our daily bread

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Dexu Xia

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Feb 12, 2018, 3:46:44 AM2/12/18

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Fault Lines

They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. So the word of God spread. Acts 6:6–7

An influx of refugees to our community has led to new growth in area churches. That growth brings challenges. Church members must learn how to welcome these newcomers as they adjust to a strange culture, new language, and different worship styles. All this change can create some awkward situations.

Misunderstandings and disagreements occur everywhere we find people. Church is no exception. If we don’t handle our differences in a healthy way, they can harden into divisions.

The early church in Jerusalem was growing when a dispute arose that broke along a cultural fault line. The Greek-speaking Jews (the Hellenists) had a complaint against those Jews who spoke Aramaic. The Hellenist widows “were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food” (Acts 6:1). So the apostles said, “Choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom” (v. 3). The seven chosen all had Greek names (v. 5). In other words, they were Hellenists, members of the group being neglected. They best understood the problem. The apostles prayed over them and the church thrived (vv. 6–7).

Growth brings challenges, in part because it increases interactions across traditional barriers. But as we seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance, we’ll find creative solutions as potential problems turn into opportunities for more growth.

Father, help us to recognize the barriers that keep us from living in the unity You desire for Your church.

Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.

消除隔阂

叫他们站在使徒面前。使徒祷告了，就按手在他们头上。上帝的道兴旺起来。-使徒行传6章6-7节

有大批难民入住我们的社区，让社区的教会人数骤然增长，但也带来不少挑战。教会会友要学习如何接纳这些新成员，让他们适应陌生的文化、新的语言和不同的敬拜方式。这些新的变化都可能会带来一些不愉快。

无论在哪里，人与人之间都会有误解和分岐，就连教会也不例外。如果我们没有以适当的方式消除差异，可能会恶化成结党纷争。

在耶路撒冷的初代教会，信徒人数迅速增加，也因文化的隔阂而发生争执。讲希腊语的犹太人，抱怨讲亚兰语的希伯来人，说：“在天天的供给上忽略了他们的寡妇”（使徒行传6章1节）。所以，使徒说：“当从你们中间选出七个有好名声、被圣灵充满、智慧充足的人”（3节）。这七个人都有希腊名字（5节），换句话说，他们都是讲希腊语的信徒。因为他们是属于这被忽视的群体，所以最能体会这个群体面对的供给不足的问题。使徒为他们祷告，教会也兴旺起来（6-7节）。

成长会带来挑战，部分的原因是教会必须接受更多的差异，打破传统的隔阂。然而，若我们寻求圣灵的引导，就能以富有创意的方式，将潜在的危机转变为成长的契机。