Growth led to tensions. And it was between people who came from different cultures and spoke different languages. One group felt they were being discriminated again. The issue was a heart one but also a systemic problem. The church needed to change because of the growth it had seen. Ministry had to be widened. The church needed to use people who were equally Spirit-filled as well as wise.
At times of stress, or change, old animosities can emerge. They need to be addressed. If they aren’t what makes us think we will be ready for what God has in store for us in the future. If the early church hadn’t solved this problem, they would never have been able to deal with the questions that would be raised when Gentiles accepted the gospel.
But because they could, the church continued to grow…. And that would lead to further challenges … and so it goes!
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