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| Volume 22 Number 11 November 2020 | Page 13 |
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| Volume 22 Number 11 November 2020 | Page 13 |
Paul Clements
A lot of things have changed in my lifetime. When I was a kid, I heard about fender skirts, curb feelers and continental kits (they covered the spare and attached to the rear of the auto and made your car look like a Lincoln!). Did you ever get all dressed up in your “Sunday go-to-meetin’ clothes” (maybe “store bought”) and go into town on Saturday to a matinee at the “picture show’’? Then, we didn’t have to “rate” movies because most of them were ‘‘G” movies. Morality was promoted instead of immorality.
A lot has changed. Some things have changed for the good. We have better medical care and safer cars, and many inventions benefit our lives. Yet, some of the changes are not good. Not too long ago, marriage was sacred, sex outside of marriage was sin, and promiscuity was neither condoned nor excused. Unmarried people didn’t live together. “Day care” was provided by mother in the home! Just a generation or two back, a man’s word was his bond, children had prayer and read the Bible in school, and “in God we trust” on our money meant something.
Fortunately, there are some things that have not changed. God has not changed (Malachi 3:6). He is the same loving God Who created this world for us and Who gave His only Son to die for us. Jesus has not changed. He “is the same yesterday, and today, and forever’’ (Hebrews 13:8). The Bible does not change (Psalm 33:11). God’s Word has been once for all time delivered to us (Jude 3). It is sacred and not to be altered (Deuteronomy 4:2; Proverbs 30:6; Revelation 22:19). The plan of salvation has not changed. By the grace of God, Jesus died for all men that we might die to sin and purify our souls in obedience to the truth (Titus 2:11; Romans 6:2; 1 Peter 1:22). If man today will comply with God’s terms of pardon, he can wash away his sins in baptism (Acts 22:16) and have a hope of eternal life (Romans 6:22-23; Titus 3:7).
The Importance of
the Lord’s Supper
Eddie Cooper
What do you think about when partaking of the Lord’s Supper? What are we to remember? Is it right for us to do it in the right way? These are questions that should be asked.
When I was young and it came time in worship to participate in the Lord’s Supper, we had a member who would very vividly and accurately bring our minds back to Calvary. It actually brought tears to his eyes as he recalled through what the Lord went.
The reason for this article is to take notice of Scriptures that men read during the Lord’s Supper but fail to observe. Here is one reference in full.
For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you; that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take eat, this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner, He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant of my blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. (1 Corinthians 11:23-29)
Notice several things of importance.
In my travels, I’ve noticed that during the Lord’s Supper, those offering comments sometimes mention that we also remember the Lord’s burial and resurrection. I have not found a Scripture that teaches us to observe or remember the resurrection of Jesus during the Lord’s Supper. From what we read, we are to remember His death, not His burial and resurrection. Men who are leading us in this observance need to make sure that they actually give thanks for the bread and the cup when they pray for them. Men often remind us in prayer to observe it in a worthy manner, which is good, but forget to give thanks. It might even be the case that men will spend more time talking about the day of observance than the giving of thanks or about the sacrifice of Jesus.
Maybe we have failed to do as the Scriptures teach sometimes because we have taken for granted what the Lord has commanded us to do. Just give it some thought.
[Editor’s Note: The Lord’s Supper must never be treated lightly or amount to merely a check off box. It’s not something that we simply do, but the Lord’s Supper deserves one’s heartfelt participation. We must do it right (outward activity) for the right reasons (inward conviction). Prayers during communion (1 Corinthians 10:16) are not occasions to comment on the weather (how beautiful and sunshiny the day may be), anyone’s health, the state of the nation and politics, the sermon or even to quote Scripture to God! The Lord’s Supper has a clearly stated purpose that every Christian needs to embrace fully. It is a solemn event, comparable to a funeral, where we mourn the death of God’s Son in our place and give thanks that through His death we were forgiven of our sins. ~ Louis Rushmore, Editor]