Restoring First Century Christianity

It is a mantra with which those of us interested in the Restoration Movement are very familiar. It sounds, and to a large part is, a fairly simple thing as well. The other Restoration "buzz phrases" such as, "speak where the Bible speaks, and be silent where the Bible is silent," or the requirement of many for "book, chapter, and verse" for what we do in the worship of God are also familiar oft repeated phrases.

This begs the question, if we have restored what they did, why then do we not have their results? Carefully looking at those results reveal to me two things: 1. We do not face the same persecution as these early Christians and 2. The church is not experiencing the same sort of exponential growth that was experienced in the first and second century after the death of Christ.

In reality I believe that both of these points are caused by one reality, Christians and by implication Christianity is not viewed as a threat to the world as it was in the days immediately following the apostolic age.

The Romans feared the cultural change that was taking place around them, today we see Christians conforming to and making arguments for the social standards of the world. Many Christians make argument after argument for a more lenient view towards divorce, drugs and alcohol, and any number of other issues while casting a disparaging look toward the backward thinking of past generations of Christians.

The reality is this, a Christians reserve and refuge as he tries to deal with the trials and temptations of the world aught to be the culture and support he finds within the community of believers. Christians are to have an impact on the surrounding society while keeping themselves out of the very culture they are seeking to influence. We are to be "a peculiar people" who are viewed as different from the world.