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WEEK 1

Day 1

I am delighted that you have chosen to take this journey with me to open God’s word and dig deep beyond a surface reading of Scripture. I have learned that God’s Word is so powerful and effective that studying it does not disappoint. Therefore, I know your commitment to stick to this journey through Scripture and see it to its completion will bless and benefit you. As you experience the effects of God’s word in your life, you will never be the same. He will be true to use the time you spend with Him in His word to do a work in you that He, Himself intends to do. Which reminds me of one of my favorite verses in the Old Testament, Isaiah 55:11.

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing

for which I sent it.Isaiah 55:11

Are you ready to see what God sent forth the words in Philippians to do in your life? I know you are! Let’s get started by getting a basic feel of Philippians. Get your Bible out and answer these following questions.

Is Philippians an Old or New Testament book? ________________________________

Old Testament = old covenant (the law) New Testament = New covenant (the better covenant of grace)

We are New Testament believers so New Testament books are our first connecting point as believers.

What is the book before Philippians? ________________________________________

What is the book after Philippians? _________________________________________

How many chapters are in Philippians? ______

On a scale of 1-10 with 1 representing the least and 10 representing the most, identify where you feel your level of knowledge and understanding is as related to the book of Philippians.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10___________________________________________________

Now it’s time to begin. Today, I want you to read through the book of Philippians from beginning to end in one sitting. Just in case you are staring at the page like I just told

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you to jump off a cliff, Philippians can be read from beginning to end in approximately fifteen minutes. Feel better? Also, there is one more important thing about your reading today. I need you to read the entire book out loud. The two reasons for this are:

1) To make sure you can’t say, “That woman tricked me! It took me an hour and a half to read through the book of Philippians!”

You see, dear sister, I know you. I know God wired you to multi-task. Six verses in, you could be redecorating your house, texting your co-worker, changing the clothes from the washer to the dryer… You know how we do. We have a gazillion things to do in one day. God wired us to be able to think about several things at one time, which is awesome… most of the time. When we need to focus on one thing, we have to take disciplined steps to facilitate that kind of focus. Are you with me?

2) God says hearing His Word is important.

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.Romans 10:17

So here are your final study instructions for today:

Set a timer. Read and document how long it takes you to read the entire book of Philippians from beginning to end. Also record what translation you read. Once you have finished, close your Bible. Complete the exercises below.

I read Philippians in the ________________________________ translation of the Bible.

It took me __________ minutes to read Philippians from beginning to end.

Make note of any words, phrases, or sentences that stood out as you read.

Make note of any thoughts or questions that came to your mind as you read.

Good job dear sister! You have completed Day 1!

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Day 2

Welcome back to Day 2 of Digging Deep into Philippians! I wish I could talk face to face with you before you begin. I would love to know how you felt when I asked you to read the whole book of Philippians and how you feel now that you have done it. I have to admit when I actually sat down to read it for myself, I was surprised at how quickly a small book of the Bible such as Philippians could be read.

Today, I am going to ask you to repeat your final assignment from yesterday’s lesson with one exception. If possible, read the entire book of Philippians in a different translation than you read yesterday. Once again, set a timer, read, and document how long it takes you to read Philippians from beginning to end and what translation you read. Once you have finished close your Bible. Complete the exercises below.

I read Philippians in the ________________________________ translation of the Bible.

It took me __________ minutes to read Philippians from beginning to end.

Make note of any words, phrases, or sentences that stood out as you read.

Make note of any thoughts or questions that came to your mind as you read.

Look back at yesterday’s lesson and compare your answers in the space below. Please write down any words, phrases, sentences, thoughts, or questions that you identified yesterday that are different from what you identified today.

I want you to remember that digging deep in any book of the Bible is a process. We are such microwave people. In fact, we have become people unsatisfied with the speed of a microwave. We want everything instantly. However, if we are truly going to understand God’s Word and experience the delight of hearing from God in a personal and intimate

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way, desire for instantaneous results will not benefit us. God’s Word promises us that slowing our pace to meditate on His Word will profit us.

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will

have good success.Joshua 1:8

So dear Sister, please don’t get sidetracked thinking that this journey isn’t for you because you feel like this isn’t going anywhere. We are going somewhere! We are going to the place where we truly grasp what was happening in the day that Philippians was originally written and then bring its truths into our day and life here and now.

Good job! See you tomorrow!

Day 3

Welcome back! I am so proud of you for taking this journey! There is no doubt you understand that there is great value in your life to knowing and understanding God’s Word or you would not be reading this now. I have devoted my life to teaching women the Bible and teaching how to study the Bible because of the great value I have found the Bible to be in my own life.

Using my book, DIG: Digging Into God’s Word can help you go further and grow more in your Bible study abilities.

The Bible is not just a book with paper and ink. It is the breath and heart of God handed to us in tangible form. The Bible is our way to know God, who He is, what He thinks, what He says about us, Him, our friends, family, children, marriage… Tucked away in the pages of Scripture are our answers, all our answers to life. Some answers are harder to find than others. Some simply point us to an intimate relationship with Jesus. This book, the Bible, looks different and feels different because it is different. It is set apart from all the rest. It is the holy ground of God.

Today, we are doubling up on our work, not in time, but in hearing an audio while reading Philippians at the same time.

Here are your instructions:

Take a moment to look back and see what 2 translations of the Bible you have read. If possible choose a different audio translation even if you use another translation to follow along while reading.

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Open your Bible and read along as you listen to the book of Philippians at the same time.

You can use a free Bible App like, YouVersion or you can use a web-site like, www.biblestudytools.com to hear an audio rendering of Philippians. Close your Bible and record which translation you used.

I read Philippians in the ________________________________ translation while I

listened in the ___________________________ translation of the Bible.

Make note of any special word, phrase, sentence, verse, etc… that stood out as you listened and read.

Make note of any thoughts or questions you had as you listened and read.

Are you starting to get familiar with Philippians? Is there any consistent or repeated theme as you have read through Philippians the past few days? If so, please make note of that.

You are doing great! Don’t quit!!! This week is about setting the foundation and getting a basic grasp of Philippians. Once we get past this week we will start digging deeper and that is where it gets exciting. If we leave these basic steps out, we would miss some elements of Bible study that will not come to us any other way.

May your day be blessed and full of God’s love until we meet again tomorrow!

Day 4

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http://www.biblestudytools.com/

Welcome back! Don’t freak out, but we are going to listen and read Philippians one more time. Repetition is your friend in learning and understanding the Bible. Once you get to the end of this study, you will understand the effectiveness of repetition.

Today I want you to try to identify an overall theme, combine notes from Days 1-3, and add one more step to the process. Let’s jump right in because I want you to have plenty of time for your additional step.

Here are today’s Instructions: Listen while reading any translation of Philippians and make a record of it.

I read Philippians in the ________________________________ translation while I

listened in the ___________________________ translation of the Bible.

Give the overall theme or summarize the book in 1-2 sentences.

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Make note of anything that stood out while you listened today.

Make note of any thoughts or questions that came to mind while you listened.

Look back at your notes from the lesson on Day 1-3. Compare your answers. In the space below, please write down any words, phrases, sentences, thoughts, or questions that you identified on Day 1-3 that are different from what you identified today.

Take the time to open your Bible, find the verse address that connect to the words, phrases, sentences, and thoughts you have listed over the past 4 days.

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Now take the Bible verse addresses that you identified and make a list of them with your Bible references that connect to those verses. Your Bible reference list is usually on the side or below the actual verses.

For example, the first thing that stood out to me was that Paul was in chains. Paul’s chains are mentioned in Philippians 1:7, 13, 14, 16. My Bible doesn’t have any references for Philippians 1:7, 14, and 16, but it does for Philippians 1:13. The reference verse in my Bible for Philippians 1:13 is Philippians 4:22. Not all references will be keep you in Philippians; they may even refer you back to the Old Testament. However, I still want you to list them no matter where they are located in the Bible.

Here is how I would list my example:

“Stood out” Verses where topic is found Reference list connections

Chains Philippians 1:7, 13, 14, 16Philippians 4:22

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Great job! Tomorrow we will take the work that you did today and go deeper. Day 5

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I am so proud of you for making it to Day 5. Your commitment to study and devotion to Jesus are shining through. Please begin today by writing your theme or summary that you recorded in yesterday’s lesson.

Give the overall theme or summarize the book in 1-2 sentences.

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Is there any one word that could sum up your theme or summary? If so, what is it?

______________________________________________________________________

I want you to connect with the overall message of the book before we get started. Connecting with the theme can help you stay true to the message Paul sent to the Philippians so long ago. Now let’s work with your reference list from yesterday’s lesson and deal with the thoughts and questions that came up during your reading and listening in the first 4 days.

Here are your instructions.

Use the reference list from Day 4 as your guide today. First, read the Philippians’ verses that spoke of something that stood out to you. Second, read all your reference verses connected to those verses.

For example:

Yesterday I noted that Paul in Chains was the topic that stood out to me. So today I would read the verses that spoke of that, Philippians 1:7, 13, 14, 16. Then I would read the reference verse, Philippians 4:22.

Then record any information you discover from this exercise. For instance, Philippians 1:13 spoke of Paul’s chains being evidence to the whole palace guard that his chains were in Christ. In Philippians 4:22, Paul sends greetings from all the saints, but then emphasizes, especially those who are of Caesar’s household. So it tells me that some of Caesar’s household were now saved and in Christ because of Paul’s chains. Hence, Paul’s willingness to suffer for Christ in chains had furthered the gospel. Those who were with him were impacted by how Paul lived out life, even suffering, before them.

Now it’s your turn.

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Finally, I want you to go back to the middle of Day 4’s lesson before your reference list and read through all your thoughts and questions that you identified on Day 1-4.

Did you discover anything that gave you insight to your previous thoughts or questions?If so please explain.

I’m so thankful you are reading these words. You have made it to the end of Week 1! Next week we will dig deeper. Until then, I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, will give to you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. (Ephesians 1:17) I love you and am so blessed by you, dear Sister! Amen!

Week 2

Day 1

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Welcome to Week 2 of our in-depth study of Philippians! You are on your way to being a true student of the Word and I am so excited about that! Last week we laid the foundation for our entire study. Today we will take a glance back at last week’s work to carry some important information with us into the next phase of our journey. Then I will give you an informational reference page that you can come back to in the following weeks of study, as well as in future Bible studies.

Begin your study today with reading over Day 5 from Week 1.

What is the overall theme or summary?

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

Is there a specific verse that gives the overall theme? (If you don’t have the answer now, you can come back and fill in the answer anytime this week. I believe you will identify a theme verse as you go through this week’s focused study.)

____________________________________________________________________________

Would we study Philippians from an old or new covenant perspective? _____________ If unsure about how to answer this, look back at Week 1, Day 1.

The next two weeks consist of a thorough exploration of the four chapters in Philippians. We will examine the “Who’s, Why’s, Where’s, When’s, What’s, and How’s of each chapter. We will also observe sentence structure, grammatical points, and other details that may illuminate a deeper message.

In the next four days of study, we will focus on chapters 1 and 2 using the same research points for each chapter so I want to explain the particulars. I bookmarked this section because it will be your reference guide clarifying your instructions when you have questions about your lessons. In my book, DIG: Digging in God’s Word, I discuss “how to” study the Bible emphasizing information that we will either summarize during this study and some information that we will not cover in this book.

There might be an inclination to check out when you get to the reference page. I need you to stay with me and make sure you read this carefully. Then you are set up for our in-depth study of chapters 1-4. Each day I will ask you to read the appropriate chapter as related to that lesson. Then I will ask you to write down specific information from that chapter. You will be answering one of the “Who, Why, Where, When, What, and How questions. In this section I am going to explain what we are looking for in each of those questions. This reference page is bookmarked for you to refer to during this and future studies.

ReferencePage

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WHO – When asked to identify WHO, try to identify the author of Philippians, the specific audience the author is writing to, any other people or people groups mentioned in that chapter. Be sure to specify the verse where the WHO is mentioned. The connections of people sometimes reveal information that helps us along the way. Identifying WHO also helps us when we work through character studies.

WHY – Our WHY deals with purpose. Make sure to take note of any purpose statements made by the author to the audience that reveal his intention when writing. Notice and record any details in the purpose statement that reveal the situation of circumstances of the author or audience. Ultimately, we want to see the reasons WHY Philippians was written in the first place.

WHEN AND WHERE – Make note of any time references, all locations, and the settings cited in the chapter. Pinpoint and record the locations of the author and/or the audience. Tell how the mentioned locations are connected and related to the author, audience, or any other WHOs mentioned.

WHAT – The WHAT is situational. Here we are identifying any problems or circumstances as related to the author and audience. Document if the situation connects to anyone else and how it connects.

HOW – HOW is practical. Does the author give practical teachings or specific instructions to his audience that tell them how they should live, what they should do, or how they should be? Find and record the HOWs and what those practical instructions are related to.

SENTENCE STRUCTURE – When looking at sentence structure, notice parts of speech such as nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs… Pay attention to the subject and verb, to tenses, phrases, and clauses and how it connects and relates to the surrounding sentences.

CONNECTORS/CONJUNCTIONS – Conjunctions link words, phrases, sentences, thoughts, or messages. Notice what is linked. Can you understand why it is joined together? Does it express a cause and effect or does it marry messages?

OTHER WRITING DETAILS – Are there repetitions, repetitive words, phrases, or thoughts? Are there comparisons or contrasts in terminology or the message? Do you notice any lists, cause and effect, conditional statements, or promises?

EMOTION/EXPRESSIONS – Where people and relationships are involved, so are emotions and expressions. What emotional terminology is in the text? Are there words that describe feelings? Can you pick up on the tone of the message and what does the tone express?

This reference list is not an all-inclusive list of things to observe during your study. But it will get your Bible study juices flowing and before you know it, you will be a natural at digging deep in God’s word. Now it is time to refresh your memory with the work you did last week. Go back to Week 1 and read over the information that you recorded. This will be the last time that I ask

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you to do this, but I want you to read, or listen, or both (your choice) the entire book of Philippians. Then record any thoughts or questions that came to your mind that you haven’t already recorded as well as any answers to past questions that you came across. I really don’t want to limit what you write. If it was significant to you, I want you to record it.

Good job dear Sister! Looking forward the rest of our study this week as we examine Philippians chapter by chapter.

DAY 2

I would love to have you sitting with me in my house as I write. I’m looking out the window and it is a beautiful morning, blue skies, green grass, and my dog is snoring beneath my feet. Cry face emojis!!! Seriously, I love doing Bible study and doing it together with other women who share that passion is the best!

Today is the day that we begin the process of breaking down the details of Philippians. Taking smaller portions of Scripture, in this case, chapters, and zero in on the particulars. Before we begin, I would like to ask a couple of questions regarding your study so far. We have one week and one day of study in Philippians under our belt and I would like you to make a self-evaluation based on the scale I presented to you on Week 1, Day 1.

On a scale of 1-10 with 1 representing the least and 10 representing the most, identify where you feel your level of knowledge and understanding is as related to the book of Philippians.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10___________________________________________________

Have you moved up the scale any? _________

If you answered yes, can you briefly explain what changed?

Do you see the benefit of reading an entire book of the Bible at one sitting yet? _______Now it’s time to read Philippians 1. Read it in one sitting, out loud. Have a pen in hand as you read and either mark in your Bible or in the margin of this book anything that

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seems significant. Then answer the questions Who, Why, Where, When, What, and How. I gave you a mini-description of each category, but don’t forget that page 11 is your reference guide to what you are looking for with each of these questions.

WHO (author, audience, other people, or people groups)

WHY (purpose, purpose statements)

WHEN AND WHERE (time, location, setting)

WHAT (situation, problems, circumstances)

HOW (practical, instructional)

Narrow down the communication of Philippians 1 by identifying the top 3 things you believe are being communicated in this chapter by using a word, phrase, or a brief sentence.

1) ___________________________________________________________

2) ___________________________________________________________

3) ___________________________________________________________

Please specify the overall general purpose or theme of Philippians 1 and whether you see it as a purpose or theme.

Yay!!! High five! Good job! You are an awesome student of God’s Word! God has something amazing in store for you as you seek to know Him more deeply! See you tomorrow as we dig deeper in our study of chapter 1.

DAY 3

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Welcome back! I hope you are having as much fun as I am. I love this kind of study! If you are new to Bible study, this may seem a bit excessive, but I assure you that once you have made it to the end, you will experience God working in your life in a way that you never anticipated. I have yet to do Bible study like this and come to the end of it empty handed. God is always faithful to His word and His promises.

But from there you will seek the Lord your God,and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your

soul.Deuteronomy 4:29

I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me.Proverbs 8:17

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:13

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find;knock, and it will be opened to you.

Matthew 7:7

What assurance do you have according to these four verses?

______________________________________________________________________

Sometimes we just need to know that our efforts are for good reason!

Let’s get started by digging deeper in Philippians 1. Read Philippians 1. Then begin breaking down the details of it through the following headings. Remember, if you need details about what you are looking for, see the reference guide on page 11.

SENTENCE STRUCTURE – (parts of speech, subject, verb, phrases)

CONNECTORS/CONJUNCTIONS (linking, joining words)

OTHER WRITING DETAILS (repetitions, comparisons, contrasts, lists)

EMOTION/EXPRESSIONS (emotional terminology, feelings)Has this exercise opened up new questions for you? Or enlightened you about anything? Explain.

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Go back to your previous day studying Philippians one where you identified the Who, Why, Where, When, What, and How’s of chapter 1. Read over all that you wrote yesterday and all that you noted today. Does any of yesterday’s information combined with today’s lesson help you have a better understanding? If so, what?

Happy Face and Kissy Face emojis!!!!

DAY 4

This morning I watched the sun come up. I love those mornings when I am up with Jesus before light has broken through the darkness. These mornings have the precious jewels of aloneness with God marked on them. The only noises I hear are the ticking of my mantle clock and the steady faint squeak of the springs in my rocking chair. Something about that sets me up to feel and know God’s presence. Surely it is because I am still before the Lord, no laundry, no ministry, no cooking, just me and Jesus.

Be still, and know that I am God;I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth.Psalm 46:10

In the morning, O LORD, You will hear my voice;In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.

Psalm 5:3

In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house,and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.

Mark 1:35

Will you take a moment to explain a time when you got still with Jesus early in the morning and what that was like to you?

Scripture reminds us of the beauty of stillness before God and the early morning hour of prayer. While every day may not be a day you wake up before the sun comes up and hang out with Jesus, value those days and let them regularly draw you back to that place. Now, let’s get started with our detailed study of Philippians 2.

Read Philippians 2 in one sitting, out loud. Have a pen in hand as you read and either mark in your Bible or in the margin of this book anything that seems significant. Then answer the questions Who, Why, Where, When, What, and How. Don’t forget your reference guide on page 11.

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Identify the top 3 things you believe are being communicated in this Philippians 2 by using a word, phrase, or a brief sentence.

1) ___________________________________________________________

2) ___________________________________________________________

3) ___________________________________________________________

What is the overall purpose or theme of Philippians 2? Note whether you see it as a purpose or theme.

Good job mighty woman of God! You are doing the hard work of in-depth Bible study and you growing in wisdom and strength. I know Jesus is proud of you and so am I! See you tomorrow as we examine chapter 2 further.

DAY 5

You are about to complete Week 2! So proud dear sister! Are you getting a feel for this kind of Bible study? I am hoping you discover some study methods for yourself as you

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go through this journey. My way is not the only way, but if my way jump starts you to study God’s word further and more, then mission accomplished! Why is getting you in God’s word so important to me?

How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Psalm 119:103 NASB

This is my story, and I want it to be your story too!

Have you ever experienced the sweetness of God’s word? If so, please explain.

______________________

Remember His wonderful deeds which He has done,His marvels and the judgments from His mouth.

1 Chronicles 16:12

Let’s get started by digging deeper in Philippians 2. Read Philippians 2 and use your heading as a guide for your search into its details.. Remember, if you have questions about the following points, see the reference guide on page 11.




EMOTION/EXPRESSIONS (emotional terminology, feelings)

Record any new questions or answers related to Philippians you have discovered from your work today.

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Go back to your previous day studying Philippians 2 where you identified the Who, Why, Where, When, What, and How’s of chapter 2. Read over all that you recorded. Does any of yesterday’s information combined with today’s lesson help you have a better understanding? If so, what?

You are half way through a thorough investigation of the book of Philippians. Next week we will follow our pattern and finish this part of our study. Keep on keeping on dear sister! You are doing great!

WEEK 3DAY 1

Welcome to Week 3 of our in-depth study of Philippians 3 and 4. This week’s work follows the pattern of last week’s. The familiarity that you now have with how we studied chapters 1-2 should make chapters 3-4 a bit easier.

Before we begin, I want to say a Scripture prayer for you and give you a word of encouragement for all your hard work. My prayer for you is based on the following three verses.

May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us;establish the work of our hands for us—

yes, establish the work of our hands.Psalm 90:17 NIV

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly

seek him. Hebrews 11:6

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Galatians 6:9

Dear Heavenly Daddy,I pray for my persevering sister to have Your favor rest upon her as she earnestly seeks You through Your Word. I pray that you establish the work of her hands for her. Thank You for the promise of Your word that You are her rewarder and that You have a special harvest for her hard work. Help her to continue in this study and to not give up until she has finished the work and seen Your reward. In Jesus name, Amen!

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Now, let’s get to work. Read Philippians 3 out loud in one sitting. Mark in your Bible or in the margin of this book the things that stand out or seem significant to you as you read. Identify the answers to the Who, Why, Where, When, What, and How questions. If you need a reminder about each category, read back over your reference guide on page 11.






Identify the top 3 things you believe were communicated in Philippians 3 using a word, phrase, or a brief sentence.

1) ___________________________________________________________

2) ___________________________________________________________

3) ___________________________________________________________

Please specify the general purpose or theme of Philippians 1 and whether you see it as a purpose or theme.

Good work! Tomorrow we study Philippians 3 in greater detail and I can’t wait!DAY 2

Today as I began writing I could not get the work of an ant off my mind. Ants work hard and they work together. Their work accomplishes and provides food for them to eat. Their work ethic is admired in Scripture as Wisdom calls out to us to consider their hard work and its pay off. (See Proverbs 6:6-8)

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I think you and I are a lot like ants. We are working hard. We are working together. Our work is accomplishing and it is providing us with spiritual food to eat. We are growing in spiritual maturity becoming the grounded, sober-minded, and sound in doctrine woman of God that pleases God.

If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be agood minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faithand of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed.

1 Timothy 4:6

How does 1 Timothy 4:6 say we are nourished?

___________________________________________________________________

Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them,for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

1 Timothy 4:15

Who is affected by us learning the doctrine (teaching) of God’s word?

___________________________________________________________________

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someoneto teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you

have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakesonly of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.

Hebrews 5:12-13

I want you to know that your work is worth it. You will benefit and so will others!

Let’s read and complete our examination of Philippians 3. Remember, if you need details about what you are looking for, see the reference guide on page 11.





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Has this exercise opened up new questions for you? Or enlightened you about anything? Explain.

Go back to your previous day studying Philippians 3 where you identified the Who, Why, Where, When, What, and How’s. Read what you wrote then and all that you wrote today. Does any of yesterday’s information combined with today’s lesson help you have a better understanding? Please explain.

Great job! One more chapter of Philippians in our current line of study and then we will shift gears and look into another exciting aspect of learning God’s word for us.

DAY 3

Could you and I have a moment to have a sit down, face-to-face moment? I want to know what is going on with you. Are you learning? Do you feel frustrated or overwhelmed? Are you experiencing Jesus speaking to you or enlightening Scripture as you study? Have you seen something in you that you wanted changed as you have gone through this study? I truly do wish I could hear what you have to say, but I can’t. However, Jesus can.

Take a moment to write your feelings, thoughts, struggles as related to the journey you have been on in Philippians.

I won’t ask you to share them accept on the page here and with Jesus, but I do want you to evaluate where you are and what you are feeling or hearing. Sometimes we need to check in with ourselves and with Jesus to make sure that we are moving in the right direction and responding to God’s word as go. Take a moment to pray. Thank God for the work that you can see Him doing and ask for His help where you need it. Give it all to Jesus.

Casting all you care upon Him for He cares for you.1 Peter 5:7

You know the drill! Let’s read Philippians 4 in one sitting and out loud. Have your pen ready to mark in your Bible or in the margin of this book anything that seems significant.

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Then answer the questions Who, Why, Where, When, What, and How. Don’t forget your reference guide on page 11.






Identify the top 3 things you believe are being communicated in this Philippians 2 by using a word, phrase, or a brief sentence.

1) ___________________________________________________________

2) ___________________________________________________________

3) ___________________________________________________________

What is the overall purpose or theme of Philippians 2? Note whether you see it as a purpose or theme.

You are doing great! Whatever you do, don’t quit!!! DAY 4

I am going to say “Good Morning” because for me, as I write this, it is first thing in the morning. I have found most of the time, first thing in the morning does work best for me to do Bible study or focus on writing. If there is any time that is better, it would be in the middle of the night. Needless to say, that can’t happen that often because sleep is a necessary component of life. But when I have one of those nights that I spend most of it in God’s Word or writing, it is usually one of my most productive times. I’m definitely not telling you that to get you to stay up all night and do Bible study, just telling you what has worked for me.

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However, sometimes I have a day consumed with busyness and I may spend my time studying or writing in the bed just before going to sleep. Occasionally I study in the car waiting for an appointment or I grab enough time out of the middle of my day to focus in and get something accomplished. Sometimes it is a splattering of moments here and there throughout my day.

I tell you all that because I want to get you to the place of looking for whatever times work. I have heard teachers, preachers, even other godly leaders express things that made me feel like, if I did not have a “quiet time” first thing in the morning, I was somehow not doing good as a Christian. That may not have been their intention, but for whatever reason, it was how I felt. If I had to organize the different ways I study in sequential order according to personal preference, the way I gave it to you is the order.

The reality is there is no set in stone way to do this. Yes the Bible does record that Jesus rose early to spend time alone with His Father but it also says:

And when He had sent the multitudes away,He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.Now when evening came, He was alone there.

Matthew 14:23

I know I went along way around to tell you this, but don’t get hung up on things looking like you think they should or what works for somebody else. You know your life better than anyone else. Find what works for you. Ultimately what matters is that you spend time with Jesus through reading, learning, and studying the Bible. It will make all the difference in your life. I know this from personal experience and I have watched it in many others’ lives. God’s word transforms and it is always a beautiful transformation!

And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us,and establish the work of our hands for us;

Yes, establish the work of our hands.Psalm 90:17

Let’s dig deeper! Read Philippians 4. Use your headings as your guide as you search details. Remember, your reference guide on page 11 if you need any explanations.




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Record any new questions or answers related to Philippians you have discovered from your work today.

Go back to your previous day studying Philippians 4 where you identified the Who, Why, Where, When, What, and How’s of chapter 4. Read over all that you recorded. Does any of yesterday’s information combined with today’s lesson help you have a better understanding? If so, what?

You are doing great! On our last day of this week’s study we will do a recap or overview of our study so far. It will be an important day of pulling our information together before we move on. Until then, much love and blessings!

Day 5

When I begin an in-depth Bible study or a writing project, my office, desk, and library are usually neat and orderly. Not long into it, my floor and desk is cluttered with books and papers. It may sound strange, but I like this time because I know there are all kinds of information that I am taking in and processing.

I feel like my office is a reflection of what is going on in my mind. This flood of information is all over the place. Not only is it on the floor and desk, but it is floating around my heart and mind as I try to process things I have not known or understood before, along with what I already have.

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Then there comes the time to begin to sort through it all, putting it in compartments and files in my mind and computer. The office is the first and the last thing to come back in order. But once my office is organized again, it means I have organized the information on the inside. I truly love the whole process!

Today we are going to unload our information we have studied so far. I want us to pull everything out and begin organizing all the information that we have discovered over the past few weeks. So here we go!

What literary genre is Philippians? Please check the appropriate answer.

_________ Letter _________ Gospel _________ History _________ Apocalyptic

Who is the author of Philippians? ___________________________________________

Who is the audience of Philippians or who was the author writing to?

______________________________________________________________________

What other people or groups were mentioned and what was important about them?

Are there any other places in the Bible that speak of these people or people groups? If you are not sure, you can look in your reference list in the verse where you found their name or you can look in your concordance. If you find any other place that these people are talked about in the Bible, list their name and the book, chapter, and verse(s) in which you find them.

Look back at your WHY for each chapter. Did you find a purpose statement that specifies the author’s overall purpose in writing? Do the best you can to organize and categorize the purposes and purpose statements you found. For example, if you saw more than one purpose in the author’s writing, make a category for “Author’s Purpose” and list the related purposes. Maybe you see a more specific purpose in his writing then make another heading that specifies that purpose and list those related purposes.

Look back over your study of WHEN and WHERE and WHAT. Summarize what you learned by identifying any historical, cultural, or situational context from your notes.

Their Historical context ___________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

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Their Cultural Context ___________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Their Situational Context _________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

How is their situation then different from your current situation now?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Look back at your HOW answers and organize by listing or categorizing any practical or instructional information you discovered. Do the best you can to condense and summarize the information.

On your second day of studying a chapter, I asked you to work through sentence structure, conjunctions, other writing details, and emotions. Use your work from each chapter to answer the following questions.

What important sentences, phrases, conjunctions, verbs, pronouns… did you discover?

Did you find any cause and effect, conditional statements, or promises? If so, what?

Did you determine any special expressions such as repetitions, lists, contrasts,comparisions? Think organization and categories as you work through this.

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TheologicalPrinciplesReferencePage

Did you notice any special actions or emotions? Please explain.

Take some time to assimilate all this information you recorded and organized today. Write down the top three to five things that appear to be the most pronounced messages or possibly things that you feel God is teaching you personally through this in-depth study of Philippians so far.

Week 4Day 1

Determining theological principles and doctrine is where we discover the true meaning of the text we are studying. The true meaning always points back to what the author originally intended when he wrote the text. Determining the differences and similarities between us and the original audience, our situation, our culture is a necessary component of discovering the meaning.

Let’s break down what we are looking for. First, when looking for a theological principle, we should recognize that theology is nothing more than the study of God. A principle is a basic or foundational truth. Doctrine is simply a belief held and taught in the Bible.

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Here is a working definition for us as we search through Philippians for theological principles and doctrines:

A basic, core, or foundational, unchangeable truth and teaching of God and about God.

These basic, core, and foundational truths of God means the heart of the Bible’s message about God and our Christian faith. And yes, unchangeable means unchangeable. Culture, time, situation, environment, circumstances, and opinions do not change these truths and teachings about God. They are permanent and established. These truths form the basis for practical living. Theology and doctrine are 100% related to how we live out our faith.

To some degree, we could look at this like a character study of God as we look in the text for what we can learn about God, who He is, how He works, His character, His actions, as well as, His relationship to us (mankind) and to His church (His people).

We find theological principles and doctrines directly in the text we are studying. These truths are not an island to themselves. They stand in agreement with the rest of Scripture or as some theologians say, they agree with the whole counsel of God’s Word. As I stated earlier, theological principles are not bound by time, culture, or situation, but are relevant to anyone, anywhere, in any generation, any time, any culture, and any circumstance.

Remember this.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.Hebrews 13:8 (NIV)

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Fatherof the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

James 1:17 (NIV)

God does not change. Theology is the study of God and we are looking for God’s basic unchanging essentials and standards. This is why we use the rest of Scripture to determine if we have discovered a true theological principle because it must be consistent with the unchanging character of God.

I bookmarked these 2 pages as a reference for you while working through this week. It is easy to get side-tracked when determining theological principles so I recommend reading back over this information for clarity before you participate in the actual exercise of each day’s lesson.

TheologicalPrinciplesReference

Page

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This week we will break down each chapter to discover those theological principles. We want to learn what the author meant and intended when he wrote Philippians or its specific messages. A theological principle is not something that jumps off the page. Much of the time it will be more like finding a hidden meaning or the underlying message. Looking at the differences and similarities between the original audience and us is a helpful first step in the next stage of discovery.

We recognized earlier in our study that since Philippians is in the New Testament, it is based on the new covenant. In this we are the same as the biblical audience. They were new covenant believers, saved by grace through faith, not under the law as in the Old Testament. So God’s covenant with them is the same for us.

Let’s get started working our way through Philippians 1 to determine the theological principles. This week we are going to work through a paragraph at a time. I’m going to give you the paragraph breaks and instructions of how to and work through each paragraph.

There are three things we are going to focus on during our study breaking down the paragraph in each chapter.

1) A summary of the paragraph2) Anything we see or learn about God3) Any similarities and differences between the biblical audience and us.

Here we go!

Read Philippians 1:1-2 and write a brief summary of the paragraph.

Explain anything this paragraph tells you about God.

Take note of any similarities and differences between us (our personal situation or corporately as in our time and culture) and the biblical audience.

Do you see any theological principles, doctrines, or truths in this paragraph? If so, write out what you understand them to be.

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Take note of any similarities and differences between us (our personal situation or corporately as in our time and culture) and the biblical audience. Do you see any theological principles, doctrines, or truths in this paragraph? If so, write out what you understand them to be.


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List any theological principles, doctrines, or truths you discovered today.

You are an amazing student of God’s word! I cannot even begin to tell you how proud I am of you. This is hard work and you are sticking with it. Great job dear Sister!!!

DAY 2

Welcome back! In Day 1, you were given the details about what we are looking for in theological principles, doctrines, and truths. Don’t forget that the information given to you regarding that is there for you to refer back to at any point to help clarify this part of your Bible study journey. The pattern we used for studying through the paragraphs of chapter one will be our pattern for the rest of the chapters.

When I was young, I took sewing classes during the summer. We had to choose our own pattern, cut it out as shown on the instructions, pin the cutout pattern to the top of our material, follow the lines of the pattern, and cut out the material to reflect the design and shape of the pattern. The pattern made it so much easier. If we had been instructed

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to cut out the material according to what we thought is should be for the style of dress we wanted, I can’t imagine what mine would have come out like. I am sure it would have been a waste of perfectly good material because I would have botched it all up.

I hope you will see this pattern a lot like a pattern for a sewing class. It is given to make the process easier and the end result to be something you can work with. My pattern is not the only pattern. When I took sewing classes, I had a broad range of patterns to choose from, but I chose according to my desired outcome. This week our desired outcome is to discover biblical truths in Philippians so I have given you a pattern to go by to accomplish that. Hopefully, you will see this as a beneficial pattern to use again and again.

Here is a word of encouragement before you begin.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.

Colossians 3:23 (NIV) Read Philippians 2:1-11 and write a brief summary of the paragraph.






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You are halfway through an intense study of Philippians. We are learning so much, but the exciting thing about this is the incredible inner work God is doing in our lives that we cannot even see yet. God’s Word is working and transforming you and me!

DAY 3

Writing this study is so much easier than going through the work of this study and you are doing that hard work. The work we are doing this week is probably the hardest work of all in Bible study. I want you to know, if you feel like you are just fumbling through the lessons this week, you are not alone. This is not an easy part of the study. BUT, YOU CAN DO THIS! Let me take a word from Philippians 4 to encourage you to hang tight and press past this middle, meaty part of the study.

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.Philippians 4:13 (NASB)

YOU CAN DO THIS! And you will be so glad you did when you get through this. I assure you that the prize is worth it. The reward of knowing you stuck out a study like

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this in itself proves you have a level of discipline that most are lacking. According to statistics, most Christians are not putting in this kind of work; in fact, most are doing good to get in an occasional reading of their Bible. So you are in the top percent of true Bible students. You aren’t just letting someone else tell you what the Bible says or means, you are discovering for yourself.

My daughter and I recently had a conversation about someone who had bought into a serious lie. This person was being influenced by people who had twisted and given a meaning that it never had. When questioned about the truth of their belief as related to the Bible the person had actually said that they could not say exactly where it was in the Bible that they were not good with Scripture. Well, as I said to my daughter, “There is the problem!” I went on to unload on my daughter about the importance of knowing the Bible and what it says because,

For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signsand wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones.

Matthew 24:24

We are living in that day! The devil knows the truth and he has had thousands of years to practice distorting and twisting what God says to make it sound good, and even, right. You and I must be prepared by knowing what God says so that when the enemy comes to distort God’s Word, we can say, “That is garbage. The Bible says this and that is where I am standing.” So dear sister, keep up the good work!

Read Philippians 3:1 and write a brief summary of the paragraph.





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I’m at that place again where I wish I could sit down face to face with you and talk this thing out. I would love to know how you feel, what you are thinking, what you feel like you have learned and gained so far. Since that is not possible at this time, I will have to be okay with believing by faith that God is doing some awesome things in your life as you grow in wisdom and knowledge of the Word of God. I pray that you can sense the Spirit in me delighting in the Spirit in you! Much love and blessings!

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DAY 4

Welcome to the last day of digging in Philippians for theological principles, doctrines, and truths. Today, we use our set pattern to determine what Philippians 4 holds and tomorrow we pull all this week’s work together. I am so excited that you are reading these words. You have theoretically made it through the hardest part of this study. You are almost to the downhill stretch. Hang in there Sister!

Read Philippians 4:1 and write a brief summary of the paragraph.







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WOW!!! Wipe the sweat off your brow, shake out those spiritual muscles, and rest a while. You did it! What a woman of God! You are truly devoted to God and His word! Tomorrow is going to be a day of marrying the theological principles, doctrines, and truths with our practical life. This will be where the rubber meets the road.

DAY 5

Application of each of the theological principles.

Let’s begin our day with an evaluation. Please answer the following questions. After going this far through this Philippians study what have you learned about:

God?

Living life?

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Yourself?

Doing Bible study?

Write down any questions you feel are unanswered and need to be addressed. Pray over the questions asking God to reveal what He deems as important at this time in your journey with Him.

Now I want us to turn back to each of our lessons from this past week. Go through each Day and review the similarities and differences between us and the biblical audience. Do your best to separate and condense the information you already discovered. Then go to the final instruction from each day where you listed all the theological principles, doctrines, or truths you discovered that day and list them. It might be easier to write your answers from Day 1 for both questions rather than going back again after you complete the first question. It’s your choice. Pick what works best for you.

Under the appropriate column make note of any similarities and differences between us (our personal situation or corporately as in our time and culture) and the biblical audience.

Similarities Differences

DAY 1

DAY 2

DAY 3

DAY 4

List any theological principles, doctrines, and truths you discovered today.

DAY 1

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DAY 2

DAY 3

DAY 4

Finally take the theological principles, doctrines, and truths you listed, reflect back to the differences and similarities, and determine ways they apply in your personal everyday life or even current circumstances. I would like you to make sure you connect the two. You can either rewrite them and connect the application or you can number your discoveries in the section above and match the numbers for the application in this section. The main thing is that you have a way of seeing clearly what you are connecting. I don’t want you to come back to this and wonder why you wrote something down. This is a section that is so important and I don’t want you to race through it trying to get your work done and miss something God wants you to see. So let’s set aside any hurried thinking and take a moment to pray this prayer and then get our work done.

Dear Heavenly Daddy,I love You and need You. I need You to reveal to me what You want me to see. Give me the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of You. Open the eyes of my understanding to the treasure and riches in Your Word that apply to my life and my circumstances. Help me to receive Your truth and understand how personal it is to me. In Jesus name, Amen.

Use this section to determine your application for the theological principles as noted above. While working through this, ask yourself, “How does this apply to my life or my situation?”

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Remember our evaluation scale we have used in the past? Now is a good time to evaluate our knowledge and understanding of Philippians again. So, on a scale of 1-10 with 1 representing the least and 10 representing the most, identify where you feel your level of knowledge and understanding is as related to the book of Philippians.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10___________________________________________________

Now go back to Page 1 and page 12 and look at the scale you marked then.

Have you moved up the scale any? _________________________________________

What do you feel like has helped you the most in this study?

I know I keep saying this, but I truly mean it! I am so proud of you for sticking with this study!

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