Leadership
Have you ever noticed how some people put their gym shoes on? How is it that you put your gym shoes on?
Do you put both shoes on already tied? Do you put one on at a time and then go back and tie one at a time? Do you put one sock on and then one shoe on and then do the other side? Or do you just say the heck with all that and wear flip-flops?
What about those of you who wear sandals with socks? Then of course we have those who just wear good old sandals. Which do you prefer? Or are you one of those who just goes barefoot? Better watch yourself you might get stickers in your feet!
I guess when we look at shoes it's a representation of the body of Christ. Because there are some people who religiously carry their faith. They get ready everyday and put their "religion" on without adjusting anything. It's already tied in a double knot and perfectly set to fit only around their foot alone. Nothing is coming in and nothing is going out.
Secondly we have those who put their socks on first and then one shoe at a time. Just as in the spirit we have those who get saved and baptized then close themselves off from the world becoming "dead in Christ" but never really being resurrected.
Next we have those who have everything in order. They put their sock of prayer on, their shoe on of reading time, their other sock on of praise and their other shoe on of worship. It all fits really well and is comfortable to walk on yet it has been a form of Godliness but it denies the power there of.
Then we have those who wear flip-flops. This is a representation of those who love Christ and are not ashamed to share their faith with the world, but they have no protection from the things that get on them because they are not immersed in the righteousness of God. In other words they wear His love openly but they don’t have clean hands and pure heart. They flop in His Glory but they flip right into a sinful nature on the turn of the foot.
One of the one’s I love the most cause if they were just willing to take that sock off they would be dangerous for God. These are the one’s who wear sandals with socks. They love God with their whole heart and seek His face and His direction but they are afraid to share their faith and be open with those who are lost. So they put their sock on to cover their faith, and keep their freedom all to themselves afraid to be completely free cause they aren’t sure what others are going to think of their spiritual toes!
Glory to God then we have those of us who just wear sandals. We just slip right into our faith. No struggles putting it on, its comfortable and we didn’t have to bind it all up to wear it. We are freely sharing our spiritual “toes” our faith with others and not worrying what others will think. We are also willing to be open to sharing our faith with others that don’t have the same colored sandals on that we are wearing.
Then we have those who prefer to be barefoot. I am not sure what these people are thinking because most of the time they scare people away from Christ. They get so crazy in their faith, they don’t put their armor on first and they just start running barefoot in their faith not prepared to give an answer unto every man. Many times they wind up with stickers in their feet, cause they didn’t wait for God to put their shoes on.
Today I want to ask you, which category do you fall into? You know the Bible says that we are all to be ambassadors for the sake of Christ.
In Colossians 1:9-10 it says, “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.”
Then in Colossians 4:5-6 “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.”
You see God’s will is that none should perish, and He calls us out in 11 Corinthians we hear this verse preached all the time but never do they continue into the verses that follow.
5 vs.17-20
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”
Colossians 4:17
“Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it.”
God wants us to be pure before Him, in order to share of the reconciliation power of the cross of Christ. For He has beseeched us to do this and to carry out His purpose which is that none should perish, but that all shall have everlasting life through the committed word of the Cross. Not by throwing people’s sin in their face and their shortcomings but as Paul said in I Corinthians 2:2 “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” That reverts back to the sandal wearers, who have no animosity between those who wear different colored sandals than what they are wearing.
God wants a body that will focus on the reconciliation of the lost saints rather than focusing on the strife and discontent of different doctrinal man made theologies. I am sick and tired of hearing people debate when the rapture will take place, post-mid or pre tribulation. I am sick and tired of hearing people debate whether we should baptize in the name of Jesus, or in the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. I am sick and tired of hearing people debate whether we are once saved, always saved or if we can fall out of grace. I am sick and tired of hearing people debate whether being slain in the spirit is Biblical or not. Whether the gifts are still in operation or not, whether Holy laughter is divine or demonic, whether ministries misuse their money or not.
I heard Jentezen Franklin preach a message awhile back about being a bridge. When Christ came, He became that bridge between man and God. And instead of the Church keeping that bridge strong and sturdy we are burning it with man’s doctrine, turning the lost away because all the bridges are broken. He was saying how we’ve gotten so caught up in our differences we have lost focus of the call.
The call of which lies in the book of Ephesians in 4:1-6
“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one spirit, even as y are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all and in you all.”
Then so in verse 13
“Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.”
Philippians 1:27
“Only let you conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ; that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving for the faith of the gospel.”
God is coming back after a body without spot or blemish. Wouldn’t it be upsetting to God to come back after a body that the only spots and blemishes He finds are differences in doctrines that have turned our focus off of leading souls to the cross and into debating His Divine Word, when the Bible instructs us to seek out our own salvation with fear and trembling. The Bible doesn’t tell us to seek out other’s salvation, but to lead others unto the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. God knows each individuals heart and though we all fall short of His Glory, I think it brings great shame upon our Lord and Savoir when we get caught up in the color of others sandals when the world is full of spiritual poverty.
We need to be directing this spiritually poverty stricken world to the nearest shoe store and maybe they might start off putting on their gym shoes already tied after putting both socks on. Maybe they will start off putting one sock on, then one shoe. Maybe then will be more comfortable wearing flip-flops for awhile. Maybe they will start off wearing socks with their sandals. Maybe they will be one of the one’s to get stickers in their feet. Either way, it will be a start, and it shouldn’t matter if they go to your church or not, as long as they are seeking God, and have reconciled with Christ. It’s not about numbers and competition in the church. It’s about souls and adding to the Kingdom of Heaven.
Eventually we all need to strive to be walking together in a group of people wearing different colored sandals toward the same destination which is pressing toward the mark of the High Calling which is in our Lord and Savoir Jesus Christ.
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