This week was a busy one (Not that you couldn’t tell since I’m not posting until Sunday), in that we got to learn the answers to two questions. Mike presented on ‘how?’, and I presented on ‘who?’. I was very interested to learn about ‘who?’, because thinking back on my years of Bible classes and church camps and Sunday morning sermons, I’d never understood why we didn’t serve communion to people who hadn’t been baptized. After learning what I’d learned in my brief study, I was even more excited to tie the ‘how?’ answers in. It’s amazing how some things can never be appreciated until you experience them in order – kinda like not knowing what you have until you don’t. Here’re our notes.
- Matthew 26
- Who – Jesus, The 12 Disciples, and the Many
- Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper with his 12 disciples. Each telling of the story in the Gospels indicates this. He told them that they should do this in remembrance of Him. It made me wonder what made the Church in Acts continue this on as a memorial feast with other Christians after Christ’s death since He didn’t explicitly tell them to do so. Regardless, I’m glad he did because I love the chance to purify my mind and have that time with my family and the Lord each week.
- In verse 28, Jesus speaks of the many when he tells who the ‘blood of the covenant’ is poured out for. A great tour of the words ‘the many’ in the Bible took me to Hebrews 9:10-28. It’s an involved read, but we find that Jesus is the mediator for the many through his death, and that He is coming back for those who are eagerly waiting for Him. He’s coming back for His chosen people, for us, for everyone, for the many.
- John 6
- Who – Jesus, the crowd
- Jesus is the Bread of Life. His flesh is true food, and his blood is true drink.
- The crowd there followed Jesus, and in verse 28 ask Him what must be done to do His work. His reply is wonderful: ‘to believe in him who he has sent.’ When we partake in communion, we are testifying to believe in Jesus as the sacrifice which fulfilled the covenant.
- Acts 2/Acts 20
- Who – 2:42 speaks of ‘They’ who were dedicated to the breaking of bread. They were the people gathered together and baptized along with the disciples and those immediate friends/family who were gathered after Jesus’ ascension into the sky. The literal counting would give us 3120 people, those first members of the church, who first took of the Lord’s Supper.
- Who – Chapter 20 tells of Paul breaking bread with his traveling companions. These would be the other missionaries and workers who were his friends.
- Acts is a great place to learn about ‘who?’. We learn they are young and old, those who had lived with Christ and those who had only just been baptized in response to hearing the disciples speak. This is a great lesson we should take to heart.
- 1 Corinthians 11
- How – Examine Yourselves, Discern the Body
- It’s unfortunate that we have to learn how to take communion through some correction that Paul was trying to share with the church there in Corinth, but I’m glad he did. I can see how easily this memorial could turn into a partying feast with the small bit of instruction the church had assumed. I mean, this was about remembering the Life Christ gave us, and that it represented all our sins being paid for by the ultimate sacrifice.
- Verse 28 – Examine yourselves. We are not to take of the Lord’s Supper in an unholy manner. Instead we should review our lives, and ensure we are not taking this sacrifice for granted. We should continually appreciate and share the love and life of Jesus.
- Verse 29 – Discern the body. Discernment is defined by Merriam-Webster as “the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure.” Paul’s asking us not to simply go through the motions. We ought to study and learn that the body of Christ represents the new covenant with ‘the many’ and we are not capable of receiving salvation without it.
This was a great class. We learned a whole lot in a short period of time. I can’t wait for Chuck to finish us up next Wednesday with the answer to ‘why?’.
Don’t forget that we will be sharing all of what we’ve learned next Sunday as a special communion service. Also, we’ll be planning that special service this Thursday night at dinner at the building. Look forward to seeing each other there.
Do good,
Hunter.