1. Question and Answer
Night

2. Matthew 23:23
[23] “Woe to you, scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe
mint and dill and cummin, and have
neglected the weightier provisions
of the law: justice and mercy and
faithfulness; but these are the
things you should have done
without neglecting the others.

3. Question and Answer Night
1) Is it wrong to use
materials in classes
or study by authors
who are known to
teach un-Scriptural
things?

4. Acts 17:28-29
[28] for in Him we live and move
and exist, as even some of your own
poets have said, ‘For we also are
His children.’ [29] “Being then
the children of God, we ought not
to think that the Divine Nature is
like gold or silver or stone, an
image formed by the art
and thought of man.

5. Titus 1:12-13
[12] One of themselves, a prophet
of their own, said, “Cretans are
always liars, evil beasts, lazy
gluttons.” [13] This testimony
is true. For this reason reprove
them severely so that they
may be sound in the faith,

6. Acts 17:11
[11] Now these were more noble-
minded than those in Thessalonica,
for they received the word with
great eagerness, examining the
Scriptures daily to see whether
these things were so.

7. Question and Answer Night
2) What is a
scriptural approach
to holidays
observed by the
denominational
world?

8. The Core Question (to me)
Is it OK (biblically)
for men to set aside
a day to remember
one aspect of
God’s blessings or
God’s word or
God’s story?

9. Esther 9:26-28
[26] Therefore they called these
days Purim after the name of Pur.
And because of the instructions in
this letter, both what they had seen
in this regard and what had
happened to them,

10. Esther 9:26-28
[27] the Jews established and made
a custom for themselves and for
their descendants and for all those
who allied themselves with them, so
that they would not fail to celebrate
these two days according to their
regulation and according to their
appointed time annually.

11. Esther 9:26-28
[28] So these days were to be
remembered and celebrated
throughout every generation,
every family, every province and
every city; and these days of Purim
were not to fail from among the
Jews, or their memory fade from
their descendants.

12. John 10:22-23
[22] At that time the Feast of the
Dedication took place at Jerusalem;
[23] it was winter, and Jesus was
walking in the temple in
the portico of Solomon.

13. Some Concerns to Avoid:
1) Don’t let tradition become
equated with God’s word.
2) Don’t let the observance
crowd out the true facts.
3) Don’t let the observance
crowd out what God has
asked us to observe.

14. Question and Answer Night
3) Is man made
with a natural
tendency to sin, or
a tendency to seek
a higher being?
Can these two go
together?

15. Romans 8:5-8
[5] Those who live according to the
sinful nature have their minds set
on what that nature desires; but
those who live in accordance with
the Spirit have their minds set
on what the Spirit desires.

16. Romans 8:5-8
[6] The mind of sinful man is death,
but the mind controlled by the Spirit
is life and peace; [7] the sinful
mind* is hostile to God. It does not
submit to God's law, nor can it do
so. [8] Those controlled by the sinful
nature cannot please God. (NIV)

17. Galatians 5:17
[17] For the sinful nature desires
what is contrary to the Spirit, and
the Spirit what is contrary to the
sinful nature. They are in conflict
with each other, so that you do not
do what you want.
(NIV)

18. 1 Corinthians 10:13
[13] No temptation has overtaken
you but such as is common to man;
and God is faithful, who will not
allow you to be tempted beyond
what you are able, but with the
temptation will provide the way of
escape also, so that you will be able
to endure it.

19. Ecclesiastes 3:11
[11] He has made everything
appropriate in its time. He has also
set eternity in their heart, yet so
that man will not find out the work
which God has done from the
beginning even to the end.

20. Romans 1:20
[20] For since the creation of
the world His invisible attributes,
His eternal power and divine
nature, have been clearly seen,
being understood through what
has been made, so that they
are without excuse.

21. Pulling Our Nature Together
1) We are both flesh and spirit.
2) Both have needs and desires that
must be pursued appropriately.
3) True spiritual choice defines us.
We are tempted to let physical
pleasures/desires direct our lives.
4) In Romans and Galatians, I
understand Paul to be discussing
the war of choice within us.

22. 2 Corinthians 4:18
[18] So we fix our eyes not on
what is seen, but on what is unseen.
For what is seen is temporary,
but what is unseen is eternal.

23. Question and Answer Night
4) Please discuss
the importance of
examining personal
motives driving
change in the
church.

24. Jude 3
[3] Beloved, while I was making
every effort to write you about our
common salvation, I felt the
necessity to write to you appealing
that you contend earnestly for
the faith which was once for all
handed down to the saints.

25. Some Pitfalls to Avoid:
1) Changing what God does not
want changed. (Jude 3, etc)
2) Refusing any change produces
stale, unmeaningful faith.
3) “Trend-chasing” change is
counterproductive long-term.
4) Change based on selfish
motives.

26. 2 Corinthians 13:5
[5] Test yourselves to see if you
are in the faith; examine yourselves!
Or do you not recognize this
about yourselves, that Jesus Christ
is in you—unless indeed you
fail the test?