Restoration

W. Carl Ketcherside

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     We do not think the church of God ever ceased to exist since the day when it was given birth in Jerusalem, but we do believe that it was forced to flee into "the wilderness" to be nourished of God for 1260 years, during which time knowledge was obscured and a pall of superstition and ignorance enveloped the earth. The love for truth was kept alive in the recesses of the hearts of those who yearned for communion with God, and that love kindled into a flame in the lives and deeds of the reformers, who did their best to uncover the purity of the original ideal of God. We are still laboring to get a clearer view of the divine revelation, and to scale the mountain of faith to greater heights.

     When we talk of restoration, we do not imply that the church disappeared or went out of existence. We use the term in the same sense that the art dealer does when talking about "restoring" a painting. Through the years a beautiful work in oils accumulates deposits of foreign matter until the original luster is lost and the vision of the artist is only dimly seen. The work of the "restorer" is not to create another picture, nor produce a new one, but to remove the grime and dirt that has gathered until the original can be seen in its full glory. In the case of God's masterpiece, much has been done by such worthies as Wycliffe, Luther, Calvin, Wesley, and others, including the Campbells, Stone, Scott, Smith, and others of even more recent date.

     But the work is not completed. The prayer of our Master for the unity of all believers has not been answered. That can only come through a restoration of the spirit and form of apostolic Christianity We must meet the challenge of today! We dare not rest upon the accomplishments of the pioneers of restoration. We need to restore to this age the spirit of restoration! If we assume that we have it all, and that we are without additional challenges to meet, we shall stagnate and become a helpless and dying sect. The church of God must move forward to its great task of world conquest. This is not the time to stop for rest. There remaineth a rest for the people of God, but this is a time for action. The sheep are still scattered on the hills. The children are not yet all in the house. We have a work of gathering to do before the night falls. Are you meeting that challenge?