Do you have your shoes on?
Category: Evangelism & Soul Winning
Key Passage: Ephesians 6
Speaker: Paul Chisgar
Date: March 11, 2025
Verse six, Ephesians chapter number six. By half foot through the message, it’ll come on, amen, you know. Ephesians chapter number six. By the way, I mentioned this earlier. I forgot to do it. Would you pray for Brother Frank? Brother Josh, he’s out sick. Brother Glenn, been out sick for a while. Talk to him a bit this afternoon. He just said, well, it’s been one of the roughest three months of his life. Just one thing after that. So pray for those and others. I miss some. I’m sure there’s many that didn’t, but pray for those. Still a lot of folk out sick, and so pray for them if you would. Man, he get new batters now, they’ll put the screen up. Won’t worry about it. How about that? You know, put the screen up, we’ll be good. Amen. Bible. Yeah, we just—we just…
I said, Ephesians chapter number six, Ephesians chapter number six. It’s in there, brother. It’s in there. And Ephesians chapter number six. You never know what’s going to happen around here. I heard of them baptized today. Somebody else will come up and preach for a minute. I heard about that. And so you never know what’s going to happen around here. But…
Ephesians chapter number six in God’s word tonight. Would you please stay? Hang on for just a second. I’m sorry. Hang on for just a second. Let me just kind of review a little bit before we read it. Remember the church at Ephesus, he’s writing to them. It was a large place. It was a capital of a province of Rome. And sometimes we think the Bible is just small. It was an amphitheater there that could see 50,000 people.
The Temple of Diana, one of the seven wonders of the world, was there. And the bottom seating, they say there’s 127 really pillars holding it up, and those pillars were 60 feet tall. Now that’s about 14 somewhere right in the center of it there. So imagine that. That’s 15, you know, how many? That’d be what? What’s that?
Bus and a half. That’s the CD-old bus school bus driver right there for sure, man. They’ve got an S endorsement on there, you know. So, yes, sir. But can you imagine just the pillars holding that thing up, the bottom seating of 127 of them? And remember that’s where Paul—he didn’t, but his friends got dragged in there for two hours. “Great is Diana of Ephesus,” you know, and two hours chanting that.
A lot of demonic activity there in Ephesus. Acts 19 really started the church. A lot of people got saved, revival, and they brought in their witchcraft books. And it really, in equivalent in our day and time. I wrote this in my Bible a while back, and I put in there $5.5 million, so that maybe, you know, $6, $7 million. We could use that for the building fund, Amy, you know. But anyway, millions of dollars worth of witchcraft books and Ouija boards and all the rest of that junk, and they’re putting it in the fire, burning it. And so I’m just saying, this is an area of very heavily demonic, and just a large place, very intimidating. I love the way it starts. It also says, “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.” That’s the way it starts off.
Then he gives us these weapons, these armor, excuse me. Uh-oh. Just dropped my helmet. Amen. Watch this. Help me out. The helmet of salvation. The sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. And let’s see here. We haven’t covered that. The shield of faith. Good, good, good. Last week we covered this, the breastplate of…
Righteousness. Good, good, good. And um, the very first weapon or armor it mentions is your loins gird about with what? Truth. Well, that’s the very first one, and it protects your midsection. Um, it is, uh, they say often the armor of a Roman or Grecian soldier, it would be kind of the thing that cinches everything up. Often the other pieces of armor were attached to it. You can’t run very fast if you didn’t have that thing all cinched up and whatnot. And just honesty—the first thing you mentioned is, you know, the other things you can really lie about, you know, just kind of—it’s just not honest, you know, just so very, very important.
And then last week, the breastplate of righteousness. Now, we’re righteous before God through Jesus Christ, right? Only way you will be, through Jesus. By the way, his righteousness is perfect. That’s why you never—you’ll always be saved. Amen. A lot of different angles of that. But just doing right even when you don’t feel like it can often protect your vital organs, your heart. And it keeps that sword from going all the way down in.
I mentioned somebody that mentioned that week, they had been sick and whatnot, had to miss church, and they say, you know, they’re—oh, I don’t know—a couple years into being in our church, I think, in church for the most part. They said, “Man, just didn’t feel right to not be in church.” And my mind ought to—man, they’re getting the breastplate of righteousness. You just kind of, you’re in the habit, you’re doing right. Well, that’ll protect you even when you don’t feel like doing right. You do right, just a way of life.
There’s a lot of protect—protects your vital organs, your heart, from just that death blow. And it’s breastplate of righteousness. And then today, we’re not going to talk about shin guards. We’re not preaching on soccer. These are your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of what? Peace. Once Romans 5 went over there, “Therefore being justified by faith, we’ve had peace with God.”
Let’s talk about the gospel. There’s a peace with God. There’s a peace of God, different over in Philippians. Let’s talk about your peace with God, salvation. And I appreciate Ms. Bushel, by the way, letting us use these things here. And that’s not maybe a perfect example of feet shod, but it’s better than what I got. Amen. I appreciate her letting me use them, you know. And so…
That’s what we’re talking about. We’ll be on that tonight. We’re back in Ephesians 6, and we’ll start in verse number 10 now. Would you please stand if you’re able to, just to show the word of God respect? Ephesians 6, and it’s finishing the chapter up here, and really, just give me the book up here. And he says this, he says, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore, take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
Now, I’ll just emphasize before we read the different pieces. He says, “Take it.” That shows me you cannot take it. He’s talking to Christians here, already saved. He said, “I want you to take these pieces of armor,” all right? So you could walk out of your house, whatever, and you can go throughout the day and not take it with you, these armors. All right. So let’s read on. What are they? Verse number 14: “Stand therefore, having your loins gird about with truth.” I mentioned this when we focused on that subject. I think ever, ever unfaithfulness, affairs, or sexual sins that I’ve dealt with, there’s been dishonesty. I just think about that. More than just that, but that’s the reality right there. Loins gird about with truth.
And having on the breastplate of righteousness, and here’s where we’re at tonight, “and your feet shod for the preparation of the gospel of peace.” Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked, and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
But you pray with me that God would make this thing about our feet shod with the preparation of gospel of peace, make it real and practical to you. Would you ask the Lord to do that? Father, we do come. First of all, Lord, we just praise you. You’ve been so good to us. Thank you, Lord, just shaking the hands or before the service right there, just hearing that another person saved today. We praise you for what you’re doing. Lord, help us not to hinder your work. We rejoice in that. Thank you for letting us be in the yoke with you. You pull the weight that you want us in the yoke with. Thank you for that, Lord. Father, now tonight, would you make this thing, the feet shod, the preparation of God’s—make it real to us, every individual? Father, speak to us directly, individually, about having this piece of armor on. Father, we thank you for what you do. By the way, I ask for this in the name of Jesus. We pray. Amen.
Thank you so much for standing. You may be seated. Just talking about warfare. Can you imagine a Roman soldier, a Grecian soldier, battle? Often it’s hand-to-hand combat fighting another enemy. Just—just they’re battling it out. And can you imagine that soldier slipping? Well, that could be death. The feet and the shoes…
Really, the title of the night: Do you have your shoes on? The shoes were so very, very important. Most people say that very often they would find the Roman soldiers’ shoes. And it was the first cleats there ever were. They say they literally had little metal spikes on the bottom of them. Baseball, you know, you can wear metal cleats. I don’t know if that’s still allowed nowadays in major leagues or not. I don’t know.
But somewhat like that, but they say those shoes, because it’s so crucial, if you slip in battle, it could be all over. Just the importance of the shoes. Many of you, me, and maybe some ladies here could testify much better than I, but on the one-mile or five-mile or ten-mile marches, how important the shoes you have on are. I’ve heard many men say, you know, at first they got blessed us, but after a while, man, they just—they were—they were what my feet needed. The importance of the shoes.
And he talks about that, verse number 15: “Your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.” Now, how would that apply to you and I really being prepared with the gospel of peace? Well, look, if you will, over in John chapter number 13. John chapter number 13. Another place in the Bible where God talks about our feet. Wow. Yeah, the Bible covers your feet. Wow. How many say?
You better have a clothespin or something on your nose when you take off your shoes and socks. Amen. Oh, my goodness, if you wear shoes without socks on, oh, boy, you’re very—I’ll have something on for sure, you know. But feet is in the Bible. Look at this. John 13, and verse number five. You’ll recognize the story. Verse number five: “After that he pour—that’s he, Jesus—pourth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet.” Wow. You call that a servant, friend? You call that humbling yourself for him? They are arguing about who’s the greatest in all that. Jesus, he starts washing their feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
Then cometh he to Simon Peter, and Peter said to him, “Lord, dost thou wash my feet?” Jesus answered and said unto him, “What I do, thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter.” Peter said unto him, “Thou shalt never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.” Simon Peter saith unto him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.” Jesus saith to him, “He that is washed, needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit.”
And you’re clean, but not all. For he knew who should betray him, therefore said he, “Ye are not all clean.” Now, what’s Jesus saying here? He came to wash Peter’s feet. Peter said, “No, no, man, you can’t. I can’t let you wash my feet. I ought to be washing your feet.” And Jesus said, “But if I don’t wash you, you have no part with me.” And Peter said, “Well, man, you know, not all in my feet, my hands and my head also.” Jesus said, “I don’t need to do that, Peter. You’re all saved. All of you are saved. You’re washed in the blood of the Lamb, if you will, besides one, Judas. But it says, I do need to wash something—your feet.” There’s something very, very important about that.
You see, really, as we walk in this dirty world, there’s no way that you and I can keep our feet totally clean. We live in a world of filth, you understand that? I mean, if you’re walking for the Lord and with the Lord, you’re going to be walking upstream in our day and time, and your feet are going to get dirty. That’s why Jesus said, “I need to wash your feet.” I don’t need to wash your hands and your head. You didn’t save, but as you walk in this world, you’re going to get dirty.
Anybody out there, you’re like me? I feel like I get somewhat right with God, and I wake up the next morning, and man, it’s all over me again. Wow. I’m just back. That’s because we’re flesh, and because we live in a sin-cursed world. And we need our feet washed. That’s what he’s trying to teach. Peter didn’t understand it all, but you’re going to need your feet washed.
I am. And I was a boy, my mom—she, three of us boys, but my younger brother’s much younger—and she said, “I had the two older ones. She said, ‘Had one couldn’t get shoes off of the other one would never put shoes on.’” How was me? I mean, I just—I just couldn’t stand wearing shoes, and I was growing up. And I think it carried over to somebody. Everybody knows what I’m talking about, you know?
And at one point, you know, and this, you say this is TMI, you know, but at one point I got ringworm in my feet. That’s not a worm, it’s a fungus, but the doctor said, “That boy never wears his shoes.” That’s the problem, you know? And I just—just always barefoot. And I remember, boy, you know, the bottom of your feet, especially in Florida, you know, it’s hot and all that. I mean, his bottom of your feet turned black, you know? And just dark. And for me, you know, that’s just not—and so, man, I remember, you know, and your parents say, “Hey, get those feet clean.” I’m like, “Man, I’m scrubbing on them. They won’t come clean.” I mean, you know, I got Ajax. That’s still—still brush, you know. It wasn’t quite that bad. It just wouldn’t come clean because I would not wear shoes. See? Shoes help keep your feet clean.
You’re not going to be perfect because we can get dirt in this world, but feet shod with the preparation of gospel of peace. You say, “How do you put these things to do together? What relationship?” Let’s talk about relationships for just a second here. If I have a relationship with another Christian, my goal ought to be encouraging them. What does it say over there in Hebrews chapter number 10? He said, “And let us consider one another and provoke unto love and to good works.” The verse we know, not for second, “the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another.” You see?
And my relationship with Christians ought to be, I’m trying to exhort them, encourage them, provoking them unto love and good works. That’s what it ought to be. Now that’s relationships with saved people, my brothers and sisters in Christ. Our relationship, we’re trying to encourage one another if we can. But my relationship with the lost—underlining that—my relationship with the lost ought to be, I want to get the gospel to them. I want to have a good relationship with them at work. I want to be a good testimony to my neighbor. Why? Because underlining, I want to—I want to go on the gospel. I’m prepared. I’m ready to give out the gospel of peace to them.
And, Frank, here’s the thing with that. So that’s going to help me keep my feet—not perfectly clean, you can’t do that—but a little cleaner. Hey, you know the best thing? You get a new job, and you say, “I want to go be a good testament to that job.” You know the best thing you can do that first day? Witness to at least one person. You know why? Man, you know, your testimony is on the line now. By the way, you witness to one person, it’s out, friend. Everybody’s going, “Oh, watch them over there.” And everybody’s going to watch you. They’re going to have like binoculars on you, and you’re going to feel it. You’re like, “Man, I can’t mess up anywhere.” Everybody’s watching me. And that helps you keep your feet clean. That’s part of the protection. It’s armor.
Hey, because my relationship with the lost is I want to get the gospel to them. I’m prepared. I’m ready. I’ve been praying for so-and-so. I want to talk to them. And I want to have a good testimony so when I talk to them, they might listen to me. And it helps me keep my feet clean, friends. That’s why it’s so important. Hey, your neighbor, hey, you know a good thing? Talk to about church. By the friend, try to get the gospel in there. Why? Why? Yes, so they get saved, yes, for all that, but it’ll put you on the spot. Well, I can’t be out in the front yard yelling at my spouse now. Let’s go inside. Well, yell inside, amen. Won’t throw things. They might hear that, you know. But it helps you. It helps you keep your feet clean.
You know one of the best things for a young Christian to do is tell somebody else they got saved. Just tell them, and maybe try to witness to one person. You know what? You go back to your old friends. You get saved. You go back to your old friends and say, “Hey, I got saved. Let me tell you about this thing.” And boy, they’re going to start watching you. All of a sudden, man, whew, I better clean up my act.
We had a man in our church. He’s in heaven now. Good, good man, became a great soul winner. But he told me, he said that when he was a younger Christian and he was still smoking and he was at work, but he had a burden. He said, “I didn’t really know how to witness, but I wanted to.” And he was trying to get the gospel of peace to people. And he said, “I went and witnessed to a fellow at work.” And he said, “I was smoking.” And he said, “The fellow at work said, ‘Sir, I don’t want to listen to you talk about Jesus while you’re smoking.’” Man, don’t you know, man, he got convicted about that smoking? Friend, that’s part of it. It’ll help you keep your feet clean. Why? You’re going on the gospel.
Amen. You’re trying to—the underlying: I’m prepared to give the gospel out. We’re looking for the opportunity. I’ve been working at this thing. I want to do that, and it helps you stay clean in a dirty world. There’s protection. There’s armor there.
Many of you heard me tell this story, but years ago I worked with a fellow whose first name was Calvin. I’ll just leave it that way with the internet and all that. But Calvin and me and Calvin would work together a lot in a separate room from time to time on a specialty job. And we had worked together a lot, and I would try to talk to him about the Lord. I’d try to witness to him, but he didn’t listen to me. It seemed like he was making fun of me half the time, big old fellow. And he’d tell him about all his escapades. He is a pothead, what most people in this day and time would call him, or a couple days and times ago, that’s what they call him. And he’d tell him about that.
He’d tell him, I never forget. I remember this story, but one time he’s running for the cops. I don’t know what he’s running about, but he was driving a four-cylinder Pinto. Boy, I had a field day with that. Who’s going to run from the cops in a four-cylinder? I mean, come on now. And you really thought you were going to get away with it, you know?
You know what? I wanted to have a good testimony with Calvin. I never forget. My wife and I, we were engaged. And one Friday night, I had to stay up after—to finish your job up. And Calvin was leaving, and Calvin said, “Hey, Paul, why don’t you come to my house this afternoon?” I said, “No, Calvin, I got to finish this job,” you know. “I can’t come.” And he said, “Paul, would you come? I’d like to talk you about that being saved thing.”
I was just trying to make excuse. You know, I knew I didn’t need to hang around him too much, you know, in his lifestyle and whatnot. But when I heard that, I said, “I’ll be there, Calvin, soon as I get done with this job.” I called my wife, called my fiancée and said, “Hey, this guy, he wants to talk about getting saved. Would you pray?” You know? And I went over to Calvin, and met his wife and his daughter, I think it was, and mother-in-law, whatnot. I remember when I went back to his bedroom, sat on the edge of his bed. Big old fella.
And I started talking to Calvin about Jesus, about getting saved, not going to hell. And he started crying. Big old fellow, beard, you know, one of those kind of just rough kind of guys, he started crying. Big old crocodile tears. And he said, “Paul, I’ve laid in this bed a thousand times and thought about going to heaven or hell. I don’t want to go to hell. I don’t know where I’m going.” And Calvin got saved that day.
Well, don’t you know me witnessing to him made me like, “I better live right.” Because, you know, and it just brings some protection because you’re prepared with the gospel of peace. See? That’s part of it. And God said, “Hey, have your feet shod with the preparation of gospel of peace.”
Now let’s go to some other places. Would you please look over in Romans chapter number 10? Romans chapter 10. Look down, if you would please. Romans 10, and verse number 15, there in God’s Word tonight. And Romans 10:15, you there? Amen? Good deal, good deal. I haven’t seen it maybe 20 y’all. No, I really haven’t seen—not too many of that. I’ve been a couple of them before service, but we’re doing pretty good tonight. Amen. Romans 10, look at verse number 15. He says, “How then shall they preach except to be sent?”
Now, let me just say something about preach. Sometimes it is the Bible talking about preach, holding the good news from a pulpit. But sometimes preach is just simply telling the good news. Just getting the gospel out. And go there and “preach the gospel to every creature” over there, Mark. I don’t think he’s talking about pulpit to every creature. Come about getting the gospel to people’s seeing. It’s what is talking about the gospel here, people getting saved, believing on Jesus Christ.
And he says, “How shall they preach except to be sent?” How is it written, “How beautiful are the feet.” Man, I don’t know about you, but I don’t think my feet look very beautiful. But the Bible here says, “How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things.” Let me read for you. I’ll just read it for you. Isaiah 52:7: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publishes salvation; and that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth.”
How beautiful are the feet of people that are going and getting the good news of gospel out. The Bible says, have beautiful feet. Brother Juan Farfan, witnessed to that Spanish lady. By the way, it is a blessing to have Spanish-speaking soul winners. Amen. According to God’s word, Brother Juan Farfan, boy, I just feel weird saying it, he’s got beautiful feet, friend.
All those people on the bus yesterday trying to get gospel out, they got beautiful feet. Those men and those ladies going to the jails on Friday night, they got beautiful feet. Brother Chip just went to one of his—he says for work—but he made a video of him driving. No, he wasn’t driving a Ferrari. That’s just not work if you’re messing around with a Ferrari, I tell you what now, you know. But he was sharing, he got the gospel in there. And according to God’s word, Brother Chip has beautiful feet. Friend, that’s Bible. And it’s beautiful feet.
Help me out. We discussed this here recently. I can’t remember when or why, but what’s the first two letters of the gospel? G-O. Go. He let goeth forth. And we thank the very precious—she shout out, “Let’s come again with Jerusalem, bring you the season.” “Go ye therefore.” And how do you go? With your feet. And you got beautiful feet if you’re sharing the gospel in so many ways, so many ways. Not just, you know, the jail or bustling—all kinds of different ways. And I think of somebody. I think of cells being knocked on their door. I think of two different people like that, and they told the gospel, they got saved. There’s all kind of ways. But it’s talking about we’re ready to get the—we’re prepared to get the gospel out.
Now, somebody might say, “Well, they’re saying this, ‘Stand in the evil day.’” Yes, there’s truth to that. But, you know, sometimes the best defense standing is a good offense. Football, they talk about, “Man, we need to have that offense on the field because our defense needs a little break there.” And sometimes just standing—if you’re on the offense, you stand a whole lot stronger because you’ve got them on the run, you know? And he’s talking about just being prepared with the gospel of peace.
You know a good way to be prepared with the gospel of peace? It’s just having a good old-fashioned gospel tract. You’re prepared. I remember—I think it’s happened several times, a lot of times—but over here at one of our favorite French restaurants with the Golden Arches right over here, you know. I’m fancy, you know. And I’ll go through the drive-thru or something, and I’ll say, “Hey, let me give you something, tell you how to go to heaven, tell you by Jesus.” And I’ll say, you know, I got a couple of those. I’ve teased with them from time to time saying, “You ought to have a contest who can get the most of these,” you know?
But praise the Lord, that represents people that had their feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. They have some protection. They have some armor. They’re going on the gospel, learning how to win a soul. I was talking to our folks a little bit yesterday and talking about a lady that was learning to win souls. Every workday she would ride—had to go up to Nashville—and she would lead her invisible friend to the Lord in the car with her.
Someone else in the church, they would practice in front of a mirror how to get the gospel out. They’d work at it. A friend, it’s worth working at. We’re talking about the souls of mankind going to hell and burning forever and ever, going to heaven and walking on streets of gold forever. Amen. It’s worth being involved in that. And you’re prepared, you’re working at this thing. How can it be better out that? You’ve been praying for that coworker, “Lord, give me the right opportunity to witness to so-and-so.” You’re prepared when you go to a family reunion or Christmas or Thanksgiving. “Hey, I want to witness to Uncle Joe,” but you’re prepared, you’re thinking about that, you’re going on the gospel. There’s protection of that. It helps you from slipping in the battle. You’ve got your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
We got a missionary to China. I won’t say his name with the internet and all that. We try to be careful of that, but he’s a good man. Been over there for about 30 years. He’s had cancer. He’s been back in the States. He’s about to get the word to go back, I think, pretty soon here. But before that, he was in—I think in New Jersey. And he was a little bit of a drug dealer in his young days, and just he used it. And I think he sold a little bit, but God just saved him, changed his life. And they sold out to the Lord and went to Bible College, and they got prepared, and they went off to China as a young couple, had, I think, a five-year-old daughter when they first went. And everybody had said, “Be careful. You can’t just witness there. You’ve got to be very wise about it.”
You’re young, and you listen to us older people, and, you know, sometimes us older people can put a little bit of water on their fire. Praise the Lord for people who don’t put out their fire for the Lord. Amen. And I understand adding knowledge to zeal, but don’t put the zeal out, friend. And anyway, so I went there and said, well, everybody, you know, everybody says, “Don’t witness.” And so they weren’t witnessing. Man, it was miserable conditions. This was 30 years ago.
And I remember him saying this. He said, literally outside their house, the little streets, sewage would run down the ditch just right in front of the house, just open sewage. Man, nobody was getting saved. Nothing really was happening, and they were getting depressed. And he said, “My wife was battling just keeping her sanity.” And of course, I was getting, you know, they’re just depressed. And they said, “You know what? Nothing’s really happening. Forget this. We’re just going to go back home.” They said, “Well, if we’re going to go back home here pretty soon, before we do that, you know, we’re going to go back home anyway. We might as well just start witnessing. If we’re going to go back home, hang it, man, let’s try to get somebody to say something before we go back home.”
He said they used her daughter a little bit, a little five-year-old, cute little girl, you know, American girl, and that would attract people, and they kind of come around. Boy, they just start witnessing to people. They put their shoes on. They said, “Lo and behold, people began to get saved. Life began to be transformed. People began to hear about Jesus, and they wanted to know more about Jesus, and they began an underground church.” Hey, friend, they’ve been there on and off without sickness. They’ve been there over 30 years now.
I remember at one point, at one point, the persecution got fairly bad, and across China, a little bit dangerous, and his people said, “Hey, maybe you need to go back to the States for a bit. You’ve taught us what to do. We know what to do.” And he began to think. He said, “Really, these people, they know. There’s several underground churches, you know.” And he said, “They can preach just as well as me. They’re nationals. They know what to do.” And for a while there, he said, “You know, I was thinking about coming home.” He said, “Some of the men, some of those churches came and we said, ‘Yeah, we can do it. We know what we’re doing. But we love you. We want you to do it.’ So it’s at a stay.”
Friend, I’m saying all of that wouldn’t happen if he hadn’t have put on the armor of—your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel. Just going. Put your gospel shoes on, get prepared, and wherever it can be, just go on the gospel. There’s protection there. There’s armor. That’s what he’s talking about. That’s how beautiful are the feet of them that spread the gospel of peace.
One last thought. Number one, when said having your feet shod with the purpose of the gospel of peace, helps you stay clean. Number two, number two, it represents going on the gospel. Number three… Well, I just this afternoon I was studying in my little office at the house there, and I was looking out the window. Across the way, there was a man barefoot in a gravel driveway. By the way, I wear shoes nowadays. I mean, I feel like a tenderfoot now. And I got wimpy feet nowadays, you know, goodness gracious. And he’s like I would be today. He was out there trying to walk on this gravel driveway barefoot. You know, you just—you walk, you know how you—I can’t do it. But you’re walking weird. You know, every step is painful. I thought, that’s what the Bible talks about. Put your feet on—put your shoes on your feet, amen. You can tell the guy’s in pain. I’m like, “Hey, I didn’t,” but I thought about opening the door. “Hey, put your shoes on, buddy. It keeps you from getting hurt so bad.”
I played football some, and especially when you’re wearing pads. If you get hit when you’re standing still, man, it’s just kind of like rocks ever blown in your body. I’m just going to run and try to hit somebody because I don’t want to get hit, amen. And there’s truth to that. And man, you want to be going after somebody. You want to be going somewhere. You get hit, and you’re going to get hit in this world. But if you’re going, it doesn’t hurt quite as bad. You’re prepared. You’re tipped up. You’re ready for a hit. And there’s something about it when you’re going on the gospel. You’re still going to get hurt and hit—part of it. You’re still going to have to walk on the gravel driveway, if you will. It doesn’t hurt as bad.
Look, if you will, over in Philippians. Philippians chapter number one. You’re right there at it, just a couple pages over. Philippians chapter one, and this is Paul writing through the inspiration of God. And I want you to notice what he says. Philippians chapter one, and look in verse number 12, if you would please. Philippians 1 and verse number 12. He said, “But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which have happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the—excuse me—rather unto the furtherance of the gospel.” He’s not bad things. Look at this thing here. “So that my bonds in Christ,” he’s in jail, he’s in prison, “my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace and in all other places. And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of goodwill. The one preaches Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: but the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defense of the gospel. What then? Notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.”
If you will, Paul got hit. He’s in jail, but he said, “You know what? When I know and I realize it’s getting the gospel out, some of the way,” you know what Paul preached—you know what Paul says—and some may be even do contention, and some out of goodwill, some out of love, and he said, my being willing to go to prison has made other Christians bolder, more bold to witness for the Lord. He said, “As long as I know it’s getting the gospel out, it brings rejoicing to me.” Friend, when you get hurt, and you will get hurt, you say, “You know what? That’s all right. People are getting saved.” It still hurts, but you’re like, “Hey, I can handle a lot of pain if there’s a purpose to it.” Boy, something about winning souls. I’ve seen it in my own life. When I’m trying, when I’m actively trying to get the gospel, I’m prepared, I’m ready, and I’m actively trying to, you know, just cast the fishing line wherever it may be. And I get hit like we all get hit. It’s just a little bit—well, it’s okay because God’s using my little life, whatever, to get the gospel out. Friend, you’re going to get hit, but if you’re participating in some form, some fashion, prepared with the gospel of peace, it doesn’t hurt quite as bad.
How many ever heard Joni Erickson Tada? How many of you know who—you ever heard Joni Erickson Tada? God’s used her in my life for a couple of times just in a great way. As a young lady, she was very active, very athletic. She had a little diving accident and she dove in, broke her neck, paralyzed from the neck down. Imagine that, paralyzed neck down the rest of her life. Short an article. Let me read. I’m going to read exactly what the article she wrote says. She says, “What exactly was God thinking when he wrote a divine accident into the script for my life? To be sure, he knew it would transform me and give me a greater love for Jesus. But God saw far beyond that. He was seeing millions of others with disabilities.”
She goes on. I’ll skip some things. And she says, “My broken neck was the beginning of God’s greatest use of my life. It launched his outstanding plan to reach thousands of people with disability with his love.” She says, “So when I broke my neck, yes, it was terrible, but God had a purpose. It was with the 1.3 billion disabled people in the world who need Christ. And because the soul is far more valuable than walking, I’m out to win them to his side.” Friends, she got hit really hard. But it’s not quite as painful as it would be if she didn’t have the feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
Would you bow your heads and close your eyes? Our heads are bowed, our eyes are closed. Maybe you’re here tonight and you say, “Lord, help me to be better prepared. The preparation of the gospel. Help me to be better prepared.” Maybe gospel tracks, I don’t know how it is. Just your heart, pray for me. I don’t know. Like I spoke to my heart, “Lord, help me to be better prepared to share the gospel of peace with others.” If God spoke to your heart about that, just lift your head up. I’m happy to be better prepared. Oh, God bless you. God bless you. Me too. So important that we put on our feet shod.
Maybe here tonight, you say, “I know specifically what I need to do.” Maybe it’s something I mentioned. Maybe it’s something I did not mention, but I know specifically what God wants me to do in order for me to put the feet—excuse me—put the shoes on. I know what I need. Something very specific. God’s already spoken to my heart. I know what I need to do. That’s you tonight, and you slip in and a preacher. I know exactly what I need to do specifically. God bless you. God bless. That’s good. That’s good. All wonderful how the Holy Spirit speaks. Great.
A more question. Maybe here tonight, maybe there’s a certain person, maybe a neighbor, a relative, friend. I just need to—I’m going to prepare. I’m going to pray. I’m going to be ready to present the gospel of peace today. Certain person God’s put them on my mind, my heart. Not you tonight, it’s you tonight. I preach your God’s putting somebody on my heart. Would you just lift your head? God bless you. God bless. Oh, yes. Oh, yes. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Feet shod with the preparation of the gospel.
Would you please stand? Would you please stand? Let’s just spend some time with the Lord tonight. Would you do that? Be obedient to him. Father, thank you for the wisdom of your word. Lord, forgive me. There’s been many a time I really don’t have my shoes on. Father, help me have my shoes on, ready all the time. Be ready. Prepared. Preparation of the gospel of peace. Help me to be more—help us to be more like that, Father, please, in Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Original File: Pastor Paul Chisgar ＂Do You Have Your Shoes On？＂ - Sunday PM 03⧸09⧸2025 [EnAgb5keQyE]