child'.  In 4:4 and 18, we have once more the idea of severance uppermost:

`They shall turn away their ears from the truth'; `The Lord shall deliver me

from every evil work'.

It is therefore clear from the usage of the word that while `from' may

sometimes refer to source, yet its primary meaning is severance, `away from'.

We, accordingly, understand the apostle to say, that although he now worshipped

and served God away from his parents and all their traditions, and even though

such worship was called by his own people `heresy', he nevertheless had a pure

conscience in so doing.  We too could echo the apostle's sentiments, saying:

`The way they call "Ultra -dispensationalism", so we worship and so we

Fellowship.  This word, with one exception, is the translation in the A.V. of

koinonia or its cognates.  The exception is 2 Corinthians 6:14, `what

fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?' where the Greek word is

metoche, a word better translated `partnership', even as metochos is translated

in most places `partaker'.

We give a selection of the occurrences of koinonia, giving place

particularly to those passages that have a dispensational bearing.

Acts 2:42

`They continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and

fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers'.

Gal. 2:7 -9 `When they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was

committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter ...

and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the

grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right

hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto

the circumcision'.

Eph. 3:9

`And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the

Rom. 11:17  `Thou being a wild olive tree, were graft in among them, and

with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree, boast not

against the branches'.

The `fellowship' of Acts 2:42 was expressed by having all things `common'

koinos (Acts 2:44; 4:32).

`And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by

the apostles.  And all that believed ... had all things common; and sold

their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had

need' (Acts 2:43 -45).

In the few lines of this last quotation we have compressed that which is

expanded in Acts 3, 4 and 5.  In those chapters we have recorded the

prophetically significant miracle of healing, and the equally significant

miracle of judgment that caused `great fear' to come upon all the church.

There is also a fuller statement concerning the having of things in common in

Acts 4:32-37, which compels us to ask whether the selling of possessions and

community of goods was not a real part of the meaning and purpose of Pentecost.

There have been companies of believers, who, taking Pentecost as their basis,