Nipate
Forum => Controversial => Topic started by: GeeMail on October 02, 2014, 09:21:30 AM
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To the Twelve Tribes Scattered Abroad
http://www.absg.adventist.org/2014/4Q/TE/PDFs/ETQ414_01.pdf
Posted on September 30, 2014 by Sabbath School Lesson
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 (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?
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James and Jesus
http://www.absg.adventist.org/2014/4Q/TE/PDFs/ETQ414_01.pdf
James had the opportunity to observe Jesus when He was a child,
a youth, and an adult. Then, at some point, James not only believed
in Jesus as the Messiah but became a leader of the Christians in
Jerusalem. And yet, James calls himself not a brother but a “bondservant”
(James 1:1, NKJV) of Jesus. Clearly, James learned humility and
true wisdom. Not surprisingly, these are also important themes of this
letter (see James 1:9–11, 21; 3:13–18; 4:6–10).
Compare the following passages and summarize what they have in
common:
James 1:22 with Matt. 7:24–27
James 3:12 with Matt. 7:16
James 4:12 with Matt. 7:1
The affinity the letter of James has with the teachings of Jesus and
particularly the Sermon on the Mount has been widely recognized.
“Jesus’ pervasive influence underlies the whole of James’s teaching.”
—Peter H. Davids, The Epistle of James (Grand Rapids, Mich.:
Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1982), p. 50.
From a close comparison of James with the Gospels, it appears that
this letter is not dependent on any of them. Rather, James writes from
an intimate and personal acquaintance with the teachings of Jesus, who
always inspired His listeners to faith and challenged them to exercise it.
As we study the book of James this quarter, we will find a very
similar approach. James is not content with a weak, fruitless, or vacillating faith. As we will see next week, faith dominates the early part of the book, and James shows how this crucial quality undergirds a vital relationship with Christ.
Dwell on the quality and reality of your own faith. How real is it?
How deep does it go? How does it enable you to live the Christian
life? What things could you do, and what choices could you make,
that could help improve the quality and depth of your faith?