Preparation for Ministry

Part of our preparation for ministry, according to the Word of God, is to put on the whole armour of God. Ephesians 6:10,11.

We are to have feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.

What does this mean?

Lets look at each part of it. What do these words mean?

The word gospel means ‘good news’. What does the word ‘peace’ mean? The Word used in Greek is ‘eirene’ and comes from a root word meaning ‘to join or make one’. According to the Strong’s dictionary it means peace but also prosperity, just as the Hebrew word for peace ‘shalom’ implies all these things that are in the state of well-being that comes from being restored to God and being in the perfect will of God. It implies peace, quietness, rest and to be set at one again.

So the gospel of peace is the good news about the well-being we can have because of Jesus Christ. This does not mean we won’t have challenging circumstances or things trying to destroy our peace in life. In fact, there are many such things. Our message of peace is very relevant to people today precisely because most people you meet around you truly lack peace in one or more dimensions.

People are at war with themselves through internal guilt and condemnation. People are at war in their hearts often with family members, with colleagues, with neighbours. Sometimes in my prayer walks around my area I hear women screaming at their husbands or boyfriends. Not much peace there. Some people’s bodies are at war with them, through sickness. And spiritually and in the mind, people lack peace. Where confusion reigns, there is no peace. People who don’t trust God do not have peace with God either. There is no peace with God, no peace with oneself, and no peace with others in the hearts of the majority today.

So our good news message is highly relevant to the people of this world. If we understand our message, and what God offers, then we already ARE relevant to the needs of Australian society. We have a God who brings peace. When we yield to God, we can have peace in ourselves no matter what is happening around us. When we yield to satan and the spirit of the world, we don’t have peace, even if everything outwardly is going just fine.

This is our message, but the shoes mentioned here as part of the armour of God is NOT the message, rather it is the PREPARATION of the gospel of peace.

To be prepared in the way God wants us to be, we need ourselves to have peace. There is a supernatural peace that God gives. When you have it, the work of God proceeds very well. To the extent you lack it, you are vulnerable to Satan, even as you do the work of God.

We must PREPARE our hearts before the Lord. To be effective Christians, who can go places and do things for the Lord, we must carry with us the peace of God. When we speak, let it be the peace of God that is transmitted.

Now Satan is always working to destroy our peace through irritations and distractions. That is why we must constantly prepare ourselves. If we fail to prepare ourselves, we won’t be operating in peace, because we will not be in tune with the mind of God, the perspective of God. And then the Holy Spirit cannot work freely through us when we talk about the Good News. How can we be credible witnesses of the Gospel of Peace when it isn’t working for us?

How do we prepare?

We prepare by seeking God. As we seek God, we may become aware of issues within ourselves which must be put right. We need to earnestly seek God on these things, and ask Him to show us what to do. Also, we may become aware of disharmony in our relationships with others. The Bible says that we should pursue peace with all men, (and holiness, without which no man will see the Lord). As far as it depends on us, we should live in peace with all men.

If there is disharmony, there is a need to give and receive forgiveness. Unless we forgive those who have wronged us, and the memory of whose actions still cause us pain, we cannot move forward with God. In fact, God has said he will not forgive us unless we forgive others.

We may need to seek reconciliation with others and humble ourselves before them.

It is only those who walk by the Spirit that experience no condemnation (Romans 8:1 NKJV). If we walk after the flesh, there will be condemnation because we are not at peace with the Spirit of God within us when we do things that displease the Lord.

By praying more, we can receive the presence of God into our lives, and the peace of God comes upon us. Then we can communicate the gospel with power and conviction. The Holy Spirit will work through us much more if we are walking in peace.

As well having this anointing of peace, we must understand the promise of peace and blessing that the Word of God offers. Because without a knowledge of the Word of God, we cannot really look to God properly, nor do we have anything solid to base our faith upon.

Sometimes, when we are bothered with many considerations of this life, we need to get aside and just read the Word of God, the Bible, until God restores peace to our soul.

Sometimes we need deliverance before we can flow in the peace of God. If you are often feeling tormented on the inside, most likely you need deliverance. When you get deliverance, you will then be able to put on the shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace. Then your testimony and word will have power. You will not fail in your mission as an ambassador for Christ.

Michael Fackerell