God’s Great Restoration Project

Massive Misrepresentation

Imagine sending someone with a message and discovering that what got communicated was the exact opposite of what you intended convey.  Has that ever happened to you?  Well, it happened to God.  God created mankind to be his representative in the earth and man ended up through his actions completely misrepresenting God’s intentions.

God is dealing with the fallout of a massive misrepresentation of His nature.  According to Genesis God created man “in His own image”.  Literally, God was replicating His likeness in the flesh of man, complete with an extraordinary degree of authority and power to do the job.  God, magnificent and glorious in splendor, released his own image into finite man.  If the angels were around to watch, it must have been a stunning and sobering twist in the grand saga of creation, a culmination no one could have anticipated or foreseen.  And with His image he commissioned man with a stewardship to govern His beautiful creation and to bring it all into submission to will and purpose of God.  God imagined a world filled with mankind, all in their own unique ways, governing the earth and displaying the glory and infinite genius of God.  This was the dream in God’s heart.

God’s Great Risk

There was only one risk.  With this grand project, mankind was also given the power to deviate.  Man could choose to do as God willed or he could decide to do something else.  God gave sufficient warning against deviating from His plan.  But there was no way God could have sufficiently explained all the implications to Adam.  They were too vast to fully consider.  But the warning was given nonetheless.  Man, however, decided not to follow the will of God and with that threshold decision “the law of sin and death” entered the world.  In so doing, God’s reputation was tarnished!  The one created by God to bear His image had now grossly misrepresented it. 

The Great Restoration

Peter declared, ‘Heaven must receive [Jesus Christ] until the times of the restoration of all things which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.”  The great restoration of all things begins with the restoration of man, not with the fixing of creation.  God’s great end time project is the restoration of mankind to His original design and purpose.  God is not going to just come down and fix everything that man messed up.  God is coming to redeem man and then release him again to set all of creation free. 

Unlike many Christians today, God is not distracted with causes that are mere symptoms of the problem.  God is focused on the root cause of all that is wrong.  God has his sights set on the heart of man.  God’s purpose is not simply to forgive man for His rebellion but to completely redeem man and restore him to the original design and purpose. 

God’s plan of Redemption

The prophets of old saw glimpses of how this was all going to be done.  Indeed, the entire Old Testament is the foreshadowing of man’s redemption through a new representative man, a man in whom the entire destiny of mankind would rest.  They saw God moving towards a remedy that would come through the line of Abraham and David but would eclipse what He accomplished through those key men.  They saw the history moving towards a climax of God glorious intention and that the climax would be centered in a single man in whom would dwell the spirit of God without measure. 

This great restoration project came to rest on the shoulders of Jesus of Nazareth.  His life on earth consistently paralleled prophetic images of the Old Testament culminating in His death on the cross, His resurrection from the grave and His ascension to God’s right hand.  All of these events were prophesied but what was not fully understood was how deeply penetrating the life, death and resurrection of Christ would be in relation to the heart of man.  In Christ, through His life of obedience and sacrifice, the image of God was restored in mankind itself. 

When God raised Jesus from the dead, not only Jesus but the image of God itself was reborn a new representative of mankind because Jesus was himself a man.  With the resurrection, Jesus himself was reborn, not just as a resurrected man but as the new head of the new humanity and a life giving spirit.  Jesus became the Last Adam, the first born from the dead, the new man, the first among many brothers.  All who put their faith in Him begin a process of transformation.  

Taking Refuge in the New Man

In order to take refuge and find vital connection with the new humanity, one must "die" to the old self, which is essentially about self preservation, and embrace the new self in Christ which is about is about self sacrificial love.  The Bible calls this repentance, turning from one to the other.  This renouncing of the old is symbolized in the act of baptism.  A person who believes in Christ is buried with Christ in baptism and raised to walk in newness of Christ's resurrection life.   Thus one dies to his old identity and embraces a new identity which is made in the likeness of Jesus.  All who believe in Jesus are now ushered into a new humanity.  This is what it means to be “born again.” 

Jesus, who was perfected through his suffering, was empowered to lead many (whosoever will) to glory.  As new disciples gather around their new corporate head, they are invited to draw on His life, to live by His Spirit which now indwells every believer.  All who look to him as their life and light are drawn into a daily process of transformation and are predestined to be conformed to His image.  The followers of Jesus literally become the “new humanity” and God’s redeemed representatives in the earth.

The Two Humanities

But this “restoration of the image of God” to those who follow Jesus leads to an interesting situation.  Now there are two humanities existing in the earth together side by side.  One is under “Adam” and one is under “Christ”, the “Last Adam.”  One takes refuge in its own life, its own morality, its own selfish pursuits.  The other leans on Christ, is submitted to His lordship, follows his example, draws on His life and seeks to grow into His likeness. 

The Cry of Creation

Jesus said that the meek would inherit the earth.  This is because creation itself is crying out for the true sons of God to arise and deliver the earth from its bondage to corruption.  

The creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.  Romans 8:21

The creation will begin to resist the efforts of those who are not truly born of the Spirit of God but will yield to the true sons.  Literally, the treasures hidden in the earth, the secrets of creation will be revealed to those who are ordained and anointed to set the creation free.

In the end, God will fill the earth with His glory through the people who are filled with his Spirit.  They will unlock the doors that lead to the unveiling of secrets and remedies that are found in creation itself.  Already this is manifesting in the earth.  The time will come when the "earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea."

This is the great plan of restoration of all things.  God will redeem the heart of man through his Son Jesus Christ.  Redeemed man will grow and mature into the likeness of Jesus and begin to fulfill the original call of man which was to fill the earth and subdue it.  It is coming.  It is only a matter of time.  

Final Report from Nigeria

I want to give you a final report from my recent trip to Abuja, Nigeria.  Nate Jones and I arrived home at the Boise airport on Monday evening around 10:30 pm.

We went to Nigeria with the intent to participate in the 13^th annual Macon Missionary Conference hosted by Apostle David Ina and his wife Helen.  David is in his thirties, has been a pastor since he was a teenager and has a remarkable grace for gathering, challenging and supporting other ministries.  Nate and I both had it in our hearts to simply come along side David and assist him in what he is doing. 

The Context

By all accounts the nation of Nigeria faces many difficulties.  There is a great gap between the rich and the poor.  Suffering and poverty can be seen everywhere even in the wealthier parts of the city.  There is also great discouragement and animosity towards the government.  This was voiced to us often.  Corruption is rampant.  There are many large ministries in Nigeria but there is very little unity among Christians.  In addition, the conflict between Muslims and Christians is quite severe.  Over the last year many Christians have been killed in the northern parts of Nigeria by radical Muslims.  We were made aware that we would be ministering to some of the pastors and missionaries from some of the most difficult areas. 

The Setting

The conference was held at David’s church site which consists of a simple metal roof covered pavilion.  The roof was supported by non-uniform beams, on a slightly slanted cement slab, using plastic chairs situated in a back alley behind a hotel overlooking a creek that basically operates as a sewage system.  There is a sound system and like almost everywhere in the third world, it is cranked up way to loud.    Loud is often considered synonymous with powerful.   Nevertheless, most of the time, the worship was simple and authentic, especially when it was led by David’s wife, Helen. 

It was very hot but fortunately there were a number of tall trees providing shade and a slight breeze and electric fans set up.  Occasionally, one could watch lizards up to a foot long with bright orange heads and grey bodies climbing the walls.  Africa!

The Theme

The Theme of the conference was Repositioning the Church for Positive Transformation.  Primarily we spoke on coming back to the basics, the need to be simple but deep.  We spoke on power of the Gospel, Resurrection Faith, the grace of God to forgive and transform, seeing with “Gospel eyes” and the power of the New Covenant.  We challenged church leaders to make their churches and communities safe places for people to be vulnerable, to confess their sins and to process their brokeness so that they could get free.  We talked about the power of transparency and that without it there can be no transformation.  Additionally, we postured our hearts to be open and honest about our own weaknesses and failures but to more importantly testify to the triumph of grace in our lives.    

Personal Interactions

We usually spoke in the mornings and evenings and then we would do seminars in the afternoon behind the pavilion and out under the trees.  As the week went on, we purposely curtailed our speaking and made room for people to begin to share their hearts and ask their questions.  People began to engage in these seminar times more and more.  Nate and I both got into lively discussions.  Young people flocked to Nate.  They obviously were starting to trust him but they complained bitterly about their experiences in the church.  They said that church leaders do not give them a safe place to develop and get free.  We had obviously struck a nerve.  Nate listened patiently and hearts began to get free just by bringing their hurts into the light.    But he also challenged them to believe in the Gospel and to trust God to work things out. 

What would you do?

During one of the seminar someone asked about responding to persecution from Muslims.  I started reading from Romans 12:20 where it says, “If your enemy is hungry feed him….”  But then a pastor challenged me very directly and said, “You’re from America.  You do not know what we deal with here in Nigeria.”  He began to paint a scenario of someone pouring gas on a person and getting ready to strike a match and set him on fire.  “What would you do in such a situation?” he demanded.   I smiled and said, “You are right.  I am from America and I do not know what you face.  I have wondered many times what I would do under such circumstances… but I have decided that I do believe in the Gospel and I believe that the Bible is true.”  Immediately many hands went up of those who had something to say and men began to testify of how the Lord had kept them safe. 

These testimonies were amazing.  One pastor said that his house had been burned down twice but that the Lord had protected him and his family and they were still involved in the work, still full of hope and thankfulness and that some of the very people who persecuted him were now part of his ministry.  Another told how some of the Muslims involved in the persecution were going to authorities confessing their participation because of how guilty they felt.  One man said that many Muslims stopped persecuting Christians because they saw angels coming to protect the believers.  He said that four times mobs have come to his village to kill Christians and burn their dwellings but that each time the believers got word of it, began to pray and that always something turned the persecutors back.  There was a chorus of agreement as this man shared his story and then everyone had a testimony. 

At the end of the discussion, the man who had challenged me came up to me and thanked me and said, “You are all right.”  I felt so blessed by that.  But I was more blessed by the testimonies of others who lived there.  I was preaching but they were testifying and confirming our words with their own experiences. 

Growing Faith

As the week progressed, hearts became more open.  Every night the people came forward for prayer.  We looked them in the face and prayed for them.  A few needed healing and were touched by God’s power.  Most needed their faith restored in the power of God to overcome every situation.  Day after day they seemed more open and the ease of prayer increased through the week.  Humility grew, walls fell down, and love abounded. 

As the week progressed we watched the faith of the people growing as they began to testify to the grace of God in their own lives.  We had been preaching that they were blessed with the Gospel.  They agreed to it, began to testify of it and atmosphere of faith increased every day.  Even as we would go home each night, many who were sleeping near the facility spent the night in prayer.  Pastor David testified that this gathering was different than any other that they had ever had.  People were praying a lot and lighting their fires again in their own prayer closet.  Faith grew, more came for prayer, and empowerment was everywhere.  The congregation grew each day also as locals caught wind of the meetings. We felt a growing sense that the Spirit was orchestrating and administrating the meetings and the times of fellowship in between.  Prophetic words also began to come from the congregation.

Practical Expressions of a Supernatural Gospel

Though we continually emphasized the power of God, there is a practical side to the Gospel.   Much of what made our job such a joy was the giving heart of the host pastor and his wife.  They believe in the power of the Gospel but also feel compelled to help practically in every way they can.  Every year they buy food to feed everyone who attends the conference three meals a day.  Many barely have enough money to get to the conference and do not have enough to get home.  Pastor David helps many with the funds to return home.  This extraordinary grace blessed us deeply as we personally witnessed the personal needs of the pastor and his wife.  Even though they were in personal distress, day after day they spent what money came in on those who were attending the conference. 

At the end of every conference they try to sow something extra meaningful and practical into some of the various ministries who gather for the conference.  They give to those ministries that they know well are already doing the work in the various fields.  This year they gave away two sowing machines to help widows make a living and a food grinder to a lady who gathers unwanted babies and takes care of them.  The sowing machines will be used to train widows how to make a living with sowing.  The food grinder will be used to grind food for the orphan ministry but also it will also impact the entire village and help lots of people process more food to sell. 

Heart Connections and Open Realms

The final day we probably stood at the front of the pavilion for over an hour as people came who wanted to have their picture taken with us.  The people thanked us over and over for coming.  One of the most life changing things that can ever happen to a person is to have hungry people pull on that internal thing one has to give.  It is profoundly fulfilling but it also opens up realms inside of the person that the person did not know they had.  Both Nate and I had this type of experience in Nigeria.    I felt a new clarity in my spirit like I have never had.  I felt a new sense of understanding and boldness in the Gospel.  Since returning home, my mind has been running continually and I do not ever remember a time when I have had so many dreams that were so full of meaning.  I feel like I have been thrust into another dimension.  My spirit has been opened up somehow and I feel like I am engaged in an almost continual download. 

I believe that God graced us to genuinely impart something to the many pastors and leaders that we shared life with for a week.  But I also believe that we have brought something home.  One thing I feel deeply is an overwhelming sense of the power of the Gospel.  Indeed, “It is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe.” 

Thank you

In closing we just want to thank you all again and tell how much we appreciate your love, your prayers and your investment into our lives.  It was a short visit but I trust that it will have a long impact.  Thanks for coming with us. 

Blessings to you all,

Brian Harrison