Conflict and the Gospel

One of the things that has stood out during our studies of the book of Acts has been the way God works unesxpectedly. We repeatedly see the numbers of the young fellowship grow after unusual and sometimes intense events. Ananias and Sapphira drop dead? The numbers increase. Grecian and Hebraic Jews come into conflict over the care of widows? The Gospel spreads. It is this account specifically that moved the Wayne State felloship this week.
As we examined the passage we talked about conflicts and the Godly was to approach them. "What kind of approach do you usually take to conflict?" we asked each other. I sometimes find myself assuming conflict is a sign of failure. I see it as a message that I didn't handle a situation well enough to avoid a disagreement. That's not the message we see in Acts 6. God is and moves in positive conflict resolution. Depending on the situation this can look differently, but that's how God works. Evidence of His work and existence isn't in a lack of conflict amongst His people, but among the way His people resolve conflicts.
We also asked ourselves where we see conflictr in our fellowship. Dynamics between different ethnic groups was suggested as one of the largest hurdles we face. To address that issue, we've begun a number of discussions and altered our large group schedule as we work to resolve the issue. Please continue to pray for God's work to be evident in all of this.