Division or Multiplication

The early church hits an incredibly dangerous crisis moment, as the community is in danger of fracturing over the cultural and political fault lines of their times. The issue showed up in the way the early church cared for widows left destitute by crisis and heartache. It seems that the Hebrew-speaking Jews, who would have aligned more with the anti-Roman view of the day, were being served, while the Greek-speaking women, who would have been more sympathetic with Hellenism, were being left out. The potential for political rivalry and division is significant. But the apostles step in and lead the people in a solution that actually empowers the Hellenistic Jews and puts them into leadership, preserves the unity of the church, assures the pastoral care of those who are hurting, and maintains the focus on the mission of the Gospel. As a result, we end up with what many believe are the first deacons in the Bible and the outcome is that the church continues to multiply.