THE LORD'S SUPPER

(Communion)

R. S. Mills

We must never consider to be of "little importance" anything that is of the Lord Jesus. We speak of those things on which He chose to give a direct command as being "ordinances". The traditions of men are of little importance, but those things which are ordained of the Lord are very important, and never to be neglected. It does not really matter is we have a building in which to worship. It is a convenience, but a building is not necessary to worship and to the salvation of men. If we worship on the Lord’s Day; if we teach that men are to be born of and of the Spirit in baptism by immersion; if we remember the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord in the Communion service; these things are important. They deal with eternity and where we shall spend it. They are all ordinances of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because of this fact, it is important that we observe faithfully, and correctly, the memorial called "Communion" or the "Lord’s Table."

An Ordinance of the Lord Jesus Christ

This memorial did not begin with man. It began with the Son of God. With its institution He said, "This do ye: as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me." 1 Corinthians 11:25b.

If it were of man, it would be of comparatively small importance if we were to neglect its observance. We could keep the memorial or we could forget it as we chose. But it is a valued memorial which we are expected to observe "until he comes again." It is given because of and to remind us of His great love for us. It is to keep us in constant contact with Him. Without it, history has proven that men drift away from their Lord and become spiritually lost. It is never possible to be a secret "free spirit" Christian. We either belong to Him and gather on the first day of the week to be reminded of that fact, or do not belong to Him at all. Our tie is severed, and we drift away just as a ship which comes loose from its anchor soon drifts upon the rocks and is lost!

The apostle Paul says, "I received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. And after the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come. 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 11:23-30).

The Lord’s Table is a time for:

Fellowship — (1 Corinthians 10:16-17). "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." The apostle John uses similar terms when he says, "Except ye eat of the flesh of the Son of man, and drink of 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." (John 6:53-54).

This memorial draws all of mankind together for one commpoupose. If we are a part of the body, and we come together to remember the Lord, then we have to be in union with one another as well. A body is a unity to itself. We are one in Christ, regardless of language or nation. "We being many are one bread, and one body." (1 Corinthians 10:16). Paul told the Galatians, "As many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." (Galatians 3:27). God sent His Son to die for all men because He loved all men. (John 3:16). He wanted all men to be one in Christ. (John 17:21).

Re-dedication — Under the Mosaic covenant, before the priest could enter into the tabernacle, he had to bathe his body ceremonially cleansing himself. He dared not come before God ceremonially "unclean". After he had been cleansed, he could stand before God and man as an intermediate. We too, before we were fit to come before the God had to be cleansed of water and the Spirit. (John 3:5). This immersion in water for the remission of sins, and the gift of the Spirit, is called "baptism" from the Greek word for immerse, "baptiso". Because of that cleansing, we are now privileged to stand before God as a "holy priesthood", cleansed of sin. Let us renew that dedication weekly as we come to the Lord’s Table, examining ourselves that we may be renewed.

Memorial — The purpose of a memorial is to recall to our memories, some event or thing. That central fact in Christianity is Jesus Christ the Son of God who died for our sins, was buried, and arose from the grave. He leads the way to God for all mankind. What wonderful "good news" we have for all! This is the "Gospel!"

When we participate in the communion service, we physically look down, as into the grave remembering our Lord’s death for our sins. We partake of the "bread" and of the "fruit of the vine", remembering as we do so that his body was broken on the cross of Calvary, and that his blood was shed as a sacrifice for our sins. And, we look up remembering that he arose from the grave and ascended to his heavenly home to be with his father God. There, he is preparing an eternal home for each of us. We are told to continue to do this "until he comes again." He will return, as he went, in the clouds a triumphant Lord of all!

The Lord’s Table is a Permanent Feature of His Church.

A fellowship which forgets its founder and head can not be described as being faithful. Jesus Christ is the head of the church (Ephesians 5:23). He said, "till I come." I am reminded of a very dear sister in the Lord, who, though she was dying of cancer, as long as she was able to make it, was at the Lord’s Table every week in anticipation of soon being with Him. Two weeks before she died, she was no longer able to be present so the elders took this memorial to her. Less than two hours before she died she remembered this memorial of Christ with many of her brothers and sisters in the Lord by her side. This is what he meant, when he said, "till I come." It is no wonder that her husband told us of her joy that last Lord’s Day morning as she was preparing for the day’s events. She was ready, faithful, and eager to meet her Lord.

The Lord’s Table is a Serious Memorial Meal:

Not to be Neglected — The book of Acts, in relating the activities of the early church, te;;ls us that they continued "steadfastly" in the apostle’s doctrine and in fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. The NIV version uses the word "devoted themselves". They were faithful, giving this memorial first place in their worship. They did not neglect their duty to "remember."

The institution of the Lord’s Table is of such importance that it is recorded in detail by the writers of Matthew, Mark, and 1 Corinthians. (Matthew, Mark, and Paul) Matthew wrote for the Jews, Mark for the Romans, and Paul for all the Gentile nations. When God repeats a thing in His Word with such emphasis, we must give it our very serious attention!

This memorial service was the focal point of worship in the early church. When the apostle Paul came to Troas, he knew that the Christians would be gathering together for the purpose of remembering the Lord’s Table on the first day of the week, so he waited an entire week in order to be able to attend this service and fellowship with them. (Acts 20:7).

Not to be Abused — Some of the Christians at Corinth had come to use this time when they came together also as a time for a feast just like the heathen did in their idol worship. They were even getting drunk and abusing the poor and excluding them from their group. Paul was angry with them, pointing out that they had their own homes where they could feast and invite whom they chose. Because they were abusing the observance of the Lord’s Table, they were eating and drinking to their own condemnation.

It is not the words which are spoken at the table which sanctify the observance. It is not the physical breaking of the bread as you say, "This is my body which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me." There is nothing wrong with this custom so long as we do not make it an absolute required ritual. It is not whether the "fruit of the vine" (Matthew 26:29; Mark Mark 14:25; Luke 22:18) is fermented or fress, though individuals probably have their personal choices. It is not whether one or more cups are used. What is most important is that we "remember," the Lord’s body broken and his blood shed for us. (1 Corinthians 11:29).

This is a Matter of Heart — If the heart of the Christian is not touched, then the observance becomes empty and a mockery. We are remembering that God gave His Son for our sins! Christ was crucified on a Roman cross, not for himself, but for us that we might be able to have the forgiveness of our sins. (John 3:16,17).

If we fail to remember these facts, we are only making a mockery of the memorial. The result is sickness and even death. "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 11:29,30).

This is the same end result as to depart from the faith forsaking the assembling together as some do.(Hebrews 10:25). It is vital that we be faithful in partaking of the Lord’s Table. Jesus Christ has commanded that we do this, and that we do it in a worthy manner, remembering His death till He returns for us. Is your heart right? It can not be if you neglect the Lord’s Table or do not remember it as a memorial to Him.

This death is more serious than death as a result of a fatal illness. A fatal illness effects only this life; spiritual death involves eternity. We might be tempted to say that God is being very severe with us. No, He is not.

If we make a mockery of the Lord Jesus, we are worse than those who gathered at Calvary and shouted, "Let Him be crucified!" They did not know Him as saviour. We have. Even having known Him, we are rejecting His crucifixion for us. Many of those who were present ay Calvary repented of their sin and became Christians, We are told that when the apostle Peter preached at Pentecost, many of those who heard him, "when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?" (Acts 2:37).

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost" ... "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls" (Acts 2:38,41).

Many of them repented and were saved. Many Christians will not repent and will continue to mock the Lord Jesus in abusing His memorial. He has said they they will grow sickly and die because of sin. To have known the Lord and to return to the way of sin, is likened to a pig which goes back to the old filthy mud-puddle where it returns to rooting for food in the mud and manure!

What Must We Do?

We must approach the Lord’s Table in a spirit of self examination. "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 judgement upon himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep." (1 Corinthians 11:28,29). It is really a simple matter to examine ourselves and to set our minds on the purpose of the memorial. The scripture says, "If we judge ourselves, we will not come under judgement. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world." (1 Corinthians 11:30,31).

Brethren, let us discipline ourselves at the Lord’s Table that we may truly see the body of the Lord there and escape the discipline of the Lord reserved for disobedient children.

We have a weekly appointment with the King; an invitation from the Lord Jesus. Nothing else can be so important to us. But, let us discipline ourselves that we keep this appointment in a worthy way so that we may be strengthened rather than weakened.