When conflict is not handled well in a church, it rarely goes away on its own; instead, it tends to fester, can lead to broken relationships, disunity, and significant spiritual, emotional, and community damage. Gossip spreads, trust is eroded, and the church's witness to the community is severely damaged.
In our text today, the "honeymoon" stage of the early church is over, due to time, numerical growth, increased needs, and the challenge of uniting diverse people groups.
Yet as is the case in our text, God will often use our conflict to refine our character, clarify vision, teach humility, and strengthen the people's unity by maturing people as authentic communicators and having people step up and share responsibility for the health of the community.
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