At the end of Acts 2, life looks exciting for what had only recently been a tiny band of Jesus-followers. Days before, they were fewer than 200. Now they number thousands. What has happened is more than a social phenomenon. God has poured out his Spirit, and the miracles prove it. A new communal order has set in. People are turning from sin, caring for the poor, and meeting daily for fellowship and prayer. It feels like a spiritual revolution.

But hop ahead six chapters, only months later, and the picture radically changes. No longer is the Jerusalem church bursting at the seams and enjoying the favor of all people. Instead, most of the believers are on the run. The full force of the Jewish establishment is now after the believers, and other difficulties are cropping up. Hypocrisy among church members, conflict over inequality, and opportunistic power grabs all plague the early Christian movement. Has God’s work turned out to be a great disappointment? It started strong, but will it last?

If you look further ahead and read about the churches planted in Corinth, Rome, and Philippi, it becomes clear that God is at work amid the New Testament church’s early suffering and setbacks. God uses those early tests to send the gospel to the nations. The same is true for us.

Like the Acts church, today’s churches experience problems that come with growth, but God uses our struggles to build maturity and accomplish his mission to the world. Here are four problems the early church faced, with reflections on what we can learn from their endurance.

1. Hypocrisy (Acts 5:1–11)

In Acts 4:32–37, Luke reports how the Jerusalem church was flourishing. People were following Christ in radical ways that included donating their wealth to those in need. Men like Barnabas demonstrated great faith in this way, and he gained the church’s respect. Then Barnabas’s faith inspired imitators. Ananias and Sapphira wanted the same acclaim but without the sacrifice. Their corruption earned them God’s sudden judgment, and “great fear came upon . . .  all who heard” (5:11).

Growing churches often attract people more concerned with social perks and their reputations than with pleasing God. When the Spirit exposes false motives, churches have the opportunity to purify themselves. This means being willing to challenge sin and discipline members when necessary. Doing so can be daunting, especially if it causes others to leave. In the short term, this may make our churches seem less successful. But the Spirit honors such faithfulness. We must remember that while people are satisfied by outward appearances, God wants churches wholly devoted to him.

2. Inequality (Acts 6:1–7)

Pentecost didn’t automatically eradicate cultural biases. As the church grew, they incorporated groups of people who wouldn’t normally care for each other. It shouldn’t surprise us that this resulted in conflict over the uneven distribution of resources. Acts doesn’t tell us to what degree the neglect of the Hellenistic widows was intentional. But we know from other narratives (e.g., Acts 10) that there were tensions between the Jewish and Greek-speaking communities.

While people are satisfied by outward appearances, God wants churches wholly devoted to him.

The Twelve could’ve ignored this problem and allowed bitterness to fester. They could’ve picked a side and let things escalate. Instead, they appointed a diverse group of mature leaders to ensure the church’s benevolence was handled fairly. The people were happy with this solution, and it led to the church’s further growth.

Similarly, today’s churches often reflect our larger society’s cultural blind spots. I pastored a church in the Midwest during the tensions surrounding George Floyd’s death. Depending on their background, our members experienced that period of upheaval differently, and conflicts ensued. But after we gathered mature members with different perspectives, Christ helped us to reconcile and preserve unity. He gave us the power to address even these complex problems with fresh vision. Pursuing unity isn’t always easy, but God blesses it.

3. Opposition (Acts 8:1–3)

You can’t start a revolution and expect zero flak. Jesus repeatedly warned his followers about persecution (Matt. 5:11–12; John 15:20). It was only a matter of time before the establishment put a target on the backs of people in this rapidly expanding movement. It makes sense. How would you feel if a brand-new religious group came to town and swept up your sons and daughters? Add to this Satanic attack, and the persecution the early church faced isn’t surprising.

While they’d already faced some conflict, Stephen’s murder upped the ante, and the church scattered. Before long, the gospel was chugging through Samaria and into communities all around Judea. God flipped this tragedy to send his people to places they otherwise wouldn’t have gone.

What does this teach us? If enemies arise to oppose the church, or skeptics slam doors in our faces, we shouldn’t assume failure. If we’re faithful and we persevere like the early Christians did, we may find God is redirecting our efforts in line with his purposes. In Acts, he even turns the church’s chief antagonist into a Christian champion (9:1–19).

4. Opportunism (Acts 8:9–25)

In Acts 8:9–25, God was working mightily through Peter and John. But when they arrived in Samaria, opportunists quickly emerged, hoping they could benefit from the apostles’ power. Simon the sorcerer, a local influencer, believed in Jesus but misunderstood the nature of authority in God’s kingdom. He wrongly thought that Peter and John could control and sell the Spirit’s gifts. When Peter confronts him, Simon appears to repent, and once again, the church is saved from what could’ve derailed its mission.

If enemies arise to oppose the church, or skeptics slam doors in our faces, we shouldn’t assume failure.

Many today associate pastoring with narcissism and corruption. As a result, fewer young people want to be church leaders. We can turn this trend in part by denying influence to people who lack proven character, trusting the Spirit to raise godly leaders he’s empowered to carry the church forward.

Problems in our churches are inevitable. We should never advertise our communities as perfect. But we must also have faith and courage to see through the problems to what God may do in them. God used the early church’s challenges to guard them against turning inward and help them grow in maturity. The difficulties were exactly what they needed. By God’s grace, the same will be true for your growing community.