I get to share in the gospel with a wide variety of believers. There is a certain group of ladies with whom I occasionally share in the gospel. They go to my daughters church and I am privileged to be able to fellowship with them once or twice a year when I attend an event they are hosting, or when they assemble for barbeques, yard sales and “Huckleberry Festivals.” I have been blessed to share in their lives and we have benefitted from the encouragement we receive from one another.
Philippians 1:3-7 (CSB)
3 I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, 4 always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 7 Indeed, it is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I have you in my heart, and you are all partners with me in grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.
Paul traveled about preaching the gospel. He planted churches throughout the Roman Empire. We have a narrative of these travels in the book of Acts. We have letters written by Paul to churches he started, individuals he knew, and churches his wanted to visit. Paul’s letters begin with greetings that tell us something about the recipient(s) and his relationship to them. In his letter to the Philippians, we see his affection for the church in Philippi. This is not unique. He is very connected to a vast array of people whom he has met along his journeys. He genuinely loves, admires, and trusts many people across a vast geographical area. We, also, are connected to a great network of believers. Some attend our local congregation, others we know from other churches in our communities, others we meet when we are away from home, still others we observe nationally and globally. How do we relate to all these people? We sometimes see ourselves in conflict with other Christians because we do not all think exactly the same or lean into ministry with identical priorities and methods. It becomes easy to see each other as adversaries rather than allies. We are connected to all these people through the presence of the Holy Spirit. We carry out the mission….making disciples….. We teach, encourage and pray for one another. We worship together. God has given us a VERY large family. Let us remember that though sometimes we are annoyed by family members, we are belong together. We should cherish one another and remind ourselves of the blessing that is ours.
We should hold them in our hearts. I know I do!