HOMI 500
McDill Worksheet:
Research Questions Template The purpose of this exercise is to ask questions for
the best research to understand and communicate the
text writer’s original message.
Text:
•
Work from your structural diagram of the text.
•
Look at your observation for questions to ask.
•
Number the questions and the answers you
find.
•
Complete questions before doing your research.
•
Skip questions that are irrelevant or not
answerable.
•
Document where you find your research.
Investigative Questions
1.
Who authored the book of Philippians?
2.
Who was the book of Philippians written too?
3.
What was the relationship, and object source?
4.
What was the grace?
5.
When was the book authored
6.
Where were the recipients at during the distrubation of the
letter
7.
Why did Paul, and Timothy have a need to write to this
Church?
8.
How was the letter interpreted, and received by the
Church.
Who?
What?
When?
Where?
Why?
How?
Interpretative Questions
1.
What verses are related to Philippians 1:1-30?
2.
What is the context of Philippians 1:1-30 ?
3.
What is the genre of the beginning letter?
4.
What was the purpose of Philippians, and what was Paul
and Timothy’s purpose of writing to this Church?
5.
What tone, and style was Paul using in his writing?
6.
Where there any implications?
7.
What is the importance (significance) of the letter? Philip.
1:1-30
Cross-references?
Context?
Literary genre?
Purpose?
Tone and Style?
Implications?
Significance?
Investigative Questions:
1. “Paul and Timothy servants of Christ Jesus”1
2. “The Church at Philippi became the part of the Roman province of Macedonia”2
3. “To stand firm amid persecution.”3
4. Paul reminded the believers of their relationship with God. “This was a standard
greeting.”4
1 John MacArthur, The Macarthur Bible Commentary, 2nd ed. (Nashville Tenn.: Thomas Nelson, 2005), 1708-14.
2 Ibid. 1708
3Ibid. 1709
4Ibid. 1710
5. Ad 60-62, during Paul’s first imprisionment at Rome
6. Paul and Timothy wrote to this Church that was founded by paul in Europe.
7. The Church was under Satanic opposition which came from a demon possessed fortune-
telling slave girl.
8. “Paul joy was not tied to his circumstances or his critic. He was glad to proclaim the
gospel with authority no matter who received the credit.”5
Interpretative
1. The verses relating to Philippians are Acts 9:1; Acts 16:1-3;James 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1; Jude
1; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Rom. 6:2-9; Gal 2:20 and Romans 1:7
2. The context was that Paul wrote to give them thanks for their faithfulness that they
showed towards him in their caring for him.
3. The literay genre “some have held that Paul wrote the prison epistle during his two-year
imprisonment at Caesarea. ( Acts 24:27)”6
4. “ Paul uses five different Greek words to express the emotion of joy, which is mentioned
at least fifteen times in the book. Joy is mentioned at least twice in each chapter.”7
5. Paul’s tone and writing style is that of a caring mentor, and a loving pastor.
6. What can be drawn from this chapter is that Paul counted them worthy, faithful, and
caring.
7. The importance of this beginning letter is that there will be conflict, and suffering and
that suffering is a gift from Jesus Christ. Paul states that: “ for me to live is Christ, and to
die is gain”8 Paul’s message was for the Church to stand firm in the mist of persecution.
Bibliography
MacArthur, John. The Macarthur Bible Commentary. 2nd ed. Nashville Tenn.: Thomas Nelson,
2005.
5Ibid. 1713
6 Ibid. 1708
7 Ibid. 1710
8 All scripture unless otherwise noted is from the NIV.
