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At a time when we cannot meet together as previously—when we cannot sing together, take communion together, serve alongside each other, eat together, or hug one another as we share in each other’s joys and sorrows—what does it mean to be a church community? Our current context is forcing us to reimagine what it means to follow Jesus together—but this process of reimagining is not unique to our present time. The church has been constantly evolving. Through this series, we will look at how the radically diverse community that Jesus formed struggled with practical needs, ethnic tensions, and the unpredictability of the Spirit. We will examine the desire for order and the dangerous allure of power and control. And we will ask ourselves how we can remain resolutely committed to the way of Jesus as a prophetic, united community that overcomes physical separation and embraces demographic, personal and political diversity. In this third week, we look at how conflict was variously addressed in the early church--through dialogue, compromise, taking a stand and respectfully parting ways.

Related Topics: acceptance, authenticity, commitment, community, conflict, inclusion, integrity, perseverance, social justice, unity | More Messages from Matthew Dyer | Download Audio

From Series: "Reimagining Church"

At a time when we cannot meet together as previously—when we cannot sing together, take communion together, serve alongside each other, eat together, or hug one another as we share in each others’ joys and sorrows—what does it mean to be a church community? Our current context is forcing us to reimagine what it means to follow Jesus together—but this process of reimagining is not unique to our present time. The church has been constantly evolving. Through this series, we will look at how the radically diverse community that Jesus formed struggled with practical needs, ethnic tensions, and the unpredictability of the Spirit. We will examine the desire for order and control, and the dangerous allure of power to achieve it. We will ask ourselves how we can remain resolutely committed to the way of Jesus as a prophetic, united community that overcomes physical separation and embraces demographic, personal and political diversity.