The Lord's Supper

When we examine the prerequisites for the Lord's Supper which are documented in 1 Corinthians 11:17-34, a number of problems surface. The first problem that tends to be ignored is the fact that many churches have divisions and heresies: "For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you" (1 Corinthians 11:18-19). Without unity people will believe that they are allowed to have their own interpretation of the scriptures. We know that scripture is without "private interpretation"; however, a church divided thrives on diverse interpretations of what God is doing (see "Preach Another Gospel"). "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment" (1 Corinthians 1:10; see also Romans 12:16; Romans 15:5-6; 2 Corinthians 13:11; 1 Peter 3:8-9; Philippians 1:27; Philippians 2:2). Ultimately, striving for diversity nullifies unity. As a result, the church will not be in one accord: "we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13). And without a clear unified understanding of the Father, how can we, in the least, pray together and have real power against the enemy? "If a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand" (Mark 3:25). The power of corporate prayer starts with unity, being in one accord, being in agreement. "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place" (Acts 2:1). "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore" (Psalm 133:1-3).

The second problem that has to be dealt with before we partake of the communal thanksgiving to Jesus Christ is sin. "I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat" (1 Corinthians 5:9-11). "Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep" (1 Corinthians 11:27-30). When we do not adhere to God's rules for corporate worship, sickness and death, the very things we are supposed to be celebrating freedom from, become prevalent in the churches. We have to cleanse ourselves (individually and collectively) of leaven; that is, of sins. "Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Corinthians 5:6-8; see also 2 Chronicles 23:19). Prayer (confessing of sins) and fasting (three to seven days) are highly recommended before the Lord's Supper: "And the Jews' passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the passover, to purify themselves" (John 11:55; see also Exodus 12:19-20; Exodus 19:10-11, 14-15). Sins in the church are often "put up with" instead of being eradicated, as was done by Joshua:

But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel ... Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you. ... And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones. (Joshua 7:1, 11-12, 25)

Finally, unbelievers (non-Christians) are not to partake in this memorial service: "And they shall eat those things wherewith the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them: but a stranger shall not eat thereof, because they are holy" (Exodus 29:33; see also Exodus 12:43-44, 48; Nehemiah 9:2; Ezekiel 44:6-7). "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you" (2 Corinthians 6:17). The church should ensure that strangers—unbelievers—understand that membership in Christ has its privileges and as "non-members," unbelievers do not discern the Lord's body; therefore, are not worthy to partake in the Lord's Supper and their unworthiness subjects them to damnation. "Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils" (1 Corinthians 10:21).

History gives us a look into the communion services of the early church:

The most remarkable characteristic of those early communion services was that they were celebrations. The tone was one of joy and gratitude, rather than sorrow and repentance. In the beginning, communion was part of an entire meal. Believers brought what they could, and after the common meal there were special prayers over the bread and the wine. ...

At least since the second century, there were two main parts in the communion service. First there were commented readings of Scripture, with prayers and hymn singing. Since at that time it was almost impossible for an individual Christian to possess a copy of Scripture, this first part of the service was almost the only way in which believers came to know the Bible, and therefore it was rather extensive—sometimes lasting for hours. Then came the second part of the service, communion proper, which opened with the kiss of peace. After the kiss, the bread and wine were brought forth and presented to the one presiding, who then offered a prayer over the elements. In this prayer, often lengthy, the savings acts of God were usually recounted, and the power of the Holy Spirit was invoked over the bread and the wine. Then the bread was broken and shared, the common cup was passed, and the meeting ended with a benediction. Naturally, although these were the common elements in a typical communion service, in various places and circumstances other elements could be added.

Another common characteristic of these early communion services was that only those who had been baptized could attend. People coming from other congregations were certainly welcome, as long as they were baptized Christians. Sometimes, however, converts who had not yet received baptism were allowed in the early part of the service—the readings, sermons, and prayers—but were sent away at the time of communion proper.²⁰⁹

The Lord's Supper should be a specific event unto itself instead of informally included in a church service. The entire congregation came together solely for the purpose of eating the Lord's Supper (Passover).

Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD'S passover. (Exodus 12:5-11)

Due to the solemnity and sacredness of the Lord's Supper—a holy convocation, it should be a closed banquet: member registration required. "For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? what shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not ... Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another. And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation (1 Corinthians 11:21-22, 33-34). The Lord's Supper replaces the Feast of the Passover that was held in the evening of the fourteenth of the first month, Abib (Nissan²¹⁰ on the Jewish calendar, to commemorate deliverance from the destroyer. "Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the LORD thy God: for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night" (Deuteronomy 16:1). "These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD'S Passover" (Leviticus 23:4-5).

And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever. Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you. And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even. (Exodus 12:13-18)

When we confess the Lord Jesus and believe that God raised him from the dead, we are also protected from death (the destroyer). "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil" (Hebrews 2:14). It is the blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, which delivers us from Satan and death. "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? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread" (1 Corinthians 10:16-17).

Under the New Covenant, we are not restricted to celebrating our salvation only one day a year. "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come" (1 Corinthians 11:26). We, however, need to be careful not to dilute the importance of the Lord's Supper by celebrating it so often that it loses its significance. We, then, should come together, for fellowship and for remembering the Lord, at least once a year to a special feast (closed banquet) to celebrate our Messiah. Our recommendation is for this joyous event to be held on the Saturday falling on or immediately after the fourteenth of April, starting at six in the evening. For those that wish to keep the Lord's Supper more than once a year, our recommendation is to keep it no more than three to four times (quarterly) in the year. "Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year" (Exodus 23:14). Many churches already, by tradition, have an annual banquet to celebrate the church anniversary or more commonly the pastor's anniversary. Thus, elevating the importance of the church or the pastor above the death and resurrection of Jesus our Messiah. Let us celebrate the Lord!

A simple program that starts with prayer (individual and corporate confession of sins), and followed by praise, the memorial service (preaching of the gospel followed by the blessing and the breaking and eating of the bread, and then giving of thanks and the drinking of the wine), dinner, remembrances—testimonies, more praise and the closing prayer. "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins" (Matthew 26:26-28). The focus of the Lord's Supper is not to fill our bellies; but, rather, for fellowship and to commemorate the death (blood spilled) and resurrection (death conquered) of our Lord Jesus Christ. "That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:15). The use of unleavened bread and "wine" (grape juice) is highly recommended. "Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread" (Exodus 12:20). It goes without saying that the wine ("this cup is the new testament in my blood") served is, of course, non-alcoholic (unleavened). "And the LORD spake unto Aaron, saying, Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations: And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean" (Leviticus 10:8-10). Leavened wine was not used during the feast of the Passover: "Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven" (Exodus 34:25). Jesus himself talks about drinking the "fruit of the vine" new (Matthew 26:29; Mark 14:25) at the "Last Supper." New wine refers to grape juice that has not yet fermented—juice less than three days old. Therefore, let us celebrate the pureness of Jesus Christ with "the pure blood of the grape" (Deuteronomy 32:14).

Both the bread and wine are purely symbolic. They do not in any way change into the actual body and blood of Christ (transubstantiation) as some believe: believing that they do is sorcery. If they did change, however, we would be engaging in cannibalism, which is abhorred by God (see Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28). The charge by Jesus to eat his flesh and drink his blood should not be taken literally (he was speaking spiritually); the charge is to identify with Christ and get indoctrinated in the Word of God.

I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day ... It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. (John 6:51-54, 63)

We would do well to embrace the Lord's Supper (celebration of the resurrection of Christ) solely and disassociate ourselves from the tradition of overlaying Christian sacredness on top of pagan wickedness. Namely, the celebration of Easter: celebration of the "resurrection" of spring (Vernal Equinox) and the Fertility Goddess, Eastre (see "Pagan Celebrations over Holy Days"). We highly encourage that small groups informally get together—fellowship—many times throughout the year to break bread. "And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved" (Acts 2:46-47).

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