How could Apostle Paul utter these words in Philippians 1:3: “ I thank my God upon every remembrance of you”? He was not speaking to an individual but to the whole church in Philippi. As he remembered them, he gave thanks. I cannot help but envy what intimate fellowship Apostle Paul enjoyed with the church in Philippi. Because of such fellowship, we can sense that Paul did not feel alone even though he was in prison. Physically he may be alone. But spiritually, he was not. Yes, God was with him. But spiritually Paul was enjoying the fellowship of believers. And it was a godly one. It is wonderful to have such fellowship with one another.

Since Apostle Paul was in prison, there was no way he could come out unless he was prepared to deny his Lord. But we know he was not going to do that. And so he was unable to join the rest of the believers in fellowship meetings as much as he would love to. Even then, we realize that he continued to enjoy their fellowship. That’s amazing! Apostle Paul certainly did not have the physical presence of the church with him. All he had was the memory of their times together. And he, sitting there in prison, remembering their love and care and support, his heart was stirred with thanksgiving for them, and he thanked God for them. What a lesson for us! If Paul thanked God for believers who were so far away from him, how much more should we thank God for one another whom we meet at least once a week on the Lord’s Day?

Because his heart was filled with thanksgiving for them, he prayed for them. This is a natural step. He continued: “ 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” (Phil 1:4-5). He desired them to be well, safe, be strengthened in the faith and surely he prayed that God will protect them all the time from false teachers and worldliness. When there is true fellowship among us, we know how to pray for one another. There is joy in such fellowship. Joy that makes our heart warm. Joy that will put a smile on our face. It does not mean we pretend life is good when there is so much suffering. It means we are not going to let any bad situation to affect our relationship and fellowship with God and with one another. That’s the point. That’s true fellowship.

The Lord has put us together, so that we may have a joyful fellowship. Fellowship does not come automatically, but by deliberate prayer and much effort are needed by every one of us to come together in the name of our Saviour. Soon, we will be gathering as a church for our Annual Congregational Meeting. What kind of a spirit will you come with? Will you come with a heart that is full of thanksgiving for one another (like Apostle Paul) because of the joyful fellowship God has blessed you with? May God help us. Amen.