Many Christians are unaware of the Jewish concept of Tikkun Olam—repairing (or healing) the world—but it fits the heart of God. It recognizes not only that God saves us from the world but he also saves us in the world. He has not called his creation a lost cause and abandoned it for something better down the road. He is fully into restoring what he made.
Christians have a distinguished history of preaching the gospel of redemption, but the gospel of restoration has gotten lost along the way. In truth, they are two sides of the same coin. God does not flee from problems; he fixes them. He does not give up; he is bent on making all things new. The good news of salvation is not just an escape; it’s a renovation of life and the world around you.
That’s why Jesus told his followers to ask for God’s kingdom to come on earth just as it is in heaven. Yes, it comes in its fullness one day, but that doesn’t mean it’s only one day. God is not biding his time. He’s at work, today, in your life and the lives of those around you. And he’s calling his people to embrace the business of restoration.
If you want to be like God, be a restorer. He repairs broken walls and restores streets (Isaiah 53:12), and he makes all things new (Revelation 21:5). He loved the world so much that he sent his only Son. And his Son sends each of us into the same world—with the same mission.
