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Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah
James also uses the term "synagogue". This is a word that refers to a building where a Jewish congregation meets for religious worship. All this indicates is that the Lord has given him the gospel for the circumcision, just as He gave Paul the gospel to the uncircumcision. The New Testament opens the gospel to the gentiles, that does not mean that it closes the gospel on the Jews.
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Originally Posted by Witness Lee
I have consulted some good books on the Epistle of James. But in the comments on James, none of these books refers to Acts 21. Therefore, I wish to emphasize the fact that if we would have a balanced view of James, we need to consider his Epistle against the background of Acts 21. When we read this chapter, we can understand why James addressed his Epistle to the twelve tribes and also why in chapter two he uses the term "synagogue." The fact that James speaks of the twelve tribes and the synagogue indicates that he had mixed the things of Judaism with the matters of the Christian life according to God's New Testament economy. James' own word points to such a mixture.
Witness Lee, Life-Study of James, Message 5
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Witness Lee urges his audience to consider James against a background of Acts 21. I would like to urge LC members to consider WL’s above statement against a background of Acts 19, particularly verse 8:
And he [Paul] went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God.
In WL’s mind, for James to mention the word
synagogue is indicative of ‘mixture’, but the fact that Paul remained in a synagogue for three months does not indicate any ‘mixture’ whatsoever in the mind of WL. The fact is, WL was intent on discrediting James, and it seems to be for the reasons that
ZNPaaneah has mentioned.