Getting "Stirred Up." by G. D. Ballou

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jul 17, 1884

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 10, No. 27.

Getting "Stirred Up."

By G. D. Ballou

"WELL, my brother, how are things moving with the church at your place?" "Oh, they are rather dull and indifferent. We want some one to come down and stir us all up." When I hear this, I say to myself, "Well, I wonder how long he thinks they would stay 'stirred up.'" When a thing is only just stirred up, it soon settles. Wonder if it ever occurred to the minds of these brethren how much better it would be to be built up than to be stirred up.

Somehow human nature loves to be stirred up. The emotional and sentimental nature responds quickly when the right chord is struck. People go to theaters and pleasure parties and entertainments, and at all these places the great effort seems to be to feast the emotions. Sometimes in the modern revival a great effort is made to stir things up. Indeed this is really about all that ever is done. And we all know how often this stirring up process has to be repeated in order to keep up any manifestation of life. There is a great lack of permanency where things are only just "stirred up."

Would it not be much better to be built up? We know it costs more effort to build, but it pays better in the end. If you want to be merely stirred up, you have only to sit passive under the influence of some powerful appeal, and let outside influences mould you. But if you would be built up, there is some clearing away of rubbish, some grading, some hewing of stones, and framing of timbers to be done.

Our characters are forming every day, and if we would stand the test of the Judgment, we shall have some building to do. Emotional efforts will not produce satisfactory results when examined in the light of the Judgment. There must be a motive power within, supplied constantly from the perennial fountain of life. We cannot afford to depend for our strength and courage on outside influences. There must be purposes within that will give power to our own characters and thus help us to aid others.

We have seen some who seemed to depend entirely on the influence of the Sabbath meeting to pull them through the week. They seemed to be drawing the little strength they had from their brethren. Their light was only borrowed. There was no power to lift and help the meeting; they had merely come to receive strength and grace, with no thought of imparting any blessing to others by their earnest, faithful service and praises to God. In case the influence of Satan is in the meeting, these individuals go away full of darkness and doubt and fault-finding, because the meeting is not good. They are just as ready to drink in darkness as to receive light. If such would change their course, and seek supplies of grace at home, and begin the work of "laying up in store a good foundation against the time to come," and if they would begin to build on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, they would not feel the need of being "stirred up" so often. They would have life and light and strength within, and their testimonies, yea, even their presence would silently impart grace to the meeting.

Our brethren and sisters cannot build us up in the work. We have no right to lean upon others for support. We should "lift up our eyes unto the hills from whence cometh our help." And when we thus draw strength and nourishment from the living vine, we rest assured that the angels of God will be in every meeting we hold, to minister the holy Spirit to every heart. Then there will be no darkness in the meetings, no indifference, no coldness, but the blessed presence of the Spirit of God will constantly cheer us, and none of us will ever feel that we want the minister to come and merely stir us up. Go about the work of "building yourselves up in your most holy faith" and God's Spirit will stir up the energies of your being to constant untiring efforts in the Master's cause. G. D. BALLOU.