Chapter 24—Gospel Shoes for a Mission of Peace
And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
Ephesians 6:15
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We are living in the midst of an “epidemic of crime,” at which thoughtful,
God-fearing men everywhere stand aghast.... Every day brings its heart-
sickening record of violence and lawlessness, of indifference to human
suffering, of brutal, fiendish destruction of human life. Every day testifies
to the increase of insanity, murder, and suicide. Who can doubt that satanic
agencies are at work among men with increasing activity to distract and
corrupt the mind, and defile and destroy the body?
And while the world is filled with these evils, the gospel is too often
presented in so indifferent a manner as to make but little impression upon the
consciences or the lives of men. Everywhere there are hearts crying out for
something which they have not. They long for a power that will give them
mastery over sin, a power that will deliver them from the bondage of evil, a
power that will give health and life and peace.
The gospel is a message of peace. Christianity is a system, which,
received and obeyed, would spread peace, harmony, and happiness
throughout the earth. The religion of Christ will unite in close brotherhood
all who accept its teachings.
The peace of Christ is born of truth. It is harmony with God. The world
is at enmity with the law of God; sinners are at enmity with their Maker; and
as a result they are at enmity with one another.... Men cannot manufacture
peace. Human plans for the purification and uplifting of individuals or of
society will fail of producing peace, because they do not reach the heart. The
only power that can create or perpetuate true peace is the grace of Christ.
When this is implanted in the heart, it will cast out the evil passions that
cause strife and dissension.
The faces of men and women who walk and work with God express the
peace of heaven. They are surrounded with the atmosphere of heaven. For
these souls the kingdom of God has begun.
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