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Podcast Episode

Who’s In?

God wants people from all nations to be a part of his family, but Jesus’ mission was focused on Israel. So how did the Gospel message move out from Israel to the rest of the world? Join Tim and Jon as they unpack the arrival of the Spirit and Jesus’ commissioning of his disciples.

Episode 7
52m
Jan 11, 2021
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Show Notes
Episodes

QUOTE

There will be moments when God’s people are tempted to identify the family of God with a particular national or ethnic family. And the moment that happens we need to be very careful that we’re not mistaking our kingdom for God’s, or “my tribe” for God’s tribe, and to be open to when the Holy Spirit wants to blow the doors on that. And often that will happen by God doing surprising things among people that I wouldn’t have thought that he would show up and do a work in.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • After they receive the Holy Spirit, the disciples’ message of Jesus’ Kingdom unites the nations.
  • Based on the work of the Spirit, the apostles conclude that the nations do not have to be circumcised to become a part of the family of Abraham.
  • The Spirit challenges the preconceptions of the apostles regarding circumcision, and this is also the Spirit’s role among followers of Jesus today––to challenge our accepted notions and bring us into a clearer knowledge of God and his family.

Expanding God’s Family

In part one (0:00–15:30), Tim and Jon begin their discussion on the book of Acts, as the Holy Spirit expands the family of Abraham by bringing in members of other nations.

In the opening of Acts, Jesus commissions his disciples to take the message of his Kingdom first to the tribes of Israel and then to the nations, promising that they will be empowered by his Spirit (Acts 1:1-8).

The fulfillment of Jesus’ promise takes place 49 days later at Pentecost, a gathering of Jewish pilgrims from surrounding nations. As the disciples pray together, the Holy Spirit comes to them in wind and fire—an echo of temple imagery (Acts 2:1-4).

After they receive the Holy Spirit, whenever the disciples share about the “mighty deeds of God,” the people of the nations unite.

Acts 2:5-11
Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. They were amazed and astonished, saying, “Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.”

There are fifteen geographical locations mentioned in this passage, spanning the entire circle of the compass. The rest of the book of Acts documents the disciples taking the story of Jesus to the Samaritans and to non-Israelites.

Peter Dreams of the Gospel for All Nations

In part two (15:30–28:30), Tim and Jon discuss how the Spirit includes non-Jewish people into the family of Abraham, starting with the Roman centurion Cornelius.

In Acts 10, Peter has a dream in which the Lord commands him to eat animals previously deemed ritually impure. In response to Peter’s objections, the Lord says, “What God has made pure, no longer consider unholy” (Acts 10:15). God reverses his pronouncement of certain animals as unclean, declaring that Jewish customs are no longer the means to determine who is part of the family of God.

Peter shares the story of Jesus with Cornelius and his household, who then believe in Jesus and are baptized into the family of God, marking the beginning of the inclusion of the nations into God’s family. This “inclusion of the nations” and the culture conflicts that follow lead to a climax in the Jerusalem Council.

The Jerusalem Council

In part three (28:30–35:50), Tim and Jon talk through the significance of the Jerusalem Council recounted in Acts 15.

Acts 15:1-20
Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be rescued.” And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brothers determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue. Therefore, being sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the nations, and were bringing great joy to all the brothers. When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the law of Moses.” The apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter. After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the nations would hear the word of the good news and believe. And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he also did to us; and he made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore, why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we are rescued through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.” All the people kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were relating what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. After they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, “Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first concerned himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for his name. With this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, “After these things I will return, And I will rebuild the tent of David which has fallen, And I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, So the rest of humanity may seek the Lord, [Greek anthrophos / Heb. אדם “Edom” or “Adam”] And all the nations who are called by my name,’ Says the Lord, who makes these things known from long ago” [Amos 9:11-12]. Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the nations, but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. “For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”

Acts shows us that the process of including non-Israelites into God’s family was far from straightforward. It unfolded as the apostles prayed and sought discernment from the Spirit.

The Spirit Challenges Preconceptions

In part three (35:50–end), Tim and Jon revisit the sign of circumcision, which God originally gave to Abraham for including the nations into his family.

By the time of the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15, circumcision is promoted as an ethnic signifier that shows allegiance to a specific family identity (Israel). Based on the work of the Spirit, the apostles conclude that the nations do not have to be circumcised to become a part of the family of Abraham through the Messiah.

Acts carries a powerful message for the church today. What appeared “clear” to Jews in the Scriptures had a different meaning in God’s plan for all people. When we remain open to the Spirit, we will have our preconceptions challenged.

Additional Resources
Interested in more? Check out Tim’s full library here.

Show Music

  • “Defender Instrumental” by Tents
  • Music by Chilldrone
  • “Anecdotes” by Makzo
  • “Cartilage” by Moby

Show produced by Dan Gummel. Show notes by Lindsey Ponder.

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Scripture References
Acts 2:1-4
Romans 14:6
Acts 1:6-8
Acts 2:36
Acts 15:1
Genesis 5:1-2
Acts 2:5-11
Acts 2:11
Acts 2:41
Acts 10:1-5
Acts 10:9-16
Acts 10:34-35
Acts 15:2
Acts 15:13-21
1 Corinthians 8:4
Acts 15:24-25

12 Episodes

Episode 12
Does the Church Supersede Israel?
How can the book of Ephesians contribute to conversations surrounding modern race and justice issues? Tim and Jon interview New Testament scholar Andrew Rillera and discuss Ephesians 2 and the unified, diverse family of God.
1hr 12m • Feb 15, 2021
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Episode 11
Reading While Black
From biblical deconstruction to the responsibility of Jesus followers in government and social justice, we’re looking at what the Bible has to say about some of society’s biggest questions today. Join Tim and Jon as they interview New Testament scholar Esau McCaulley, author of *Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope*.
52m • Feb 8, 2021
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Episode 10
Why Do Cain's Descendants Show Up After the Flood?
Thank you to our audience for your incredible questions. In this week's episode, we tackle questions like: Did Adam represent a male human? Where did Cain’s wife come from? And what is the relationship of the Church to Israel? Listen in to hear the team answer your questions.
1hr 1m • Feb 1, 2021
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Episode 9
One Family Once More
God’s plan has always been to bring all of humanity into one diverse and connected family. Jesus carried forward this mission in his teachings, calling God’s people to look past societal divisions and be unified in him. Join Tim and Jon in this week’s podcast episode as they look at the theme of unity in the New Testament.
1hr 5m • Jan 25, 2021
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Episode 8
The Powerful and Not Powerful
In the book of Romans, Paul talks about humanity being justified by faith, but what does this have to do with the family of God? In this episode, Tim and Jon look at Paul’s letter to the Romans and unpack what it looks like to unify a diverse group of people into one family.
1hr 6m • Jan 18, 2021
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Episode 7
Who’s In?
God wants people from all nations to be a part of his family, but Jesus’ mission was focused on Israel. So how did the Gospel message move out from Israel to the rest of the world? Join Tim and Jon as they unpack the arrival of the Spirit and Jesus’ commissioning of his disciples.
52m • Jan 11, 2021
Untitled
close
Episode 6
Jesus and the Gentiles
Who did Jesus come for? Throughout the Gospel accounts, Jesus is laser-focused on Israel. Yet his ministry and even his family tree include many non-Israelite people. In this week’s episode, join Tim and Jon for a look at the family of God in the life of Jesus.
1hr 2m • Jan 4, 2021
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Episode 5
Sibling Rivalry and Biblical Election
Why do God’s chosen people have just as many moral failings as anyone else in the Bible? In this week’s episode, Tim and Jon take a look at ancient sibling rivalries, divine election, and God’s determination to form a covenant people that will one day embrace and include all nations.
57m • Dec 21, 2020
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Episode 4
Abraham, the Immigrant, and Circumcision
What does divine election have to do with God’s blessing for all nations? In this week’s episode, we’re picking up the story of the family of God with Genesis 12-17, God’s calling of Abraham. Join Tim and Jon to see how God responds to Abraham and Sarah’s bad choices and turns them into something good for all people.
1hr 6m • Dec 14, 2020
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Episode 3
What’s So Bad About Babel?
What was so bad about the Tower of Babel? In this episode, Tim and Jon examine the cycle of division within the human race in Genesis 1-11, the violence that occurs when humans unite apart from God, and God’s plan to use one family to redeem all families in the end.
1hr 5m • Dec 7, 2020
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Episode 2
Our Collective Identity
What is God’s picture of an ideal humanity? In this podcast episode, Tim and Jon look at Genesis 1-2 and talk about how God makes one humanity, divides them, and purposes for them to be one again. And this oneness that God brings doesn't erase personal and cultural differences. Rather, it completes them.
56m • Nov 30, 2020
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Episode 1
God’s Global Family
Jesus unites his followers across cultural and ethnic lines as members of his global family. But that doesn’t mean cultural differences disappear. In fact, Jesus resurrects and glorifies what is unique and beautiful about every culture. In this episode, listen in as Tim and Jon discuss what it means to be part of the family of God.
1hr 1m • Nov 23, 2020
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