On September 11th of 2001 Islamic terrorists commandeered four transcontinental airplanes and flew two of them into the World Trade Center, one into the Pentagon, and the last was removed from enemy hands by patriotic Americans who could not, or would not allow more needless death and destruction if they could help it. The plane was flown into the ground, never reaching its intended target. Although not known for certain, theories about possible targets include the White House or one of several nuclear power plants in the area. The attacks cost almost three thousand people their lives.
America was stunned! Many Americans, said that “America will never be the same again.” Many Christian preachers and church goers were looking for a great revival to break out. President Bush was quoted saying, “Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.”
As it turns out the President was correct. I am not even certain that America was shaken, so much as it was “stirred”. The country was stirred by the realization that they were not universally loved and were vulnerable to attacks from people who had no desire to be Americans, or to embrace the American Way. The Church was stirred by the realization that times had changed, that people were more superficial and harder of heart than they ever thought, and that they really had no clue as to how to break through that shell.
We were all stirred enough that we modified and adapted the script, but we were not shaken enough to break out of our complacency! And so after about two months it was more or less back to business as usual, or at least back to the usual business. Life goes on, doesn’t it? So many selfies, and so little time!
But wait a minute! Let us back up and look at what happened then and what is happening now through a Biblical filter. The Scripture says in Hebrews 12:25-28 (NIV)
"See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe."
Is it possible that the Lord is speaking now? More importantly, is it possible that the Lord is shaking now? Global pandemics, isolation, loss of personal liberties, governmental, and or social control of behavior, language, and worship, disregard for authority brought about by abuse of it. It certainly isn’t the American Way.
But could it be God’s way? Could it be God’s way of breaking through the shell of hearts hardened by years of being lied to; being fooled; being humiliated; being disappointed; being cheated of paradise for the price of a piece of fruit? Could it be God’s way of performing surgery on hearts that have been made so fat and self-satisfied by a steady diet of the world’s delicacies and precious things that they cannot recognize true treasure when it stands right in front of them?
Ask yourself right now, “What would it take to actually move me to make some truly life altering changes?” I know that it seemed an almost impossible task to give up smoking when I began to follow Jesus, and I knew that tobacco is a killer! Some of the choices I made then in my efforts to follow Christ were hard, and as I have grown and changed, so have the choices I am called upon to make, and it still often requires dynamite to make any truly life changing alterations to my semi comfortable existence. I doubt it is much different for you.
In this passage, however, The Lord states that it is His express intention that He is going to shake things up”, not just on Earth, but in Heaven also, and not just a little bit, but He plans to shake things up so much that only those things that can’t be shaken will remain! In the immortal words of Jerry Lee Lewis, that’s “a whole lot of shaking going on!”
9/11 was only a stirring. For some, things will never be the same. For most, life went back to normal. Covid-19? I’m afraid that this also is only going to be a stirring (though perhaps a more vigorous one). I know things are different, but it is surprising how true President Bush’s words ring as to how resilient people are, how nearly impossible it is to dent the resolve of a made up mind.
What would it take for the body of Christ to make some truly meaningful and healthy Spiritual life changes? Perhaps we might rephrase the question and ask, “What might God be willing to do in the way of shaking things up that will bring about the changes He’s looking for in us?”
Changes like the body behaving and living as ambassadors for our King and His country while only taking up temporary residence here; changes like interceding and praying for some tremendously lost people; changes like being people who lead others as teachers and shepherds rather than following others like sheep.
God has used a flood, and He’s used a cross to effect eternal changes. What might He do this time so that you will be truly shaken and not merely stirred? And, are you ready?
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