And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.13 After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me.14 Simeon [Simon] has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name.15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,
16 “‘After this I will return,
and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen;
I will rebuild its ruins,
and I will restore it,
17 that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord,
and all the Gentiles who are called by my name,
says the Lord, who makes these things18 known from of old.’19 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God,20 but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood.21 For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”
22 Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers,23 with the following letter: “The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings.24 Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions,25 it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.27 We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth.28 For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: 29 that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”
It was chained to a fence along the street. We were going home from a visit to a warehouse piano sale which we had visited though we had no business even thinking about buying a piano. Seminary finances were beyond tight. But there it was. Chained to a chain link fence! An old heavy upright piano. And there was a sign: “4 SALE.” I told Diane, “Let’s just see. Maybe it would be worth buying.” So we stopped. I played it, and it played. Not in tune. Not every note. But it played. Ivers and Pond pianos were good pianos in their day, I later learned, “But so was the old gray mare.”
We haggled, and I offered $25 for it with the promise of the seller that he would help deliver it to our apartment. Sold! And then the restoration began. New bridal straps. new key tops. New felt. A couple hammers repaired. But the complete restoration didn’t come for several years when my dad paid a piano tuner to recondition it properly. I’m not sure how much we got for it when we finally sold it – fully restored.
I thought of this as I read James’ message to the church in Jerusalem. He speaks of rebuilding the tent of David that had fallen and rebuilding its ruins so that those who seek the Lord – including the Gentiles – would find and worship the true God and be saved.
What a waste it would have been to have restored our piano only to have it sit in the living room untouched and unplayed. So too God’s kingdom. God’s glory is not self-serving. It is not an end in itself. God’s glory and the splendor of the church and the majesty of his name is for the sake of people he has called. And from our perspective, that’s all of us. For in Jesus we are all called to faith and salvation.
God’s intent from the beginning was to gather to himself a people who would enjoy the glory of his grace. To that we are all being restored. For we all need it. Whether it’s obvious as in the case of a repentant thief on the cross next to Jesus, or the humble man who will barely lift his eyes to heaven and pray, “God be merciful to me a sinner.” It could be the outwardly pious and faithful woman who prays the Lord’s Prayer earnestly – especially when she says, “Forgive us our trespasses…” It is the struggling addict who says, “God help me!” It is you or me whenever we draw near to God. We show ourselves to have been called out of darkness into the marvelous light of God’s grace and love.
We are being restored to offer our praises to God and declare his glory, and share his love for all people.
David Bahn - Reflections 
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