My wife and I enjoy going to home shows where houses are open for those of us who may not be able to afford the grand homes that are usually on display at these events. We've toured new homes covering several thousand square feet, with seven, eight, and even ten bedrooms and baths. Some of these homes have room to park as many as six or eight vehicles in the garages. ...And, the homes usually cost several million dollars...give or take a few hundred thousand.
Not only do we enjoy touring these new homes, but also the old, historic homes unmatched in craftsmanship and architecture. Often these old homes have been restored to their former glory after having been in states of disrepair for decades. In the process of restoring those old homes, the architect, designers and builders usually go back and research homes from the era when that home was constructed. They often try to research as much information as possible about the particular house on which they are working. Homeowners often want to restore the house making it just like it was when it was originally constructed. Most folk have seen the program "This Old House" on television. It's one of my favorites.
Who of us have not heard it said: "They sure don't build 'em that way anymore"?
Christ's church is the house of God. If you're not familiar with something called a "Restoration Movement", I will be adding thoughts on this site that will tell you a little more about it. I believe you will find it intriguing! For those of us who are familiar with the mission of the "Restoration Movement", this blog is meant to "get the wheels turning" in our heads and to encourage us to continue, with God's help and the Bible as our Guide, the process of restoring the church that Christ originally built over 2,000 years ago. That's an old, old house; isn't it? With building a new house or restoring a historic house there are challenges. In restoration work on old houses, sometimes there are surprises. Unexpected treasures have sometime been found within the walls, and sometime things have been found that revealed something about the original owners of the house. When it comes to the House of God: Christ's church, the same holds true. When Martin Luther set out with a goal of religious reform he met with resistance and challenges. There have been other religious reformers who had great intentions. The only problem was that they were trying to reform religion. However, what was needed was a complete restoration of Christ's church. Several great religious leaders have had goals to do just that. But just like Jesus and His twelve best friends (the apostles) faced opposition from the religious leaders of their time when originally establishing the church, others have faced challenges since then in their efforts to restore the church to the way it was when Jesus started it.
Restoration isn't a completed project. It is something that will likely never be one-hundred percent complete, because as fallible humans, we will never be able to do everything as perfectly as Jesus did. When he started His church, it was His desire that it be perfect: "without spot, or wrinkle or any such thing". Even though we may not be able to do the job perfectly, that shouldn't stop us from giving it our all and do our best. And, since Jesus is the only perfect builder, we are left to depend on His guidance and grace to help us in those ways in which we cannot attain perfection.
The Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina took years to build and, as old as it is, it still looks wonderful. If you ever have the opportunity, go see the Biltmore House. In Kansas, a couple is currently building a castle, and they've been doing construction on it for twenty something years and it's still not complete.
God's House is grander than the Biltmore Mansion and grander than the castle in Kansas. Considering the price that was paid for this House, we should take seriously the responsibility of continuing to maintain it, and maintaining something often takes construction work as the years go on. Repairs have to be made. That is the goal of those who truly desire to see restoration in the House of God.
If we are to truly restore the church, we need to know what it is that we're restoring. If we say we want to be like the first century church, then which church would that be? The church at Corinth, even with all it's problems of doctrinal and moral issues? What about the church at Laodicea with it's lukewarmness? Could it be that we may sometime be looking in the wrong place to restore the church? Since the church is "the bride of Christ" and since we, as Christians are to imitate Christ, then should'nt our primary goal be to restore Christlikeness in believers? If we can imitate Christ's life to the best of our ability, then we will have the restored church in it's fullness.
This blog is an effort to stir our thinking and consider some of the things we can do to complete our mission to the extent that we are able. You're thoughts about things that we need to do in Churches of Christ to continue the work of restoration are encouraged and welcomed. It's also fine to discuss other matters that relate to the Christian life. The major overall objective is to encourage us to be all we can be for our Lord, whether as a group of His people, or in our individual walk with Him. I'm looking forward to seeing where this project takes us.
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