Besides the fact that we are commanded to partake of this blessed
event, we should have the greatest respect for it because Christ Himself
instituted this very element of worship. While in the upper room
having His last supper before His death, Jes us took the time to introduce
an event that is perpetuated until His second coming, “And as they were
eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to
the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. {27} And he
took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink
ye all of it; {28} For this is my blood of the new testament, which is
shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:26-28).
The Lord’s Supper is often called the Communion because we are in
communion with the very death of Christ at our partaking. Paul tells
us, “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the
blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion
of the body of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16). We are to partake in order
to remember the death of Christ, “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” (1 Corinthians 11:24). Therefore, by God’s design,
we are to be transported by mind back to the cross on that fateful day.
It is as if we were standing at the base of the cross as personal
witnesses of His death for us. It is to be a constant reminder of the tremendous
price paid for our own personal sins.
The Lord’s Supper must always be observed in a worthy manner. To do otherwise is to disgrace our Lord and His death and to bring guilt upon our self. The Corinthian Christians had made a mockery of the Lord’s Supper by turning it into a feast Paul reminded them, “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” (1 Corinthians 11:27). It is a time to examine the purpose for which it was designed, “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup” (1 Corinthians 11:28).
The Lord’s Supper has a divinely appointed day. We find the first century church meeting on a particular day to “break bread” of communion, “And 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” (Acts 20:7). This element of worship began with the Christians at Pentecost, Acts 2:42 “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” We are warned NOT to miss this assembly, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25).
The Lord’s Supper also serves another purpose according to Paul,
“For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the
Lord’s death till he come” (1 Corinthians 11:26). Each first day of the
week
as Christians assemble to partake of the Lord’s Supper they proclaim
to the world His death and also His burial and resurrection.
The Lord’s Supper deserves the Christians greatest respect. It was
designed by and first taken by our Lord. Its purpose twofold: to draw our
minds back to the cross, and to proclaim His death to the
world on a regular basis.
John D. Cotham
Shady Valley, TN