Reviewing Philippians

How did Philippians go this week?  Did you enjoy delving in to this joyful epistle?  Rather than a sample lesson, I will give snippets this week that we discussed in our study.

Content:
-Finding the people in this book is easy and quite delightful.  In the first section one immediately senses what Paul is about in his use of "you" and "all of you."  This church is dear to him, and while each person is precious he know that the whole rests on the parts.  A theme of the book is unity, and this church has strengths and weaknesses in applying it.

-Finding when is harder in this book.  We can discern Paul is imprisoned from context, and a little background helps us know it must have been written after visiting this city on his second missionary journey.  A Bible dictionary, timeline of Paul's life, and other reference aids would come in handy to answer questions that arise as you study.  Since we don't have a lot of "time" words, look for other details.  The "if" and "then" clause of 2:1-2 is important in Paul's instruction on unity.  Ask what the "therefore" of 2:9 is there for!  In this case, we see that Jesus' humiliation came before His exaltation.  The lessons we will learn build on noticing details like these.

-Notice the "where" words in 2:10, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow "in heaven and on earth and under the earth."  Even those who inhabit hell will bow to His authority!

Lessons:
There is a little something to be had in every category as you study through this epistle.  Paul begins with an example of prayer for other believers, which contains deep truths about the work God does in His people.  Did you see some of the truths about the character of God?  In the second section we learn much about how to interpret circumstances by examining Paul's example.  He lived for Christ, and death would only be gain.  In the third section, we had a long list of commands, followed by a large section detailing Jesus' example.  Did you find quite a bit here about the person and work of Christ?  The fourth section had more commands, and the fifth was full of examples in Timothy and Epaphroditus.  These are only a few highlights.  There is much treasure to be mined here!!

Application:
If you are finding ways to get God's truth into your daily life as you examine scripture and search out lessons, you are in good company.  How does the content of your prayers compare with Paul's?  What fills your life, giving it meaning and fulfillment: Christ or other things?  How do you respond to difficult circumstances, and how does Paul's passion for Christ help you understand why he rejoiced in his?  Where do you need to imitate Jesus' example of humility, and how will that build up the church?  These are only a few of the endless possibilities of questions.