Soft Hearts not Hard Feelings

Sometimes the smallest things, the most innocent of over sites can cause division. But there are also those times when something big is the culprit. Back in Jesus' day, it was important for society to take care of widows and orphans.

During this time, as the disciples were increasing in numbers by leaps and bounds, hard feelings developed among the Greek-speaking believers—“Hellenists”—toward the Hebrew-speaking believers because their widows were being discriminated against in the daily food lines. (Acts 6:1 MSG)
There was discord among these two factions of believers. The Hebraic Jews prided themselves on the fact that they had always lived in the land of the patriarchs and that they spoke the language of their fathers. On the other hand, the Hellenistic Jews from other parts of the world were jealous of the first group and made to feel like outsiders. While both groups were converted to Christianity, this strife was not automatically eliminated.

So, friends, choose seven men from among you whom everyone trusts, men full of the Holy Spirit and good sense, and we’ll assign them this task. (Acts 6:3 MSG)

As is usually the case, someone needed to name the problem and take action to rectify the situation. And the early church did just that with a wonderful example of godly wisdom and Christian unity they worked through the dispute.

The result? The Word of God prospered. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased dramatically. (Acts 6:7MSG)

Is there conflict or division in your house? Your workplace? Your church? It is time to name it and then to take action. There is enough going on in the world to cause us sleepless nights. Let's not allow strife in our Christian families or congregations to tear us apart.

Acts 6:1-7