The Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist?

[Aquila]

I've actually opened this discussion topic upon having several requests. Here goes... lol

The Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist?



This New Year’s Eve many churches throughout America will be celebrating what is commonly called “Communion”. They will gather in a large church service in a church building where a religious official will officiate the sacrament. A “token” wafer and a small glass of grape juice will be provided. Most will take much time to reflect and dedicate prayer to the event. But is this truly “Apostolic” in practice… or is it something else?

First, I’d like to say that I don’t want to condemn anyone for the manner in which they partake in the Lord’s Supper. However, I do wish to bring up some serious issues that I’ve come to see that relate to this sacrament and our practice of it.

In the original Lord’s Supper was a Seder (Passover Meal). It was a memorial meal designed to bring to remembrance the Lord’s mighty deliverance from Egypt. It was at the end of this meal that Jesus Himself instituted what soon became known as the Lord’s Supper with the breaking of bread and the passing of the cup. The bread and the wine were designed to represent the Lord’s body, broken for us. The cup (the wine) was to symbolize the Lord’s own blood… shed for us.

The early church appeared to make this meal (called the breaking of bread) a central theme of their gathering whenever they gathered. In Acts we read:

Acts 2:41-47
{2:41} Then they that gladly received his word were
baptized: and the same day there were added [unto them]
about three thousand souls. {2:42} And they continued
stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in
breaking of bread, and in prayers. {2:43} And fear came
upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by
the apostles. {2:44} And all that believed were together, and
had all things common; {2:45} And sold their possessions
and goods, and parted them to all [men,] as every man had
need. {2:46} And they, continuing daily with one accord in
the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat
their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, {2:47}
Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And
the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

You will discover that celebration of this meal is mentioned along with the apostles’ doctrine, fellowship, and prayers. Many don’t realize that the Apostolic church of the Bible had no church buildings, pews, pulpits, choirs, or fellowship halls. The early Christians, being Jewish, would meet at the temple as was their normal Jewish custom, and then meet together in their homes for “Christian fellowship”. The church was primarily a home-based, grass roots, movement that proclaimed Jesus as Lord and Saviour. These smaller home-based meetings were blessed. They partook in a full meal, often called a “love feast”. Scholars have well documented how this feast was more central in the early church than the “sermonizing” we do today in our traditional churches. Paul describes open meetings wherein all participate and may prophesy in I Corinthians 14. And in I Corinthians 11 Paul clearly indicates that the “Lord’s Supper” was a full meal more akin to a banquet. It was over the table that the early Christians shared testimonies, prayed, prophesied, and edified one another, meeting needs that had arisen among them. Christianity was a “meating” not necessarily a “meeting”. Sadly, when Christians go out to eat together and fellowship over a dinner table at a restaurant it’s reflects early church gatherings more than the actual “service” they had just attended together.

Paul writes regarding the Lord’s Supper:

I Corinthians 11:17-34
{11:17} Now in this that I declare [unto you] I praise
Unregistered not, that ye come together not for the better, but for
the worse. {11:18} For first of all, when ye come together
in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and
I partly believe it. {11:19} For there must be also heresies
among you, that they which are approved may be made
manifest among you. {11:20} When ye come together
therefore into one place, [this] is not to eat the Lord’s
supper. {11:21} For in eating every one taketh before
[other] his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is
drunken. {11:22} What? have ye not houses to eat and to
drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them
that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in
this? I praise Unregistered not. {11:23} For I have 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:
{11:24} 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. {11:25} 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. {11:26} For as often
as ye eat this bread, and drink [this] cup, ye do shew the
Lord’s death till he come. {11:27} 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. {11:28} But let a man examine himself, and so let
him eat of [that] bread, and drink of [that] cup. {11:29} For
he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh
damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.
{11:30} For this cause many [are] weak and sickly among
you, and many sleep. {11:31} For if we would judge
ourselves, we should not be judged. {11:32} But when we
are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not
be condemned with the world. {11:33} Wherefore, my
brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for
another. {11:34} And if any man hunger, let him eat at
home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And
the rest will I set in order when I come.

In this passage Paul rebukes the Corinthian church for not practicing the Lord’s Supper properly. First, we read how it was a gathering for a meal. We read that many who arrived first partook in the feast and often didn’t leave enough for those who arrived later in the day. We also read that some we actually getting “drunken” at this feast. The meal was to bring fellowship and harmony; instead it was bringing contention and strife as they observed it. Those believers who didn’t have very much were often provided for in these meetings. Those who devoured the meal left little for those who “had not”. Paul then brings to remembrance Christ’s institution of the meal. In I Corinthians 10:17 Paul states:

I Corinthians 10:17
{10:17} For we [being] many are one bread, [and] one
body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.

Paul speaks of being partakers of “that one bread”, also translated “loaf”. The single loaf is symbolic of their being only one Lord and therefore one body. Today many wafers are passed out in convenience, loosing this significance. The one cup that Paul speaks of (“the cup”) signifies the blood of one. The thimbles of grape juice being passed around today denies this reality.

The Lord’s Supper is an illustration of several truths.

First, in the supper we shew forth the Lord’s death until He comes. In the Lord’s Supper we are to re-live the crucifixion. When the loaf of bread is being torn apart, each of us taking our share, we are to envision the brutal beatings that tore our Lord to pieces. When partaking in the cup, we are to remember the blood that He shed to cleanse our undeserving souls. A tidy little wafer doesn’t truly bring this reality home. I remember my first house church meeting where I participated in my first actual Lord’s Supper. The elder blessed the bread and spoke of Christ’s body and suffering. Then as the loaf was passed around the table I watched it being torn apart. With ever tear, tears began to roll. It was a powerful reminder of the one who was torn apart to bring spiritual nourishment to a lost and dying people. Reliving the death of our Lord vividly in such humble surroundings was truly abasing. I realized that the pomp and circumstance of the traditional “Communion” was lacking. Like the early church, we should have one loaf… and one cup. And we should sincerely reflect on Christ’s suffering and death. I know many do, but throughout Christianity, this sacrament is regarded as merely a tradition to get through. Its meaning is often lost, especially among many Protestants and Catholics of our day.

TO BE CONTINUED....

[Aquila]

CONTINUED...

Second, the Lord's Supper illustrates for us the truth of our participation in the benefits of the death of Christ. Jesus told His disciples, "Take eat; this is My body. And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you" (Mt. 26:26¬27). Now, if the bread and the cup represent the body and blood of Christ given for us in His sacrificial death, then our taking and eating represents our appropriation of His sacrifice by faith. As we eat and drink, we are illustrating the truth that we must personally take in Christ and His work, making it ours by faith. As we eat and drink, in effect we are saying, "What He did, He did for me. I claim the benefits of the cross of Christ." Well, what are those benefits that come to us through the death of Christ? In Matthew 26:28 we read, "for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins." In Luke 22:20 this covenant is referred to as the "New Covenant". There is a four-fold blessing to those who share in this New Covenant: 1) They shall have a new relationship to the law of God -- it will be written in their hearts. 2) They shall have a new relationship to the person of God -- He shall be their God and they shall be His people. 3) They shall have a new knowledge of God -- they shall all know God, from the least to the greatest of them. 4) They shall have a new standing before God -- they shall have all their sins forgiven. All of these blessings are received by those who enter into and receive the mercies of this New Covenant which was sealed in the blood of Christ at Calvary.

The Lord's Supper was instituted on the eve of Passover, and there is a very good reason for that. The Lord's Supper takes the place of the Passover for God's people. The Passover relates to the Old Covenant. It is a memorial of God's deliverance of all the firstborn Jews who had applied the blood of a lamb to the doorposts and lintel of their houses. In this way they were saved out of a cruel bondage to Pharaoh and his slavemasters in Egypt. Likewise, the Lord's Supper is a memorial of a deliverance as well. But the deliverance that Christ brings is far greater than the deliverance the children of Israel received. We are delivered from sin, Satan, death, and hell by Christ's shed blood. When we partake of the Lord's Supper we symbolize the fact that we appropriate these blessings by faith.

Thirdly, the Lord's Supper represents the spiritual nourishment of believers. Bread and juice are foods which nourish the body. They maintain our lives and give us strength. In the Lord's Supper we are reminded that Jesus Christ and Him crucified is that by which our souls are nourished and strengthened day by day. Christ Himself is the support and maintenance of our spiritual life. It was this truth that Jesus emphasized in John 6:53-57 when He declared, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me." Christ is pointing out here that His substitutionary atonement is the food our souls need to live day by day. Truly, the cross of Christ is God's refreshing, strengthening, and invigorating remedy for our spiritual lives!

Fourthly, the Lord's Supper represents the unity of all believers. We find this truth spelled out for us in 1 Corinthians 10:17 where Paul writes, "Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread." Just as we only use one loaf when celebrating communion, even though that one loaf is divided into many pieces, so too there is only one body of Christ though it is made up of many members. The one loaf is intended to portray the truth that we are all one in Jesus Christ. One of the purposes of the Lord's Supper is to depict the unity that we possess in Christ. For this reason, it would be best to use a single loaf, instead of many different crackers, to depict this unity that we share in Jesus.

Fifthly, the Lord's Supper represents the future Messianic banquet we will enjoy when Christ returns. Notice carefully Jesus' words in Matthew 26:29 directly after He had instituted the Supper, "But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom." Just as there is a backward look in the Lord's Supper to our Lord's death to inaugurate the New Covenant, so there is a forward look to that day when Christ will return and we shall sit down to sup with Him again in His Father's kingdom. This may have been what Jesus was speaking of in Matthew 8:11 when He stated, "And I say to you, that many shall come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven." Again, we have the Apostle Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 11:26 "For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes." There is in the observance of the Lord's Supper an eager looking forward to that day when Jesus will return and we shall sit down with Him to sup in His Father's kingdom. That's why a thimble full of grape juice and a tiny cracker are not fit symbols to be employed. Only a full meal can adequately represent the Messianic banquet held out for our future enjoyment.

So, how did the Lord’s Supper become what it is today? First, the early Church Bishops of the Catholic Church demanded sole right to officiate the Lord’s Supper. They condemned private meals and the connection of the Lord’s Supper with them. This was supposedly to stamp out secret religious societies and heresy (early Oneness brethren). So the Lord’s Supper was separated from the meal. Then it was demanded that people attend the Mass wherein only a priest officiated the service. This required attending the Mass. Gathered in such large groups, the church had to offer more scant tokens of the Lord’s Body and Blood… so sacramental loafs and wafers were provided. Soon the terms “sacrifice” and “mystical” were attributed to the meal, as with earlier PAGAN meals. The doctrine of Transubstantiation was taught, teaching that the priest mystically called down the very essence of God and transformed the bread and the wine into the literal body and blood of Jesus. The meal was taking on every form of a pagan mystery rite. Special garb were assigned to wear during this period. The common Christian was eventually deemed unworthy to partake, and so for some time only the priests (who were deemed worthy) could participate; with the congregation merely acting as spectators praying that by some way special grace would be imparted to them too. And so… the Eucharist was born.

The Protestant Reformation brought back the idea that the Eucharist was memorial and not literal body and blood. The also began calling it “Communion” more than Eucharist. However, the meal remained CEREMONIAL in nature. This also translated into the Pentecostal churches where today it is regarded ceremonially with the tiny wafer and thimble of grape juice that is blessed and handed out by an acting religious official.

This is why I have begun to feel convicted that the manner in which most churches partake in the Lord’s Supper is unbiblical. We would do well to bring back the love feast of the Apostles. Of course, this requires smaller gatherings. And this too is strongly encouraged to fulfill all that Paul states the Lord “commands” in I Corinthians 14, wherein all prophesy and the meeting is open and discussion based.

So, how should the Lord’s Supper be observed?

It Should Be Celebrated With Other Believers.
It Should Be Celebrated During A Common Meal Together.
It Should Be Celebrated With One Loaf And One Cup.
It Should Be Celebrated With The Blessing Of The Bread and the Cup.
It Should Be Celebrated By Breaking the Loaf in the Presence of the People.
It Should Be Celebrated With Believing Affection.
It Should Be Celebrated With Joy And Praise.

So, this New Years Eve… will you be found partaking in the Catholic Eucharist… or the Lord’s Supper?

[Titus2woman]

Finally some place that we are in agreement!

I find it sad how our church celebrates 'Communion' but in recent years have had little to be sad about as they seem to have abandoned even the thimble and cracker in favor of staying home on New Years eve and watching the ball drop.

We consider the Lord's supper something that we practice at home when we fellowship. We will break bread over a homemade meal and talk about God's goodness. We do not announce to others from our fellowship that we believe this to be the 'Lord's supper' but have often brought up that this is so close to how it must have been in the early church.

We are currently in prayer for a home church opportunity that will be more authentic then how we corporately worship now.

BTW: how do you insert the individual names in your text?... nifty trick.... or if you'd rather not say I can ask my middle son the super hacker.

[Amanah]

you type [ y o u ] but without the spaces

[Titus2woman]

Originally Posted by Amanah

you type [ y o u ] but without the spaces

Ahhh... wonder if it will work on my cow board... that would freak 'em out!

[Timmy]

Where's the Cliff Notes?

[Aquila]

Originally Posted by Titus2woman

Finally some place that we are in agreement!

I find it sad how our church celebrates 'Communion' but in recent years have had little to be sad about as they seem to have abandoned even the thimble and cracker in favor of staying home on New Years eve and watching the ball drop.

We consider the Lord's supper something that we practice at home when we fellowship. We will break bread over a homemade meal and talk about God's goodness. We do not announce to others from our fellowship that we believe this to be the 'Lord's supper' but have often brought up that this is so close to how it must have been in the early church.

We are currently in prayer for a home church opportunity that will be more authentic then how we corporately worship now.

BTW: how do you insert the individual names in your text?... nifty trick.... or if you'd rather not say I can ask my middle son the super hacker.

Yes, it sounds like we are in full agreement. To me... this is very serious. As in the Christmas thread, I see much of the Christmas celebration as cultural and not necessarily "biblical", nor is it a part of my worship. However, the Lord's Supper is biblical, and something that should be done biblically.

P.S.
We've done the same in my home. In addition, I'm part of a house church network (primarily baptists lol) at this time.

[Aquila]

Originally Posted by Titus2woman

Ahhh... wonder if it will work on my cow board... that would freak 'em out!

lol

[Amanah]

I was thinking of how you could implement this in a larger congregation.

You could replace the "Christmas Banquet" some churches have and make it a communion banquet instead.

[Digging4Truth]

Wolfgang Simson said the following in his excellent book "Houses That Change The World" speaking of the Lord's Supper...

The Lord's Supper "was actually more a substantial supper with a symbolic meaning, than a symbolic supper with a substantial meaning."

Our church doesn't do a service on New Year's Eve. We might do a Lord's Supper at our home this year.