Wednesday October 1 To the Twelve Tribes Scattered Abroad Read James 1:1; Acts 11:19–21; and 1 Peter 2:9, 10. Who are these “twelve tribes,” and how did they become so widely scattered? As we have seen, James wrote to believers. At first, the gospel work was focused in Jerusalem (Luke 24:47); but, as a result of persecution, which intensified after the stoning of Stephen, these believers were scattered, and the seed of the gospel was planted throughout the cities and surrounding regions of the Roman Empire. According to Acts 11, the gospel spread to the Gentiles quite early, beginning in Antioch; so, “the twelve tribes” probably refers to Christians as a whole. There do not seem to have been different congregations based on ethnicity, which is why the Jerusalem Council soon had to decide whether believing Gentiles should first become Jews by being circumcised (Acts 15:1–6) in order to become Christians. Read Acts 15:13–21. How does James address the problem the early church struggled with? A scriptural solution preserved a unified church: James cites Amos’s prophecy that Israel’s restoration and ultimate expansion would include Gentiles (Acts 15:16, 17), a decree that is based on Mosaic laws for foreign residents themselves (Leviticus 18–20). James addresses his readers as “the twelve tribes” to remind them of their identity as fellow heirs of the promise made to Abraham. Peter has a similar idea in mind when he describes Christians as a “holy nation” (1 Pet. 2:9; compare Exod. 19:5, 6), addressing also those “scattered” abroad (1 Pet. 1:1). The Greek word in both passages is diaspora, which normally referred to Jews living outside the geographical boundaries of Israel proper (see John 7:35). A church scattered abroad? Sounds like us, as Seventh-day Adventists. Despite the vast cultural, ethnic, and social differences among us, what unites Seventh-day Adventists in Christ as a distinctive Protestant movement?
Posted on: Wed, 01 Oct 2014 06:20:12 +0000
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