feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace

this has been stuck in my head for over a week now…

i think its time to get it out. and by that i don’t mean get rid of the thought, but get it out into the open and pass it on to others who might be challenged and encouraged as i have been. every tuesday morning for the last couple of years i have been meeting with some guys at a coffee shop in redmond. 6am every tuesday, going through the Word, praying for each other, encouraging each other, holding each other accountable. this is actually just a small part of the men’s ministry at my church. there are several of these groups meeting at different times through the week. we all go through the same material, so all the men that attend at different times during the week are all on the same page. right now we have been going through the book of ephesians. last week we went through eph.6:10-20. you’re probably familiar somewhat with that passage. it speaks of spiritual warfare and the christian’s armor. let me draw your attention to v.15, though.

this is the one that hasn’t gotten out of my head. it reads, “and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” let me say again, the context is spiritual warfare and the christian’s armor. how does putting on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace relate to spiritual warfare? and what does that verse mean? i read something interesting today, so i’ll pass it on to you. it’s from h.a. ironside’s commentary on galatians and ephesians. regarding eph.6:15 he writes,

“then, some of us need a new pair of shoes. ‘and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.’ what does that mean? it means walking in accordance with the gospel. you tell men that you have been saved by the grace of God, that you have peace with God. very well, let your life show it, let your walk be in accordance with that. there is also the suggestion of feet swift to carry the gospel of peace. the latest spanish translation of this is, ‘having your feet shod with a joyful readiness to propagate the gospel of peace.’ but we are not to go about propagating the gospel of peace by word of mouth unless we are living in the power of it and walking in it ourselves. otherwise we just bring dishonor upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

pretty basic, i know. but powerful, isn’t it? if we will pay attention to the way that we walk. is it in accordance with the gospel? the places our feet take us, our cars drive us, are they lining up with the gospel? is the gospel being lived out by you?

the word gospel means ‘good news.’  does your life reflect good news?  or do you carry yourself in drudgery day by day.  if someone looked at your countenance, would they see someone who has just received good news?  imagine you are the recipient of a great inheritance.  in fact, the inheritance is so great that you could share it with everyone you ever came in contact with and it would never be diminished one iota.  wouldn’t you be excited to pass it on and share it with others.  wouldn’t your feet find themselves busy with taking you places to tell others?  that’s the inheritance we’ve received.  that’s the good news!

honestly, this is encouraging to me, but also i find myself convicted by this.  too often i find myself concerned with me, and not others.  may these words not just change my thinking, but my actions as well.

get out of the coffin!

i know its an unusual heading, but hopefully it will make you think.

each and every tuesday morning i meet with a group at a coffee shop in downtown redmond. currently we are going through the book of ephesians together. this morning brought us to chapter 2. we read in verse 1 that Jesus has made us alive, who were once dead in trespasses and sins. isn’t that amazing? let me explain.

we all do wrong. we all make mistakes, get angry at our dog, fail to do what we know is right, think evil thoughts. its called sin. as a result, we’re dead spiritually. we may think we have life by obtaining the nice things, indulging in the temporary pleasures, but at the end of the day we know we are not made alive by these. the only way to be made alive, truly alive, is by Jesus. just as Jesus explained to nicodemus in john 3 that he must be born again to see the kingdom of God, so we also must be born again. its as easy as putting your trust, your faith, in Jesus. at that moment, you are made alive. alive in a way you have probably never experienced.

so my question is, what are you doing still in the coffin? what man do you know, having been released from prison and given absolute freedom, would choose to stay in the confines of his cell? what person, on their death bed and healed miraculously, given a second chance at life, would choose to stay in the hospital bed hooked up to a respirator and iv’s? Even the thought is absurd. what was it that brought death? trespasses and sins. realize the chains have been unlocked, the fetters loosed. you are no longer bound to sin. instead, you can be bound to Jesus and delight in working the works of righteousness (romans 6:17,18). so get out of the coffin and enjoy life, christian. Jesus has made you alive!