This verse has amazed me ever since I learned about how the Philippian church began. Acts 16 gives us the beginning of this congregation in Philippi. Paul was pestered by a slave girl who was possessed. He cast the demon out of her and she could no longer bring money to her masters. The masters brought Paul before the magistrates. These magistrates had Paul and Silas beaten and thrown into prison. After all of that, do you know what these two men of God were doing? They were praying and singing praises to God! They were thankful for the persecution they received because they knew they were doing God's work.
In verse 26, an earthquake shook the jail. The jailer, who had fallen asleep, supposed that everyone had escaped. He was about to kill himself for at that time a Roman soldier who fell asleep and whose charges escaped would be killed. But, Paul cried out and told the jailer they were all there and to not harm himself. The jailer fell down before Paul and Silas and asked how to be saved. They told him to believe in Jesus, but how could he believe if he had not heard, so they taught him about Jesus. It was that very hour that the jailer was baptized!
The jailer took Paul and Silas and washed their wounds. The next day, the magistrates commanded that the jailer let them go.
This is what would come to my mind when I thought of the Philippians if I were Paul and Silas. Maybe it did, but they were thankful for the people at Philippi anyway.
Can we say we are thankful for the church? Many times we didn't bring them in with blood, sweat and tears as Paul and Silas did. But one thing I do know, Christ died for all of them the same as he died for you and me. Let's be thankful for the church that Jesus bought!