I N D E X
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`Therefore thou shalt have none that shall cast a cord by lot in the church of the Lord' (Micah 2:5).
It is interesting to note that Hebrews 2:12 quotes the Septuagint version of Psalm 22:22. The Psalm reads:
`I will declare Thy Name unto My brethren; in the midst of the congregation will I praise Thee'.
The quotation in Hebrews reads:
`... I will declare Thy Name unto My brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto Thee' (2:12).
It is a mistake therefore to limit the word `church' to the Body of Christ as is so often done. In the Scriptural sense
there is more than one church in the Bible, though there is only One Body: and that is the church ministered to by the
Apostle Paul (Col. 1:23-25).
The usage of the word `church' in the Old Testament must be borne in mind when considering Matthew 16:18
and the Lord's statement `that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church ...'. The only church Peter
would have understood from these words would have been those from his own nation, and if the Lord had meant the
church which was later to be revealed in Ephesians and Colossians, then an explanation and corrective on His part
would surely have been necessary, but such a corrective was not given by Him.
The nation of Israel was a church in the Biblical sense of the word, a called-out company of people, and so
Stephen designates it as `the church in the wilderness' (Acts 7:38). This nation and specially the generation to which
the Lord came in the flesh, was judged repeatedly as being `wicked and adulterous' by Him. But there had always
been a faithful remnant right throughout its history and there was such in the Lord's lifetime and in the Acts period
that followed. The Lord was building another church of Israel and this is the argument in Romans 11 `Hath God
cast away His people?' the Apostle asks and the answer is decidedly no `God hath not cast away His people (Israel)'
(verse 2). The Apostle then refers to their past history of failure. Even in the black period of Elijah's day, God had
reserved to Himself 7000 men who had not bowed the knee to the image of Baal (verse 4). The conclusion is:
`Even so then at this present time also (that of the Roman epistle) there is a remnant according to the election of
grace' (verse 5).
This company was certainly a church in the Biblical sense and this remnant is therefore the Scriptural title of the
Pentecostal church. It would be much better and safer if we kept to it, instead of applying titles of our own. This
`called-out company' was predominantly from Israel, but during the Acts, the Lord's purpose widened to include
Gentile believers. Why did He do this? Many would say because He was calling out and building up the Body of
Christ. But this is not the reason Scripture gives. And to this most important point we now turn our attention.
The Reason for the Admission of the Gentiles during the Acts
While God had been concentrating His attention upon Israel in the Old Testament and also through the earthly
ministry of the Lord Jesus, the Gentile had not been forgotten. Even at the first, God revealed to Abraham that His
plan was not restricted to Israel, but rather through them all families of the earth would finally be blessed (Gen. 12).
This being so, Gentile blessing was never secret or hidden, as the calling of the Body of Christ was, so that God, in
bringing the Gentile believer into blessing during the Acts, was not going outside His revealed purpose. But He was
doing it `before the time' as it were.
His normal design was to use a saved and prepared Israel to reach the nations of the world. However, during the
period covered by the Acts of the Apostles He was saving Gentiles and `grafting' them into the stock of Israel with
an express purpose:
`I say then, Have they (Israel) stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation
is come unto the Gentiles, for (in order) to provoke them (Israel) to jealousy' (Rom. 11:11).
`... Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a
foolish nation I will anger you' (Rom. 10:19).
Here then is the divine reason given for Gentile salvation and blessing at this time, namely to stir up the nation of
Israel to fruitfulness instead of sinking into unbelief and rejection of Christ. But how often is this reason given