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8/4/2019 Church Cooperation
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The teaching of the New Testament serves as thecreed of the Christian and furnishes him to every
good work (2 Tim. 3: 16, 17). All that is believed
and practiced is to be in the name of the Lord
Jesus (Col. 3: 17). What, therefore, is taught andobserved on every subject, including congregational
cooperation is of great importance.
8/4/2019 Church Cooperation
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Apart from the guidance of the
word, man is only limited in his
ideas about church cooperation byhis fertile imagination. As a result,
all manner of arrangements are
observed in the religious world.
8/4/2019 Church Cooperation
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Too many look to
Catholicism as the model for
church cooperation, seeingthe ultimate source of
cooperation being the Pope
of Rome. However, such is
a false model (Matt. 16: 18,19, I Tim. 4: 1-6, 2 Thes. 2:
3-10).
8/4/2019 Church Cooperation
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Using the model of
denominational churches in
their consociations alsoconstitutes a flawed model.
Such an arrangement
basically came out of
Catholicism and did not existin New Testament times (cp.
I Cor. 1: 10-13).
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Many have sought to
persuade denominations,
which have diametricallyopposed teaching regarding
salvation, how to live, and
life after death to unite in
their cooperation. Hence,unity-in-diversity is very
common.
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"All the churches, in those primitive times, were
independent bodies; or none of them subject to
the jurisdiction of any otherNor does thereappear in this first century any vestige of that
consociation of the churches of the same
provinces, which gave rise to ecclesiastical
councils, and to metropolitans." (Mosheim,Ecclesiastical History, Vol. 1, pg. 72).
8/4/2019 Church Cooperation
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Elders were appointed in each local church and
these men who met special qualifications only
superintended where they served (Acts 14: 23, I
Pet. 5: 1-3). Hence, the circumstances of a group
of men (elders) serving over an area involving
churches is foreign to the teaching and examples
observed in the New Testament.
8/4/2019 Church Cooperation
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Local church
Acts 14: 23
Local church
I Peter 5: 1-3
8/4/2019 Church Cooperation
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Both the original falling away and also subsequentapostasies have involved a distortion of localchurch government. Such has then afforded thedevil more liberty and ease in bringing in more
wide-spread digression. The more organizationallybound, the more local churches can be affected in asingle effort.
8/4/2019 Church Cooperation
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In the matter of the propagation of the gospel,
there were no missionary societies, sponsoring
churches, or other organizational tie
arrangement characteristic of the work of the
early local churches. The scriptures have not left
man to decide how such work is to be done (cp. I
Tim. 3: 15, Phili. 4: 15, 2 Cor. 11: 8).
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Church
Church
Church Church
Church
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Missionary
Society
Local
church
Local
church
Sponsoring
Church
Local
church
Local
church
8/4/2019 Church Cooperation
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29: Then the disciples,
every man according to
his ability, determined to
send relief unto thebrethren which dwelt in
Judaea: 30: Which also
they did, and sent it to
the elders by the handsofBarnabas and Saul
(Acts 11).
Antioch
Churches in Judea
8/4/2019 Church Cooperation
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1: Now concerning thecollection for the saints,as I have given order tothe churches of Galatia,even so do ye. 2: Uponthe first day of the weeklet every one of you layby him in store, as God
hath prospered him,that there be nogatherings when Icome (I Cor. 16).
Jerusalem
Churches sending to one
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God has supplied the teaching and the pattern asto how He expects things to be done. Man needs
to respect what God has taught and cease
attempting to improve on Gods arrangement,
whether it be the plan of salvation for the aliensinner, the worship of the church, or how local
churches function and are governed!