Shaken, But Not Stirred
Essay By Eric Thomsen
“Before our next song, turn and shake a friend near you.” It was a moment before Chris realized what he had said to the congregation, and by that time a wave of laughter had already begun to sweep across the sanctuary. Red-faced, Chris grinned sheepishly, corrected himself, and the service continued.
I laughed along with the rest of our church—slapping Chris on the shoulder and thanking him for providing a good chuckle. As I pondered the incident, however, I began to wonder. Was Chris really so far off-course in asking the congregation to “shake a friend”? After all, isn’t Christianity all about awakening the spiritually slumbering to the life-changing impact of the Gospel of Christ? The early church obviously did their fair share of shaking. Acts 17:6 described them as men and women “who turned the world upside down.”
I couldn’t rid myself of the thought as I returned to the daily grind the following week. As Christians in the 21st-century church, perhaps we should be more concerned about the task of “shaking” those with whom we come in contact. Obviously, we cannot give them a physical shaking, although I must admit I have been tempted at times. Neither should we attempt to shake others through intimidation, guilt trips, or bribery.
How then can we wake those around us to the imminent danger of living without God? From Christ’s encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, we learn two key actions the Savior used to shake this woman from the top of her head to the soles of her dusty sandals.
1. Love them. Jesus didn’t hesitate when the woman approached the well, clouds of dust puffing from the dry ground beneath her feet. The shaking began with a gentle request for water. I can see her expression of amazement, curiosity, and perhaps even fear when she replied, “How is it that you, being a Jew, ask a Samaritan woman for a drink.”
Reading between the lines of her question, you can hear the sarcasm and defiance in her voice. After all, she was a member of the most despised minority of the time, a people avoided, ostracized, looked down on, and—at least in the eyes of the Jewish world—completely worthless. If that weren’t enough, it was obvious by her manner and dress she was a woman of ill repute, a loose woman, an outcast of outcasts. Yet this Jewish rabbi, a total stranger, spoke to her without reservations and even with kindness. No wonder she was shaken.
Let’s face it. None of us have the compassion of Christ. Love does not come easy, yet before we can reach the lost world, we must commit ourselves to loving those within it. We must love them in spite of their sin. We must learn to love the unlovable.
I must admit that when a visiting teen shows up at church in a concert tee, black combat boots, and wearing bright blue fingernail polish, my first inclination is to send him right back where he came from. Or when an obviously nervous teen girl approaches me with friend in tow and blurts out, “She may have gotten pregnant, and she can’t tell her parents,” I want to throw my head back and shout, “Not again!”
Yet moments like these give me an opportunity to “shake” others with love, to look beyond the scraggly hair, desperate eyes, rebellious scowl, and body piercing to see the searching, hurting, scared soul who needs God. Jesus took advantage of such opportunities. He ate with tax collectors, hung out with rough, uneducated fishermen, allowed a shady lady to wash His feet, and even took time for a dying thief on the cross. He shook the world—not with power but with compassion.
2. Tell them the truth. “The truth is out there.” This slogan made popular by the X-Files television show in the 90s reflects the attitude of today’s culture. They recognize the existence of truth, but somewhere along the lines, the identity of truth has become clouded by pagan philosophies. The quest for truth has become an uncertain, vague, ever-changing search for reality. Yet the Word of God tells us that it is truth that sets men free. To shake our world for Christ, we must introduce them to the truth.
We must confront them with the reality of sin. Jesus did not mince words with the Samaritan woman. With a simple question, He placed the spotlight on her sinful lifestyle. Yet His attitude was not judgmental. He didn’t raise His voice, shake His finger, or turn up His nose. He simply stated the obvious. His question said to her, “I know what you’ve done, and you know what you’ve done.” He cut to the root of her problems, and in doing so He shook her to the very core of her being.
In our politically correct world, it is no longer socially acceptable to identify the sins of another or to tell another person he or she has done something wrong. Public figures who identify and confront evil often find themselves bludgeoned on the evening news. In spite of the difficulty, helping others become aware of their sin is a vital part of leading them to Christ. It requires tact, wisdom, and a humble spirit, but it is the foundation of repentance and belief.
We must confront sin through both teaching and private conversations. In today’s world of situational morality, we cannot assume that every person is familiar with the concept of sin. At times, we may need to start from the beginning, explaining that sin is anything that fails to meet the perfect standard of God’s holiness—a standard He provides in His Word. Few things shake a person as deeply as discovering he or she has sinned and stands accountable to a righteous, holy, and almighty God.
After we confront sin, we must introduce the Savior. Jesus introduced Himself to the Samaritan woman as the Living Water, the One who could erase the emptiness inside of her—an emptiness she had tried to fill with many other things. This lonely woman recognized in Jesus the One who could end the heartache, desperation, and pain sin had wrought in her life. In Christ, she found a Savior.
In other passages, Jesus introduced Himself as the Way, the Bread of Life, the Light, the Good Shepherd, and many other titles. Why? Why did He refer to Himself in so many different ways? He wanted the world to know He is big enough to be all things to all people. He is Truth in a deceptive world. He is the Clear Path for those who have lost their way. He is Sustenance for the hungry and needy, Light in the darkness of our day, the Great Physician for the sick and handicapped, and the Shepherd waiting quietly for those who have run from the safety of His presence.
Most important, He is the One—the only One—who can take away the stain of sin from the life of every man. As the Lamb of God, His death paid the penalty of sin for any person who places his trust in Him, sparing him or her the pain of eternal punishment. To put it most simply, He gave His very life for you and for me.
It takes an incredibly calloused person to hear that someone died for him without being deeply affected. This simple message, which spans the course of human history, has the power to shake those most hardened from the tips of their stylish haircuts to the soles of their Jimmy Choos. The Gospel of Jesus Christ still has the power to shake people and to transform their lives.
The next time you are encouraged to shake the hand of the person next to you, chuckle as you remember this article, fight the urge to grab that lucky individual by the shoulders and give him or her a good shake, and then pause to remember. If you really want to shake the people around you, love them enough to share the truth—the whole truth—of Jesus Christ.
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About the Writer: Eric K. Thomsen is managing editor of ONE Magazine. He lives in Ashland City, Tennessee with his wife Jennifer, daughter Victoria, and Ginger the Bassett Hound.
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