First Church Controversy - Equity

The first great controversy in the early church was over making sure all people were treated fairly and equitably.

This led to the first appointment of official servants whose job was to administer ministry (service) and this, in turn, led to the first martyrdom, Stephen.

It was a season of firsts. The last become first and the first become last.

Read about it in Acts 6:1-15

“When the need to be cared for is dishonored, threatened, or undermined, the individual cannot experience his own self as a unity and his life may become deeply fragmented and splintered. In its extreme form, the disturbance upsets the balance of the mind so that a man gradually loses his sense of identity.” - Howard Thurman, The Discipline of Reconciliation