Prayers of thanksgiving arose to God when the apostle Paul remembered the church in Philippi and their "fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now" (Phil. 1:5). The apostle could not contain his gratitude to God for the "fellowship" extended to him by the Philippian believers. He wrote, "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy” (Phil. 1:3-4).
Paul's memory of the church in Philippi began with his first visit to that city during his second missionary journey. Then the Spirit of God explicitly instructed him to go to Macedonia (the province where Philippi was located) though he was planning to go with Silas to Bithynia (Acts 16:7-10). Upon his arrival in the city, on a Sabbath day, Paul and Silas went to a riverside, where they met a group of women at prayer. One of the women was Lydia, "which worshipped God". In all likelihood, she was a proselyte, a Gentile converted to Judaism. The Lord opened her heart, and she believed the Gospel which she heard from Paul, and was baptized with her household (Acts 16:13-15). Lydia and her household were the first Christian converts in Philippi and in all of Europe, and they exhibited generous hospitality to the apostolic team and greatly supported their evangelistic efforts. Soon, many more believed. When their Gospel ministry delivered a young demon-possessed slave girl (Acts 16:16-18), her masters caused an uproar in the city, resulting in Paul's beating and imprisonment. However, the Lord used that painful experience to convert the jailor and his family (Acts 16:26-34). Before they departed from the city, Paul and Silas went to Lydia's house for the last time and were encouraged by the many believers who came to see them off (Acts 16:40). All these memories and more about the church in Philippi lifted Paul's heart to God with praise and thanks.
The word "fellowship" (koinōnia) indicates sharing something in common. In a larger sense, Paul used the word to show the Philippian believers as partners in propagating the Gospel. The fellowship Paul mentioned comprises their cooperation in his effort to preach the Gospel of salvation to those who have never heard it. Even the prayerful support they extended to Paul during his arrest, imprisonment and afflictions as he attempted to spread the Gospel, was also regarded as the " fellowship in the gospel". He wrote in Phil. 1:7, "… inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace." The Greek word translated as "partakers" is sugkoinōnós, which comes from the same Greek root word for "fellowship".
Additionally, Paul used the word "fellowship" in his epistles to indicate the sharing of possessions or money by the brethren to support the Gospel work and the needy brethren. He was thankful for the participation of the believers through their generous financial support extended to him (Phil. 4:15-16), and to the needy believers in Jerusalem (2 Cor. 8:1-5). This, too, was in Paul's mind when he mentioned the "fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now". Later he wrote in his epistle, "Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity" (Phil. 4:15-16).
When Paul said that the Philippians' fellowship was "from the first day until now", he was commending their promptness and consistency in showing their commitment to the cause of the Gospel work. The perseverance of the brethren in Philippi was outstanding, and worthy of note and thanksgiving. What excellent character is manifested in a congregation that steadfastly persisted in helping the servant of the LORD to fulfil his divine calling concerning the Gospel work.
When we consider our church's just-concluded 6th Missionary Conference (June 7th -11th, 2021), we too find ourselves having much in common (fellowship) with all the sentiments expressed by the apostle Paul. We must continue to strengthen our resolve to establish more and more Gospel mission stations, and to strengthen our existing mission churches. As we pray for more faithful and fervent labourers to be sent, let us also continue to express our love and support for all those who currently serve the Lord in the various mission fields.
We should never be slow nor backward in partaking in the global mission works. Neither should we fall short of our Lord Jesus Christ's Great Commission through fickleness and inconstancy. Let us always be forward in extending our fellowship to everyone who labours faithfully in the Gospel frontiers. May the Lord help us to encourage the hearts of the preachers of the Gospel, that they may rejoice and give thanks to God in the midst of their labour. Let us earnestly and persistently pray for the fruitfulness of the Lord's servants in His vineyard. Let us continue to cheerfully share our material resources to support the works of the Lord increasingly. May Gethsemane tirelessly and selflessly partner God’s servants to establish many more faithful churches that worship the LORD, and preach the Word faithfully in more places – till Jesus returns.