We’ve been looking at the Apostle Paul’s teaching about the struggles that all of us face in life - the spiritual battle that’s taking place around us - and this illustration of Paul’s - the Armor of God - where Paul is explaining in a very practical way how we can live - in the midst of all that’s going in us and around us - how we can live in the strength of our Lord.

This morning we’ve come to 6:15 - where Paul - describing the armor of God - Paul tells us to “shod your feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace.” - put on the shoes which is the Gospel of Peace.

Last week - on the front page - the San Francisco Chronicle ran an article with the headline: “Fear, call for tests virtually shut down Capitol.” There was the unspeakable tragedy of September 11th - and the beginning of a shooting war in Afghanistan - and a now Anthrax - and we wonder what will come next. We live in a time when a little white dust on the floor can clear out whole buildings. Stand for 5 minutes in a shopping mall - or some other busy place - and just watch people - faces tense with worry - anxiety - the fears of our day.

There are the day-to-day things of life. The economy is uncertain. Overnight having a job has become a valuable thing. How will we live and care for our families? We struggle with time and schedules and wonder if we can keep up. Are we adequate for all this? What if some debilitating illness comes? Like a juggler in the circus - we’re afraid of letting something fall.

Growing older - we fear loosing control - loosing our minds - loosing control over our bodies - over our lives. Ultimately - perhaps the greatest fear is death - the unknown of what happens or doesn’t happen next.

For these fears we’ve spent fortunes on tummy tucks and lotions - psychiatrists - seminars. We buy ourselves toys and cars and houses and things to cover our emptiness inside. But ultimately it doesn’t help. Remember the bumper sticker that says, “The one who dies with the most toys wins!” I recently saw a bumper sticker that was much more realistic: “The one who dies with the most toys is dead.”

With all of man’s searching for answers - by ourselves - we have none. Someone has said that, “The only certainty in life is uncertainty.”

Paul writes, “shod your feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace.” That peace - which comes to us in and through the Gospel of Jesus Christ is what we - and this world we live in - desperately needs today. This is what we want to focus on today - in the midst of all that is going on in us and around us - how can we be prepared - strengthened - with the Gospel of peace?

The shoes that Paul begins with were the shoes of the average Roman foot soldier. Imagine a foot soldier wearing armor from head to foot - but no shoes. The ground - the battle - would tear his feet to shreds. Pretty much all of his armor becomes worthless because he’d be unable to keep fighting. These shoes are crucial. So is the Gospel of Peace - if we’re not prepared with it - equipped with it - what’s out there in our lives will tear us to pieces.

The genius of these shoes was in their design. They were a kind of 1/2 boot with open toes. They were tied on with straps - laces - that wound up from the shoe - up the leg of the soldier.

There were two crucial ways that these shoes helped the soldier. First was the solid foundation they provided. On the soles of the shoes were these spikes - cleats - that gave the soldier a solid stance - that prevented his foot from slipping in battle. The soldier would just dig in - with such confidence - that he could trust his sure footing - that he could face any enemy.

Second - along with a sure foundation - these shoes were extremely flexible. They allowed the soldier to move quickly with great ease. One of the great accomplishments of the Roman military was its ability to move large armies over vast distances very quickly. An enemy would be setting up camp - digging in - preparing for battle - thinking that they had days or weeks before the Roman army could possible arrive. And then here came the Romans marching swiftly along - catching their enemies unprepared - and quickly overwhelming and defeating them.

In trying to understand how we can be prepared with the gospel of peace - just as with the two parts of the shoes - the sure foundation and preparation to march forward - there are two parts to our being prepared with the Gospel that we need to understand.

The first is that THE GOSPEL OF PEACE IS OUR FOUNDATION.

In John 14:27 - Jesus is speaking to His disciples and He says this: “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you - My peace is different that the temporary empty peace you find in the world - Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

Since September of last year - there’s been a severe outbreak of the Ebola virus in Uganda. Ebola is a terrible way to die - a type of viral hemorrhaging - bleeding. Its very contagious - very lethal. Hardest hit in this recent outbreak has been the town of Gulu. Over 400 people have contracted the disease. Over 170 people have died.

In the town of Gulu, when the Ebola virus struck, one of the first to recognize the disease and to begin treating cases was Dr. Matthew Lokwiya. After weeks of treating patients - often taking the worst cases and risking infection - after weeks of spearheading the fight against the disease and being credited for keeping the death toll remarkably low - on November 30th, Dr. Lokwiya himself became a patient. On December 5th - Dr. Lokwiya died.

When I read about Dr. Lokwiya - I thought, how much that illustrates what Jesus has done for us.

The Apostle John writes in 1 John 4:18: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear.” As Jesus came and lives with us - the love of God is revealed to us. God is not just all-powerful - but also all-loving.

Jesus was born without the disease of sin. Born into humanity that faces certain death as a result of our sin. And yet Jesus took on our sin - bore it on the cross - died in our place.

In 1 Corinthians 15 - the Apostle Paul writes: “The sting of death is sin - when we sin - we’re stung - the poison is injected - we die - But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:56a,57)

When a bee stings the stinger is left in the victim. After a bee has stung someone a child can play with the bee and never be afraid of the stinger.

The Apostle Paul says that death has stung Jesus Christ. The worst of our fears has already stung Jesus on the cross. Nothing will come against us that has not already come against Jesus on the cross. And yet, Jesus lives! In Him we have the certain victory of the forgiveness of our sins - God’s presence in our lives today - and the hope eternal life with God. Trusting Jesus, we always have hope. We always have confidence in life.

Jesus said, “My peace I give to you. Fear not.” Peace that comes as we place our lives and our fears into the hands of Jesus who has come for each one of us. In times when we can become overwhelmed with fear - remember who we are - what we are - whom we have. The sure footing of the Gospel.

There are two parts to our being prepared with the Gospel - the first is that the Gospel of peace is our foundation. The second is that the GOSPEL OF PEACE IS OUR FOCUS - the forward march of the church.

In Acts 1:8, Jesus says to His Apostles, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

One of the men standing there, listening to Jesus, was the Apostle Bartholomew - who 11 years later would travel to the remote land of Armenia to share the Gospel there. Through Bartholomew’s missionary work - and the work of the disciple Thaddeus - many Armenians came to trust in Jesus as their Savior.

The church in Armenia - despite persecution from the rulers of Armenia - continued to grow and share the Gospel with others. We know that - through a miracle of God’s working - in 301 A.D. Armenia proclaimed Christianity as its national religion. This year we’re celebrating the 1700th Anniversary of that proclamation.

Armenians became missionaries - first in their own Jerusalem - sharing the Gospel and bringing the conversion of the Armenian people. Then Armenians went out - to their Samaria and other parts of the world. Missionaries were sent to Georgia and Albania. Wherever Armenians have gone they have established churches.

This month we’re celebrating The Feast of the Holy Translators (Tarkmanchatz) which reminds us that the Armenian alphabet was created by Mesrop-Mashdotz to bring the Bible into the hands of the people. Mesrop-Mashdotz created the Georgian alphabet so that the Georgians could read the Bible for themselves. In fact, two of the most ancient Bible translations are a direct result of Armenian missionary work.

This missionary zeal of the Armenian Church was found in our evangelical forefathers. In the Armenian Evangelical Confession of faith - article 12 - is the great statement of our purpose as an Armenian Evangelical Church: “I believe that the Gospel is the chief instrument appointed by Christ for the conversion of men and for the edification of his people, and that it is the duty of His Church to carry into effect the Savior’s command, ‘Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.’”

On July 1, 1846 there was one Armenian Evangelical Church with about 1,000 adherents to the evangelical movement. 68 years later - just prior to the massacre - there were 137 churches with almost 51,000 adherents. Our forefathers - following Jesus - living and declaring the Gospel - had a powerful impact on our nation.

There’s a camaraderie - a unity - a powerful strengthening bond and an inner strength that comes as soldiers serve together in war. Years later - decades later - soldiers - that dodged bullets together - huddled in trenches together - stared together into the face of their common enemy - these comrades come together for reunions - to remember and renew those strong bonds forged in battle.

Our enemy is not the person sitting next to us in the pews. Its not those we struggle with in life. Satan has declared war on you and I - on the whole human race - against God. We’re in this conflict together against a common enemy. You and I are God’s ambassadors of peace - sharers of His Gospel. That’s crucial in this world held by Satan in a bondage of fear and confusion. There’s strength we gain as we serve God together in this great mission of sharing His Gospel of peace.

How many of you have read “Moby Dick” - the novel by Herman Melville? The basic plot - we know - is that this insane Captain Ahab goes on a quest to kill the great white whale - Moby Dick - and everyone dies - except Ishmael - who lives to write the book.

There’s one scene - when the crew of the Pequod - Captain Ahab’s ship - when the crew is chasing down a group of whales. The crew is in small boats - out on the open ocean.

There are these huge whales - any one of them could have wiped out these small little boats. The crew is rowing for all they’re worth. The freezing water is churning. The boats are filling with water. Its a fearful life and death struggle. All around them is the chaos and confusion of the chase - whales - white water - and these small boats.

In the front of one boat is Queequeg - the harpooner. Amid all the commotion - he stands sure footed - harpoon in hand - focused on the whale. He’s the one who must get it right the first time - he must harpoon the whale - or everyone is lost.

Here we are - in our society - a spiritual life and death struggle - amid a society of confusion - deceived - moving farther from God. We must focus on the right thing - if we’re to get it right - make a real difference - be strong.

Today, there are a growing number of churches in America that are echoing the confusion of our society - weakened because they’re focused on the wrong enemies. Satan has side-tracked them into believing that God is some sort of social engineer who’s focused on human rights. He’s kind of a warm fuzzy feeling God who asks nothing of us but to believe that He exists. There are churches who see their ministry as the reformation and reclaiming of America - or Armenia. Some focus on the preservation of culture and traditions.

The focus of the church is to live and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Like our forefathers - that is what God uses to transform lives for now and eternity - to give hope - to bring inner peace and strength regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves in.

That is a challenge for us this morning. A question we must ask ourselves. To what - or to whom - are we looking for peace? What is the focus that defines how we live our lives?

During the 1600’s, Oliver Cromwell led a revolt against the King of England. Not only did Cromwell oust King Charles I - but Cromwell led a viscous attack against the Anglican Church of England.

In the midst of all the persecution - Sir Robert Shirley - who was a devout Anglican - built a church - Harold Church - in the village of Staunton, England. The church became a refuge for Anglican priests and a center of worship.

On the wall of the church is a letter written to the pastor. It says this, “In the year 1653, when all things sacred were throughout the nation destroyed or profaned, this church was built to the glory of God by Sir Robert Shirley whose singular praise it was to have done the best things in the worst of times.”

Here we are - the Armenian Evangelical Church - in a community of about 25,000 Armenians - living in the technologically depressed capital of the world - living in San Francisco - a very spiritually confused city - living in a world fearful - tense - and anxious. If not the worst of times - perhaps we can see its beginnings from here. How will we live? To what - or to whom - are we looking for peace? What is the focus that defines how we live our lives?