Praying with Joy and Affection

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Philippians 1:3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus
Paul had a brilliant theological mind like no other, but in this first chapter of his letter to the Philippians we see he is deeply relational as well.  We also see how committed to prayer he was.  He prayed for the Philippians often.  He prayed with joy because of their partnership with him in the gospel.  He prayed for ALL of them.  He obviously had spent a lot of time with them and developed a deep bond of friendship with them.  And at the heart of his prayer for them was their relationship with Christ.  He prayed that the One who had begun a good work in them would carry it on to completion.  
They had spent time together and now he could maintain his friendship and love for them through prayer.  Most likely Paul was in prison for the gospel and he knew that they were praying for him as well.  Paul says, "He longs for them with the affection of Christ".  Those are strong words and shows the lasting impact of relationships that are formed when we do ministry together in meaningful ways.
I can think back to people in each of the three churches I have served and to the powerful experiences we had doing God's work together.  There were special seasons were God did amazing things in all of our lives.  will always remember these times fondly.  We still share prayer requests and keep tabs on each other.  Some I am in no contact at all, but I still treasure the memories we shared, our time together, and what God did among us.

All of this shows the depth and quality of relationships where Jesus is present.  The bible calls this fellowship.  It is a word which means a deep connection through the power of the Holy Spirit. This "koinonia" creates a depth of friendship in the Christian community which goes much deeper than one will find in the world.  Of course it isn't perfect but nothing here on earth is.  
Are you connected to a Christian community?  Do you have Christian friends who pray for you and you in return pray for them?  Who really knows you?  Who can you have real conversations with about things that really matter?  God has designed the church to be such a place.  We need each other.  One day when we go to heaven we will enjoy the fellowship we experience here with all those who believe.  Thank God for your Christian friends.  Pray for them and hold them close to your heart with the affection Christ has for you.   

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