Philippians 1:4,5 “Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;”
The Apostle Paul greatly enjoyed spending time thinking about, praying for, and fellowshipping with the believers at Philippi. He considered it a joy to pray for them – but this was not true of some other churches. Some churches and individuals love to cause trouble and grief for pastors – making it difficult for them to know how to pray for the members.
The word “fellowship” only occurs three times in Philippians:
- 1:5 “For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;”
- 2:1 “If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,”
- 3:10 “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”
Each of the above verses mentioned a different aspect of Biblical fellowship. They are:
- “fellowship in the gospel” – this is where real fellowship for the Christian begins. There can be no fellowship with Christians unless the Gospel is the start of it – each one must be born again. People that are not saved cannot have true fellowship with real believers in Christ.
- “fellowship of the Spirit” – it is His Holy Spirit that enables believers to fellowship and have kindred spirits. He produces a single mind and peace within a local church. Believers are strengthened to serve Christ by frequent fellowship with other believers – which is why God commands believers not to forsake “the assembling of ourselves together” (Hebrews 10:25). He is also the One that enables believers to meet other believers they never met before and they will feel like family if both are serving Christ and seeking to walk in His Spirit.
- “fellowship of his sufferings” – fellowship with Christ’s sufferings (enduring persecution) matures the believer and helps them draw closer to Christ for strength. It pushes the believer to be more holy and look to Christ more – but it will also push some away. Paul welcomed suffering for Christ because he knew that it would make him more like Christ, help others to follow Christ closer, and it would give him a better reward.
What kind of fellowship with other believers have you been having lately? Strength to serve Christ the way He desires must include the local church and fellowship with other believers. Have you been faithful to go regularly when the doors are open?