The Frequency of the Lord's Supper
 

In the process of Paul correcting the Corinthians' practice of the Lord's Supper, he seems to imply that they were celebrating the Lord's Supper whenever they came together as a church.

"17 Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse. 18 For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it" (1 Cor 11:17-18). He goes on to note how their chronic division was clearly seen in the way they were practicing the Lord's Supper.

When they were gathering together as a church it caused more harm than good because their practice of the Lord's Supper was exacerbating the divisions in the church. In correcting them Paul never suggests that it was wrong for them to have the Lord's Supper so often, but only corrects their abuse of it.

Though this passage implies the Corinthians had the Lord's Supper frequently and though the earliest writings after the NT (Ignatius's letters) support frequent Communion, I have never been a part of a Pentecostal church that celebrated it frequently.

Do any of your churches celebrate the Lord's Supper frequently?

Re: The Frequency of the Lord's Supper
 

When I Pastored in the 80's communion was every Sunday morning. Later working with another Pastor we did once a month. Where I attend now is once a year the Sunday before Easter.

Re: The Frequency of the Lord's Supper
 

Re: The Frequency of the Lord's Supper
 

no offence but That verse should be left in context.

Re: The Frequency of the Lord's Supper
 

The year before I was filled with the Spirit I attended a non-charismatic, non-denominational church that had Communion each week, which I enjoyed. Besides that, while attending Pentecostal churches, one of them had it once a quarter. Mostly it has been twice a year.

With all the differences in practice that you've experienced, all the way from once a week to once a year, do you have a preference? More importantly do you think Scripture supports frequent or infrequent Communion?

Re: The Frequency of the Lord's Supper
 

It is very difficult to have a love feast in a traditionally organized and structured church assembly. House churches or other churches with a strong emphasis on home groups can more frequently have the Lord's Supper.

Another concern is whether the specific, admittedly Passover-based elements must always be present (that is, unleavened bread in particular and wine in general, lamb notwithstanding). If it is the case that these features must be present, it becomes even more difficult for some assemblies.

Re: The Frequency of the Lord's Supper
 

If having a frequent Lord's Supper, I would say regular bread may be used (except during Passover). But if done say once a year, unleavened bread would seem preferable, as it then becomes more of a Passover-type memorial.

Don't forget the footwashing!

Re: The Frequency of the Lord's Supper
 

In my home church now, we usually have Communion once a year, typically around the time of Resurrection Sunday. We have had it the Saturday before or after so that the service can be prolonged to include a foot washing, testimonies, and things of that nature. This year we didn't get to have one because of funerals, sick babies, and my Pastors overseeing three different congregations (one church was left in their care after the death of an Elder in December).

Coming up, when we attended Baptist and Nazarene churches, I still remember Communion usually being once a year. There may have been instances where it was more frequent, but all the churches I've attended have officiated the service once a year.

Re: The Frequency of the Lord's Supper
 

The reason I believe the most scriptural is:

Acts 20:7

7And 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.

They met on the first of the week to break bread. I take that to mean as in communion. Thats why when I Pastored we did this. When an aquaintance later on down the road asked me to be an elder with him he believed once a month would be ok.

He was the founding Pastor so I deferred to him. When I am leading a communion service I prefer using unleavened bread and wine altho Grape juice would be acceptable.

Re: The Frequency of the Lord's Supper
 

Once a year in the UPCI if you were lucky. AG and CoG do it more often.

Re: The Frequency of the Lord's Supper
 

Shhhhhhhhhhhhh

Re: The Frequency of the Lord's Supper
 

William Francis Manley, who brought Pentecostalism to San Francisco, emphasized healing and the Lord's Supper. I do not know of other early California Pentecostals with such a signature emphasis.

Re: The Frequency of the Lord's Supper
 

Perhaps New Testament restoration was not yet complete?

Re: The Frequency of the Lord's Supper
 

Gene Scott was ALL about people getting their healing during the Communion service.

Re: The Frequency of the Lord's Supper
 

The Catholics teach that taking communion imparts eternal life to the soul. It is a very short hop skip and jump from there to thinking that taking communion can impart divine healing to the individual. Especially when one thinks of communion as a wafer or part of a wafer, to be eaten in solemn ritualistic manner with much introspection, almost like a magic rite.

Whereas, Biblically, the actual action of taking communion was a common method of sharing bread at a meal to signify unity (a loaf of bread broken up and shared to the members, not the leftover catholic wafer ritual so common today).

Re: The Frequency of the Lord's Supper
 

It's unfortunate that there is not more information given in the NT about how the Lord's Supper was (and is to be) conducted, specifically was a larger meal absolutely essential to it, what did that meal consist of, etc.

Paul only invests bread and wine with spiritual significance (1 Cor 11.23-26), so those seem to be all that is absolutely necessary. But in what quantities I don't know.

Since Paul only mentions taking the bread and wine (same passage as above), I would say that those are all that are necessary and no other Passover-based elements must be present. The Passover was the setting for the first Lord's Supper, but it is not apparently the guide for its continued practice.

Re: The Frequency of the Lord's Supper
 

Right now I'm not sure whether the bread is supposed to be unleavened or leavened. The Orthodox Church uses leavened--I think because the rising of the bread with leaven is to remind them of the resurrection. The Catholic Church now uses unleavened--I think to more closely follow the first Lord's Supper. Most Protestant churches and Pentecostal churches I'm familiar with use those little unleavened cracker things or styrofoam-like wafers. :-)

In some sense we are living a perpetual Passover: "7 For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." Does that imply we should use unleavened bread? I don't know.

Regarding footwashing, do you mean that that needs to be done every time the Lord's Supper is celebrated or just once a year?

Re: The Frequency of the Lord's Supper
 

Do you recall your pastors ever explaining from Scripture why it should be only once a year?

Re: The Frequency of the Lord's Supper
 

The passage in Acts 20 is interesting. It is the only instance that I can recall where a meeting of believers on the Lord's Day is mentioned, and it so happens that the breaking of bread is involved within the context of a spiritual gathering (Paul preaches).

Do you think the passage in 1 Cor 11 indicates the believers in Corinth were celebrating Communion often, perhaps each week?

Re: The Frequency of the Lord's Supper
 

Interesting. It's been awhile since I've been on this forum, but I seem to recall that you are really interested in early Pentecostal history. Do you know if there were ever any debates in the early Pentecostal movement over the place of the Lord's Supper in worship? I emailed a prof at UGST once about this, but did not receive an answer.

As far as I know there was no debate. If this is the case, I would imagine it was because the groups from which most Pentecostals came had similar views about it's frequency and so it was not controversial.

When discussing the Lord's Supper with a couple of UPCI pastors, it seemed that they just couldn't believe that frequent Communion could possibly be Apostolic; otherwise, it would have been revealed/recovered in the early 20th century along with the Oneness of God, Jesus' name baptism, etc.

Re: The Frequency of the Lord's Supper
 

As I mentioned in another post, some (maybe most) Apostolics could never believe frequent Communion could be a part of the full restoration of the NT church since it didn't occur in the early days of the Pentecostal movement. I mean could we actually have been wrong about something essential to being Apostolic for so long?

Re: The Frequency of the Lord's Supper
 

Not exactly what you're referring to, but very early on in the first decade of the second century AD, at least one prominent bishop in the third most important city of the Roman Empire referred to the (eternal) life-giving power of the Lord's Supper: "Breaking one and the same bread, which is the medicine of immortality, and the antidote to prevent us from dying, but that we should live for ever in Jesus Christ" (Ignatius's letter to the Ephesians, ch. 20, http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0104.htm). I'm not sure how prevalent this view was, but very early on some were not thinking of it just in symbolic terms.

Re: The Frequency of the Lord's Supper
 

Re: The Frequency of the Lord's Supper
 

Seems like a rather light view of the communion.

Re: The Frequency of the Lord's Supper
 

Ignatius also spearheaded the monarchical bishop idea.

Of course, a lot of his writings are highly dubious as to authenticity. He's probably the least useful of Antenicene "fathers" to be quoted establishing a timeline for anything. :)

Re: The Frequency of the Lord's Supper
 

We do an actual (single) loaf of bread and a (single) cup of wine. Twice this week, actually.

Was in Tulsa either last year or the year before with some brethren, they did a loaf and a cup. Actually, two of each because there were so many people there.

Piano player finished off the cup afterwards. :heeheehee

Re: The Frequency of the Lord's Supper
 

I don't think his epistle to the Ephesians is disputed, and from what I can tell this passage is undisputed (it's the same in the longer and shorter versions). Even if Ignatius is to be disregarded, no other ante-nicene writer talks about Communion, whether about its significance or how often to celebrate it, like most Protestants or Pentecostals.

I would imagine most Pentecostals would be inclined to disregard most evidence from post-apostolic writers, but it is worth noting that there is no support for infrequent Communion in the early Christian writers outside of the Bible.

The case for infrequent Communion, like all doctrines, has to be based on Scripture. I don't recall hearing any of my pastors carefully go through what Paul says in 1 Cor 11 on the Lord's Supper to defend the position of only taking it once or twice a year.

Do you think, if it can be shown that Paul's teaching in 1 Cor indicates they were celebrating the Lord's Supper frequently, maybe each week, that this mean all believers have to do that? I'm not sure how I feel about it. I'm inclined to say yes, but I have to note that weekly or frequent Communion is not commanded.

Thanks for your input.

Re: The Frequency of the Lord's Supper
 

Since the Bible doesn't explicitly state a preferred time table for the Lord's Supper, it seems flexible depending on congregation, situation, etc. Which actually makes sense.

I think Paul's words imply frequent eating of the Lords supper.