The 'people' God is calling out from the Gentiles are the body of Christ — the church, pictured as the bride of Christ.
Acts 15:14 records that God 'did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.' Les Feldick identifies this called-out people as the body of Christ, which is predominantly Gentile in nature and is also called the bride of Christ. He emphasizes that this is not a mass conversion but an individual calling of believers out of the Gentile masses.
Acts 15:14 — This is the foundational verse that directly names what God is doing: taking out of the Gentiles a people for His name.
Romans 9:25 — Shows that the formerly 'not my people' Gentiles are now called the people of God.
Romans 9:26 — Declares that those who were once 'not my people' shall be called 'the children of the living God.'
In Acts 15:14, James summarizes Peter's testimony: 'Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.' This is the clear biblical declaration that God is drawing out a particular people from the Gentile nations. Romans 9:25-26 applies the Old Testament language of 'not my people' to Gentiles who are now brought into relationship with God: 'As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.'
Les Feldick identifies the people God is calling out from the Gentiles as the body of Christ, which is also pictured as the bride of Christ. He emphasizes that this group is predominantly Gentile in nature and is not associated with Israel's prophetic program — the body of Christ is a distinct work of God begun after Israel rejected the Messiah. Les describes this calling out as an individual gathering, not a mass conversion. He contrasts Peter's message to Israel, where every one was expected to respond, with Paul's message to the Gentiles, where it is 'saving some' — a sampling out of the masses of the Gentile people. He connects this directly to Acts 15:14 and Romans 9:25-26, and he points to the phrase 'after this' to show that after God has called out this people, He will turn back to His covenant people Israel.
Les explains that when Peter preached to Israel, the expectation was that every one would respond. But when Paul goes to the Gentiles, it is 'saving some.' He describes this as a 'calling out of, you might say, a sampling out of the masses of the Gentile people.' God is taking individuals here and there, not the entire Gentile world.
Les teaches that Gentiles are brought into the body of Christ and are part of the bride. He uses the analogy of Isaac going out to meet Rebekah and taking her home: Christ will call the bride to Himself. Paul's words to the Corinthians, 'I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ,' show that the body of Christ is pictured as the bride of Christ.
Les emphasizes the words 'after this' in the Amos quotation in Acts 15. After God has called out a people for His name, He will turn back to His covenant people Israel. This is consistent with Roman 9-11, where after the Gentile calling is complete, God resumes His dealings with Israel.
Peter's Report at the Jerusalem Council
Les recounts Peter's testimony that God made choice among the Gentiles that they should hear the gospel and believe, setting the stage for the Jerusalem Council's conclusion.
God Calling Out a People for His Name
Les states that since Israel was set aside, God is now calling out of the Gentiles a people for His name, while noting that Gentiles are usually called His 'born ones.'
The Bride and the Groom
Les identifies the body of Christ as part of the bride who will be called to Christ, using Isaac's meeting Rebekah as an illustration.
The Gentile Bride in the Age of Grace
Les shows that the present age of grace is pictured as the calling out of a Gentile bride for God the Son.
Romans 9 and the Called-Out Gentiles
Les applies Romans 9:25-26 to the Gentiles, explaining that those who were never reckoned with God are now the people He has called out from among the Gentiles.
The Body of Christ Is Predominantly Gentile
Les emphasizes that the body of Christ is predominantly Gentile in nature and is not associated with Israel's prophetic program.
Paul's Espousal of the Body
Les quotes 2 Corinthians 11:2 to show that Paul presented the body of Christ as a chaste virgin espoused to Christ, confirming the bride imagery.
Taking Out a Sample From the Gentiles
Les explains that the church is being called out of the Gentile masses — this is 'saving some' rather than all, a sampling out of the Gentile peoples for His name.
Acts 15:14: Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.
This verse is the direct scriptural statement that God is taking a people out of the Gentiles for His name.
Romans 9:25: As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved.
Paul uses Hosea to show that Gentiles who were once not God's people are now being called His people.
Romans 9:26: And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.
This continues the declaration that the called-out Gentiles are now children of the living God.
2 Corinthians 11:2: For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
This verse uses the bride imagery that Les applies to the body of Christ.
Acts 15:16: After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:
The phrase 'after this' indicates that after the Gentile calling out, God will turn back to Israel.
Yes, Les identifies them as the body of Christ, pictured as a bride for Christ. Acts 15:14 says God is taking out of the Gentiles a people for His name, and Les teaches that this is the church.
No, Les says it is 'saving some' — a sampling out of the Gentile masses. Unlike Peter's message to Israel where every one had to respond, Paul's message to the Gentiles results in individuals being called out for His name.
Les points to the phrase 'after this' in the Amos quotation and explains that after the body of Christ is completed, God will turn back to His covenant people Israel.
Watch the Teaching: Why Is Israel Blind? The Mystery of Romans 11 Explained