The Lord’s Supper (aka
Communion) is an important part of the Christian life. Jesus never asked His disciples to remember His birth but He did
instruct them to remember His death and resurrection. He gave the church two visible symbols (called
“ordinances”) as reminders of His atoning
work on the cross, His death, and resurrection. These two ordinances are: Water
Baptism and The Lord’s Supper. This blog entry is about the latter.
What
does the Bible teach about The Lord’s Supper/Communion? Below are some answers
to the following relevant questions along with some of my own insights and
preferences:
I. What is
The Lord’s Supper?
II. Who
should partake of The Lord’s Supper?
III. How do I
prepare myself for The Lord’s Supper?
IV. When and
how often should we observe The Lord’s Supper?
V. What
elements are used and why?
VI. How are
the elements presented?
VII. Where do the names ‘The Lord’s Supper’ and ‘Communion’ come from?
VIII. When was The Lord’s Supper
instituted?
I. What is
The Lord’s Supper?
The
Lord’s Supper is a Christian religious practice, instituted by Christ, where
Christians, usually gathered with other Christians, partake of bread and grape
juice/wine to remember what Jesus Christ did through His atoning work on the
cross and through His resurrection for them.
A. It is a simple act.
“The Lord Jesus, on the night He
was betrayed, took bread...” 1 Cor. 11:23 ESV
Jesus didn't have some big elaborate ceremony, wearing
special costumes and doing all kinds of fancy rituals. He took bread and He
took wine and He gave it to the disciples.
We need to emphasize the Christ-centered spiritual significance of The
Lord’s Supper. There’s no need to turn it into a big ritual that may detract
from its core meaning. Let’s understand what it means according to the Word of
God and then seek to observe it properly with all our heart, soul, mind, and
action.
B. It is a reminder.
“and when He had given thanks, He broke
it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do
this in remembrance of Me." 1
Corinthians 11:24 NKJV
It’s a memorial. May we keep learning
about the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross and may we never forget
what He has done, always remembering the victory that exists through Jesus
Christ who died on the cross for our sins and was resurrected in victory over
sin and death. And may His people celebrate the new covenant Christ has with
them by God’s grace through faith in Christ as Savior and Lord.
C. It is a symbol.
In the same way also he took the cup,
after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do
this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 1 Corinthians 11:25 ESV
Jesus said, “do this in remembrance of me” and then
when He said, “this bread is My body and this cup is My blood,” He didn't mean
that literally. When He said this, He
hadn't even gone to the cross yet. He
hadn't died yet. I believe He was talking about a symbol, not His actual flesh
and bones and blood. Jesus once said "I am the door." Does that mean He's a piece of wood or metal? He said, "I am the bread of
life." Does that mean He's a
loaf or slice of bread? No. He was being symbolic.
I realize some people believe and teach that the
elements are miraculously transformed into the actual body and blood of Christ
without visible change (transubstantiation view) or that Christ’s body and
blood somehow come to be with the elements (consubstantiation view) but I don’t
buy into these views. I believe The Lord’s Supper is symbolic of Christ’s work
on the cross and that the elements don’t supernaturally change somehow. I do
believe that when true born again Christ-followers engage in Communion, that
the Lord is present spiritually with them since I believe, biblically, that the
Lord is always present with His redeemed. It’s my prayer that His people have
increased awareness of His presence during Communion moments.
D. It is a proclamation of Christ’s
death until He comes back.
“For whenever you eat the bread
and drink the cup, you proclaim
the Lord’s death until He comes.” 1 Cor. 11:26 ESV
When you partake of The Lord's Supper, you're making a
statement of your faith in Christ who died for your sins, rose, and is coming
again. There's a backward look and a
forward look. We look back to the cross work of Christ, His death, and His
resurrection. We look forward to the biblical revelation that Jesus is coming
back to reign and fully establish His kingdom on earth and we are to do this Lord’s
Supper in remembrance of Him until He comes back. Personally, I also believe His
redeemed will be celebrating Christ’s redemption work into eternity. It is so
amazing what Christ has done, is doing, and will do. This is central in human
history; God’s plan of redemption.
E. It is fellowship with God and one another in
Christ.
The cup of blessing which we bless, is
it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break,
is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 1 Cor. 10:16
NKJV
The
word ‘communion’ means to have intimate personal fellowship with another. When Christians gather and observe The Lord’s Supper,
this reflects their spiritual oneness with Christ and the other Christians
present. Your ‘communion’ is with Christ and other redeemed Christ-followers
who are present.
II. Who should
partake of The Lord’s Supper?
I believe that only people who are already true
born-again saved Christ-followers should partake of Communion. Christ didn't
offer The Lord's Supper to the crowds.
He offered it to His closest disciples. Since it celebrates the new
covenant in Christ for His redeemed and brings them together in spiritual
communion it doesn’t make sense to partake if you are not redeemed by Christ. Whether Judas the betrayer was present or
not (something debated) for the first one, this communion moment is intended
for those who are already spiritually in the Body of Christ for it cultivates
spiritual communion with Christ and His people. The most detailed passage about
The Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:17-34) refers
multiple times to the church (brothers, believers) coming together for this
communion experience. This goes for parents of young children as well. The
Lord’s Supper is not snack time. It is to be revered and honored in the eyes of
God. Parents, if your child is trusting Jesus Christ as his or her personal
Savior and Lord and he or she has a basic understanding of The Lord’s Supper
and you believe they are right with God, then I think it’s good that they
partake otherwise have them pass the elements without partaking of them. Learn about
Communion from God’s Word and teach your kids the truth about Communion and be
God-honoring when you participate in it.
III. How do I
prepare myself for The Lord’s Supper?
Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or
drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the
body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat
of the bread and drink of the cup. 1
Corinthians 11:27-28 ESV
Prepare yourself by...
A. Self-Examination, 1 Cor. 11:27
B. Confessing your sins, 1 John 1:9
C. Refreshing your commitment to Christ, Rom.
12:1
D. Restoring any broken relationships, Matt.
5:23-24
Ask yourself questions such as these:
1) Am I saved by Jesus Christ?
2) Is there any unconfessed sin in my life?
3) Am I in good fellowship with God, living according
to God’s will?
4) Have I wronged others or have ill feelings toward
them?
If yes to any other these, confess the sin, accept God’s
forgiveness, and repent (turn from sinful ways to God’s ways for you) and get
right with God and others if applicable.
IV. When and
how often should we observe The Lord’s Supper?
Jesus, directly and the rest of Scripture,
never stated when or how often believers should observe The Lord’s Supper. He instituted it on a weekday night, many
believe was a Thursday, the same evening He and the Apostles celebrated the
Passover meal.
For a brief period, the earliest
church may have had Communion every day (Acts. 2:42, 46) and a little later on
we read that they came together for Communion on Sunday (Acts 20:7) but these
two references as to when Communion was experienced by early Christians are not
mandates as to how often we should have Communion. So, let’s not be dogmatic
about how often The Lord’s Supper needs to be experienced. Be careful that you are not practicing
legalism in your traditions, preferences, and non-mandated Bible verses.
I’ve been involved with local
churches who have recognized The Lord’s Supper at various intervals like
quarterly, monthly and on some special occasions. I think that the more often
you do it you have to be more discerning that it doesn’t become a mundane
ritual. And if you rarely do it I think you are not carrying out this ordinance
as the Lord commanded His redeemed to. So, we should do Communion sometime
between too often and rarely. That’s clear as mud. May the Lord lead you in
this.
V.
What elements are used and why?
Most
believers use various types of bread (represents the broken body of Christ on
the cross) and ‘fruit of the vine,’ typically grape juice or wine, (represents the
spilt blood of Christ who died for our sins) as elements of The Lord’s Supper.
I
believe the bread was unleavened at the first Lord’s Supper since it was
Passover time and the Jews were to expel all leaven from their homes in
commemoration of the Hebrews eating unleavened bread when they escaped Egypt in
a hurry. I don’t believe it is a sin to use leavened bread today for a Communion
element but my preference is unleavened because of biblical realism.
I
believe that wine (from the grape vine) was used during that first Communion. We
can’t be certain of what percentage of alcohol was present at that moment. Some
people believe that leaven was used in or is associated with the fermenting
process of wine in Bible times but I’m not so sure about this. I’m unclear as
to what type of wine was used at the first Communion. I, personally, don’t like
local churches (where I attend) serving alcoholic beverages as a Communion element
(or at any other time) because of the negative connotation associated with
alcohol in our culture today. I think it is better to avoid alcohol when
partaking of Communion. I believe grape juice is sufficient and God-honoring in
remembering that Christ spilt His blood on the cross for our sins.
VI. How
are the elements presented?
The bread and juice elements are
presented in a variety of ways depending on the traditions and preferences of the
church or other gathering. Most of the churches I have received and/or
officiated Communion at use Deacons/Ushers to pass out the elements in trays
and you pick out your own elements; typically a small cracker or piece of bread
and a tiny plastic cup with some juice in it. A few times I received the elements
in pre-packaged closed individual containers. I’ve also presented Communion in
a small private setting for shut-in/homebound or nursing home residents who couldn’t
practically attend the larger church worship gathering.
Some churches use a loaf of bread
and a piece is torn off from the loaf (which most closely resembles what
happened at the first Lord’s Supper and with the early Christians). I think it
is fine if the bread or crackers are pre-cut in advance. This saves time and can
prevent some unnecessary handling. At some churches, a piece of cracker/bread is
placed on your tongue by a church leader. And there are some places where a
larger cup with juice/wine is shared among the people.
I’ve had lots of good and
interesting experiences related to Communion. There have been plenty of
spiritual highs, like when I preached about Communion and we experienced it
together as a church body or when we ended our worship gathering immediately
after we drank the juice element and I said, “Until He comes again!” or when my
sons experienced their first Communions after Kym and I thought they were spiritually
ready.
There have also been some more
light-hearted moments. I remember when I was a kid our church had rubber insets
in the pew holes for the little communion cups to be stored after you drank the
juice. I used to take those rubber insets out and play with them, wearing them
like rings and rolling them up. As a pastor, I recall mishandling a tray of
juice cups one time and spilling some juice on a deacon. And then there is the germ
thing. Personally, I prefer that people do not touch my food with their skin
before I eat it. One time a deacon friend of mine picked a piece of bread for
me, to serve me (that was nice), and he placed it in my hand. I set that piece
on the Communion table and picked out my own piece of bread. People were
probably handling, without gloves, the pieces of bread in the church kitchen beforehand
but seeing my piece of bread touched by someone else right before it goes in my
mouth weirded my germ-radar out.
I believe the presentation of The
Lord’s Supper should involve a summary of what it means along with any
instructions (this could be printed up, like in a bulletin) and there should be
a relevant prayer. The summary reminds the participants of the basics and
informs people who are not familiar with this biblical practice. Sometimes,
mixing up what happens is spiritually stimulating for those who think the same Communion
practice time and time again is too routine. Also, Jesus gave thanks for each
of the elements before they were taken and we should follow His example in this,
thanking God and praying over this spiritual moment that His will be done for His
glory.
VII. Where do the names “The Lord’s Supper” and “Communion” come from?
Both show up in some modern English translations of
the Holy Bible. These names can be used interchangeably because that’s what
Paul did.
The cup of blessing which we bless, is
it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it
not the communion of the body of Christ?
1 Cor. 10:16 NKJV
Therefore when you come together in one
place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. 1 Cor. 11:20 NKJV
The use of ‘The Lord’s Supper’ distinguishes the
moment from any other eating/drinking occasion. It is called a supper but it is
not intended to fill your stomach with food and drink. It is intended to cultivate
your spiritual communion with Jesus Christ and His redeemed. This is to be a
very sacred moment in your Christian life, a spiritual experience that feeds
the soul and honors God. The word ‘communion’ is ‘koinonia’ in the original Bible language of Greek which
means ‘to have in common, to participate and have partnership, to have intimate personal fellowship with.’ Some
churches use the name ‘eucharist’ which is related to the Greek word, eucharistia,
but in English translations of the
New Testament of God’s Word this word is “thanksgiving” and it’s not found in
the context of The Lord’s Supper. Luke referred to The Lord’s Supper as
‘breaking of bread’ (Acts 2:41, 20:7). Paul also referred to it as The Lord’s
Table (1 Cor. 10:21). And it’s also referred to as an ‘ordinance’ in the KJV of
1 Cor. 11:2.
VIII. When was The Lord’s Supper instituted?
Jesus
Christ instituted The Lord’s Supper on
the evening before Jesus went to the cross, just before He was arrested, but
just after He celebrated a Jewish Passover meal with His closest disciples. The
accounts of this first Communion are recorded by Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25,
and Luke 22:14-23 and Paul wrote about it as well in 1 Cor. 11:17-34.
What are your thoughts about
The Lord’s Supper as presented in God’s Word and what I’ve written about here?
Mike
