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Christian Cooperation and Separation - John R Rice

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<strong>Christian</strong> <strong>Cooperation</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Separation</strong><br />

saying of modernists. They say the “sc<strong>and</strong>al” of so many<br />

denominations. They are wacky. Nobody is home upstairs.<br />

They have bats in the belfry, rooms to let in the upper story,<br />

unfurnished. Their elevator doesn’t go to the top floor.<br />

The Bible does not say it would be wonderful if we all<br />

would get in one big worldly church. But they say the Lord<br />

Jesus prayed that we might be one. But He didn’t pray that we<br />

would be in one big super-catholic church. That is not what<br />

God is talking about. He is not talking about an organic unity.<br />

The whole business of a big man-made denomination is utterly<br />

unknown in the New Testament.<br />

Down south years ago Dr. J. B. Gambrell, a very wise, good<br />

man, said, “God wants unity, but not necessarily union with<br />

everybody.” He said, “You tie two cats’ tails together <strong>and</strong> hang<br />

them over a clothesline <strong>and</strong> you have union, but you lack a<br />

good deal of having unity.”<br />

The Bible does not say we all ought to get in one big superchurch.<br />

No! Not organic union, but a loving underst<strong>and</strong>ing <strong>and</strong><br />

loving fellowship <strong>and</strong> loving cooperation with people who are of<br />

like mind about Christ <strong>and</strong> the Bible <strong>and</strong> soul winning is<br />

proper.<br />

Minor Differences Should Not Prevent <strong>Cooperation</strong><br />

of Brotherly <strong>Christian</strong>s<br />

“I am a companion of all them that fear thee, <strong>and</strong> of them<br />

that keep thy precepts.” That fellowship among <strong>Christian</strong>s is<br />

not to be broken by minor differences in doctrine <strong>and</strong> in<br />

methods.<br />

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