all.
If Paul is telling the truth, and he is, then where are the powers, dominions and authorities? Under the feet of Jesus.
If Paul is not making this up, where are Satan, and death and sin? Under the feet Of Jesus.
If Paul is not out of his mind then where do we find all who oppose and stand against Jesus? Under the feet of Jesus.
And the same One who has all these things under His feet is the same One who is the head of the church and Jesus has called EBC into partnership with Him as He does His work.
Watch this…When we follow Jesus we are following in the footsteps of the One who has powers, dominion, authorities, Satan, sin, death and hell under His feet. And if these things are under His feet, and we follow in His footsteps, where are these things going to end up? Under our feet.
That is why Paul could and you and I should be able to say, [Rom 1:16 NKJV] “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”
We don’t have to be nor should we be fearful when it comes to sharing the Gospel of peace. WHY? Because the impact of the Gospel does not rely on us, it relies on the powerful and finished work of Jesus. So put your shoes on…
It is not the eloquence of your speech that convinces people. Put your shoes on…
It is not your power of persuasion that convinces people. Put your shoes on…
It is not your doctrinal accuracy that convinces people. Put your shoes on…
You don’t have to be a part of the elite in the Christian kingdom to convince people. You just need to put your shoes on…
The message of the Gospel relies on Jesus and Him alone to open hearts.
We just need to be willing to be His feet and His voice.
Are your wearing your shoes or are you barefoot?
