To your account

Nevertheless you have done well that you shared in my distress. Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. – Philippians 4.14-17

We get to read a lot about the Philippians. They must have been a really special church. They certainly had a knack for helping others. From the very start of his ministry no one had cared for them like they did. Over and over throughout his journeys they sent help to meet his needs. 

But Paul saw beyond just the reality of the gifts. He saw something special for them. He sought to see fruit borne in his minisitry so that it could be laid up to the account of the Philippians. 

This is a real picture of the importance of team work in God's work. When we use our resources to support missionaries or other Christian workers it becomes a joint effort. They are the front line soldiers and we keep the supply lines going. A lot of our foreign workers need our support because they can't work at paying jobs where they live. Some ministries just don't have the funds to provide for their workers. So somebody else needs to step in and help. 

That's the kind of ministry Paul had. A few times he stopped to make tents to [ay his way, but most of the time he stayed so busy that somebody had to send money for food and the other necessities. 

The point Paul has is that his supporters at Philippi shared in whatever fruit he bore. It was a team effort and all who took part would share in the fruit of Paul's ministry. 

It ought to excite us that we get to take part in the fruit for those Christian workers we support. We can't go everywhere and we can't be activel involved in every ministry - but we can take part and we can bear fruit through our giving.