The Gospel of Peace: Shoes That Move the Church

In India during worship, a man collapsed and began writhing in the aisle. People looked for the head pastor; instead, they asked me to pray. I didn’t march in shouting; I came empty-handed and honest: “Jesus, I don’t have much. You love this man. You triumphed over darkness. Help.” Two minutes later he sat up like nothing had happened. I don’t know exactly what it was. I do know this: we must be sober and ready, clothed in the armor of God. And today, the shoes—“the readiness given by the gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:14-18).

Gospel means news, not advice. It’s not a list of hacks to build better marriages or raise perfect kids. It’s the announced victory: Christ won, Christ reigns. We’ve become a culture addicted to “how-to” and allergic to “what’s true.” That consumer reflex has crept into church. But Romans 1:16 says the gospel is God’s power. It’s the charge in the battery, the fuel in the tank. You don’t outgrow it; you run on it.

Peace—what peace? Romans 5 says we were enemies of God, now reconciled through Jesus. That peace is not a mood; it’s a new status that births a new spirit. Ephesians 2:14 says this peace can spread horizontally, breaking tribal walls. Without it, we elevate our tribe, banish “those people,” and never own our own need. With it, we become peacemakers. Richard Morgan, an atheist moderating Dawkins’ website, printed months of vicious comments aimed at Pastor David Robertson—and David’s steady, non-anxious kindness. That witness won him. Peacemaking is not soft; it’s a weapon.

Shoes mean movement. What moves the church forward is not shepherding schemes, TV glitz, small-group fads, social niceness, or celebrity cool. The world is drowning in image and hunger for the real. Jesus is the real. The gospel of peace is the power. That’s why we fight for simplicity here: pray, praise, preach, the table, fellowship (Acts 2:42). We won’t boast in buildings or methods (1 Corinthians 1:26-31). I’m convinced: I can be full of myself, or full of the Spirit. And I want the church Jesus builds (Matthew 16:18), planted firmly in the shoes of the gospel of peace.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Good news, not good advice The gospel is an announcement of what God has done in Christ, not a toolkit for self-improvement. When we swap news for tips, we unplug from the very power that animates Christian life. Advice can modify habits; news creates a new heart. Keep returning to the event—Jesus crucified, risen, reigning—and let that truth interpret your practices.
• 2. Peace with God ends inner war Reconciliation with God doesn’t just calm feelings; it changes our status and identity. From that center, we stop performing for approval and start living from adoption. Only then can we engage conflict without making enemies into monsters or ourselves into martyrs. Vertical peace becomes the wellspring of horizontal peace.
• 3. Shoes of the gospel move us Shoes are for movement; the gospel advances everything else. Methods may help for a season, but they cannot replace the message that carries its own power. When church mirrors the world, it becomes a cheap imitation; when it bears Christ, it becomes an alternative. Let the message lead and let methods serve.
• 4. Peacemaking is a powerful apologetic Patient, non-anxious kindness under fire unmasks what we truly believe about Jesus. It refuses to trade insult for insult, because grace is not a performance—it’s a power. People may argue with ideas, but they cannot forget a life that loves enemies. Peacemaking makes the invisible God visible.
• 5. Choose Spirit-filled simplicity over spectacle The ancient pattern—prayer, praise, Scripture, table, fellowship—creates durable depth. Spectacle impresses in the moment; simplicity forms souls over decades. We can boast in polish or in Jesus, but not both. Seek the presence of God more than the approval of crowds, and let Christ build what methods cannot.

1. Which pieces of the armor does Paul name in these verses? Which of them are clearly defensive and which are clearly for movement or action?
2. Verse 15 calls the shoes “the readiness given by the gospel of peace.” What two ideas or images in the passage connect the gospel with being “ready” or with going out?
3. The passage ends by calling believers to “pray at all times in the Spirit.” How does Paul link prayer to the use of the armor in these verses?
4. In the sermon the pastor focused on the shoes. What details from his India story connect back to the wording and purpose of Ephesians 6:14–18?

1. How does the phrase “readiness given by the gospel of peace” function both as a description of inner status (peace with God) and as a call to outward action (movement)? What does this dual function mean for a local church?
2. Does Paul present the gospel here primarily as defense, offense, or both? How should that shape the way the church engages people who oppose or mock the gospel?
3. The pastor prayed humbly with only “five loaves and two fish” to offer. What does the India story suggest about the relationship between human humility and the gospel’s power in Ephesians 6?
4. Paul begins with truth, righteousness, and then the shoes of the gospel. How should “truth” shape the church’s methods and programs so they serve the message rather than replace it?

1. Think of one person or group you currently consider “those people.” What is one concrete thing you will do this week to show them non-anxious, peace-bearing kindness (a call, a meal, a listening visit)? Be specific about day/time.
2. Choose one of the simple practices the sermon named (prayer, praise, Scripture, table/communion, fellowship). What measurable step will you take this week to prioritize it (for example: read Ephesians 6 aloud on Wednesday, invite a neighbor to supper Saturday, join a midweek prayer time)? Write it down and share it with the group.
3. When tempted to adopt a new church method because it’s trendy, what two questions will you ask to test whether it serves the gospel first? (Create those two questions now and commit to asking them before approving the next program or event.)
4. Remember a recent conflict where you felt you had to defend yourself or your tribe. If you had been standing in “peace with God” first, what different words or actions would you have used? Name the specific alternative response you will try next time.
5. The sermon challenged each person to be “ready” to move with the gospel. What is one small, tangible step you can take this week to share the gospel (a short invite, a 2-minute testimony text, handing someone a gospel booklet)? Set a day and person.
6. When you are criticized or attacked (online or face-to-face), practice a short prayer or sentence you can use to steady yourself that demonstrates “non-anxious kindness.” Write it here and practice it aloud before the group.