Quick Flyer
– Communion Every Sunday (This one is not as quick as the
others…)
One question frequently asked by visitors to our
services is this: “Why do you have the Lord’s Supper every
Sunday?” Our practice
differs from most other churches.
They have communion either monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or
annually. We have it every
Sunday. Why?
In the
original institution of the Lord’s Supper nothing is said about
when or how often it is to be observed.
Matthew records the story in these words: “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 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) If
nothing more were said about it, then every congregation would be at
liberty to use its own judgment.
The day and frequency would be a matter of personal choice. But there is more.
We have an apostolic example to guide us as to
the proper time for observing the Lord’s Supper. Here it is: “And upon the first
day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul
preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow: and continued his
speech until midnight.”
(Acts 20:7) Now the phrase
“to break bread” is one of the ways in which the New
Testament speaks of what we usually call the Lord’s Supper or
Communion. It is so called because
that is exactly what is done in the Communion. The bread is broken in memory of
Christ.
Most churches have retained the Sunday assembly
but have abandoned one of its leading purposes – the Lord’s
Supper. We have retained
both. And it is here that our
practice differs from nearly every other church. We not only meet on Sunday (the first
day of the week) for religious services but we also continue the
apostolic practice of breaking the bread in memory of our Lord. In having communion each Sunday we are
simply following the practice of the ancient church.
It is not hard for us to see the value of this
weekly observance when we consider all that takes place. For one thing, it is a time for
remembering. Jesus said,
“This do in remembrance of me.” (1 Corinthians 11:24-25) We could not possibly estimate the spiritual
benefits that come from a weekly contemplation of the death of Christ on
the cross and what it means to us.
Then again, there is a proclamation. “As often as ye eat this bread,
and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s
death till he come.” (1 Corinthians 11:26) From the very beginnings of Christianity
the church has proclaimed its belief in the cross by this weekly memorial
and will continue to do so until the Lord’s return. Also the weekly communion is a time for
self examination. “But let a
man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that
cup. (1 Corinthians 11:28) Each
week in the shadow of the cross we look at our own life with all
imperfections. We see our sins in
light of the cross, our broken hearts are grateful for forgiveness and we
leave determined to live for Jesus.
Church Office:
803-548-7762 Update Line: 803-548-5521
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