As It Was Meant to Be

In his intriguing commentary on the current state of Christianity, Gabe Lyons, in The Next Christians, makes this statement: “I call them restorers because they envision the world as it was meant to be and they work toward that vision.” (Kindle, locations 672-90)

When the Bible is read holistically, as opposed to the very-segmented way it is often read, the idea that God created us to live in community – loving Him and loving one another – rises to the surface as one of the fundamental truths the Bible reveals. After all, it was God Himself who declared, as He observed Adam in the garden all alone, “It is not good that the man should be alone.” (Genesis 2:18) The rest of the Bible’s story might easily be described as God’s pursuit of that ideal for His creatures. No wonder Jesus would declare that if we can work out a way to love God and love our neighbor – we have figured out what God intended for us at creation.

The kinds of Christians Lyons describes as restorers, have learned that truth. They see the brokenness in the world – both in creation and creatures – and believe that God is calling His people to help mend that brokenness at every level and in every way possible.

Such an attitude reminds me of another saying of Jesus. It comes from the Sermon on the Mount – Matthew 5:16. “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works, and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Could it be that our most powerful witness, our most effective way of influencing the world for Christ is in our work of “mending that brokenness at every level and in every way possible?”

If I break something of little value, there is no real motivation to mend it. If I break something that really doesn’t belong to anyone, there is no real motivation to mend it. But, when I break something that does have value, or does clearly belong to someone, then I automatically think I should fix whatever it is that I have broken.

Restorers seem to get that. They recognize that the creation and His creatures have great value. They understand that “the earth is the Lord’s . . .” and know that it truly belongs to someone. It might motivate us all to become better “menders” of the brokenness around us if we reminded ourselves occasionally of the great value of this creation and that, when all is said and done, it really does belong to God.

It is in that understanding of Scripture, read holistically and purposefully, that we can begin to see the world as it was meant to be. When we begin to see that – we have all the motivation we need to find ourselves mending broken things and broken people.