Christian Warfare - Pt. 7
In our study of the Christian warfare, we have come to the understanding that we are engaged in a mighty conflict against Satan and the forces of evil in this world which is his kingdom. Even though the forces of evil are mighty, we have been encouraged by the fact that God has granted us armor to withstand the enemy’s assaults and weaponry to defeat his schemes and works.
Today, looking at Verse 15, we are going to look at the last piece of equipment to be put-on - our military footwear.
I. The Military Boot.
On the Roman soldier’s feet, he wore the elaborate military boot (caliga). They were heavy sandals with thick soles studded with hollow-headed hob-nails These boots were strong, allowing the soldier to stand firmly and cross safely on most any terrain. They were comfortable enough to allow the soldier to march at least 20 miles (and not infrequently upwards of 50-60 miles) per day. The caliga were vital pieces to the soldier’s combat wear.
II. Preparation of the Gospel of Peace.
Paul says our military footwear is "the preparation of the Gospel of Peace." The key to understanding what Paul is teaching us, here, is found in the meaning of the word translated "preparation". This word has two different meanings -
A. The first meaning has the idea of ‘steadiness’. With this meaning, Paul says we are to have our feet grounded firmly in the Gospel of Peace That is, the Gospel brings peace of mind because it provides sure footing in a world of slippery places and shifting sands. Whether we march through high rocky terrain or through the valley of the shadow of death, we fear not because the sure promises of the Gospel bring inward peace and comfort.
B. The second meaning of "preparation" is ‘to be in readiness’. With this meaning, Paul would be saying that we are to always have our sandals on; that is, always ready to proclaim the Gospel of peace throughout the world.
Of these two possible interpretations, I believe the latter one to be the true sense intended. I confidently assert this because Paul is actually quoting a portion of Isaiah 52:7, "How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation." Without question, Isaiah was prophesying of the coming of the Gospel and its proclamation to the world. Thus, our boot is ‘the readiness to proclaim the Gospel of Peace.’
III. Proclaiming The Gospel of Peace.
We have here a direct command to share the Gospel of Peace with others. Why is the Gospel called the Gospel of Peace? This is because the Gospel announces the terms by which peace can be restored between God and sinful Mankind.
Paul says, in Ephesians 2:12, that prior to Christ Jesus, we sinners had "no hope" and were "without God in this world." We did not have a friendly relationship with God because, being holy, God could not fellowship with us due to our sins. We could do nothing about our sins; therefore, we had no hope of a relationship with God in this life and in the life to come We were totally helpless and hopeless. We were spiritually dead. What we could not do ourselves, God did through the giving of His only Son to die for us.
Remember the words of the angel to the shepherds, recorded in Luke 2:10-11, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord."
Romans 5:6, 8-10, 1-2, "For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly…But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life….Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God."
God laid the penalty for our sin upon the sinless Jesus. His blood washes away all our sins. Without our sins, we are justified or acquitted and, thus, allowed to be reconciled to God. We have a peaceful relationship with God once again
We all know these truths but listen to the words of Paul, in 2 Corinthians 5:19, "God was, in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation."
Did you get that? To us, Christians, God "has committed…the word of reconciliation" If the world is going to hear about the blessed terms for peace or reconciliation, it will be through us that they do so. The destiny of the souls of people in the world around us is dependent upon whether we share the word of reconciliation, the Gospel of peace.
The 64 million dollar question is - why do we not share the Gospel with others? What keeps us from putting our boots on?
1. Apathy.
There’s no real interest in the winning of souls. We know we should do it but we put it off because it does not interest us. Perhaps, I’ll get around to it a little bit later.
We have got to change our thinking. Soul winning demands a sense of urgency! There is shortness to life! We are not promised our days and we live in a time when Christ is due to make an appearance. There is no time to spare.
We must love the souls around us as God loves them, John 3:16, "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes on Him should not perish, but have eternal life." We must make God’s desire our desire, His wish our wish. 1 Timothy 2:3-4, "God our Savior,…desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" 2 Peter 3:9, "The Lord is….not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance."
2 Wrong Priorities.
Our priorities can be wrong, and that stops us. Individually, sometimes we are too busy with worldly affairs and entertainment that we forget about soul-winning. We don’t take time to learn the Scriptures to be used in sharing the Gospel We don’t take time or thought to pray to God to prepare their hearts to receive the Gospel. We don’t spend time ministering to their needs, showing the love of Christ.
Some congregations become more interested in keeping the church solvent than keeping the sinners around us from going to hell. We get into a "Let’s just worry about ourselves and the needs of our members" mentality. We got so wrapped up in what we need that we forgot about our community around us.
3. Fear.
We are often hindered by fear. Fear can trip us in a few different ways:
A. I know that sometimes we may be hesitant to share our Faith because we do not want to seem like religious fanatics or Jesus freaks. We are a little embarrassed by our Faith in Christ and the Gospel. What do you suppose Jesus would think about such an excuse?
We need not speculate because He has already addressed that issue in Mark 8:38, "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."
I would hope that each of would be so grateful for the blessings that we have received through the Gospel that we could not contain ourselves to speak of it. Such was Paul, Romans 1:16, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel."
B. Sometimes we fear that if we talk about our Savior and Lord to our family and friends, it will damage those wonderful relationships. But, let me be straight-forward, how many of them do you want to spend eternity in torment? In Luke 16, we have the account of the ‘Rich man and Lazarus’. To make a long story short, Lazarus went to paradise while the selfish, rich man went to Hades where he suffered burning agony. The rich man asked Abraham to send Lazarus on a mission, in verses 27-28, "I beg you, Father, that you send him to my father’s house - for I have five brothers - that he may warn them, lest they also come to this place of torment." The greedy rich man, while living on the earth, didn’t have any concern about others around him. However, when he suffered the torment of those who are unreconciled with God, he could not stand to think of his family suffering the same fate. If you are fearful about what might happen to your relationships with family and friends should you share the Gospel with them, let me ask - what do you think will become of your wonderful relationships when, on Judgment Day, you go to the right and they go to the left? And, as you are parting from each other, they sorrowfully and bitterly ask, ‘why didn’t you warn me and share with me the hope you had? How could you have remained silent when you knew this would be my fate?’
C. Many fear to share the Gospel because they feel totally inadequate ‘What will I say? What will they say?
We mistakenly think that we have to be super knowledgeable and a good talker. Not so! When it comes to sharing the Gospel, God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called! Truly, the less theological information you know the more effective you will be. You see, big words and complex formulas and detailed dogmas only take away from the message. In 1 Corinthians 1:17, Paul says that Christ sent him "to preach the Gospel, not in cleverness of speech, that the cross of Christ should not be made void." Again, in 1 Corinthians 2:1-2, "And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God, for I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified."
The simple story of the Cross and how we can receive its benefits is all that we need know to begin sharing. Remember the words of Jesus, in John 12:32, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself." Jesus is referring to His crucifixion. All we need to do is share Christ crucified, and He will ‘draw all men to Himself‘.
D. Many hesitate to witness fearing that, after sharing the Gospel, the person or persons won’t respond favorably by believing and obeying the Gospel We ought not entertain this fear because whether or not a person responds appropriately is between God and that person. After you share the Gospel, what happens next does not involve you…. It is God’s work.
Paul explained this in 1 Corinthians 3:6-7, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth." Paul was the first to plant the seed of God’s word into their hearts; that is, he preached the Gospel to them. Then, brother Apollos came and added water to the soil of their hearts; that is, he preached a little more or showed them godly love. With what Paul planted and Apollos watered, God caused a plant to grow and bear fruit; that is, the Corinthians developed faith that led to obedience to the Gospel. No wonder Paul proclaimed, in Romans 1:16, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes."
Let me add that seeds planted today may not result in the growth of a plant right away I have known some who have heard the Gospel of Peace and immediately they wanted to accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord. They believed, repented, confessed Jesus as the Son of God and were baptized for the forgiveness of sins. However, I have also seen folks hear the Gospel and it seemed to be DOA - dead on arrival. Yet, years later, they came and wanted to hear more and to obey the Gospel. It is amazing how God uses the seed of His word once it is implanted within the heart and mind of a person. He just needs you and I to plant the seed.
It may come as a surprise that the most potent agent of church growth is the person in the pew and the majority of those who will come into the church consist of their own family or friends. The Institute For American Church Growth asked over 10,000 people this question: "What was responsible for your coming to Christ and this church?" Their replies were . . .
a. I had a special need - 3%
b. I just walked in - 3%
c. I liked the minister - 6%
d. I visited there - 1%
e. I liked the Bible studies - 5%
f. I attended a gospel meeting - 0.5%
g. I liked the programs - 3%
h. A FRIEND OR RELATIVE INVITED ME - 79%
We want our congregation to grow. We want souls to be saved. The most likely way that this is going to come about is through each of us being seed planters….reaching out to our family, friends and neighbors.
I want to close our lesson, this morning, by introducing to you a role model. His name is Andrew and his story is told in John 1:35-42, "Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. And Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, "What do you seek?" They said to Him, "Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?" He said to them, "Come, and you will see." So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He found first his own brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which translated means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas" (which is translated Peter)."
Andrew spent that day with Jesus and what a day that must have been. For whatever he found in Jesus was so pleasing and exciting, that he just had to share the Lord with others. But, not what it says - "He found first his own brother Simon and …brought him to Jesus."
Actually, this is the only instance, revealed in the New Testament, where Andrew brings anyone to Jesus. However, in introducing Simon Peter to Jesus, Andrew changed history It was through the preaching of Peter, in the earliest days of the Church, that 8000+ souls were saved (Acts 2-4). And, when it came to brining the first Gentile into the Church, it was Peter that was chosen by the Lord to bring it about (Acts 10). But, if it wasn’t for Andrew, Peter may never have come to know Jesus and become the great apostle whose ministry we admire so much today
We may never accomplish the things that Peter accomplished in his ministry. But, there is no reason why we cannot and should not follow the example of Andrew… That is, be instrumental in bringing one soul to Jesus at a time.
If we converted one person each year, and if our converts did the same…. The number of souls that would be saved and added to the Church would astound all:
Year Number
1 1
2 2
3 4
4 8
5 16
6 32
7 64
8 128
10 512
15 16,384
20 524,288
21 1,048,576
Isaiah 55:8-11, "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it."
Mark 16:15-16, "And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned."
I. MAKE A LIST OF SOULS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE SAVED
For us, it helps to focus our attention upon those we hope to reach for the Lord, and not neglect them. In making up this list, start with those who are close to you and work outwardly (e.g., family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, relatives of fellow church members, regular visitors to the services of the church, casual acquaintances, etc.) Limit this list to five or eight souls. Keep the list where you will see it daily so you will be constantly reminded of these people
II. PRAY FOR THESE SOULS ON YOUR LIST DAILY
Pray that God will work together with you to give you opportunities to do good for them and to give you the wisdom to make the most of those opportunities. Pray that they will have honest hearts to be open and receptive to the truth of the Gospel of peace.
III. DO THINGS WHICH DEMONSTRATE YOUR LOVE FOR THEM
"People don’t care how much we know until they know how much we care!" A demonstration of love will make a person more likely to be receptive to the gospel of love when it is shared! Invite them into your home for a dinner or snack. Visit them, especially in times of trial or sickness. Do things with them on a social level.
IV. INVITE THOSE ON YOUR LIST TO ATTEND BIBLE STUDIES OR SERVICES
They will (or should) have an opportunity to see a caring congregation in action. Combined with your own demonstration of love as an individual, the demonstration of love by others should make a lasting impression Also, by attending a Bible study or services, they will more likely have an opportunity to be presented with the gospel of Christ. As you prepare to invite these souls, be sure to pray asking for boldness to offer the invitation to attend and asking for wisdom to invite them in the best manner.
V. DEMONSTRATE LOVE TOWARDS THOSE VISITORS WHO DO ATTEND
Whether invited by you, someone else or are ‘walk ins’, greet them, let them know they are welcome. Invite them home or out for a dinner or snack. Call or visit them, after they have attended. In so doing, you are doing your part to prepare their hearts for the Gospel; for, by demonstrating love as a congregation of Christians, they will be more likely to believe in the love of God demonstrated in the life of Christ!
1 Peter 3:15 states, "sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence."
