Disputatious

Anne Rice is a well known American author of Gothic fiction....most notably about vampires.    She left the faith at 18 and pursued a career in writing, becoming extremely successful.  In the late 90's, she came back to her faith and began writing novels in a new genre reflecting the transformation that was taking place in her life.  By her own admission, she changed from a pessimistic atheist to an optimistic, devoted follower of Jesus.

Ten years later, she quit.

"Today," she said, "I quit being a Christian.  I'm out.  I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being a Christian or being part of Christianity.  It's simply impossible for me to "belong" to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious and deservedly infamous group.  For ten years I've tried.  I've failed.  I'm an outsider."

For those who don't use "disputatious" in their daily conversations, it means aggressive, argumentative, confrontational, contentious, discordant, feisty, combative.

Know any Christians like this?

Paul must have seen this tendency because in Ephesians 4 he admonishs believers "to walk worthy of the calling you received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, accepting one another, diligently keeping the unity of the spirit with the peace that binds us."

Then he gives them essential truth in one statement.

"There is one body and one Spirit...just as you were called to one hope at your calling...one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all." This is what you stake your faith on.  Everything else is a  minor difference.

So who determines how important the minor things are...what do we classify as petty?  What if we think it's  a big deal?

The finance committee meets.  The church has grown rapidly and new space is desperately needed.  Half the group says the church needs to "step out in faith and just build a building.  God will provide."  The other half says, "Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong.  We need to have the money in hand.  God does not honor debt.  We can just as easily raise money before we build as pay for it after...with interest."  They adjourn without a meeting of the minds.  All go home.  All call a friend or two or ...ten.

Interesting that probably not one of them calls a friend to see if they are interpreting scripture right.  "Have I just always thought this and there's no basis in scripture?  Would you please pray with me about this?  I may be wrong."

Nope...we all want affirmation.  I call people who will agree with me. "You are exactly right.  Of course we don't need any more debt."  Over the next few days, because it was such a heated meeting, I've talked to a whole bunch of people who agree with me.  Why wouldn't they?  And the Pay As You Go people have talked to a whole bunch of people who agree with them.  Now we have a big ole mess of disputatious people.

Yet Paul calls us to walk worthy of the calling we received which means...when we become disciples of Christ, our goal is to be just like Him.  It means that we are now filled with the Holy Spirit and as we walk, live out our daily lives, our lives reflect Him.

Because of His presence, our lives should be characterized by  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, self control.  Sound familiar? We should be producing fruit of the Spirit.   Paul said with "humility, gentleness and patience, accept one another."

Humility is I put your thing above my thing...I place myself under you because bottom line, I am responsible for diligently keeping the unity of the Spirit which is characterized by peace.    I am watchful, tuned in, focused on making this reality...above all.

Because there is only one calling...one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all, there is only one model of a disciple of Christ.  He is a man of peace...characterized by humility, gentleness and patience.  That's his one goal is life...that is what he pursues.  He rejects anything that undermines that goal because the world is watching and He wants them to see Him ... in us.

Replay the finance committee.  There are two groups.....the Trust God, Build Now group vs the Save Now,  Build Later group.  Both are convinced they are absolutely right.  After two hours of discussion, they adjourn with no meeting of the minds but with an agreement to meet again in two weeks.  All go home and turn off their phones.  Over the next two weeks, nothing is said to anyone but God about what went on in that meeting.  All pray for God to speak to them through the Word and through prayer.

They  read.  They listen.  When they hear any song, any teaching, pick up any book, they are looking for a word from God to direct their financial deliberations.  They expect to hear from Him because He is the head of the church.

They come back together in two weeks.  The only agenda has been to seek God for one answer.  If the same Holy Spirit resides in all 12 members of this committee, He will say the same thing to all of them and they will not make a decision until He does.

Well.....real people aren't like that....real church committees don't really run that way.

Shouldn't they?  Does "they never have" make this admonition void?

Not only do we not disagree within the church, we blast anyone outside the church who disagrees with us.

Suppose I am working a new job and the person I seem to be thrown with the most is opposite me in just about every about every facet of my life.  We could not be more different.  One day while we're restocking the operating room, we begin to discuss abortion.  Opposites.  In fact we're polar opposite.  Neither budges.  Do I walk away in disgust?  Am I disparaging, condescending, contentious, combative?  Or does she walk away knowing she has come in contact with a quality of love that she had never seen in a person she so vigorously disagreed with.

What would draw us together and this lady into a relationship with Jesus...agreement on the issue, me "winning" the debate or seeing His love in action?

Jesus told the disciples, "By this will all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."  John 13:35  This one thing will characterize My influence, My presence...that you love one another.  That's it.

And love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self seeking , it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."  It is not disputatious.

We give God far too little credit for being able to change people's minds on issues. He is in no rush, we are.  Time and the Word seems to resolve issues every time and usually without our help.

All He told us to do is love.