00:00
00:00
00:01
Transcript
1/0
Chapter 3 Communion Strategy
for Unity and Community Jesus empowered the ancient church
with a communion strategy designed to create supernatural unity,
loving community, and holy living in view of His return. One aspect
of this strategy was to partake of the Lord's Supper weekly. The other was the celebration
of the Supper as an actual meal. a sacred covenant meal. Because modern churches are not
following this strategy, the Last Supper has become the Lost
Supper. The bread and wine look back
to Jesus' death on the cross. Placing them in the context of
a meal adds a forward look to the wedding banquet of the Lamb.
This relaxed, unhurried, weekly meal is a significant means for
encouraging fellowship, edifying the church, developing community,
cementing the ties of love, and creating unity. Professors, scholarly
opinion is clearly weighted toward the conclusion that the Lord's
Supper was originally eaten as a meal. In New Testament theology,
Donald Guthrie stated that the Apostle Paul sets the Lord's
Supper in the context of the fellowship meal. Editor of the
notable evangelical commentary series, New International Commentary
on the New Testament, Gordon Fee noted, the nearly universal
phenomena of cultic meals as a part of worship in antiquity. He asserted that in the early
church, the Lord's Supper was most likely eaten as or in conjunction
with such a meal. Fee further noted, from the beginning,
the Last Supper was for Christians not an annual Christian Passover,
but a regularly repeated meal in honor of the Lord, hence,
the Lord's Supper. In the New Bible Dictionary,
G.W. Grogan observed, the administration
of the Eucharist shows its set in the context of a fellowship
supper. The separation of the meal or
agape from the Eucharist lies outside the times of the New
Testament. In his commentary on 1 Corinthians,
C.K. Barrett stated, the Lord's Supper
was still at Corinth an ordinary meal to which acts of symbolical
significance were attached rather than a purely symbolical meal. United Methodist Publishing House
editor John Gooch wrote, In the first century, the Lord's Supper
included not only the bread and the cup, but an entire meal. Yale professor J.J. Pelican concluded,
Often, if not always, it was celebrated in the setting of
a common meal. The setting for the Lord's Supper
was the Passover feast. Jesus and His disciples reclined
around a table heaping with food, Exodus 12, Deuteronomy 16. Jesus took bread and compared
it to His body while they were eating, Matthew 26, 26. After
the supper, Luke 22, verse 20, Jesus took the cup and compared
it to his blood, soon to be poured out for sin. Timing is everything. The bread and wine of the Lord's
supper were introduced in the context of an actual meal. The twelve would have naturally
understood the Lord's supper to be a meal also. Deipnon, the
Greek word for supper, means dinner or banquet. The main meal
toward evening. Arguably, it never refers to
anything less than a full meal. At the last supper, Jesus said,
I confer on you a kingdom so that you may eat and drink at
my table in my kingdom. Luke 22 verses 29 and 30. What
is the reason for this eschatological eating? First century Jews thought
of heaven as a time of feasting at the Messiah's table. For example,
a Jewish leader once said to Jesus, Blessed is everyone who
will eat bread in the kingdom of God, Luke 14, 15. Jesus himself
spoke of those who will take their places at the feast with
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, Matthew
8, verse 11. Isaiah described the coming kingdom
feast in this way, the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well aged wine, of rich food
full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. He will swallow
up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from
all faces, and the reproach of His people will take away from
all the earth, for the Lord has spoken." Isaiah 25, verses six
to eight. The book of Revelation describes
a future time of feasting at the Lamb's wedding banquet. Revelation
19 verse 9. When the early church observed
the Lord's Supper, which included the bread and the cup, it was
as a true meal. It is important to appreciate
why the Lord's Supper was originally a meal. It is an image and foretaste
of what we will be doing when Jesus returns to eat with us.
What better way to typify the marriage banquet of the lamb
than a meal manifesting all the excitement and fellowship and
love of the heavenly feast. The most extensive treatment
of the Lord's supper is found in 1 Corinthians chapters 10
and 11. The church in Corinth clearly
celebrated it as a meal. However, class and cultural divisions
resulted in their communion meetings doing more harm than good. Chapter 11, verses 17, 18. The
upper class not wanting to dine with those of a lower social
class evidently came to the gathering early to avoid the poor. By the time the working class
believers arrived, delayed perhaps by employment constraints, all
the food had been eaten. The poor went home hungry. Chapter 11, verses 21 and 22. The wealthy failed to esteem
their impoverished brethren as equal members of the body of
Christ. Chapter 11, verses 23 to 32. The Corinthian abuse was so serious
that the Lord's Supper had instead become their own suppers. When
you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper that you eat.
For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. If merely eating one's own supper
had been the entire objective, then private dining at home would
have sufficed. Thus, Paul asked the rich, Do
you not have houses to eat and drink in? From the nature of the abuse,
it is evident that the Corinthian church regularly partook of the
Lord's Supper as a meal. It has been suggested that the
abuses in Corinth led Paul to end the meal. For example, the
original commentary in the 1599 Geneva Bible stated, the apostle
thinketh it good to take away the love feasts for their abuse,
although they had been a long time and with commendation used
in churches. and were appointed and instituted
by the apostles. This prompts the following question.
Would Paul have single-handedly overturned a practice that had
been established by Jesus, taught by the apostles, and upheld by
all the churches? We think not. However, their
comment affirms the simultaneous celebration of the Lord's Supper
and the love feast as instituted by the apostles. It has been
said that the best antidote to abuse is appropriate use rather
than disuse. Paul's solution to Corinthian
abuse was not to do away with the meal. Instead, Paul wrote,
when you come together to eat, wait for each other." Chapter
11, verse 33. Only those who are so famished
that they could not wait for the others were instructed to
eat at home. Chapter 11, verse 34. Acclaimed
commentator C.K. Barrett cautioned, Paul's point
is that if the rich wish to eat and drink on their own, enjoying
better food than the poorer brothers, they should do this at home.
If they cannot wait for others, if they must indulge to excess,
they can at least keep the church's common meal free from practices
that can only bring discredit upon it. Paul simply means that
those who are so hungry that they cannot wait for their brothers
should satisfy their hunger before they leave home, in order that
decency and order may prevail in the assembly. In summary,
it is clear from Scripture that in the early church, the bread
and the wine of the Lord's Supper were eaten in the context of
a meal. Communion was celebrated not
only with the Lord through the elements, but also with other
believers through the meal. This early church practice builds
community and unity edifies the church and typifies the coming
eschatological feast. Celebrating the Lord's Supper
as a meal is like participating in the rehearsal dinner for a
great wedding and feast. Perspective, a future focus. Fritz Reinecker stated, the Passover
celebrated two events. the deliverance from Egypt, and
the anticipated coming messianic deliverance. It looked both to
the past and the future. When Jesus transformed the Passover
feast into the Lord's Supper, he endowed it both past and future
characteristics. It looks back to Jesus's sacrifice
as the ultimate Passover lamb who delivers his people from
their sins. And it looks forward to the time
when he will come again and eat it with us. The 2000 Baptist
faith and message stated, the Lord's Supper is a symbolic act
of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking
of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death
of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming. R.P. Martin, professor of New Testament
at Fuller Theological Seminary, wrote of the eschatological overtones
in the Lord's Supper with a forward look to the advent in glory. The future kingdom of God weighed
on the Lord's mind during the Last Supper. Jesus first mentioned
the future at the beginning of the Passover. I will not eat
it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God, Luke 22, verse
16. Until hios hutu is forward-looking. It indicates a future occurrence. Furthermore, Jesus' use of fulfilled
suggests that there is something prophetic about the Lord's Supper.
Jesus mentioned a future meal while passing the cup. From now
on, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom
of God comes." Luke 22, verse 18. Every time we partake of
the cup, Jesus' promise to return to drink it with us should be
considered. After the supper, he referred
to the future meal yet again. I confer on you a kingdom so
that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom. Luke
22, verses 29 and 30. Thus, we see that Jesus imbued
the Lord's Supper with several forward-looking characteristics.
As a full meal, it prefigures the marriage supper of the Lamb.
When we partake of the cup, we should be reminded of Jesus'
words, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom
of God comes. Luke 22 verse 18. The following
description is provided in the Encyclopedia Britannica. Early
Christianity regarded this institution as a mandate, learning to know,
even in this present life, the joys of the heavenly banquet
that was to come in the kingdom of God. The past, the present,
and the future came together in the Eucharist. 1 Corinthians
11.26 states that through the Lord's Supper, we proclaim the
Lord's death until He comes. Until normally denotes a timeframe. For example, an umbrella is used
until it stops raining. Then it is put away. Using the
umbrella does not cause the rain to stop. However, Paul's statement
focuses on the reason for proclaiming the Lord's death. The Greek word
for until, akrehu, is unusual. Conservative German theology
professor Fritz Reinecker indicated that this usage with an aorist
subjunctive verb denotes much more than a mere time frame.
it can denote a goal or an objective. In the Eucharistic words of Jesus,
argument was made that the Greek words akrehu, which underlies
until, 1 Corinthians 11, verse 26, is not simply a temporal
reference. It functions as a final clause. In other words, the meal functions
as a constant reminder to God to bring about the second coming.
Paul instructed the church to partake of the bread and cup
as a means of proclaiming the Lord's death with the goal of
His return. Thus, in proclaiming His death
through the loaf and cup, the supper anticipates His return. Professor Herman Ritterbos stated,
it is not merely a subjective recalling to mind, but an active
manifestation of the continuing and actual significance of the
death of Christ. Proclaim, in this respect, has
a prophetic, declaratory significance. Everything is directed not only
toward the past, but also toward the future. It is the proclamation
that in the death of Christ, the new and eternal covenant
of grace has taken effect, if still in a provisional and not
yet consummated sense. It is interesting that the earliest
believers used Maranatha, Our Lord, come, in Dadache 10.6 as
a prayer in relation to the Lord's Supper, a context at once Eucharistic
and eschatological. Linking this to the situation
in Corinth, R.P. Martin wrote, Maranatha in 1
Corinthians 16, verse 22, may very well be placed in a Eucharistic
setting so that the conclusion of the letter ends with the invocation,
our Lord come. And it prepares the scene for
the celebration of the meal after the letter has been read to the
congregation. Purpose number one, community. In ancient Jewish culture, sharing
a meal symbolized acceptance and fellowship. Thus, in Revelation
3 verse 20, Jesus offered to eat dapenel with anyone who heard
his voice and opened the door. One of the major blessings of
celebrating the Lord's Supper as a meal is the genuine fellowship
that everyone enjoys. This theme of fellowship and
feasting is evident in the book of Acts. A casual reading of
Acts 2.42 suggests that the church had four priorities, the teachings
of the apostles, fellowship, the breaking of bread, the Lord's
Supper, and prayer. However, a closer examination
reveals that the focus may have been on only three activities,
teaching, fellowship through the breaking of bread, and prayer. In Greek, fellowship and breaking
of bread are simultaneous activities. It was F.F. Bruce's position
that fellowship described in Acts 2.42 was manifested in the
breaking of bread. The Lord's Supper has often been
associated with the phrase, breaking of bread, which appears throughout
the Book of Acts. For example, Bruce argued that
breaking of bread denotes something more than the ordinary partaking
of food together. The regular observance of the
Lord's Supper is no doubt indicated. This observance appears to have
formed part of an ordinary meal. If this conclusion is accurate,
the early church enjoyed the Lord's Supper as a time of fellowship
and gladness, as would have been the case at a wedding banquet.
Breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with
glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all
the people. Acts 2, verses 46 and 47. The Lord's Supper was characterized
as a time of fellowship. It sounds inviting, doesn't it?
Many churches observe the Lord's Supper in a funeral atmosphere. An organ plays reflective music
softly. Every head is bowed and every
eye is closed as the members of the congregation quietly search
their souls for sins that need to be confessed. In an arrangement
that is eerily reminiscent of a casket, the elements are laid
out on a narrow rectangular table that is covered with a white
cloth at the front of the church. Pallbearer-like deacons solemnly
distribute the elements. Dutch theologian Karl Dedens
noted, under the influence of pietism and mysticism, a sense
of unworthiness is awakened within them, and they become afraid
that they may be eating and drinking judgment unto themselves. As
for those who are still bold enough to go to the table of
the Lord, their faces suggest that a funeral is underway rather
than a celebration. Is this somber approach to the
supper in keeping with the apostles' tradition? It was the unworthy
manner, not unworthy people, that Paul criticized 1 Corinthians
11 verse 27. He was referring to drunkenness
at the Lord's table, conniving to avoid eating with the poor
and humiliating the poor who went home hungry. This failure
of the rich to recognize the body of the Lord in their poor
brethren resulted in divine judgment. Many of them were sick, and a
number had even died. 1 Corinthians 11, verses 27 to
32. Indeed, every person ought to
examine himself to be sure he's not guilty of the same gross
sin, failing to recognize the body of the Lord in the other
believers. 1 Corinthians 11, verses 28 and
29. Once we each have evaluated ourselves,
we can come to the meal without fear of judgment to enjoy the
fellowship of the Lord's Supper as the true wedding banquet it
is intended to be. We all desire church relationships
that are genuine and meaningful, not just a friendly church, but
one where our friends are. The Lord's Supper can help to
make this a reality. A middle-aged man, new in Christ
and to the church, sat through a number of traditional Sunday
services. Finally, he asked, I see people
greet each other just before the service. As soon as it ends,
they hug goodbye and quickly head home. I'm not getting to
know anyone. What is the Christian equivalent
of the neighborhood bar? Celebrating the Lord's Supper
weekly as a relaxed fellowship meal is the biblical answer to
his question. The Holy Meal should be celebrated
often to maximize the fellowship aspect. For the early believers,
participation in the Lord's Supper was one of the main reasons for
their coming together as a church every Lord's Day. Encyclopedia
Britannica has described the Lord's Supper as the central
rite of Christian worship and indispensable component of the
Christian service since the earliest days of the church. The first
evidence of weekly communion is grammatical. To Christians,
Sunday is the Lord's Day. Revelation 1 verse 10. the day
Jesus rose from the dead. This is a translation of Kyriakon
hameron, unique technical Greek wording. It is literally the
day belonging to the Lord. The phrase, belonging to the
Lord, is from Kyriakos, which is found in the New Testament
in only Revelation 1 verse 10 and 1 Corinthians 11 verse 20,
where it refers to the supper as belonging to the Lord. Kyriakon
Deipnon. The connection between these
two unusual but identical ways in which these words are used
must not be overlooked. The supper belonging to the Lord
was eaten every week on the day belonging to the Lord. The Lord's
day and the Lord's supper are a weekly package deal. More evidence
for the weekly celebration of the Lord's Supper is found in
the only clear reason given in Scripture for regular church
meetings, to eat the Lord's Supper. In Acts 20 verse 7, Luke stated,
on the first day of the week, we came together to break bread. The words to break bread in Acts
20 verse 7 are known as a telic infinitive, denoting a purpose
or an objective. They met to break bread. Another New Testament passage
in which the purpose of a church gathering is stated is 1 Corinthians
11, verses 17 to 22. The meetings, chapter 11, verse
17, were doing more harm than good because when they came together
as a church, verse 18a, there were deep divisions. Thus, Paul
wrote, When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you
eat," verse 20. Thus, the ostensible reason for
the weekly church meetings was to eat the Lord's Supper. The
third and last reference to the explicitly stated reason for
assembly is found in 1 Corinthians 11, verse 33. When you come together to eat,
wait for each other. As before, the verse indicates
that they came together to eat. The scriptures give no other
reason for weekly church meetings. It is clear that there were times
for worship and teaching each Sunday. However, the focus was
communion. Early extra-biblical sources
also indicate that the church originally celebrated the Lord's
Supper weekly. For example, Justin Martyr's
First Apology, which was written in the middle of the second century.
Another is the Didache, Around A.D. 200, Hippolytus wrote of
a typical worship service in Rome. It included the Lord's
Supper. It has been said that the Protestant
churches replaced the altar with the pulpit. Nevertheless, John
Calvin advocated weekly communion. Karl Dedens wrote, if the Lord's
Supper were celebrated more often, we should not view such a change
as an accommodation to sacramentalists who wish to place less emphasis
on the service of the Word. Rather, we should view it as
an execution of Christ's command. The fellowship and encouragement
that each member enjoys in such a weekly gathering is significant. This aspect of the church's Sunday
meeting should not be rushed or replaced. It is also important
that it be devoted to prayer and the apostles' teaching. Acts
2 verse 42. However, this should not be at
the expense of the weekly Lord's Supper. The weekly celebration
of the Holy Meal adds an unparalleled dynamic to church meetings. Purpose number two, supernatural
unity. The celebration of the Lord's
Supper each week as a fellowship meal makes a significant contribution
to unity. Also important is the visual
presentation of the elements. The scriptures refer to the cup
of thanksgiving. A single cup, 1 Corinthians 10
verse 16, and one loaf. Because there is one loaf, we,
who are many, are one body. For we all partake of the one
loaf. 1 Corinthians 10 verse 17. If using one cup and one loaf
symbolizes our oneness in Christ, then using pre-broken crackers
and multiple tiny cups represents disunity, division, and individualism. The single loaf symbolizes our
unity in Christ. And according to 1 Corinthians
10 verse 17, partaking of it actually creates unity. The words of the inspired text
should be noted, because there is one loaf, therefore we are
one body. 4. We all partake of the one
loaf. 1 Corinthians 10 verse 17. One scholar argued that the Lord's
Supper was intended as a means of fostering the unity of the
church. Professor Gerd Thiessen said,
because all have eaten portions of the same element, They have
become a unity in which they have come as close to one another
as members of the same body, as if the bodily boundaries between
and among people had been transcended. In their commentary on Corinthians,
Archibald Robertson and Alfred Plummer concluded, the single
loaf is a symbol and an instrument of unity. Gordon Fee wrote of
the solidarity of the fellowship of believers created by their
all sharing the one loaf. Some in Corinth were guilty of
partaking of the Lord's supper unworthily. 1 Corinthians 11,
verse 27. Shameful class divisions cut
at the heart of the unity that the Lord's Supper is designed
to symbolize. What was Paul's solution to the
harmful meetings? So then, my brothers, when you
come together to eat, wait for each other." 1 Corinthians 11
verse 33. A partial reason for the Corinthians'
lack of unity was their failure to eat the Lord's Supper together
as a meal centered around the one cup and one loaf. Jesus prayed
that they may be one even as we are one. John 17, verse 11. In the Lord's Supper, we express
our oneness in Christ. The Lord's Supper is a fundamental
practice that reflects the eternal image of the church and Christianity. There is one body and one spirit,
just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your
call, one Lord one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of
all, who is over all and through all and in all." Ephesians 4
verses 4 to 6. Our unity in Christ is a powerful
witness. Jesus prayed that we may all
be one so that the world may believe that You have sent Me. John 17 verse 21. Purpose number three, Jesus'
return. In the covenant God made with
Noah, He promised to never again destroy the earth by flood. God
declared, whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will
see it and remember. The everlasting covenant between
God and all living creatures. Genesis 9 verse 16. Wayne Grudem
noted that the Bible frequently speaks of God remembering something,
and therefore I do not think it inappropriate or inconsistent
for us to speak this way when we want to refer to God's awareness
of events that have happened in our past, events He recognizes
as already having occurred and therefore as being past. It is
biblical to say that God remembers covenant promises. in His covenant
with Abraham, God promised to bring the Israelites out of Egyptian
bondage. Accordingly, at the appointed
time, God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant
with Abraham. Exodus 2 verse 24. During the
Babylonian captivity, God made a promise to the Jews, I will
remember my covenant with you. The Sinai covenant. Ezekiel 16
verse 60. God remembers covenant promises. In the Lord's Supper, the fruit
of the vine represents the blood of the covenant, Matthew 26,
verse 28. And the bread symbolizes Jesus's
body. Jesus said to partake of the
bread in remembrance of me, Luke 22, verse 19. The bread and wine
are reminders of his body and blood given for us. The Greek
word for remembrance, Anamnesis means reminder. A reminder can
be a prompt about either a previous or future occurrence. Translating
anamnesis as remembrance leads to the exclusive focus on Jesus'
past sacrifice on the cross. However, if anamnesis is translated
as reminder, It could be understood to refer to both the past, Jesus's
death on the cross, and the future, Jesus's promise to return. As
we have already seen, God remembers covenant promises. Another very
significant function of the Lord's Supper is as a reminder to Jesus
himself of his new covenant promise to return. Jesus said, do this
unto my reminder. The word my in my reminder is
a translation of the Greek emu. More than a mere personal pronoun,
it is a possessive pronoun. This suggests that the reminder
is not simply about Jesus. It actually belongs to Jesus. It is His reminder. Theologian Joachim Jeremias understood
Jesus to use anamnesis in the sense of a reminder for God. The Lord's Supper would thus
be an enacted prayer. Just as seeing the rainbow reminds
God of His covenant never to flood the world again, so too,
Jesus, seeing us partake of the Lord's Supper, reminds Him of
His promise to return to eat it with us. Thus, it is designed
to be a prayer to ask Jesus to return. Thy kingdom come, Luke
11 verse 2. God remembers covenant promises. In summary, when we partake of
the bread and wine, We are reminded of Jesus' body and blood, which
were given for the remission of sin. Along with Jesus, we
should be reminded of His promise to return to eat it with us. The celebration of the Lord's
Supper is an enacted prayer that reminds Jesus to return. This weekly reminder of the imminence
of our Lord's return can be a motivation for holy living. We know that
when He appears, we will be like Him, because we shall see Him
as He is, and everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies himself
as He is pure. 1 John 3, verses 2 and 3. Maranatha, proposition. As was demonstrated above, there
is general agreement within scholarly circles that the early church
celebrated the Lord's Supper as a genuine meal. However, the
post-apostolic church has had little use for this practice.
Williston Walker, a well-respected professor of church history at
Yale stated, by the time Justin Martyr wrote his apology in Rome
153, the common meal had disappeared and the supper was joined with
the assembly for preaching as a concluding sacrament. Throughout
history, the church has sometimes deviated from New Testament patterns. For example, for more than a
millennium, Credo-baptism was essentially unheard of in Christendom.
However, since the Reformation, this long-neglected apostolic
tradition has been widely practiced. Another example is the separation
of church and state, a New Testament example that was disregarded
during the long period in Europe when church and state were merged.
Today, however, most believers appreciate this separation. The
church today might be missing out on a great blessing in its
neglect of the early church's practice surrounding the Lord's
Supper, given that celebrating the Lord's Supper weekly as a
meal was the practice of the early church. Should we not follow
this example? Prescription For many church
leaders, the New Testament example of the Lord's Supper as a weekly
fellowship meal is a precious historical memory that they feel
no compulsion to follow. However, Scripture indicates
that the practices of the early church should serve as more than
a historical academic record. For example, 1 Corinthians 11-14 concerns church practice. The
passage begins with praise for the Corinthian church for following
Paul's traditions. I commend you because you remember
me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered
them to you." Chapter 11 verse 2. Parodicis, the Greek word
for tradition, means that which is passed on. This same Greek
word is used as a verb form in 1 Corinthians 11 verse 23 with
regard to the practice of the Lord's Supper that it was passed
on from Jesus to Paul and then to the Corinthians. Do we really
want to disregard a tradition that was handed down by Jesus
Himself? It was a commendable practice. It is often mistakenly thought
that there are no commands to follow tradition. However, 2
Thessalonians 2, verse 15 specifically commands, stand firm and hold
to the traditions. Thus, we should adhere to not
just apostolic teachings, but also apostolic traditions. The context of 2 Thessalonians
2 verse 15 is the apostles' tradition about the end times. The word
traditions, chapter 2 verse 15, is plural. The author was including
traditions besides about the second coming. Should it not
also apply to his traditions regarding church order as indicated
in the New Testament? The Lord's Supper was the primary
purpose the early church gathered each Lord's Day. It was celebrated
as a feast and a joyful wedding atmosphere rather than a somber
funeral atmosphere. A major benefit of the supper
as a meal is the fellowship and the encouragement each member
experiences. Eaten as a meal, the supper typifies
the marriage supper of the Lamb and looks to the future. There
should be one cup and one loaf to both symbolize and create
unity in a body of believers. The bread and wine represent
Jesus' body and blood. They also serve as reminders
of His promise to return to eat it with us. Amen. Come quickly,
Lord Jesus. The elements, one cup and one
loaf, symbolic of our unity in Christ, should be visible to
the congregation. Pre-broken crackers and pre-poured
tiny cups represent division and individualism. The entire
congregation should partake of the same cup and loaf. Anglicans
have done this for centuries without obvious harm to their
health. Another option is to pour the wine from a large decanter,
visible to all, into smaller cups, or to have each person
dip his bread in the common cup. The Beginning Church planners
can easily make the weekly celebration of the Holy Meal an integral
part of the church meetings from a church's inception. Existing
churches might consider gradually phasing in the Lord's Supper
as a meal. One approach could be to make
the meal optional initially. The elements could be served
as usual, followed by a meal in the fellowship hall for those
who wish to participate. Members of the congregation should
be given time to grow excited and tell others. Furthermore,
unless they are persuaded of the scriptural basis for the
weekly celebration of the Lord's Supper as a fellowship meal,
there will be resistance to going to the trouble of preparing food
to share. It is important that everyone
understand the holy nature of the meal. It is not an inconvenient
lunch. It is a sacred covenant meal
before the Lord and with His children. Wednesday night suppers. Many churches offer Wednesday
night fellowship meals. The introduction of the Lord's
Supper as a meal in conjunction with the existing Wednesday night
meal is a creative option, but should be only a transitional
step. Two thousand years of Western
Christianity have rightly ingrained in believers the notion that
what happens on Sundays is what is really important. The Lord's
Supper, agape, was the main reason that the early church gathered
each Lord's Day. Thus, the goal should be to celebrate
it on Sundays in order for it to have the same prominence accorded
by the apostles. Grace unto unity comes when the
entire congregation, not just the minority who attend on Wednesday
night, partakes of the cup and loaf. The entire congregation
needs to experience the weekly fellowship of the agape. Integration
The bread and wine were given in the context of a dinner. To
avoid the impression that the Lord's Supper is the cup and
loaf and everything else is merely a meal, Care should be taken
not to separate the elements from the meal. The food should
be ready before the elements are presented so the meal can
be eaten immediately afterwards. One approach is to call attention
to the significance of the elements and lead in prayer. Then the
head of each household could come forward to take the elements
back to his family. After partaking of the elements,
each family could then go immediately through the food-serving line
to begin the banquet aspect of the Holy Meal. This is an issue
of freedom. Adaptations can be made to suit
the needs of each church. Leaven. Should the bread be unleavened? During Passover, the Jews ate
unleavened bread to symbolize the speed with which God brought
them out of Egypt. No doubt, Jesus used unleavened
bread during the Last Supper. However, the New Testament is
silent on the use of unleavened bread in Gentile churches. In
the New Testament, yeast is sometimes associated with evil. 1 Corinthians
5, verses 6 through 8 is also used to represent God's kingdom.
Matthew 13, verse 33. The real symbolism is the bread
itself, leavened or unleavened, as Jesus' body. Should the fruit
of the vine be alcoholic? It is clear from 1 Corinthians
11 that wine was used in the Lord's Supper. Some became drunk. However, no clear theological
reason is given in the New Testament for its being alcoholic. Consider
Genesis 27 verse 28, Isaiah 25 verses 6 through 9, and Romans
14 verse 21. Jesus called it simply the fruit
of the vine. The object lesson is that red
wine looks like blood. As is the case with leavened
or unleavened bread, the use of wine or grape juice would
seem to be a matter of freedom. Thus, each local church can make
decisions with spiritual sensitivity for one another. Unbelievers. Most churches restrict access
to the elements. For example, the Baptist Faith
and Message of 2000 deemed baptism the prerequisite for enjoying
the privileges of the Lord's Supper. However, the celebration
of the Lord's Supper as a meal could change the perspective
on the presence of unbelievers. That the bread and wine are only
for believers should be announced. The Lord's Supper as an actual
meal has spiritual significance to believers only. To non-believers,
it is merely another meal. As is the case with believers,
unbelieving adults and children who are too young to believe
also experience hunger. They can be invited to enjoy
the meal. We can love them to the Lord. The danger in taking
the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner applies only to believers. 1 Corinthians 11 verses 27 to
32. Where did it go? Greg Mamula's research led him
to conclude that the transition from full meal to token ritual
was gradual, taking place during the mid-2nd century in some places
to mid-3rd century in others. The key to transition was connected
to the size of the congregation. The larger ones transitioned
earlier. They needed a more efficient way to gather people and distribute
the most significant symbols of the meal. The smaller congregations
continued to use meals until the mid-third century, when the
standard practice became the more recognizable Eucharist officiated
by key leaders such as bishops and their approved leaders. Researchers
have difficulty precisely understanding why this transition took place.
By the fourth century, it is clear the tradition of full meals
held in homes is gone. the Eucharistic rite inside of
a basilica or other large church becomes the new norm. In his
role as bishop, Eusebius consecrated a church building in Tyre. At
the dedication, he spoke of the most holy altar as the center
of the building. The Synod of Laodicea later forbade
the celebration of the Lord's Supper in private homes, late
300s. Peter Davids and Siegfried Grossman
offered this comment. Once you have an altar with holy
food, mixing it with the common food of a communal meal appears
profane. Thus, the focus on the table
as altar brings about the forbidding of celebrating the Lord's Supper
in houses. The irony is that the tabernacle and temple, the
central act of worship was a family meal in the presence of the deity,
the temple being part slaughterhouse and part barbecue, as well as
being the place where animal fat was burned and incense was
offered. Logistics. Sandra Akerson contributed
the following practical ideas on logistics. Ask each member
to prepare food at home and bring it to share with everyone else.
Many churches have had great success with the potluck or pot
providence method. The Lord's Supper is a feast
of good and bountiful food with fellowship centered around Christ.
A picture of the marriage banquet of the lamb. It is a time to
give and share liberally with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
As for how much to bring, if you were having one more family
over for dinner with your family, how much of one dish would you
prepare? If church were canceled for some reason, could you satisfy
your own family with what you prepared to take to the Lord's
Supper? Encourage each family to bring a main dish and a side
dish. Dessert should be considered
optional and brought as a third dish, but never as the only dish
by a family. At least enough food should be
brought by every family to feed themselves and have more leftover
to share with others. The singles, especially those
not inclined to cook, might bring drinks, peanuts, dessert, chips,
certain dip, or a prepared deli item such as potato salad or
rotisserie chicken. The congregation should see this
as a giving expense, a ministry, an offering to the Lord. Confusion
is minimized at the time of serving if your dish is ready when you
arrive. Cook it before you come. Consider
investing in a Pyrex portables, insulated hot cold carrier that
will keep your food at the temperature at which it was prepared. Hot
plates can be plugged in to keep dishes warm. Others could bring
crock pots. The oven can be put on warm and
dishes stored there. Wool blankets or beach towels
work well for hot-cold insulation during transport. Coolers in
the summer months are great for icing down cold dishes. The main
point to remember for food safety is to keep hot foods hot at 150
degrees and cold foods cold at 40 degrees. Once the food is
out for serving, it should sit out no longer than two or three
hours before it is refrigerated. Dispose of any food left out
longer than four hours. Parents should consider helping
their children prepare plates. Little ones often have eyes bigger
than their stomachs and much food can go to waste. Many churches
prefer to buy smaller 12 or 16 ounce cups. Most folks tend to
fill their cups full, often not drinking it at all. Smaller cups
make less waste. It is better to go back for refills
than to throw away unwanted drink. A word about hygiene might be
appropriate. There can never be enough hand washing among
friends. Be sensitive to germs. All folks going through the serving
line should wash before touching serving utensils. Put out a pump
jar of hand sanitizer right by the plates at the beginning of
the line. To help with cleanup, consider using paper plates and
plastic cups and forks. Discussion questions. Number
one, what is the scholarly consensus on the early church's celebration
of the Lord's Supper? Why does this consensus matter?
Number two, how is the focus of the Lord's Supper both backward
and forward? Number three, if Acts 2, verse
42 to 47 refers to the Lord's Supper, how would you describe
its mood? Funeral or festive? Number four. What theological
reason did Paul give for using a single loaf for the Lord's
supper? Number five. What are the indicators
in 1 Corinthians 11 verses 17 to 22 that the Lord's Supper
was eaten as an actual meal? Number six, why does the word
until in 1 Corinthians 11 verse 26 indicate purpose? Why? And not merely duration,
how long? 7. Describe the unworthy manner
that made some in Corinth guilty of sinning against the body and
blood of the Lord. 1 Corinthians 11, verse 27. How should this influence us
today? 8. According to 1 Corinthians
11, verses 33 and 34, what was the inspired solution for abuse
of the Lord's Supper? 9. What is the only reason given
in the New Testament for the early churches gathering each
Lord's Day? 10. What blessings might a church
miss by not celebrating the Lord's Supper as an actual holy meal? ntrf.org has audio, video, and
a teacher's discussion guide on communion.
Chpt 3 Communion Strategy for Unity, Community, Holiness. Audio Book
Series NT Church Dynamics, Audio Book
Jesus empowered the ancient church with a strategy for communion designed to create supernatural unity, loving community, and holiness in view of His return. One part of this strategy was to celebrate the Lord's Supper every week. The other was to partake of the elements in the context of an actual meal—a sacred, covenant meal. Since most believers are unaware of this strategy, the last supper has, in a sense, become the lost supper.
Chpt 3 Audio Book, New Testament Church Dymamics
| Sermon ID | 226212020488104 |
| Duration | 55:47 |
| Date | |
| Category | Audiobook |
| Bible Text | 1 Corinthians 11:17-33 |
| Language | English |
Add a Comment
Comments
No Comments
© Copyright
2026 SermonAudio.
