WEEKLY OBSERVANCE OF LORD’S SUPPER:

By Kola Ajibola

Introduction
Just like some other Bible subjects, Lord’s Supper has been grossly misunderstood by many. Some, out of their ignorance (even though they claim competence) have set out divergent and erroneous theories on the great Biblical Subject.Our aim in this little effort is not to address all errors being taught by all false teachers on this subject but only to examine few of those errors critically by examining some Bible passages and go a little into secular History. Hence, our assignment is to verify whether the weekly observance of Lord’s Supper is a command or an opinion or a misapplication of the Word of God. Our objective is that the reader should be able to state unequivocally the reason(s) why Christians proclaims the Lord’s death till He comes (in keeping His Memory) on every Sunday.

What was the Supper called?

In the Bible, four terms were used to describe the Supper. It was called the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians 11:20. In 1Corinthians 10:21, it was referred to as the Lord’s Table. The Greek text literally reads “the table of the Lord.” (Ferrell Jenkins, The Early Church, page 55). It was called Communion in 1 Corinthians 10:16. In both Acts 20:7 and 1 Corinthians 10:16; it was described as breaking of bread.Apostle Peter admonished Christians in 1Peter 4:11 that “If any man speak, let him speak as oracle of God” (KJV); “whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; …” (ASV); “if anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God…..;” (NIV). In summary, this is to call Bible things by Bible names (Titus 2:1; 1 Corinthians 4:6; 2 John 9). Regrettably, men as usual have deviated and digressed by calling Lord’s Supper all sorts of names not found in the pages of the Scriptures, such as Mass, Sacrament, etc.Institution of Lord’s SupperThe Lord’s Supper was instituted by Jesus Christ during the Jewish Passover. He instituted this most enduring memorial of all time: the Lord’s Supper as the feast of Passover drew to a close. “While they were eating, Jesus took some bread.” (Matthew 26:26a; see Luke 22:19; Mark 14:22). The bread Jesus took was part of the one used for Passover. Passover was first observed by the Israelites in Egypt (Exodus 12:1-13:10); God instructed Israelites to observe this feast annually to commemorate the fact that God delivered Israel from Egypt (Deuteronomy 16:1). This feast is referred to as feast of unleavened Bread (Exodus 23:15; 34:18; Leviticus 23:6) because Israelites had been instructed not to eat leavened bread (Exodus 13:3) but they are to eat unleavened bread for seven days (Exodus 13:6-7; 34:18; Leviticus 23:6). “And when He had given thanks, He broke it and said ‘this is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me’” (1 Corinthians 11:24). Jesus had employed a figure of speech called metaphor when He held unleavened bread and said ‘this is My body’ – The Bible is full of metaphors. For example, Jesus called Herod a fox (Luke13:31, 32). In John 10:9, Jesus said, ‘I am the door’ and in John 15:1, He said “I am the true vine”. What Christ was saying was that the bread represented His body which will soon be hung on a Roman Cross.“In the same way He took the cup also …” (1Corinthians 11:25). The word cup (Greek, poterion) is used of “a cup, a drinking vessel” but it is also used “by metonymy of the container for the contained, the contents of the cup, what is offered to be drink. Luke 22:20b…” (Thayer, 533). Jesus explanation of the cup was that it stand for the fruit of the vine (Matthew 26:27-29)Purpose of Lord’s SupperThe primary purpose of Jesus Christ’s death was to secure the forgiveness of sins of those who would do His will and obey His commands (see 1Corinthians 15:3; Ephesians 1;7), these are His friends (John 14:13-15).Lord’s Supper is to serve as a memorial – “do this in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:24). It is to provide a proclamation of the Lord’s death till He comes- (1 Corinthians 11:26). It is to provide predictive element - to be observed until the Lord’s return and it is to be a communion with other Christians and Christ – (1 Corinthians 10:16).

The observance of Lord’s Supper in the Early Years of the ChurchIn Matthew 26:29, Jesus promised to drink the fruit of the vine “new with you in My Father’s Kingdom.” Some still believe this is to be in a distant future while some believe this to be in heaven. Conversely, the Bible teach that the church is the kingdom of Christ (Colossians 1:13), Kingdom of heaven (Matthew 11:11; 13:33); Kingdom of God (Mark 9:1; Acts 8:12; 19:8). The Kingdom of God comes into existence on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). Not later than when the church came into existence in Acts 2 that we read of Lord’s Supper as part of the worship of the church in 33 A.D (Acts 2:42; 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34). With the available facts on our disposal as gleaned from the New Testament, when the saints gathered together in the New Testament on the Lord’s day (first day of the week), they gather “to brake bread” (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:20, 33) and this they do often (1 Corinthians 11:26,33).

The elements of the Supper as earlier highlighted are unleavened bread and fruit of the vine (vine is used of the grapevine; that is juice made from grapes).As regards the manner of observance, it is a time of self – examination because the Holy Spirit instructs “But let a man examine himself …” (1 Corinthians 11:28). All participants must partake in a worthy manner (1 Corinthians 11:27-30).As to the day of observance, early Christians participated in this feast on the first day of the week – “and upon the first day of the week, when the disciple came together to break bread…” (Acts 20:7). The early Christian did not observed this feast on any other day than the first day of the week. A week will pass without Christian gathering together to “break bread” if such week has no first day!Is Weekly Observance of Lord’s Supper a Command or Opinion or Misapplication?“Do this in His remembrance” (Luke 22:19)

Going by the foregoing, a sincere student of the Bible would have come to understand that Jesus Christ had commanded His follower to “do this in His remembrance”. This is a command from the Lord. This instruction had ruled out any opinion on this matter. It is either we obey Him or we flagrantly disobey His commands. Later, Paul confirmed this by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.With the record of Acts 20:7, the early Christians (this time at Troas) obeyed Christ and Paul was with them and they (apostle Paul inclusive) partook of the Lord’s Supper on Sunday (first day of the week – the Lord’s Day). Paul had written to Christians to “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1Corinthians 11:1).

The Voice of History

Let us consider some early writings by some church Historians:

1. 90AD DIDACHE: “Christian Assembly on the Lord’s Day:
1. But every Lord’s day do ye gather yourselves together and break bread and give thanksgiving after having confessed your transgressions, that your sacrifice may be pure…….” (Didache: The teaching of the Twelve Apostles, Chapter xiv). This was written before the death of Apostle John (the beloved). If it were to be error, John would have contended it in any his writings.

2. 100AD BARNABAS: “We keep the eighth day (Sunday) with joyfulness, the day also in which Jesus rose again from the dead” (The Epistle of Barnabas, 100AD 15:6-8).

3. 110AD Pliny: “they were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses of hymn to Christ, as to a god, and bound themselves by a solemn oath not to (do) any wicked deeds, never to commit any fraud, theft, or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up; after which it was their custom to separate, and then reassemble to partake of good–food-but food of an ordinary and innocent kind...”

4. 150AD JUSTIN: “And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together in one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then when the reader has ceased, the President verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought and the President in like manner offers prayers and thanksgiving, according to his ability and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given …” (first apology of Justin, Weekly Worship of the Christians; ch. 68).

5. “When the Christians were assembled, prayers were recited; the Holy Scriptures was read; short discourses on Christian duties were addressed to the people. Hymns were sung; and at last, the Lord’s Supper and the love feasts were celebrated” (Mosheim, V.I, p. 164). He proceeded, “when Christians celebrated the Lord’s Supper, which they were accustomed to do chiefly on Sundays…….” (E. M. Borden, Church History, pg. 452-43).(To read more of this, you can go to http://www.bible.ca/H-Sunday.htm for more information).

Misapplication And Misunderstanding Of The Lord’s Supper

As early as second century, men have started to misapply the plain teachings of the Bible, Lord’s Supper inclusive. Even, as at then, good men rose up to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the Saints” (Jude 3, ASV).In the second century, as strange as it may seem, some things were introduced that had not been taught or practiced by the apostles and the inspired evangelists. The use of water as a sacred emblem, were introduced in some places (E.M. Bordem, church History, pg. 42). Mosheim stated without any ambiguity that: “It is certain, that to religious worship, both public and private, many rites were added, without necessity; and to the offence of sober and good men” (Mosheim, V.I., p.161).The author of the “Council of Nice,” says, of the second and third centuries:“The state of religion during the second and third centuries, exhibits melancholy proof of the gradual departure from the simplicity of the gospel. It was a dark day for the church. The Lord’s Supper began to be called a sacrifice; and the minister was called a priest.” (E. M. Bordem, Church History, pg. 43).

In this age, we have several people who claim to have the knowledge of the Lord and His word but do woefully and publicly display their deplorable ignorance of the Lord and His word; especially on this issue of Lord’s Supper. Many have gone to the press even on air to say that Lord’s Supper is for remission/forgiveness of sins (contrary to baptism which Bible says is for remission of sins – Acts 2:38). Some have even said that Lord’s Supper is for longevity of life. That is wrong!Some have even argued in the recent past that the phrase “as oft as” found in 1Corinthians 11:24-26 does not imply every Sunday. Such thought continued to suggest further that because of the definite article “the” in Acts 20:7 –“Upon the first day of the week” they say “English usage surely will translate this to mean the particular week in question.”As noted earlier, this is an ignorance of simple and plain truth of the Bible.

I wonder how those people who reason this way will harmonize Exodus 20:8. God told Israelites to “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,” (emphasis, KSA) would they say that because of the word ‘the’, Israelites were to keep the Sabbath “the particular week in question”? Which weeks of the month or the year? Of course, any Bible students know that Israelites keep all Sabbath days holy not just one Sabbath because every week has its Sabbath! Our friends of this strange persuasion should consider this and understand that even in Acts 20:7, the disciples at Troas met on the first day of the week to break bread. The fact that Paul tarried seven days at Troas indicates that the first day of the week was apparently the regular time the disciple assembled to break bread (Acts 20:6; Ferrell Jenkins, The Early Church, pg. 57).

In 1 Corinthians 16:2, where the similar language was use in connection with the collection for the saints, the Greek in this verse literally means “on the first day of every week” and is so rendered by New American Standard Version and New International Version (NIV). So, on the first day of every week (every Sunday), early Christians communed and gave to the Lord.Why Restoring Weekly Observance of Lord’s Supper Today in churches of Christ?In short, we in the churches of Christ observe the Lord’s Supper on every Sunday because that is the example given to us by early Christians under the direction of inspired men. This is a fitting day because:1. Christ rose on the first day of the week (Luke 24:1,13, 21, 46, Mark 16:9) and declared to be son of God with power (Romans1: 4).

2. The church was established on the first day of the week (Acts 2).

3. The disciples at Troas met on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7).

4. Paul gave orders to the churches of Galatia and to the Saints at Corinth to take collection on the first day of the week (1Corinthinas 16:1-2).We employ all to come back to the Bible by practicing only those thing contained there in especially in the New Testament.

Conclusion

We have tried to show that the weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper is a command from the Lord, an example clearly seen in the early Christian’s practices and literatures. We have shown that it was not an opinion even though, as years rolled by many have misapplied and misunderstood the simple teachings of the New Testament.We like to appeal to you once again to consider the love of God and come back to Him to follow His Word. He will save us to the uttermost if we follow and obey His words, after all, he has said, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, when you do not do what I command you…” (Luke 6:46).

Remember, we take the Lord’s supper every first day of the week because that is the only day we have authority from the scripture to take it , “And whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:16).Stop adding to God’s word, way and doctrine! You have to because of the consequence of doing so. “Whosoever goeth onward and abideth not in the teaching of Christ, hath not God, he that abideth in the teaching, the same hath both the Father and the Son" (2 John 1:9)!

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Posted by ksajibola