Is the Majority’s Opinions,
Statements, Values, Morals,
Beliefs, Life-styles, etc. Necessarily Right?
Gen. 6:5-13 What did God see on the
earth regarding mankind (vss. 5, 11, 12)?
Were
there any exceptions? If
so, who?
And
what does God say about this person (vs. 9; 7:1)?
Was
the overwhelming majority of the world’s people right in action, morals, thinking,
etc.?
Do you ever think
that because the majority of people believe something, do something, or say
something, that it’s automatically right? Why?
Gen.
18:26-32; 19:1, 12-15 In Abraham’s last plea, he asked
God to spare His judgment upon Sodom if there were how many righteous people
found in the whole city?
Did
the two angels find this minimum number of righteous people so as to spare the
city?
Was
what the majority (in fact, all the city) wanted to do right (19:4-7)?
Does
what the majority of any group wants to do make that thing right? Why?
Who
seems to be the only righteous person/people in the city (2 Pet. 2:7)?
Gen. 37:5-11 What did Joseph’s brothers
and father think of Joseph’s dreams?
Did
they think that this kid’s dreams would come true (vss. 18-20)?
Was
the majority’s opinion about Joseph’s dreams correct (41:40-44; 43:28;
44:14; 47:1; 50:18)?
When God tells or
shows you from His Word, the Bible, what you are to do, become, believe, or say
in life, but no one else agrees with you, are you automatically wrong? Why?
Should you go along with the majority? Why?
Ex.
16:2-13 What did the whole congregation
of the Jews (numbering about 2 million) say (grumble against) as
to why Moses and Aaron brought them out of
Were
these two million people correct (
Was this nation’s accusations really against Moses and Aaron? If not, who was
their grumbling really against?
When God tells you to
do something (through the Bible) with other people, but these other
people (which may be millions) believe that your reasons are different
than what you stated, are they necessarily correct?
Does how many people
believe something or say something make that something
necessarily right, and why?
Ex. 23:2 Who
were the Jews not to follow, and in what weren’t they to follow them?
And who weren’t they to turn aside after to
pervert justice?
Do you ever follow what the crowd or majority does,
thinking that because so many people do it or think it that it must be right? If so, in
what?
What are some wrong
things that a lot of churches teach, believe, and/or do that are sinful or in
error?
Why do you think that
so many Christians do or believe them, if they are wrong?
Because the majority
of people seem to break the speed limit, cross the street on a “Do Not Walk”
light, or cheat on their income taxes, does that make any of these things right
to do? Why?
Ex. 32:1-10 What
did the people of
How many of the nation’s people
got involved in this action (vs. 3)?
Were
they right in doing this (vss. 7-10)?
What
did God think of their actions?
How
did Moses respond to Aaron’s going along with the majority’s opinion (vss.
21-25)?
What
did God think of Aaron’s following the majority’s opinion (Deut.
Has the fact that a
great number of people wanted to do something ever swayed you into doing that
thing, even though it was really wrong? If so, what, and why?
Does even an entire
nation’s opinion of something (if it is biblically wrong) make that
thing right, and why?
Num.
12:1-12 What did the majority
opinion of the top three leaders of
What
positions did Aaron (Ex. 28:1) and Miriam (Ex.
What
was God’s view of Aaron and Miriam’s opinion about Moses (vss. 6-9)?
What
did God do to Miriam to show her His disapproval of her idea (vs. 10)?
Just
because the majority of God’s religious leaders believe something to be true,
as in this case, does that make it right?
Has the majority of
religious or church leaders that you know ever thought that your views about
some spiritual or biblical issues were wrong, when really you were correct? If so, what issue(s)?
Though God probably
won’t make them leprous because they challenged your authority or disagreed
with your theology, what can you be assured of (2 Cor.
Num. 13:1-16, 25-33 What did God say He was going to give the sons of
What
type of person did God tell Moses to send out to spy out the land (vs. 2)?
What
was the majority’s decision (10 of the 12) as to what the Israelites
should do (vss. 31, 32)?
What
was Caleb’s decision (vs. 30)?
Whose
decision was right, and why (Deut.
Have you ever opposed
10 leaders in the midst of a mob/multitude of people listening in, because you
knew that you were right and they were wrong? How
did you know that you were right?
Have you ever had to
defend yourself against a group of ignorant or disobedient
Christian/religious/church leaders who didn’t believe in the fact that all
believers/Christians should be involved in aggressive/initiative evangelism (Acts
10:42, 43; Lk. 24:47; Acts 8:1, 4; 11:19-21; Lk. 9:60; Matt. 28:19, 20) and
in building up other believers spiritually (Rom. 14:19; 1 Thes. 5:11)?
If so, when, and what
happened?
Num. 14:1-12, 22-24 Over what issue did only four people stand against a couple
million people (Israelites) – vss. 4, 8?
How
did God view the overwhelming majority’s opinion (vss. 11, 12, 22, 23)?
How
did God view Caleb’s opinion (vs. 24)?
Are you of a
different spirit (following/obeying God) from the majority of people in
this country and the religious/church leaders of this nation that are living in
unbelief regarding the things that God has told them (e.g., Matt. 28:19, 20)?
What did God call the
nation of
What do you think God
will call the majority of Christians/churches in
Do you think Rev.
3:15-19 describes the majority of Christians/churches in
Num. 16:1-50 Who were the three ring-leaders of this rebellion against
Moses (vs. 1)?
[They were from the
tribe of Levi – the religious tribe. It’s interesting to note that today, as
well as back then, religious people seem to be the greatest opponents of truly
spiritual people and genuine, godly leadership.].
How
many leaders of
What
kind of leaders/men were they (vs. 2)?
And
what was this large group’s complaint or opinion (vs. 3)?
How
did Moses handle this uprising (vss. 4-7)?
What
did Moses say in confronting them (vss. 8-11)?
What
action did Korah take against Moses and Aaron (vs.
19)?
How
did God deal with Korah, Dathan,
and Abiram (vss. 31-33)?
And
with the 250 renown leaders?
Were all these
hundreds of renowned, religiously-affiliated leaders right in their opinion about
who’s holy and who shouldn’t exalt themselves above
the assembly? Why (vss.
39, 40)?
If you are a
spiritual leader raised up by God to lead a biblical ministry (e.g., an
evangelism and Christian training ministry) and other
religiously-affiliated leaders (even renown ones in their own field) try
to tell you how to run things contrary to your understanding of the Bible’s
teachings, should you comply? Why?
How did all the
religious public react to what happened to their leaders (vss. 41, 42)?
What was God’s view
of this majority (or unanimous) opinion (vss. 44, 45)?
Has the general,
religious public (or church) ever gone against you because you opposed
their leaders and created problems for their leaders? If so, what happened?
Num. 21:5-7 What
did the people (God’s people, the nation of
How
did God view this consensus of opinion?
Have you ever had
people (maybe those under you, if you are a spiritual leader) think that
you were doing them harm and so they spoke against you? Did they think that your teaching or
theology was harmful or wrong, or that your method of evangelism and/or
building up and training other believers was bad?
Judges
2:10-13, 16-19; 4:1; 10:5, 6 Do the majority of people seem
to get better morally generation after generation or worse?
How
fast did this new generation of people turn away from obeying God?
Who
would seem to temporarily stem the tide of corruption?
Were
there very many judges/godly people around at any one time (vss. 19; 3:9,
15; 4:4;
Were
the people wrong/disobedient even when godly judges ruled (vs. 17)?
Has it been your
observation that the majority of people still remain corrupt, though probably
restrained a good deal, even when a godly person rules or is in charge of a
nation, an organization, or a church, and why?
1 Kings
How many prophets of Baal were there?
[Elijah claimed that the Lord is God, while the
others, which were a majority (450 to 1), claimed that
Baal is God.].
Which
was right? How do you
know?
If you were one of
the Israelites in verse 21, who would you have thought was right, at that point
– the one prophet or the 450 prophets? Why?
Do majority opinions
usually persuade you in religious matters or theology? Why?
1 Kings
22:2-18 How many prophets told the
kings of
How many prophets told the two kings not to war
against
How did the king of
How did Zedekiah, the spokesman for the 400 prophets,
treat Micaiah (vss. 11, 12, 24)?
Who was right, the 400 or the one (vss. 34, 35)?
If you were either of the kings, who would you have
believed, and why?
How would you have felt if you were Micaiah, knowing
that you were right, yet being treated harshly, and why?
2 Kings 17:6-17 What does it say about this generation of people in the nation of
How
would you have felt if you were one of God’s prophets and the people did not
listen to you, and why?
Who
wasn’t part of this evil majority group (vs. 13)?
How
did the vast majority respond to the godly minority (vs. 14)?
If you’re a godly
follower of Christ today, how do the majority of people respond to you when you
confront them about their wrong ideas, actions, or attitudes?
2 Kings
23:21-25 How many kings of both
What
does this tell you about the majority of (in fact, all other) kings of
both
Are
you among the few godly people in this age? How
do you know?
2 Chron. 24:17-21 After the godly priest Jehoiada died, what majority group
did the king listen to and follow (vs. 17)?
Was this majority’s
suggestion right (vs. 18)?
Was Zechariah the
priest (a lone minority) right in his views (vs. 20), as he spoke
out to the people?
How was godly
Zechariah treated by the king and people of
How would you have
felt in the moments before being stoned, and why?
Why do you think that
God permits the godly minority to be treated in this way?
2
Chron. 30:6-10 How
did the people of
Was
the majority or minority right, and why?
Are you like so many
of the religious people or even Christians who have rejected God’s commands (e.g.,
to take the initiative to evangelize and to build up other believers
spiritually) and are now mocking those few Christians who are obeying God’s
commands? Why?
2 Chron. 36:11-16 Who were very unfaithful, following all the abominations of
the nations (vs. 14)?
How
did this majority treat God’s minority of messengers and prophets repeatedly,
generation after generation (vs. 16)?
Have you ever given
godly/spiritual/obedient Christians a hard time, making fun of them, teasing
them, or sarcastically cutting them down because of their obedience to God, His
commands, His purpose for their lives, and/or their biblical priorities?
If so, was it because
they made you feel guilty?
Was it because you
were disobedient to God’s commands, and instead living a comfortable,
convenient, churchy, Christian life, so that they made you feel guilty?
Or, have you been in
the obedient minority, mocked and criticized by the carnal, worldly,
disobedient, convenient-living majority of churchy Christians and/or religious
people around you?
Did they think you
were fanatical, over-board, crazy, or cultic? Why?
1 Sam. 8:4-8;
Who
did this displease? What
did God think of this majority’s unanimous desire for a king – vs. 7?
What
did God say that these elders were doing to Samuel – vs. 8?
Was
the elders’ (majority’s) decision right? Why?
1 Sam. 15:1-4, 20-24 Why did King Saul sin, disobeying the Lord through Samuel’s
words – vs. 24?
Were the majority of
people and king Saul right for sparing king Agag and bringing back the spoil
and animals to ‘sacrifice to the Lord?’ Why
(vss. 22, 23)?
If you’re a leader,
have you ever sinned by listening to your subordinate majority’s decision
rather than to what you knew God said? If
so, was it because you feared going against the majority’s wishes? Why?
Ezra
9:1-3, 7, 12 Who
had not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, according to their
abominations, and intermarried with non-Jewish people?
Who
were foremost in this unfaithfulness?
Was
the majority of both religious and political leaders
right in what they did? Why?
Who
was against this intermingling?
Can you imagine what
some of their rationalizing might have been (e.g., “Well, God gave me these
feelings for this girl or guy!”, or “I can convince my mate to accept Jehovah
and Judaism.”)? Or,
what other rationalizations?
Just because a lot of
religious people and/or leaders are doing something, does that make it right? Why?
Or, what makes
something right?
Have you ever
refrained from doing something that a lot of religious or Christian people
and/or leaders were doing?
If
so, what, and why?
Neh. 4:1, 2; 6:1, 14, 17-19 Who were
against Nehemiah and his desires to rebuild the walls of
Was
Nehemiah right in rebuilding the walls, or were the majority right in saying he
shouldn’t?
How
did Nehemiah know it was right to rebuild the walls (1:5, 8, 9)?
Did
others later on recognize that it was of God (
How
did the majority try to prevent Nehemiah from doing what was right (
Isn’t it interesting
that lots of religious leaders were trying to stop Nehemiah (
Have people (even
religious leaders) ever tried to stop you from doing the right thing –
God’s will?
If so, what did they
try to stop you from doing, and how?
How did you deal with
their attempts to stop you? Why?
Neh. 9:16, 26, 34 How
did the majority of Jews act throughout their history (vs. 16)?
How
did they treat the godly minority throughout their history, generally (vs.
26)?
Who
all was involved in this continual disobedience (vs. 34)?
Are
the majority of today’s political and religious leaders disobedient? Why do you say that?
Job 1:1, 8; 2:3 How does God
describe Job?
How
many of Job’s kind were on earth during this time?
Why
was Job suffering (1:9-12)?
Why
did Job’s three, so-called friends think that Job was suffering (4:7, 8;
8:2-6; 11:1-6, 14; 15:1-6; 18:1-7; 22:1-10)?
What
was Job’s response to this majority opinion (19:1-6; 27:1-4; 32:1)?
Why
did a fourth person think that Job was suffering (32:2; 34:6, 11; 35:8;
36:4)?
Who does God say is
right – the majority or Job (42:7, 8)?
Have
the majority or all of your
friends ever thought that you were wrong, when really you were right?
How did you feel
about them and the situation? Why?
How did you deal with
the situation? Why?
Psa. 37:12-15, 32 Who do
the wicked plot against and want to slay?
Have
you ever been plotted against or spied out? If
so, how did you feel, and what did you do?
Why?
Isa. 30:9-11 How
does God describe the nation of
Though
Do the religious
people you talk with refuse to listen to the Lord (especially regarding
initiative evangelism and building up believers spiritually as life’s purpose
for all Christians and as life’s priority, and the major way of loving God
through one’s obedience in this)?
Do they not want you
to say what is right (especially regarding evangelism, building up believers,
and priorities) but rather to speak pleasant words (about how nice they,
their preacher, or their church programs/activities are)?
Do you tell
religious, church people who claim to be Christians what they need to hear or
what they want to hear, and why?
Jer. 2:8, 13, 26-28; 32:32 Who all in
What
minority was in the right (
Who
is greedy, and who practices deceit (8:8-10)?
Who
was prophesying falsehood in the name of the Lord (
Do
you know of religious people today who say that they are speaking on God’s
behalf but in actuality are teaching falsehood?
If
so, who?
What did Pashhur the priest and chief officer of the Lord’s house do
to Jeremiah, and why (
How did Jeremiah feel
about being a minority (loner) even though he knew (1:4-10, 17-19)
that he was right (20:7-14)?
Jer. 23:9-17 What
does it say about the prophet and priest in
What did these
prophets (majority) do to the people of
Are
the majority of religious leaders that you know of (who claim to be
Christian) polluted and wicked in that they are disobedient to the Bible
and leading other Christians astray by telling them: that they don’t have to
initiate witnessing to the spiritually lost or to build up believers
spiritually the way Jesus and Paul did; that the spiritual gifts of speaking in
tongues, healings, and prophecy are still for today; that Christians are commanded
to tithe to the church; that people have a free will; or that people have to be
baptized to be forgiven for their sins?
Jer. 26:7-16 Who
wanted to put Jeremiah the prophet to death, and why (vss. 9, 11)?
The prophets of
Would
the religious people you meet prefer that you not talk/preach about sin, hell,
repentance, and judgment, but that you talk or preach about heaven, peace,
goodness, and tolerance? Why?
Jer. 27:9-18 Who wasn’t the king of
Whose
name were they prophesying in (vs. 15)?
What
did Jeremiah say to the priests and all the people (vs. 16)?
Who
was right, Jeremiah or all these prophets of
Jer. 28:1-17 Who
also, in the long line of prophets we have looked at thus far, was opposing
Jeremiah?
Whom
did Hananiah speak in the presence of (vs. 1)?
What
did Hananiah prophesy (vss. 3, 4)?
What
did Jeremiah say in the presence of the priests and all the people who were
standing in the Lord’s house (vs. 9)?
Who
was telling the truth, and why?
Who
did the people believe (vs. 15)? Why
do you think that the people believed him?
Who
would you have believed, and why?
Jer. 29:24-32 Who
did Shemaiah send letters to, and what did the letter say (vss. 25, 26)?
Was
Shemaiah right (vs. 31)? Who
believed that Shemaiah was right (vs. 31)?
Who
apparently believed Jeremiah (vs. 29)?
By now you can see
that the overwhelming majority (and at times, all or all but one) of the
prophets and/or priests were corrupt, wrong, or in error. And also that people generally believed this
majority opinion (i.e., 37:1, 2), unless God somehow miraculously
intervened to make it evident that His minority or sole speaker was right. How do you determine who’s right when there
are conflicting statements (1 Jn. 3:7, 8; Jn.
Why that method?
Jer. 37:11-16 How
are God’s spiritual leaders treated even when they are in the right?
Why
do you think that God allows those who are in the right to suffer like this?
Have
you or have you known of spiritual leaders who have suffered abuse when they’ve
been in the right?
If
so, how did you feel about this, and why?
Jer. 38:1-6 Why
did the group of officials want Jeremiah put to death?
Have people (religious
or Christian officials/leaders) ever wanted to do away with you (or
someone you know) because you were (or the person you knew was)
speaking (negatively in their thinking)
gloom and doom from God (confronting them for their sin and its
consequences) instead of speaking positively to them? What did these officials do to
Jeremiah?
Have
you ever been treated like (with) dirt, even when you were in the right? If so,
when, and why?
Lam.
Do you think that the
religious, church, and/or Christian leaders today are killing (though in the
form of slander, gossip, or contrary theological teaching) the righteous (obedient
Christians – those doing initiative evangelism and building up other believers
spiritually, as well as, living godly lives), and why?
Ezek. 3:5-7 Why wasn’t the nation of
Do
you think that that is why religious people don’t listen to spiritual, obedient
Christians today? Why?
Ezek. 13:9, 10 Why was God definitely going
to be against the prophets who saw false visions and uttered lying divinations?
Have
you ever been misled because of the majority opinion of religious leaders? If so, on
what issues?
Who
else lied to God’s people and misled them to kill people who shouldn’t have
been put to death (vss. 17-19)?
Have
you ever been influenced to do wrong by religious women (or prominent female
church leadership)?
How
can you keep from being influenced to do wrong by them?
Ezek. 22:24-30 Who did
God search for in all of
What
does that tell you as to how plentiful obedient, godly people (in positions
of authority) were in
Do
you think that God would find one in
Would
you qualify? Why?
Dan. 9:6, 10 Who didn’t listen to God’s
prophets or obey God’s teachings as set forth by God’s prophets?
Whose
life-style, morals, and teachings were right – the people and leaders of
Do
you listen to and obey God’s spiritual leaders or the majority of religious,
disobedient church leaders?
Do
“so-called” Christians listen to and obey you when you’re teaching the Bible
accurately, and why?
Amos
Just
because everybody is (or the majority of people are) doing something,
does that make it right? Why?
Do the majority of
religious or Christian people that you meet try to get you to compromise your
standards and beliefs, as set forth in the Bible, just because they don’t want
them, and they don’t want you to make them feel guilty?
What
did the Israelites command God’s prophets to do?
Have religious or
Christian people ever told you to not teach Bible truths or responsibilities
that we as Christians should be obeying? If
so, which truths/responsibilities?
Amos 7:10-17 Who
was against Amos?
What
did Amaziah tell the king about Amos?
What
did Amaziah the priest tell Amos to do?
What
did Amos say he wasn’t and was?
Why then was Amos
able to speak with the authority he did and know he was right, when he didn’t
hold the religiously-recognized position of prophet or priest?
Who was in the right
– Amaziah the priest or Amos the herdsman/fig picker?
Have
you ever had a difference of ideas (or conflict) with a minister, elder,
deacon, or other church leader and had to speak against the condition of (or
sin in) the church? If so, how did the
church leadership react toward you?
Did you feel
intimidated because you were only a layman (e.g., a young student or career
person) and not a church leader/official, or not a Bible college/seminary
graduate, or not an ordained-by-religious-leaders minister, and why?
Micah
Are
the leaders in your church involved in corruption (e.g., money grabbing,
materialism, etc.)?
Are
the decisions of your church leaders influenced by those in your church that
donate the most money to the church?
How
do you know?
Who
did
If
your church leaders are corrupt, do they yet think and
say that God is blessing their church and its programs?
What
has been your knowledge and experience about all of the above, and the
condition of most churches today?
Zeph. 3:4 What did the priests
do to the law of God?
Are
your church leaders doing violence to the Bible by teaching it incorrectly and
disobeying what it really says?
For example, does
your church teach that “not” all Christians have to aggressively evangelize (take
the initiative in sharing the gospel with people); or that building
believers is nothing more than teaching Sunday School, being a youth group
leader, or leading a Bible study group once or twice a week; or that the order
of priorities is God first, family second, ministry third, etc. (instead of what
the Bible teaches, that God is first as expressed in obedience to evangelizing
the spiritually lost, building up other believers spiritually, and living a
holy life, then after that, everything else is second at its proper time)?
If they do teach and
practice any of the above things, then they are doing violence to the Bible (law). Are you doing violence to (disobeying and
distorting) God’s word? Why?
Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:6, 11; 2 Tim.
How
serious have you taken to heart all that you have now learned from these Old
Testament situations?
How
will they affect your present and future behavior and decisions?
Matt. 23:27-34, 37 How does Jesus describe the Pharisees – Jewish religious
leaders in (vss. 27, 28, 33)?
Were
the majority of religious leaders any different in Jesus’ day than in Old
Testament times (vss. 30-34)?
What
were they going to do to future prophets, wise men, and scribes that God would
send to them?
Have
they done so since Jesus’ time?
Are
religious people (leaders included) or Christians today persecuting (either verbally, socially, or physically) God’s wise men
(obedient Christians)? How?
Matt. 24:3-5, 10, 12, 24 What did Jesus say would be true of most people in the
future, near the end of the age (vs. 12)?
Are you finding most
people’s love for God growing cold, even so-called Christians?
Because most people’s
love will grow cold, does that make it right?
Do you think that the
minority who still love the Lord will be put down or be thought of as odd, and
why?
How many people will
be misled by false prophets?
Just how convincing
will these false prophets be (vs. 24)?
Knowing this, can you
see how easy it will be for the majority of people (non-religious,
religious, and church people) to be misled and, in the process, be wrong in
what they are believing and following?
What pressure do you
think the minority elect (those chosen of God to believe in Jesus) will
receive?
Matt. 27:19, 20, 24 Who
were the ring-leaders behind Jesus’ being put to death?
Who
did they persuade to ask for Barabbas and have Jesus killed?
Was
the majority right in having Jesus killed?
By now in this study,
have you observed that the biggest enemy of godly, obedient
people are the religious leaders of any era of history?
Also, have you
observed that the masses or majority of people blindly follow these religious
leaders into error and sin?
And have you observed
also, that even when the majority is warned or shown the truth by a godly
person (or someone who speaks the truth), that the majority generally
still reject what is right?
The next time you
make a decision on what’s right, will your decision be
based on what the majority of religious leaders or church leaders think or by
what the Bible and/or obedient Christians say, and why?
Lk. 10:30-37 What
two of the three people did wrong?
Did
you notice that both were full-time religious workers?
Who
does Jesus use as an example to teach the inquirer to “go and do likewise” (vss.
33, 37)?
[Samaritans were despised by Jews, especially by
the religious leaders because they weren’t pure Jews, but were a mixture of half
Jew and half Gentile.].
Though
you may only be a despised Christian, a nobody, if you are an obedient Christian
to God and the Bible, you are the one Jesus will commend and use as an example
for people to follow, even if religious, church leaders won’t.
Acts 6:8-15; 7:51-60 Who dragged godly Stephen away?
Who did they put forth against Stephen?
Has anyone ever stirred up religious or church
people against you?
And have religious/church/Christian people ever
lied about or slandered you?
What
did Stephen call these religious leaders (vss. 51, 52)?
How
did the religious leaders react to Stephen’s words (vss. 54, 57-59)?
Do religious/church
people cry out against you and cover their ears and want to destroy or get rid
of you because you convict them of their disobedience? What is your attitude toward them?
What was Stephen’s
attitude (vs. 60)?
Rev.
3:1-4 [The Greek word “angelos” can be translated messenger (human) as well as
angel, as it is in Matt. 11:10 and Lk. 9:52.
The angel or human messenger to the church at
How many people in
Is this what God would say about the people in
your church or the Christians in your city? Why?
Would God say the other things in verses 1-3
about your church or the Christians in your city? Why?
Matt. 7:13-18 Are the
majority of people going to be destroyed (go to hell) or find life (go
to heaven)?
How
many are going to find life?
Are
you following the majority path or the path of the few?
Which
is right, and why?