Jesus The Arguer.

Jesus at 12 stayed behind to argue with the teachers of the scriptures. Argue, a term negative in
our culture, a huge honor and right of passage in the Jewish community. A young man could not
argue scripture until his 13th birthday and so for much of his youth he was kept outside of one of
the most amazing events in a Jewish mans life.

We for 1500 years have divided in denominations around selected truths, completely in
disobedience to scripture.

1 Corinthians 1
10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the
same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together
in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my
brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. 12
Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and
I of Christ. 13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of
Paul?

The excuse or misuse of scripture to justify such action is “How can two walk together lest they
be agreed.” I have heard this scripture twisted to excuse division and to cut off fellowship as
the “leaders” opinions are questioned or disagreed with. We cause a far greater act of death
with separation than any disagreement could.

There is a wonderful rejuvenation of the Spirit coming back to Christianity whereby we agree
in spirit even when we disagree in doctrine or reason. Where we fellowship around hearts
surrendered to the Lordship of Christ pressing in to know God and reasoning one with another
on all areas of doctrine and practice.

The Jewish practice even today is for men to gather together and reason together to argue with
the intent to find truth. Not like it is in our “chirstian” culture where if a person does not agree he
is demonized, his intentions and motivations are judged evil and those who do not see our way
are stupid, wrong and to be rejected or ignored.

I live in a family where most profess to be christian, many of the men are in ministry and yet
they never talk about scripture or Christianity because the culture of rejection, silence and anger
prevails. Those who disagree are heretics or rebellious and it is said, “we can not have such
things in our congregations”.

I started a men’s argument night at my house, where we teach men how to argue correctly. This
time is one of the most amazing things you have ever seen. The level of excitement, passion
and friendship inspired by these meeting is even more than I anticipated. We begin by taking
some hard questions and some not so hard and presenting them one at a time, we teach how
to discuss and attack ideas not people. We assume all in the room are seekers of truth and it
amazes me how many people walk away with new thinking and their ideas of God and scripture
changed and grow. I learn something from every meeting and even when I go in sure I know the
answers, I am surprised how often I am wrong or learn a new way of seeing.

Sometimes, those who disagree leave closer than those who agree. the brotherhood and
fellowship is lively and defines a type of Christian fellowship most men would love. I hope that
all will learn this and it become a part of our culture again. How good and pleasant it is for men
to walk together in unity...