The Birth of the Church: Week 8
Acts chapter 6 begins with the church growing and prospering but quickly descends into a cultural dispute. The tensions between two different cultural groups in the church threaten to disrupt the peace and unity they have experience so far. Through wise and discerning leadership, the early church navigated this challenge and in so doing left us a model to follow. We all tend to drift toward our own culture and language but in the church we are thrust into a common community. The church today faces similar challenges of cultural diversity along with misperceptions and unmet expectations as those faced by the early church. The section ends in the same way it began with the church growing and advancing. May it be the same in our day too as we navigate the challenges of cultural differences.