Have you ever found yourself caught in the grind of religion or the ruts of life? Have you somehow lost that sense of wonder and awe that we serve a God who is able? Well, you may discover you share quite a bit in common with the people in this story from scripture.

Have you ever been in a high-pressure situation—maybe facing a tight deadline at work or having to make an unexpected, high-stakes decision? It’s often in those moments that we discover who we truly are.

Last week, we met Stephen, a leader in the Jerusalem church. He was chosen to help care for widows and preserve unity within the church. In Acts 6:8–7:60, Luke tells us more of Stephen’s story. Like other church leaders of his day, he is falsely accused, arrested, and put on trial. When questioned, he courageously stands firm in his convictions, even though doing so only intensifies the danger around him.

The situation escalates quickly, and a furious mob stones Stephen. Talk about a high-pressure moment.

Conflict happens. It is a part of all human relationships. Thriving marriages, booming businesses, and close friendships all experience conflict. Churches aren’t any different.

In Acts 6:1–7, we see the first recorded church conflict. And no—it wasn’t about the color of the carpet or whether deviled eggs are appropriate for a church fellowship meal.

So what happened?

The church had been generously giving to meet needs, including providing food for widows. But a problem arose: the Greek-speaking widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food, while the Aramaic-speaking widows were receiving their food. What seems like a simple oversight that could easily be remedied began to grow into a much larger issue.

How did the early church respond? And what can we learn from their example about handling conflict within the body of Christ?

Over the past few weeks in our study of the book of Acts, we’ve seen how the early church practiced radical generosity. This week brought two pressing areas of need to the forefront—one global and one local. This is a great opportunity for our church to follow the example set in Acts and respond with generosity.

Global Need:

Hurricane Melissa has caused devastating damage across the Caribbean, particularly in Jamaica, Cuba, and Haiti. Our partners at Send Relief are responding by providing power generators, meals, clothing, and temporary shelter. There is an urgent need for 1,000 water filters, and we can help meet that goal.

A gift of $25 to Send Relief supplies one water filter. Would you consider serving our global neighbors by helping provide clean water?

You can give here, just be sure Send Relief is selected in the dropdown.

Local Need:

Many of our neighbors will soon be impacted by the suspension of SNAP benefits. We’ve reached out to our partners at Storehouse Ministries, Dowell Elementary, and Cheatham Hill Elementary to identify how we can best serve. We’ll keep you updated as specific needs arise, but for now, Storehouse has a critical need for peanut butter.

We’re asking every family, college student, young adult, and senior adult to bring at least one jar of peanut butter this week to help meet that need.

In the book of Acts we see the early church explode onto the scene. There were powerful sermons, miracles, and life transformations taking place daily. But what marked the early church wasn’t just their preaching or miracles — it was their radical generosity.

As we continue through Acts, we’ll look at how the gospel didn’t just change what believers gave, but who they were. Join us as Pastor Mike teaches from Acts 4:32–36 on how Gospel Generosity transforms hearts, builds unity, and points the world to Jesus.

This Sunday, we’re thrilled to welcome our friend Abner Ruiz from Comunidad de Fe, who will be preaching from Acts 4:23–31. After facing opposition, the disciples didn’t retreat—they prayed. What happened next changed everything. Together, we’ll discover how prayer ignites boldness in the Church today.

We’re especially excited to worship alongside our friends from Comunidad de Fe and experience a glimpse of the scene described in Revelation 7—

“from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb… crying out with a loud voice,

‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’”

If you’ve never joined us for a joint service with Comunidad de Fe, you’re in for a treat. You’ll experience worship in both English and Spanish, Abner preaching in Spanish with his wife, Jessica, translating into English, and a joyful picture of the global Church—a diverse family of believers lifting high the name of Jesus together.

We're continuing our study in Acts 4:1–22, exploring how the early disciples responded to opposition.

Join us as we continue to walk through Acts