Recently I read two books that prompted this article on the theology of Tikkun Global. The first was an amazing, definitive book by Jon Mark Ruthven, The Cessation of the Charismata and a short history of the World Evangelical Alliance written in 1946 on its 100th year anniversary. The first book can almost take your breath away. It shows with amazing scholarship (over 600 footnotes) that the kind of power in the Spirit ministry of Yeshua and the early Body of the Messiah was meant to continue throughout this age until His second coming.
Dr. Ruthven recently passed away. My view is that this book cannot be refuted, and I am in accord with most of it. Dr. Ruthven understands the Gospel of the Kingdom, that the Good News is the invitation to enter into and live from the Kingdom of God which has broken into this world. The Gospel of the Kingdom is demonstrated in signs and wonders. The power of the Spirit and prophecy is in all believers and is also manifest in the gatherings of believers who exercise his gifts. There is far more to come in God’s power and in the progress of the Gospel. This is something that began to be restored in the 18th century, became much greater in the 19th and then after Pentecostalism was born has continued to grow until the present time. Much was lost in history that is now being restored.
The second book gives an amazing window into the Evangelical world. However, three things stood out as I reviewed the 19th century. It was the fact that the WEA was pursuing and fostering the vision of the prayer of Yeshua in John 17:21 that his followers would be one, “that the world might believe,” in Yeshua. We are to be one as He and the Father are one. This prayer is to be answered before his return. As it was in the beginning, in Acts 2 when all were one, so it will be in the end, worldwide, and this unity will be restored.
In addition, the WEA believed that Yeshua would come after the Gospel had been adequately preached to all the nations. We see this as requiring an understanding of the Gospel of the Kingdom confirmed by signs and wonders (Mark 16:17,18). Today the WEA is over 600 million and 400 million are Pentecostal/Charismatic. This spring a few of us Messianic Jewish leaders in Israel met with the leaders of the WEA!!
Thirdly the WEA believed revivals would be a key to see the progress of the Gospel. They pointed to revivals that were key in the past and expected more in the future.
My readers will know that these three are part of the five foundations of Tikkun theology, the other is the election and calling of the Jewish people and their salvation (Romans 11:11-31), and a five-fold leadership that pursues the four other foundations (Eph. 4:11ff).
In Acts 3:21 Peter says that He must remain in heaven “until the time of the restoration of all things.” The word restoration is translated into Hebrew as Tikkun, restoration. Most restoration takes place after the return of Yeshua. However, we can see that some does take place before because of emphases and realities lost in Church history. Restoration took place in the Reformation, then in the Moravian and Wesleyan Methodist movements. In the 19th century, the spiritual healing or cure movement took place. The people of this movement saw themselves as a restoration movement. Many do not realize that the famous A. B. Simpson who founded the Christian and Missionary Alliance denomination and Nyack College was part of this restoration movement. A. J. Gordon was part of this movement. He was the founder of Gordon College and Seminary, one of today’s leading Evangelical institutions. The Pentecostals from the early 20th century saw themselves as a restoration movement. Restorationism, without disparaging the Church in history, is an important 300-year thrust.
When the Lord showed us that we Messianic Jews were a restoration of a Jewish living Yeshua movement, he also showed us the restoration of the Church to power, revival, unity, world evangelism effectiveness, and partnership with us in making Israel jealous. The salvation of Israel requires these restorations. Thus, we formed a network in 1984 to foster this restoration view and in 1991 named ourselves Tikkun, Restoration.
I have been inspired by these two books. Now I say of us, that we are contending for a restorationist Messianic Jewish movement in partnership with a restorationist-oriented Church worldwide.