Communion: How Should We Observe It?
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 gives us the basics.
“For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”Jesus took the occasion of a special feast, the Passover, to share His last meal with His inner circle group. Sometime during this meal, Jesus took an ordinary piece of flat bread, broke it and passed it around to each of them. He explained that the bread represents His body, which was for them. After the meal He took an ordinary cup filled with wine and told each of them to drink from it for it represented the new covenant in His blood. And Jesus told them to do this as a remembrance of Him anytime they eat of this bread or drink of this cup.
Why would He choose such ordinary objects as bread and a cup? These two items are the very basics for sustaining human life. We could only last a few days without food and drink. Jesus took two ordinary, everyday objects, food and drink, and said that whenever (anytime, every time) that you break this bread and drink of this cup, do what? Remember. Remember what Jesus did for you. Remember the death penalty that He took for you. Breaking bread together was a very common occurrence during the First Century.
So how do we do this? In the Old Testament God gave very specific directions for how the Israelites should observe the various feasts and festivals, yet He gives very little information for how we are to observe the Lord’s Supper. There are really only three basic elements seen in scripture: bread, wine and a hymn. If we were to go back to the Passover feast we would find many traditional foods that should also be present, but I do not believe that Jesus expected us to observe the Lord’s Supper only during the Passover. He wanted us to observe it daily. Whenever fellow Christians gather together; whether it is at church, in a home, at a restaurant or at a ballgame, Jesus asks us to remember the great sacrifice that He made for us when we eat and drink.
More important than how we observe it, was how we prepared for it. God wants us to come before Him with a clean and pure heart. Let me read some Scripture from 1 Corinthians 10 & 11.
“For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert. Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: ‘The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry.’ We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. We should not test the Lord, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel. These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
“In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. When you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat. Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.”What does God’s Word say about how we should live? Romans 12 is a great source to discover that.
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”God warns us in 1 Corinthians about approaching His table in an unworthy manner; so if you have any sin in your life, you must repent and seek forgiveness before sharing of His bread and cup. If you have wronged someone else, you should go to that person and make things right before you sit at His table tonight. God’s word is clear, anyone who eats or drinks tonight in an unworthy manner, eats and drinks judgment on himself.
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