Wednesday Devo
Scripture:
Acts 15
12 Everyone listened quietly as Barnabas and Paul told about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.
13 When they had finished, James stood and said, “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Peter has told you about the time God first visited the Gentiles to take from them a people for himself. 15 And this conversion of Gentiles is exactly what the prophets predicted. As it is written:
16 ‘Afterward I will return
and restore the fallen house of David.
I will rebuild its ruins
and restore it,
17 so that the rest of humanity might seek the Lord,
including the Gentiles—
all those I have called to be mine.
The Lord has spoken—
18 he who made these things known so long ago.’
12 Everyone listened quietly as Barnabas and Paul told about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.
13 When they had finished, James stood and said, “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Peter has told you about the time God first visited the Gentiles to take from them a people for himself. 15 And this conversion of Gentiles is exactly what the prophets predicted. As it is written:
16 ‘Afterward I will return
and restore the fallen house of David.
I will rebuild its ruins
and restore it,
17 so that the rest of humanity might seek the Lord,
including the Gentiles—
all those I have called to be mine.
The Lord has spoken—
18 he who made these things known so long ago.’
Commentary:
15:13 James was noted for his scrupulous keeping of the Jewish law (cf. Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 20.200; Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 2.23).
15:14 Simeon. A different spelling for the name of Simon Peter. James presented scriptural backing (vv. 15–17) to support Peter’s contention that God was now including the Gentiles as a people for his name. This means “for himself” (since someone’s “name” represented all that was true about him and his character) and also seems to imply “for his reputation and his glory.”
15:16–18 James refers to “prophets” (v. 15), showing that he could appeal to more than one OT text to defend the inclusion of Gentiles by faith alone. See the allusion to Isa. 45:21 in Acts 15:18, and the context of the Isaiah prophecy. James concentrated on Amos 9:11–12, which looked to the time when God would restore the house of David. Luke provides the Septuagint (Greek) translation of the text, which speaks of the Gentiles (Gk. ethnē) seeking the Lord. But even the Masoretic (Hebrew) Text fits with what James argued, since it speaks of a people called by my name (Amos 9:12), and those called by God’s name are in a saving relationship with him. Amos looked to a time when God would claim a people for himself from among the Gentiles. James concurred with Peter that the time of Gentile inclusion in God’s people had now arrived.
15:14 Simeon. A different spelling for the name of Simon Peter. James presented scriptural backing (vv. 15–17) to support Peter’s contention that God was now including the Gentiles as a people for his name. This means “for himself” (since someone’s “name” represented all that was true about him and his character) and also seems to imply “for his reputation and his glory.”
15:16–18 James refers to “prophets” (v. 15), showing that he could appeal to more than one OT text to defend the inclusion of Gentiles by faith alone. See the allusion to Isa. 45:21 in Acts 15:18, and the context of the Isaiah prophecy. James concentrated on Amos 9:11–12, which looked to the time when God would restore the house of David. Luke provides the Septuagint (Greek) translation of the text, which speaks of the Gentiles (Gk. ethnē) seeking the Lord. But even the Masoretic (Hebrew) Text fits with what James argued, since it speaks of a people called by my name (Amos 9:12), and those called by God’s name are in a saving relationship with him. Amos looked to a time when God would claim a people for himself from among the Gentiles. James concurred with Peter that the time of Gentile inclusion in God’s people had now arrived.
Questions:
- After Paul and Barnabas finished telling all they had seen and experienced, it's James' turn. James, who was the brother of Jesus, was the leader of the church in Jerusalem. His nickname in those days was "Old Camel Knees" because he spent so much time in prayer, his knees had form calluses on them. Can you imagine that? No wonder he was considered "the guy" to listen to... no wonder everyone trusted his wisdom. Do people seek you out for your wisdom? How much time are you spending in prayer, asking God to give you wisdom and understanding? What would it be like to be known as a person of intense and consistent prayer?
- James stands up and basically says, "Experience is great, but God's Word, His direct revelation is better!" He then quotes from Amos and alludes to Jeremiah and Isaiah. The same is true now... experience is great, but nothing trumps Scripture. God's word always overrides our experiences. James, Peter, Paul... all these guys are theologians! They knew Scripture because they studied it and revered it. Would you say you have a hunger for Scripture? How much time do you spend reading and studying it? How might your life look different if you dedicated it to the study of God's Word?
Prayer Topics:
- That you would be known as a person of prayer.
- That you would develop a hunger for God's Word.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
3. Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? Since “all have sinned” and the “wages of sin is death,” Jesus had to die on the cross to pay the fine for my sin so I could be right with God.
(Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:21-23, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:1-6; Colossians 1:13-14, 21-22)
(Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:21-23, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:1-6; Colossians 1:13-14, 21-22)
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