How thankful are you for the local church of which you are a member? The local church is made up of the people of God, and God’s people are a great blessing to each other. Paul certainly felt blessed to have an association with the church at Philippi. While he was not a member of that local church, they still brought him a great deal of joy for which he was thankful.

Philippians 1:3-5 (ESV)
³ I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

Paul was speaking of the financial support the church at Philippi gave him when he wrote of their partnership. We know that because he spoke of it again in chapter four, leaving no doubt about that which he was referring.

Philippians 4:15-16 (ESV)
¹⁵ And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. 16 Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again.

The word partnership is from the Greek word koinōneō and refers to sharing something with others. It is the Greek word for fellowship. Sadly, the religious world has the wrong idea of what fellowship is. It is believed by most that it has to do with fun and frolic, where Christians are entertained together by some kind of social event. However, the word fellowship in the New Testament never has to do with recreation and entertainment. It refers to the spiritual companionship that we enjoy in Christ. The greatest way that we have fellowship with other Christians is when we gather together to worship God and encourage one another in the faith (Acts 2:42; Hebrews 10:24-25).

We should be thankful for the fellowship that we, as Christians, have in Christ. The church is made up of the best people in the world…people who are partners in the doing of God’s will, the spreading of the gospel of Christ, and the common life that consists of walking in the light. As Christians, we are foreigners in this world, for our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20). Having others in this world who think and live the way we do is comforting.

To have brethren in Christ who are oftentimes closer to us than our biological families, is a wonderful blessing. We are never alone in the struggle against Satan and sin because we always have brethren to stand with us and fight the good fight of faith. We have brethren who will help us in times of need, encourage us when we need to be lifted up, and even rebuke us when we get off track. What a joy it is to be a part of the family of God, and we should never take it for granted.

I do not know what would have become of my life if it were not for the church. I thank God for the wonderful Christians who have helped me through the years to be the kind of Christian that I am. We give glory to God for all that we are. As Paul said, “I am what I am by the grace of God” (1 Corinthian 15:9-10). This is true about all of us in Christ. But, let us not forget that much of the work that God has done for us is accomplished through brothers and sisters in Christ, and we should always be thankful for them.

As you wind down for the night, think on these things.