First Day until Now. Philippians 1:5. “For your fellowship in the Gospel from the first day until now:” Lydia was there on that first day when she and others came to pray by the river. When the group of women gathered there heard what Paul had to say, her heart was opened, and she believed that very first day. Years went by, and Paul was in prison, praying for the believers in Philippi. This time, his message was in a letter showing his interest and joy in those he knew from the first day. His fellowship with them is just like it was at the start of a work for God in a new place today. There is still love for the Gospel and for those who believed “the first day” that remains now.
When I first believed, the message of the Gospel was precious to the saints who were willing to travel each night to where the Gospel was being preached, bringing lost sinners through terrible weather. There was fellowship in those early days. As the years went by, those same people supported me well because they wanted lost souls to be saved from hell. They have prayed for us for over sixty years as we share the Gospel message from “the first day until now.” More than sixty years have gone by; how quickly the years and time seem to fly! The Gospel reached men and women far away and brought the truth back on “the first day.” Many are now old, and others have gone on to heaven. Their faithful fellowship and work are all finished. They are enjoying the blessings of their heavenly home, which they began “the first day,” and they’re there now.
Respectful customary greetings are appropriate when God's people gather and communicate with each other. There is a dignity and respect we owe one another as those united in Christ Jesus. Whether it is the grace of God or the peace that sustains harmony among different people and personalities, God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ are the Ones who bring us together.
The Holy Spirit is the Person within the Godhead, the active force behind a well-functioning church. The thankfulness we feel when we hear about our brothers and sisters in Christ is inspired by the Spirit of God. The closeness of our thoughts to each other is fostered by the Spirit, who guides us to pray at the throne of grace for them. When we hear of their faith and testimony, thoughts of God's people and joy create fellowship and gratitude as we remember when we first met. That fellowship in the Gospel includes recalling how God saved us. What I cherish each day is love that constrains us when the Lord is the center of our lives.
Paul would remember the call of the Spirit to go to Macedonia. He no doubt thought about Lydia, who quietly entered the kingdom of God without any fanfare. The young woman possessed by a demon, who was freed by the power of Christ's name, caused a scene throughout the city. Satan doesn't retreat quietly. Paul would recall singing in the jail at the start of the work, the earthquake, and the salvation of the jailer and his family. What fellowship! What joy! What confidence in God! Paul was grateful for these moments personally. He was also grateful for the fellowship in the Gospel: the life he shared with the believers, the love-bound fellowship, and the Lord Jesus, who is at the center of it all.