Philippians Step #2: Chapter 1
Week 2; Chapter 1
This week, we will read Chapter 1 each day and answer the specific questions for that day.
(Feel free to go as deep as you can and time allows. If you want to go deeper, consider doing a few cross-references a day. Of course, this is not a mandate—just an encouragement—as they do offer a richer understanding of the text!)
Day 1:
▲ Make a general summary statement/paraphrase of what you think this chapter is about.
Day 2:
↑ What does this teach me about God?
Day 3:
↓ What does this teach me about man/humanity?
Day 4:
† What does this teach me about Christ (or how does this point me to Christ?
Day 5:
✓How can I apply this to my life?
Questions to consider for application:
How does the truth revealed here affect my relationship with God?
How does this truth affect my relationship with others?
How does this truth affect me?
In light of this, what is one step I can take toward transformation this week?
Day 6/7:
Use the extra day to check cross-references, look up any word definitions you may want to understand better, and check study notes and commentaries to see how your interpretation compares to what others have said.
*Do this only after you have answered the above questions and attempted to interpret with the help of the Holy Spirit. If we rely on study notes and commentaries, we will never learn to deeply engage with the text and “rightly divide” it ourselves.
▲ Make a second summary statement
→ Challenge:
Continue memorizing Philippians 4:4-9
Accountability Questions to Consider:
Have I been a testimony this week to the greatness of Jesus with both words and actions?
How do my choices, words, and actions compare to what I say I believe?
Am I living a “life worthy of the gospel of Christ?”
Go Deeper:
Watch: New Testament Letters: Literary Context for help understanding how to read the Letters of the NT
Philippians 1 Bible Hub Study (this is a great way to deepen your study!)
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father,
As we dive deep into chapter 1 of Philippians, I pray that you will “open our eyes to see the wonderful things in your word” (Ps. 119:18). Thank you that your word is living and active and that you speak to us through it. Reveal more of yourself to us as we study! May we seek you diligently with our whole hearts. Thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit—we invite you to lead us into all truth. Please grant us patience and persistence as we learn new methods for studying and seeking. We trust that our time spent with you will bring about transformation in our hearts and lives. As Paul prayed, so we pray that “Our love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that we may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Blessings 🤍