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knew about `the fellowship' of the sufferings of Christ (Phil. 3: 10), they had fellowship
with Paul in the gospel also (Phil. 1: 5; 4: 15)."
When we consider the references in Acts and Charles H. Welch's comments we can
see that it is not correct to restrict the meaning of fellowship. It certainly includes the
sharing of spiritual things, and true fellowship must include prayer and communion with
God our Father. Sharing material things must not be excluded. Paul had much to say
about the gift made by the Philippians (see Phil. 4: 10-19), and when writing to those at
Corinth he gave instructions about the orderly manner in which the collection should be
made (see I Cor. 16:). Because "having all things common" was in the Acts period, we
cannot say that the principle of sharing with those who are in need does not apply to us.
Paul told the Philippians that their gift was "an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice
acceptable, well-pleasing to God".
We will not attempt to list every reference to fellowship, but the word koinonia,
translated fellowship, is sometimes translated "communication", or "contribution", or
"communion". In the touching letter that Paul wrote to Philemon about his runaway
slave Onesimus, koinonia appears in the A.V. as "communication":
"That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of
every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus" (Philemon 6).
In Rom. 15: 26 fellowship is shown by a material gift:
"For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for
the poor saints which are at Jerusalem."
In a negative sense we have a reference in Eph. 5: 11:
"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."
If we are working on the A.V. with a concordance we shall find Eph. 3: 9 reads
"And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery which from the
beginning of the world hath been hid in God, Who created all things by Jesus Christ".
But if we turn to the R.V. we find that instead of "fellowship" we have "dispensation".
Some texts have the Greek word oikonomia instead of koinonia, and scholars hold the
view that the R.V. is better than the A.V. Both Mr. Welch and Mr. Allen use the R.V. for
this verse.
But the spirit of Ephesians is that our position in the Body does merit the word
fellowship. If we turn to verses 6 and 7 of Eph. 3:, Stuart Allen in Letters From Prison,
page 60, quotes the Revised Version thus:
"To wit, that the Gentiles are fellow-heirs and fellow-members of the Body, and
fellow-partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, whereof I was made a
minister according to the gift of the grace of God which was given to me according to the
working of His power."
So in Ephesians we have a strong and warm unity in Christ, being joints and bands, all
working together and building each other up in the faith.