The Lord’s Supper – We Are COMMANDED By Jesus To Do It!

 

Luke 22:19-20 “And He [Jesus] took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, this is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, this cup is the New Testament in my blood, which is shed for you.”

 

Jesus was with his disciples. He commanded them to observe the Lord’s supper in remembrance of His death for them. But when are we supposed to observe the Lord’s supper?

 

In Acts 20:7, we read, “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them.”

 

Well, we know that on the first day of the week the disciples broke bread. And that there was much preaching, for Paul continued to preach until midnight. Many denominations only observe the Lord’s Supper monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or whenever the urge hits them! But that isn’t the example set by the early church and by the disciples; and it isn’t what was commanded by God! Any other observance is a commandment of man and not of God!

 

In 1 Corinthians 11:28-30, we read, “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 [judgment or condemnation] to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause, many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep [are dead].”

 

The Lord’s Supper is a memorial to the Lord. In 1 Corinthians 11:23-25, the words “in remembrance of me” is mentioned twice and once in Luke 22:19-23. The Supper is in memory of Christ, His birth, His teachings, His death, and His resurrection.

 

The Lord’s Supper is a memorial of Christ’s death, as we’re told in 1 Corinthians 11:26, which says, “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye proclaim the Lord’s death till He come.”

 

The Lord’s Supper is a memorial which preaches the second coming of Christ. It is a weekly reminder that Christ  is coming again. It points backward to His death and forward to His coming again. And at the same time, it points inward and gives us a view of our inner selves as we “examine ourselves” (1 Corinthians 11:28) and partake of the Lord’s Supper!

 

It is a memorial that preaches a New Covenant! 1 Corinthians 11:25 says, “This cup is the New Covenant in My blood.” The cup, the symbol of Christ’s blood, is the sign of confirmation of a New Covenant between God and man.

But who should participate in the Lord’s Supper? Well, in Acts 2:42, the members of the church at Jerusalem took part in it. In Acts 20:7, the members of the church at Troas did. In 1 Corinthians 11:20-33, members of the church at Corinth did. Those who are members of the church are to partake, as we’re told in Luke 30. None are members of the church, and hence, Christ’s kingdom, except those who have been born again, as it says in John 3:1-5. It is THE LORD’S table and THE LORD’S supper, and ONLY those who are the LORD’S should be taking it.

 

In the Catholic Church, only the priest can preside over the Lord’s Supper! In Protestant churches, only the pastor presides! But the truth of the matter is that, ANY Christian can preside over the Lord’s Supper! There is NO scriptural authority for limiting the privilege strictly to the preacher, elders, or deacons!

 

There are several scriptural names given to the Lord’s Supper, “The Lord’s Supper” in 1 Corinthians 11:20, “The breaking of bread” in Acts 2:42,27, “Communion” in 1 Corinthians 10:16, and “The table of the Lord” in 1 Corinthians 10:21. In John 6:53, Jesus said there is no life in us if we do not partake of the Lord’s Supper.

 

Some churches serve the Lord’s Supper only monthly, quarterly, or annually! Yet the early churches observed it on the first day of EVERY WEEK! Why don’t churches today observe this tradition? There isn’t a church I know of that doesn’t pass the collection plate on the FIRST DAY OF EVERY WEEK! 1 Corinthians 16:2 COMMANDS THE CHURCH to do so! So why don’t they observe the WHOLE WORD, instead of just the part that creates the cash flow?

 

In the first century church, it was their practice to meet together on the first day of every week (1 Corinthians 16:2). It was their practice to eat the Lord’s Supper when they met together (1 Corinthians 11:20). And it was their practice to “pass the hat” on the first day of every week (1 Corinthians 16:2). So why do churches today only observe the Lord’s Supper when they want to? Because they are hypocrites and blindly follow the commandments of men

rather than the commandments of God and His Son! They are wrong, and they are leading innocent souls to sin!

 

Can you begin to see the importance that God and His Son place upon properly observing the Lord’s Supper on the first day of the week? If you don’t believe me, go read it for yourself. Then get with the program!