It happens in dating, and it happens in friendships and marriage.
You meet someone, and—for a while—this individual seems flawless. Sometimes it takes a few months, other times it only takes a few minutes—but, eventually, it happens. It becomes apparent that this person has issues. Chances are, they recognize the same truth about you.
It happens in churches too.
You think you’ve found the perfect community of faith, but then something happens and you realize, “This church has issues.”
The Early Church Had Issues Too
Part of what I enjoy most about the book of Acts is how the author Luke never pretends that the church doesn’t have issues. Sure, the first four chapters do seem to sail by like those first few dates with that person who seems like the partner of your dreams. But then two major donors to the church’s social ministry lie about their charitable giving record and, suddenly, it becomes painfully apparent that the first Christians had some serious issues.
In this sermon, I invite you to take an unflinching look at these issues in the early church and to explore how Christians can more effectively face crises in churches today.
Discuss in the Comments:
Listen to this message that I shared at the East congregation of Sojourn Community Church. What did you learn about the account of Ananias and Sapphira that hadn’t occurred to you before? How can these truths help you to deal more effectively with difficult issues in your church? What will you do differently as a result of hearing this message?