God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that all who believed in Him could be saved.
Amos 9:11–12
“On that day I will raise up
The tabernacle of David, which has fallen down,
And repair its damages;I will raise up its ruins,
And rebuild it as in the days of old;
That they may possess the remnant of Edom,
And all the Gentiles who are called by My name,
”Says the LORD who does this thing.
No greater love exists than the agape love of God!
Acts 15:12-19
12 Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles. 13 And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, “Men and brethren, listen to me: 14 Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. 15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written: 16 ‘After this I will return And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, And I will set it up; 17 So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, Says the Lord who does all these things.’ 18 “Known to God from eternity are all His works. 19 Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God, The New King James Version
grace (Gk. charis) (15:11; Rom. 3:24; 5:15; Eph. 2:5; Titus 2:11) Strong’s #5485: The Greek word for grace is probably equivalent to the Hebrew word chesed meaning “lovingkindness,” a word frequently used by the psalmists to describe God’s character. In the NT, the word charis usually means divine favor or goodwill, but it also means “that which gives joy” and “that which is a free gift.” This is a noteworthy occurrence of the word grace, because while it was one of Paul’s favorite words for God’s free gift of salvation, here we see Peter using it in the same way.
As the mission to Gentiles (non-Jewish people) continues forward, the early church is faced with the challenge of understanding theologically how the Gentiles have been accepted into God’s people. The meeting recorded here, regularly called the Jerusalem Council, took place circa ad 49.
James quotes from Amos 9:11–12. The tabernacle of David refers to the humbled Davidic dynasty. God promised to restore the dynasty to fulfill his promises about the royal line. Faithlife Study Bible
Barnabas and Paul reported what God was doing in changing the lives of Gentiles with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Their testimony at this council was critical. The council listened to James because he was the first of the three pillars of the church. He was the leader of the church in Jerusalem until he was stoned to death at the insistence of the high priest in a.d. 62.
James was the Lord’s half brother, the one who did not believe until the Lord appeared to him privately after the Resurrection.
While the testimony of Peter, Barnabas, and Paul was important for the council in making their decision, something more than the experience of the Gentiles had to be taken into consideration. The council needed to know what the Word of God said. James pointed out that what was happening among the Gentiles was in full agreement with the Old Testament (Amos 9:11, 12).
The testimony of Paul and Barnabas—those who worked among the Gentiles—and most importantly the teaching of Scripture, indicated to James that God was truly at work. In view of this, he suggested that a letter be drafted that alleviated Jewish requirements for Gentiles who placed their trust in Jesus. Though James did not want to trouble Gentiles with Jewish ceremonial regulations, he believed certain practices should be followed. He mentioned four issues: eating food offered to idols, sexual immorality, eating food from animals that had been strangled, and eating food with blood. If Gentiles continued such practices, there would continually be tension between the Gentile and Jewish Christian communities.
There is a debate as to whether these requirements were ceremonial or moral in nature. If they were ceremonial, “things polluted by idols” would refer to food offered in pagan temples. “Sexual immorality” would refer to the marriage laws of Leviticus. The prohibition against eating blood preceded the Law of Moses and extended back to the contract God made with Noah. On the other hand, if these prohibitions were moral in nature, the food polluted by idols would relate to the problem of Revelation 2:14, 20. Evidently some Gentile Christians were attending the celebrations and banquets held in pagan temples that frequently involved sexual immorality. The NKJV Study Bible
All of prophesy in the Old Testament concerned the nation of Israel.
James 1:1 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. 18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.
Isaiah 59:20
“The Redeemer will come to Zion,
And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,” Says the Lord.
Isaiah 60:1
Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.
2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the Lord will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you.
3 The Gentiles shall come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising.
Isaiah writing to the people of Israel told them that spiritual darkness would overcome the world but the Lord will rise on them and His glory would shine on them. They will lead other nations and peoples to God the Son.
Zechariah 8:20 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Peoples shall yet come, Inhabitants of many cities; 21 The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, “Let us continue to go and pray before the Lord, And seek the Lord of hosts. I myself will go also.” 22 Yes, many peoples and strong nations Shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, And to pray before the Lord.’ 23 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.” ’ ”
The Jews will be sought for their connection to the King. God will be with them.
Zechariah 14:2 For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3 Then the Lord will go forth And fight against those nations, As He fights in the day of battle.
Zechariah 12:10 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.
Matthew 9:35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
Jesus, the King of Israel, went into all the cities and villages teaching and preaching the gospel of the kingdom. He chose the 12 and sent them to the lost sheep of Israel, not the gentiles.
Mathew 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Proverb 28:10 (ESV) "Whoever misleads the upright into an evil way will fall into his own pit, but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance." Godly decisions and God's law go hand in hand. Because of Jesus, our inheritance is no longer limited to physical property. There is a greater hope for all who believe in Christ.
When we read the word "blameless" in Proverbs 28:10, we may feel like we're automatically disqualified from this inheritance; after all, we aren't perfect people. But the Hebrew word translated as "blameless" doesn't necessarily mean sinless. In fact, some Bible translations use the word "honest" (NLT) in Proverbs 28:10. Our first step to receive the inheritance of the blameless is to be honest about our sin (Romans 3:23). Recognizing our hopeless state as sinners, separated from God and unable to uphold His perfect law, we can then receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior and put on His righteousness (Romans 3:22; John 3:16).
We can take Jesus' words as a warning to look out for people with misleading intentions, and we can also use them as a mirror to evaluate our own hearts. Jesus gave His life, even while we were sinners, so we could be forgiven and redeemed through faith in Him (Romans 5:8). As followers of Christ, we are called to reflect His heart, looking not only to our own interests but to the interests of others and humbling ourselves to live servant-hearted lives (Philippians 2:4-11; John 13:1-17). First5
This we know: Life happens.
And there’s a part of me that needs to make sense of it all.
Instead of clarity, I become sad. Stuck. Cautious. Afraid. Distrustful. Feeling alone, even surrounded with people.
Our hope is tied to our capacity—our aptitude and wiring—to rebuild.
And what does it mean to rebuild? That hope and grace, and renewal and rebirth, are alive and well. Not because we have a certain skill set, but because it is in our DNA reservoir.
So. This week, let us not use our energy to worry. Let us use it to draw on that reservoir. To believe. To create, trust, love, heal and grow (in faith). And in our awkwardness and our vulnerability, let us risk, try, give, care, contribute, stand up. And hold a hand. A reminder that we are indeed walking one another home. Sabbath Moments
God, your rescuer, has the right vision. He also has the right direction. He made the boldest claim in the history of humanity when he declared, “I am the way” (John 14:6). People wondered if the claim was accurate. He answered their questions by cutting a path through the underbrush of sin and death…and escaping alive. He’s the only One who ever did. And he is the only One who can help you and me do the same.
He has the right vision—he has seen the homeland. He has the right directions—he has cut the path. But most of all, he is the right person because he is our God. Who knows the jungle better than the One who made it? And who knows the pitfalls of the path better than the One who has walked it? Max Lucado
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