I had a friend relay a story to me. He said he was in California once and he was staring at his drink in his glass wondering why it was moving so much. After a few minutes he looked around and everyone at the restaurant was under tables. As he sat there, unaffected by his surroundings, staring at his glass there had been a minor earthquake and he didn’t even know it.
There’s a story in Acts chapter 5 that really is connected to chapter 4. In Acts chapter 4, there’s a prayer meeting and the Word says this and when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness (Acts 4:31 KJV).
This is followed by many believers who sold properties and gave the proceeds to the church and it was distributed. This is where we also meet Barnabas. The next chapter though is where Ananias and Sapphira come in. But then a man named Ananias, with the consent of his wife Sapphira, sold some property. With his wife’s full knowledge, he kept back some of the money for himself and brought the remainder and laid it at the apostles’ feet (Acts 5:1-2 ISV). He’s immediately rebuked by Peter for lying not only to men, but to the Holy Ghost. Ananias dies for this infraction soon followed by his wife for joining him in this lie. Just to clarify the sin was not keeping part of the money. The sin was lying. That’s not what I want to address though. Ananias and Sapphira were most likely in the prayer meeting in Acts 4 where the place was shaken. They had an experience with God that shook them, but it didn’t stir anything in their spirit. We read in Exodus 35:21 (KJV) And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD’S offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments. These people were stirred.
So what’s the difference between shaking and stirring? Shaking is an experience that affects us, but doesn’t change us. When we begin to stir that in though it changes everything.
Say you had some salt and shook it over food that you were cooking. It will affect the food and may cause some change, but when you stir it in it permeates what you’re cooking. It will change the entire taste of the food, not just parts. If we are shaken we may display some attributes in our lives that seem changed but the whole is not.
When we go to church and feel a touch from God, but we don’t let it seep way down in our soul. If we like to worship and praise, we like the music, but don’t like conviction. When we want to feel God, but don’t let Him change us. This is what it is to be shaken, but not stirred.
Let’s let God stir us and not just shake us. Let Him change us from the inside out.
2 Timothy 1:6 KJV Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee…