____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ December 13, 1992 ____________________________________________________ The Lord's Supper by Tom Edwards An important part of the worship service on the first day of the week is taking of the Lord's Supper, also referred to as the ``communion'' (1 Cor. 10:16), the ``breaking of bread'' (Acts 2:42; 20:7), or the ``Lord's table'' (1 Cor. 10:21). Let us consider what the New Testament has to say about this divinely given observance. The Institutor Firstly, it was Jesus who established the communion shortly prior to His death (Matt. 26:26-28). It is, therefore, not a mere man-made tradition or humanly-devised dogma, but that which has been designed, decreed, and delivered by God Himself. The Elements To Be Used The unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine (grape juice) are what Jesus used in instituting this supper (Matt. 26:26-29). I have heard of some religious groups that feel it is not wrong to substitute these elements with something else or to use only one of them instead of both. Some have swapped Coca Cola for the fruit of the vine. These corruptions should not be. If we want to show our love to God and serve Him acceptably, we must do it His way. How dare we think that we can substitute the emblems that Jesus Himself chose with that of anything else. ``If you love Me,'' Jesus urges, ``you will keep My commandments'' (Jn. 14:15). The bread and the fruit of the vine symbolize the body and blood of Christ respectively. Jesus became God incarnate. As seen in Hebrews 2:14, ``Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.'' His body was tortured by being scourged and nailed to an agonizing cross, from which His life's blood was freely shed; and we remember His body and blood--and this sacrifice--with the symbolic elements of the unleaven bread and the fruit of the vine. Who Is It For? The communion is for all those who have been bought by the blood of Jesus and are, therefore, in the church--the body of Christ. Jesus said to His apostles, ''...I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom'' (Matt. 26:29). The kingdom is synonymous with the church, and whenever two or three are gathered together in His name, Jesus is there in the midst (Matt. 18:20). Though we don't practice ``closed communion,'' which would exclude specific individuals from being able to partake of this supper, one must actually be in the kingdom first, for there it is that this spiritual feast is to be taken; and only the Christian--and not the non-Christian--is in the kingdom (Col. 1:13). Its Purpose The communion is to serve as a memorial of the death of the Lord Jesus--not as a time to reflect upon ourselves and the condition of our own servitude toward the Lord, but rather as a reminder of Christ's atonement for us (1 Cor. 10:24,25). Paul's exhortation for the partaker to ``examine himself,'' therefore, means that he makes certain his mind is occupied with the death of Christ and not merely with his own life. For this, we should always be aware of; and if we need to make corrections in our lives or repent of transgression, we should do so promptly--and not think we must wait until we take of the Lord's supper first. What if one falls into a sin on a Monday? Then should he not repent of that before Tuesday even comes? Clearly, the New Testament shows that the Lord's Supper is for the purpose of remembering the death of Christ. The Manner In Which It Is To Be Taken The Lord's supper is to be observed in a worthy manner (1 Cor. 11:27). This does not mean that we must first become worthy--for no one could; rather, it emphasizes our need to have our minds centered on the death of Christ, as we give Him the reverence that He so verily deserves. It is, therefore, to be done with a worshipful attitude while in the proper ``spirit and in truth'' (Jn. 4:23,34). The communion is not to be taken as a common meal to fill hungry bellies, but rather as a spiritual supper that helps to strengthen the soul of man. For spiritual food for the Christian is found in doing the will of God (Jn. 4:34). Furthermore, Paul instructed the Corinthians that when they come together to take of the Lord' supper, if any of them are hungry, they are to eat their common meals at home and not to ``despise the church of God'' by eating for the sake of satisfying their appetites when the church has come together to worship and serve God (1 Cor. 11:22,33,34). ``What!,'' Paul said, ``Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink?''; and also, ``If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, so that you may not come together for judgment....'' (1 Cor. 11:22,34). The Frequency Of This Observance Early Christians ``continued steadfastly'' in taking the communion (Acts 2:42). The New American Standard version renders this as ''...they were continually devoting themselves to the...breaking of bread....'' Could this have been said about them if they merely took it once or a few times a year? I don't think you would consider me as continuing steadfastly in my housekeeping, if I washed my dishes just once a year or quarterly. The inference in 1 Corinthians 11:18-22 also indicates that the Lord's supper was to be observed frequently--though Paul had to rebuke the Corinthians for their perversion of it. The Day On Which It Is To Be Observed Sunday, the first day of the week (Acts 20:7), is when the Lord's Supper was served. This is the only day which the Bible shows the communion to have be taken, and this we have as an apostolic example. Sunday was a special day then and still is: it is a day when Christians gather together in order to worship God as He has commanded. This we do by not only taking the communion, but also by giving of our means (1 Cor. 16:1-3), engaging in prayer, singing spiritual songs, and hearing the word preached. It is interesting to note that it has not been only those in the church of Christ who realize that a weekly communion was observed in the early church. Commenting on Acts 20:7, Adam Clarke, a Methodist, writes, ''...'to break bread'...intimating by this, that they were accustomed to receive the holy sacrament on each Lord's day....'' Albert Barnes, a Presbyterian, states: ```to break bread.' Evidently to celebrate the Lord's supper...It is probable that the apostles and early Christians celebrated the Lord's supper on every Lord's day.'' Pulpit Commentary, a compilation of various commentators, has this to say about Acts 20:7: ``This is also an important example of weekly communion as the practice of the first Christians...it is impossible not to conclude that the breaking of bread in the celebration of the Lord's Supper is an essential part of the holy sacrament, which man may not for any specious reasons omit....'' Matthew Henry, a Baptist, also agrees that Acts 20:7 is speaking about the Lord's supper and states, ``In the primitive times it was the custom of many churches to receive the Lord's supper every Lord's day.'' The Seriousness of It One can actually eat and drink damnation unto himself if he does not sincerely observe this supper as God instructs (1 Cor. 11:27-30). To fail to do so will cause one to become ``guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.'' Paul said that ``For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep'' (1 Cor. 11:30). Without question, the Lord's supper is not to be taken lightly. The Duration Of Its Practice Until Christ comes again, the communion is to continue (1 Cor. 11:26). It wasn't merely for those of the early church, but for Christians of all time--and as long as time shall last, this side of eternity. Throughout our lives we need to continually remind ourselves of that great sacrifice that is the only sacrifice which can release man from his sins, and this the Christian is to do until death or until time, as we know it, will be no more. In closing, I find it very ironic that we in the church of Christ are often accused of not believing in the blood of Jesus--but rather in water. When in actuality, we remember that blood in our worship services by taking of the communion, which Jesus has instituted, as often (if not more) in one month than many denominations do in an entire year. Without the blood of Christ, faith, repentance, and water baptism would profit us nothing. Though we realize that we must believe in Christ, turn from our sins, submit to water baptism, and be faithful until death in order to eventually arrive in God's eternal heaven, it is the cross of Christ that we can truly glory in and make our boast, just as the apostle Paul also did (Gal. 6:14). No one will ever make it to heaven on the basis of human merit; which is not to say that there aren't any conditions that need to be met, but rather after having done those things God has demanded of us, we still remain as ``unworthy servants'' who have only done their duty (Luke 17:10). Praise God for the death of Christ! Glory in what Jesus accomplished for us; and with your faith and love for God, obey the Lord with all your heart so that the sacrifice of Christ will be a cleansing agent in your soul and purify you from any defilement that would condemn you in the Judgment Day. Truly, we can be thankful for Christ's sacrifice and His divinely given memorial, the Lord's Supper. May we each observe it weekly, reverently, and Scripturally. ___________________________________________ "Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed" (Isaiah 53:4,5). ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 1314 Montgomery Avenue, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@zoomnet.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go ________________________________________