What it is and isn t, who it is for and what we re doing at the Lord s table.

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1 1 Worship is the expression of a relationship in which God the Father reveals himself and his love in Christ, and by his Holy Spirit administers grace, to which we respond in faith, gratitude, and obedience. Constance M. Cherry. In this there is a rhythm of revelation (by God) and response (by us) where God is the initiator. Our part in worship is the correct response to God. In right relationship, we respond appropriately to the character of the triune God (who He is) and the work of God (what he has done, is doing, and will do). Our worship rightly centers on the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. Our worship as response then should be an organic, natural outpouring to the overwhelming goodness, truth, joy, hope, grace, love, and meaning we find in Christ Jesus. For example, we worship Christ for being merciful (Person) and for showing and dealing with us personally, individually and corporately in His mercy (work), particularly through His merciful death on the cross and acceptance of us through grace. What it is and isn t, who it is for and what we re doing at the Lord s table. Different churches might use different names for what we refer to as Breaking of Bread and they can do so for various reason. These include: Eucharist which means "giving of thanks, from the Greek. This emphasizes how Jesus gave thanks, broke the bread, and gave it to his disciples, then raised the cup and gave thanks, and gave it to his disciples. Also we come to the table thankful for our salvation through His sacrifice.

2 2 Communion which is the term most commonly used among Protestants. The term means a shared or mutual participation. It is not a word that we find in the Bible but comes from the word community. In communion, you can see there is a shared or a mutual participation of the redeemed community and a communion with our Lord. The Lord s Supper refers to this being instituted by Jesus at his last supper before the crucifixion. We call it The Lord s Supper as it was not made up by his disciples but like the Lord s Prayer, this is a direct instruction which is directed and instituted by Christ himself. It has his authority, his purpose. Breaking of Bread started out in the context of a full meal, the Passover meal, and this is carried over in the early church in what was termed love feasts. (Which is what we see in 1 Cor.) Worshipers in the early church shared bread, wine, and often a whole meal. Since the very first Eucharist was instituted in the context of a meal, a meal continued to be the normal setting in which Christians met together for fellowship and worship. Jude speaks of this too. The *Breaking of Bread We use this term because we find it in the Bible in the Synoptic Gospels (Matt. 26; Mark 14; Luke 22, 24; ) and in Acts (2:42, 46; 20:7); also 1 Cor. 10, 11. The early church regularly met and featured the breaking of bread as their centerpiece of worship. ELEMENTS - In various Protestant churches, there are different methods of breaking bread together. Congregants might pass the bread, take it at the front of the sanctuary, or have it served to them individually. Likewise with the cup. For many years, a large number of Protestant churches have served individual small cups of juice and passed out small individual wafers. There is a method of taking the elements together at once, where the bread is dipped into the cup and then eaten. This is called intinction. We use one bread and one cup because Jesus and the early church did this and it symbolizes our oneness together as the Body. FREQUENCY - A typical argument against celebrating breaking of bread weekly is the idea that If we do this so often it will become less meaningful. At first this has the appearance of wisdom; but with just a little pondering the

3 illusion fades. Do we apply this reasoning to other means of grace? Are we worried about praying too frequently? Reading the Bible too much? Shall we be safe and make biblical preaching less frequent? These practices become rote not because of frequency but because of lazy minds and hearts and the lack of robust biblical proclamation alongside the ordinance. o Jesus says, As often as you do this, and Scripture does not give us a mandate to do this quarterly or daily or weekly. But saying as often as you do this suggests it is regular, not an annual Passover or quarterly meeting or only on big holidays. o Since Christ commanded us to do this it seems that this is quite important and should be enjoyed frequently. o According to acts 2:46, the earliest Christians ate together daily; the found it of such importance. While this sign of fellowship need not specifically refer to the Lord's Supper (Acts 27:35), we have good reason to believe the Lord's Supper was included. Whenever Christians gathered for fellowship and eating, they probably did so with Jesus in mind (1 Cor. 11:24-25). o Acts 20:7 (with 1 Cor 10:16; 11:23 24) indicates that the celebration of the Lord s Supper was central to the early Christian gatherings look at it again: On the first day of the week, when we gathered to break bread... (Acts 20:7). They gathered to break bread. Luke clearly states that the purpose of their gathering was to break bread, i.e. to celebrate the Lord's Supper. This passage need not mean the Lord's Supper was the only purpose of their gathering, but it certainly is one prominent purpose and the one emphasized here. The centrality of communion to the weekly gathering is stated casually without explanation or defense, suggesting this practice was common among those Luke expected to read his account. o The fact that abuse of the Lord's Supper was such a problem in Corinth strongly suggests the Supper was held frequently. Could it have been such a problem if it only occurred quarterly o The early church fathers and the Didache after the close of the canon (early 100s and 200s) all attested to the importance and common, frequent practice of the breaking of bread even giving us liturgies of how it was celebrated. o The shift away from celebrating breaking of bread so regularly happened at the Reformation. Due to the abuses of the Roman Catholic Church, the early reformers deemphasized or avoided the controversial practice. It was thought that since the effects were dependent on the state of the participant's mind, then over-frequent 3

4 4 attendance was counter-productive and seen as idolatry by the reformers. o John Knox advocated in his Order of Geneva (1556) where he proposed monthly communion; Calvin was for weekly observance but Zwingli called for quarterly communion. We do not need to build it up breaking of bread with any extras or make it rare in order for it to have a very special and central meaning to our worship. Instead, we need to preach the gospel and then display and participate in the gospel in communion. The breaking of bread meeting is a gathering where the Holy Spirit reigns and the saints rejoice. In such meetings the Lord is the center, and His love is the bond among the saints. It is in such meetings that the Lord receives satisfaction and the saints receive greatest enjoyment. All the symbols on the table the bread, the cup and the grape juice in the cup have their spiritual meanings. The bread represents the body of Christ, which was given for us. (Luke 22:19) The cup represents the new covenant, This cup is the new covenant in my blood (I Corinthians 11:25), and contains the grace and blessing of the entire new covenant. The grape juice represents the blood of the Lord, which is the blood of the covenant, poured out for many. (Mark 14:24) Because the Lord s body was broken, we receive His indwelling in the spirit and live in the resurrection realm of the New Testament. Because of the precious blood of Son of God, our sins are forgiven and we can hold this cup of blessing in faith and with the assurance His oath, His covenant, His blood, support me in the whelming flood. (Hymn The Solid Rock ) Communion originally was designed to unify the body. However, because of so many denominational differences, today it often serves to show differences within the body. We need to be clear about what breaking of bread is not so that we come correctly to the table and are also able to correct wrong theology and practice. Breaking of bread is not transubstantiation which is believed by the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox nor do we believe in consubstantiation which is held by the Lutheran church. We do not believe in what is called sacramentalism Breaking of bread is not a necessary way for you to reach salvation but is an expression of your already received salvation. At the table we remember what has already been done for us, the full price for our redemption and adoption has been fully paid by our Lord Jesus Christ.

5 5 : Those who have entered into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, who have been forgiven their sins, washed, adopted, redeemed, justified, and resurrected, made a new creation in Christ Jesus. Here at SVCA we hold that breaking of bread is for those who are: 1. Born again and baptized 2. In line with faith of SVCA 3. Godly lifestyle and good life testimony 4. Seasoned in spirit and sensitive to the Holy Spirit s leading 5. In one accord with church leadership 6. Understand the meaning of Breaking-of-Bread, and value this weekly gathering before the Lord This is one reason that seek-sensitive churches might make less of the Lord s Table it excludes, it seems quite strange to non-christians. It is not the kind of inclusive service we like. But it is not snobbishly so, nor is it by initiation like in a club or once you have reached a certain level. Breaking of bread is not earned by our merit. This is exclusively, unapologetically for Christians because they are the only people who can commune here with Jesus and with other believers, in true worship. Only those saved by Christ, saved in Christ alone as your Lord and Redeemer can come to the table to remember what He has done in our lives. We are called to remember and we simply can t remember and cannot celebrate what has not yet happened for us/been accepted by us. : Unsaved, those who are not yet in communion with Christ Unrepentant, those who are not in communion with Body; they might be being disciplined by the church during this time and no allowed to take communion Though you may not be able to participate, this is not a secretive rite held in the dark, but it is a public proclamation in which you can see God s love demonstrated and responded to. The table is always a public event where the Lord is on display and you are very welcome to watch. We remember the o Lord s sacrifice, the work of Christ on the cross, for our sin o We remember our deliverance from sin by His grace o His death for our life o It was the crushing of Satan and hell o We remember his saving work cost the breaking of his body, the spilling of his blood which gave us life

6 We give thanks and praise to Jesus Christ o Humbly o Devoutly o In the Spirit We see the common partaking of Christ s presence o V.16 it is a sharing (twice) in Christ o We celebrate our common union with Christ, a real communion, a true sharing in the blood of Christ, in the body of Christ We commune together as one body o At the Cross we re all leveled to the same place o Through the cross we re all equally saved in grace, not by merit o We re all equally in need and equally redeemed o We take one bread, because we are one Body with one Lord, one baptism, in the same Spirit o We commune together in the horizontal o We celebrate our same, one eternal destiny and calling as the church o We minister, serve, edify, seek peace, all with one another We worship in the holiest place at the true mercy seat there is no mixed worship o 1 Cor. 10:20 These pagans sacrifice in worship of demons; we worship the Lord at his table of sacrifice o We focus on the Lord, on Christ alone our worship is singular (Corinthians had come out of false religion with so many pagan feasts) Paul is saying you can t come to the table of the Lord and the table of demons you can t be ruled by Christ and find purpose in idols, find hope in counterfeit gods there is no mixed worship here Christ is Lord, period. o Here at the table we also make a fresh commitment to Jesus Lordship Christ only, Christ alone. Christ is my all and in all of my life so this table is: the Most Genuine experience for sinners saved by grace, the Deepest worship for sinners saved by grace, and the Most Essential meeting for sinners saved by grace o We celebrate being saved and grafted in to Jesus NEW COVENANT We examine ourselves - 1Cor. 11:

7 7 o Maybe this is one reason to do it often; to be reminded to check ourselves, to regularly check who is really our functional Lord, to regularly remember the Cross, and regularly examine our own hearts o We do not come casually, callously, or with barriers between us and Christ or us and our brothers and sisters. We look forward o To the day Jesus is coming again. o We look forward to celebrating eternally with Christ is even richer, truer worship o Even Christ looked forward to the day he would again drink the wine in heaven: 29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. Matt. 26 o We will never stop remembering the day all history changed, the greatest moment when Christ saved the world from itself, redeemed us from sin and death The table is a place where we remember and encounter God in our worship. Our worship then should reflect the freedom we have to come to the table and in how we come to the table. Worship is a dialogue in relationship initiated by God in grace v Worship is our response to the Person and Work of Christ vv o His life for ours, his deliverance this is my body for you [or broken for you] We respond to who Jesus is and what he has done, is doing and will do. He drank the cup of wrath of sin which was ours to drink. He has redeemed, saved, atoned, forgiven, resurrected and adopted us, has given us the Spirit. Do we know what grace this is? That is what we are doing at this sacred Table - remembering and proclaiming, thanking and praising the Lord Jesus for taking the cup of cursing with all of its shame and separation. Our worship should reflect the freedom won for us by Christ and for Christ s glory. o At the table we respond to Christ freely in worship in thanksgiving for the new covenant we have entered by his blood, in grace o We freely celebrate in worship Christ s work in the Past, Present and Future (remember the Lord s death, as often as you eat, until he comes) o We are now free to respond together in obedience to His covenant mercy and command do this in remembrance of me. We are free to simply come and enjoy, to remember, to celebrate, to praise because He has liberated us so that we can worship Him. We now have a freedom to become slaves to Christ.

8 8 We are free to encounter and praise Jesus with the Body, as one liberated people. Breaking of Bread reflects our communal freedom as God s people united together, no longer bound by sin and the things which divide the body. See how often we are called to come together (v.17, 18, 20, 34) The Corinthians abuse has caused divisions and factions (vv.17-19) Some had lots to eat, some had none, as they mixed up the Lord s Supper with their own supper. It didn t look like love at all. Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 1 Cor. 10:17 There should be a unity with the Body and edification of all members of the body. The breaking of bread should build us up, unite us, and show our unity in Christ which is a reality now. Another important meaning of the breaking of bread meeting is to participate in the blood of Christ, and to participate in the body of Christ with the saints. (I Corinthians 10:16-17) Not only that before the Lord we have fellowship with the Lord, there is also fellowship among the children of God. Though we are many, there is only one loaf; though we are many, we all partake of the one loaf. We are all part of this loaf, part of this new covenant. May the Lord remove all divisions among us when we partake of the blood and the body of Christ. In Christ we are blood relations, members of the same body. Breaking of bread is not a passive activity, but one in which we are fully engaged with all of who we are. We come freely and express our freedom in being united with Christ, with His body, and with ourselves (all of which undoes the curse of the Garden when in sin we became separated from God, humanity and ourselves). The breaking of bread involved all of who we are and we express our freedom in: Our bodies as we physically eat and drink. Our minds (remembering) vv.24-25; our minds don t go to neutral, we don t dream or coast, but are directed back and back through history to Jesus Christ incarnate dying on a cross for our sins, the sins of the world, and being resurrected. o We remember the Easter story from Friday to Sunday and all that it includes; o This is history (blood, skin, wood, Rome, Israel, nails, tomb, soldiers, Pilate, Sanhedrin, resurrection, meetings, witnesses, the church) and not just a spiritual idea. Though it is spiritual reality, it is historical reality to which we are called to remember a specific time in history

9 9 when God had stepped down into creation to die, resurrect, forgive, and save His people. This is history and not some detached spirituality or religiosity. Breaking of bread is not a seeking within myself for truth or meaning but looking on Christ, remembering the reality of history. God stepped down into time and space, took on flesh, tabernacled with us, and died for us, resurrected and in saving us brought us to freedom to worship. In all of this God was magnificently glorified. o The church comes to remember how it all started for the church We are the church only because of what happened on Calvary and the resurrection. We hear repeatedly in Acts that the church is founded on the reality that Christ was crucified and resurrected and our Lord Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah who came and conquered and rose again. We have victory, freedom and new life and our worship reflects that reality as we remember the truth. o Israel had been told to never forget Egypt, and the mighty mercy of God to celebrate the Passover as a regular reminder of who God is, who they were apart from God, and who they were called to be in God to thank Him, glorify Him, celebrate Him, be humbled by Him, love Him, and seek Him. We too remember that Christ has set us free, that here we are eating at the table of God, communing with God, remembering what He has done for us by His own amazing grace. We who were rebels are now eating with Christ, eating of Christ, because of who He is and what He has done. These are outrageous claims and we are called to remember them regularly so as to not forget our freedom in Christ and to act out our freedom in the Spirit. o We also do this in remembrance until He comes again. Our worship reflects that we are free and one day soon the whole of creation will also be liberated as Christ returns to judge, save and make all things new. We freely declare together in unity as fact that He is coming back. This will be a historical event, not just a spiritual coming (as some cults wrongly assert). Our Soul/Spirit Our souls are free to worship and in so doing reflect our freedom in the Spirit.

10 10 o Because of the precious blood of Son of God, our sins are forgiven and we can hold this cup of blessing in faith and with the assurance o For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord s death until he comes. The Lord s death fulfilled God s justice requirement, declared victory over enemies once for all and encouraged us who are redeemed to imitate His death because of His great love. o In breaking of bread meetings, the Lord is always the only center. Because His death is also at work on us, and since we are no longer being ruled by our old selves, we can be completely freed to worship and praise Him. When we all lay down ourselves, the Spirit of the risen Lord will lead us to worship and praise God! o 1 Cor. 10: When you eat of this you by faith appropriate, enjoy, are nourished by, and take part in what happened on the altar/cross all that Christ accomplished for you. We embrace all of this, take this into our lives. Our souls rejoice in all that this means for our freedom: We now have hope for the future, victory in temptations, liberation from sin and death, healing and satisfaction in Christ through grace, we have promises fulfilled in Christ. Piper says, What we celebrate at the table is the foundation of every good thing in our lives. Our souls have been bought and set free by what was accomplished at the cross, which is what this table is all about. We have been given the Spirit because of what Christ accomplished in the sacrifice of his body and blood, and Christ was raised by the Spirit in resurrection. At the table our worship should reflect the intimacy we know have in Christ through His Spirit to approach the throne of God in praise, addressing our Lord as Abba Father! At the table, we reflect our satisfaction in and need for Jesus. We read in Romans 8: 9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. Without proper worship we shrink, we die; with it we thrive and grow, maturing into who we are supposed to be We become like that which we worship (Psalm 115)

11 11 Jesus told us in John that we have to take and eat of Him. This points to the supreme intimacy we have in Christ when we become God s children and it speaks of our ongoing need to be satisfied in Christ alone. We will never need to eat any other bread, because He will sustain us. He will satisfy us. He has given us eternal life, as he says in John 4 to the woman at the well (and again in John 7). o His water satisfies you ultimately and provides for your eternal life. He is talking about an intimate relationship here. He, himself, is the ultimate satisfaction in life, ultimately providing eternal life for you. o You need to know that by entering into that type of a relationship with him, he will openly satisfy you. Does your worship reflect this life-giving reality? Are you thankful, growing, being filled and satisfied in Christ as you worship? When I am starved I will look for anything to eat. In this life, we so often seek life, meaning, and satisfaction in all kinds of silly and important things, elevating their status to godhood. But when in the Spirit, I have found the world malnourishing, when I have been set free from it and know clearly that it does not satisfy me because it cannot, then I turn to Jesus in true worship. When I have been freed form self, the world, and death and sin, then I turn to Christ Jesus for satisfaction as I now know that He alone can satisfy me. My worship, my right relationship with Christ, through the Spirit, is then responding to the Person and work of Jesus. He is my nourishment. I come hungry to corporate worship to be filled, to be satisfied in Christ who is becoming my all and in all. My worship should reflect this great reality. This celebration is the clearest symbolic expression of our redemption in Jesus Christ: the body of Christ that was broken for us, and the blood of Christ that was shed for us, giving us the remission of sins. We are to devote ourselves to this symbolic representation of all Christ did in redeeming us. We are to devote ourselves to this act. Communion represents the best that Christianity has to offer. Celebrating communion, celebrating the Lord s Table is our finest hour as Christians Paul s words in 1 Corinthians 10 and 11: we don t come careless or callous, we don t come with the attitude of whatever or of course but in awe, in shock, in comfort, in great understanding, with great respect and glorifying God. We come trusting, treasuring Christ as the most important love of our life, the most precious gift of our life.

12 12 o Examine your own heart: Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. o Discern the body this is not casual, don t make light of this, this represents the body of the Lord, and spiritually you meet here again the reality that Body bought by His blood o Nobody is good enough to come here but do you trust Christ with your life? o Do you remember the contextual problem in 1 Cor. 11? Those who have are not having proper regard for those who have not. When we examine ourselves, it is in the context that our horizontal relationship is to be right with God. Actually prepare yourselves. Get right with God, but also examine yourself with regard to your fellow brother. Do not eat communion bread or drink communion wine while having disregard or disrespect for your brother or sister, the body of Christ around you. If you do so, you bring judgment against yourself. We are to look deeply into our own lives, our own behavior, our own attitudes, our own beliefs, before we come to the table.