The connection between
the gospel (the good news) and feet goes back to the idea of the
runner who would run to take news of peace or victory back to the
home base. Thus Isaiah could declare “How beautiful are the feet of
him who brings good news, proclaiming peace” (Isaiah 52:7).
Concerning the Roman sandal, they had hobnails that enabled them to
dig in and to stand their ground against the onslaughts of the enemy.
Preparation echos “always be ready to give an answer of the hope that
is within you, with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15). But this is
so much more than memorizing the four spiritual laws! Preparation
requires us, like the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the
times, to know what Israel (and so we) ought to do (1 Chronicles 12:32). So
first and foremost we need to understand the times.
The gospel of course is
eternal, and must not be changed (Galatians 1:8). The way we present
it however, does needs to change with the times. What I see, is that many Christians today are
answering questions that nobody is asking. In particular, since Satan has
convinced many that there is no such thing as truth, so direct
confrontation with error can be totally ineffective. But what people do
pay attention to, is relevance. People are hurting,
relationships are disintegrating everywhere, and there is very little,
or no peace. What I am saying, is that the good news that peace is available, is
so very, very relevant. But how are we to present it when nobody is
listening? The saying “Preach the Gospel at all times, and if
necessary use words” is popularly attributed to Francis of Assisi.
And at the very least, it contains this truth, if our lives do not
match our words, if our walk does not match our talk (Ephesians 4:1),
we can talk truth til Kingdom come, but will not be heard. In terms of what to do, we need to earn the right to be heard.
In particular, if we do
not exhibit the peace of God that passes all understanding
(Philippians 4:7), in three different areas, why would a World desperately needing peace want
what we have? At the fall there was alienation (loss of peace)
between man and God, between man and man, and between man with
himself. And accordingly the gospel of peace is about reconciliation
in these three areas, peace between God and man, between man and man, and man with himself. One of the
major thrusts of this blog can be phrased in terms of this last
reconciliation. It’s call inner healing. Jesus came to heal the
broken hearted, and to set the captives free (Luke 4:18). We don’t have to be
perfect for others to notice, I keep saying that it's more about
being changed from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians
3:18), than about perfection. And we will not be being changed unless we are
dealing with our issues. The Church needs to be a
hospital for the sin sick!
Father, the phrase
“ready to give an answer” presumes somebody is asking. Help us
Lord, to do our part in growing in these three reconciliations, so
that others will notice and ask “What is it about you?” And then
Lord when we have earned the right to be heard in this way, open
their ears and give us wisdom to know how and what to answer in Jesus
Name Amen
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