In Acts 15:1–41 there is an interesting debate that takes place in the early church. The question is whether or not Christian believers from a Greek background ought to be circumcised. Some said yes, others said no, and thus the first church meeting was called in Jerusalem to resolve the matter. With regards to Amos, what is interesting from that debate in Jerusalem is the fact that James quotes Amos 9:11–12 in order to argue that it has always been God’s plan to gather his elect from all the nations. The large numbers of Greek believers in the early church was proof of God’s Spirit working to accomplish God’s plans. As a result we must not burden these new believers with practices from the old covenant, practices like circumcision. It is unnecessary and God does not require it of them. The apostle Paul would later go on to explain that this was because baptism has replaced circumcision as the sign of belonging to God’s covenant people (Colossians 2:11–12), but the gist of the matter is simply that God is working to fill his church with people from all the nations.
11 “In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old,