Introduction
We shall do a study of the Bible book of Philippians using a simple Bible study format which is well known to many of us- SPACEPETS.
SPACEPETS is an acronym for Sin to confess, Promise to claim, Attitude to change, Command to obey, Example to follow, Prayer to pray, Error to avoid, Truths to believe and Something to thank God for. Although we shall not study following the order, yet we hope to cover as many areas using this tool in our observation, interpretation and application of the book.
The book of Philippians was written by Paul, the Apostle, to all Saints in Christ Jesus (vs 1)… in Philippi. ‘In Philippi’ could also be any location where there are Saints. So, the letter is much applicable to us today. It is a letter that is recommended to all who are in leadership over the church and none is excluded vs 2. The content of this letter is addressed to all saints and all leaders of the church and no one is exempted.
There are some key words in the chapter that help us to understand the context or the main point of Paul. The word ‘gospel’ in phrases like Partnership in the gospel, defense of the gospel, confirmation of the gospel, (speak the word), advance the gospel, proclaim Christ, fruitful labour, preach Christ, worthy of the gospel and faithful of the gospel all help to see the emphasis of Paul on the Gospel.
The Gospel becomes the nerve center of the Church. The church does not exist without the gospel and it exists for the gospel. All that the church is and does is about the gospel. This in itself is a truth to believe. We must therefore understand all that Paul wrote about as it relates to this truth.