Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 19
September 28, 1967
NUMBER 21, PAGE 11c

Barefooted Soldiers

Wm. V. Beasley

Recently there has been much said about the equipment especially the M-14 rifle, used by the United States soldiers in Viet-Nam. It is hard for us to conceive of the pride of this great land going forth to do battle without the very best of equipment. If we were to hear that our sons, brothers, and friends were forced to fight in the vicious jungles of Viet-Nam without boots to protect their feet we would cry long and loud to the authorities in Washington, D. C. Our country would be disgraced by letting her soldiers go barefooted into battle.

The idea of barefooted soldiers fills us with horror and anger, but this is the condition, spiritually, of many in the body of Christ. Speaking of the armor for the Christian in Ephesians 6 Paul said in verse fifteen, "And having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;..." All too many of those who wear the name of our Lord are trying to do battle barefooted - they have made no preparation to teach (preach) the good news of the peace of God, which is in Christ Jesus (Eph. 1:3).

Members of the church read, or hear read, II Tim. 2:15 and apply it to the preacher, or elders, or just anyone else. The average American, including members of the church of Christ, watches television six hours a day, but can not find time to study God's word one hour a day. The writer of Hebrews must have been writing of church members of today when he wrote, "For when by reason of the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need again that some one teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of solid food" (see Heb. 5:11, 6:2).

We, the members of the church of Christ, are not converting the world because we are going forth to do battle (teach) against a formidable foe (II Cor. 2:11; I Peter 5:8) while barefooted. Brethren, let us put on our combat boots - let us shod our "feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace."

-Summer Shade, Ky. 43166