Quote from Forum Archives on July 17, 2003, 11:53 am

Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

A WORTHY MANNER
July 13, 2003

Text: 1 Corinthians 11:23-32

In my childhood, I attended churches that shared communion every Sunday.
The element used for bread was some crackers from which everyone broke
off a little piece and ate. The fruit of the vine was grape juice served
in the small communion cups.

As a child who had not made a public confession of faith and baptized, I
was not allowed to take communion in church. Of course, I was intrigued
by this weekly ritual and longed to participate. At home, then, my
brothers, sister, and I would play “communion” when we had a chance. If
we had grape juice, we would get a cracker, break off a piece, eat it,
and then take a swallow of juice. We would continue this until we either
lost interest or ran out of cracker. I don’t think Mom was keen on the
whole thing.

Chonda Pierce, a Christian comedienne, tells a childhood story related to
communion - or at least the communion cups. Her father, a pastor, had
just moved the family to a new location. Young Chonda ran across some of
the communion glasses and, using the communion glasses as shot glasses,
proceeded to set up a “Gunsmoke” saloon with her brothers and sisters on
the parsonage front porch, which she presided over as Miss Kitty. Of
course, that would be the afternoon that some of the church women paid a
call to the parsonage. As they walked up to the front steps, they were
greeted by this young Miss Kitty with the friendly invitation, “Anyone
care for a shot of whiskey?” I’m sure that went over well in the Pierce
household.

I’m certain that there are many other communion stories that could be
found and shared, especially among childhood experiences. I have a
feeling that such childhood antics were not a part of Paul’s warnings to
the Corinthians. Yet, Paul does make it clear that we are to approach the
Lord’s supper with a certain soberness and intent. “Therefore, whoever
eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will
be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.” Those are
serious warnings, to be sure, so we should investigate to see what Paul
is teaching and how we can approach the Lord’s supper in a worthy manner.

We know from the overall context of 1 Corinthians that the Church there
was in significant spiritual and secular trouble. All manner of human
vices were not being brought under the control of the Spirit. Instead,
they were being practices by some in the Church body! There were
jealousies created by those who adhered to different factions. Various
groups had favorite leaders, and they rallied around them at the expense
of Christian unity. Look to chapter 1 verses 10-12 for a clear example of
this: “I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions
among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. My
brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are
quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, ‘I follow
Apollos’; another, ‘I follow Cephas’; still another, ‘I follow Christ.’”
Paul makes it clear that these divisions were a hindrance to the unified
working of the body of Christ and that they should be stopped.

There was drunkenness in the Church. In chapter 11 verse 21, Paul writes,
“One remains hungry, another gets drunk.” There was even sexual
immorality exceeding the pagans, as we learn in 5:1! “It is actually
reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and a kind that does
not occur even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife.” The Corinthian
Church had its problems, to say the least.

It is hardly surprising, then, that there would be problems when it came
to sharing the Lord’s Supper. Looking again at the context which Paul
addressed, communion was celebrated along with a larger meal. Obviously,
this was not working out for them, since the whole affair just turned
into a meal in which some ate their fill and others ended up hungry. Even
in this so-called community meal, there were divisions. It was a mess. So
Paul writes to remind them all the meaning of this event.

“For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you. The Lord
Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 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.’ In the same way, after supper he took the cup,
saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this whenever you
drink it, in remembrance of me.’” Paul reminds them that this meal is not
built around the mere appeasement of hunger; it is built around the
sacrifice which Jesus underwent for the salvation of those who come to
the Father through him. For selfishness to crop up during the such an
event honoring and remembering the divine sacrifice was abhorrent to
Paul.

Keep in mind that Paul’s audience was probably Gentile without much, if
any, Jewish influence. Even without a belief in or knowledge of Jesus
Christ, the Jew would have approached this meal with great sincerity. It
was, after all, the Passover meal being commemorated. All of the
historical events surrounding the flight from Egypt would be recounted in
the meal.

So Paul has to teach those without such a background the meaning of
remembrance. We eat of the bread and drink of the cup “in remembrance” of
the one who gave them to us - Jesus. We remember the sacrifice made by
the Son of God. Because this is the meaning of communion, Paul reminds us
to “examine ourselves” before eating the bread and drinking the cup.

First, do I believe that I am a sinner and that Jesus has washed away my
sins with his own blood? It does no one any good to participate in
communion without the belief that Jesus’ death on the cross has brought
salvation. Why bother with going through the motions of taking the Lord’s
Supper if you don’t believe that Jesus is Lord?

Let me compare this with worldly citizenship. Everyone that I know is a
citizen of some country. In our situation, we usually deal with American
citizens. As American citizens, we pledge allegiance to our nation,
America. During VBS this week, we will be saying the Pledge of Allegiance
nightly. This pledge, like any pledge, is a promise. If we don’t intend
to keep our promise, then we should not make it by saying a pledge.
History is usually not very kind to those who betray their promise to
their country, if their country is not engaged in criminal activity.
During war, those who are fighting in uniform and captured are supposed
to be given humane treatment. They are clearly identified as members of a
nation. On the other hand, someone operating out of uniform, a spy, is
not afforded similar protection. That person can be executed because he
is acting in a deceitful manner. He pretends to be someone he is not.

Similarly, someone who is not a Christian who receives communion is
pretending to be someone he or she is not. That person is openly telling
everyone that he or she regards the body and blood of Christ as the
source of salvation, but privately does not believe that Jesus is his or
her Lord. That is deceitful and should not be done. The best cure, of
course, is to believe and accept Jesus as Savior and Lord. Short of that,
though, Paul makes the warning to refrain from this ceremony. “For anyone
who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and
drinks judgment on himself.”

Second, Paul calls upon Christian believers to examine themselves as
well. Keep in mind that Paul was writing to Christians who were straying
from proper behavior. Communion is an opportunity to reflect upon our
walk with the Lord. Paul warned the Corinthians against turning the
Lord’s Supper into an event in which they engaged in gluttony and
drunkenness. That sounds bizarre to us, but Paul’s implied emphasis does
not stop at just these two sins. Paul addressed selfishness and prideful
behavior and unhealthy divisions, as we read in verse 18: “In the first
place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are
divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it.” As he continues to
write, then, he reaches the point in verse 27 where he says, “Therefore,
whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy
manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.”

Partaking in the Lord’s Supper is an opportune time for Christians to
renew their relationship with God. We can confess sins, repent, and
receive His forgiveness. We can work at being reconciled with those with
whom we are in conflict. We can seek God’s strength to follow Him in
ministry, or we can thank Him for giving us the strength to participate
in the ministry He gives us. All of these actions, and more, are for the
purpose of uniting us in ministry and furthering the Kingdom of God. This
is what the “body and blood” of Christ are all about. We are to be
following Him in ministry by inviting others into His Kingdom and working
to raise new disciples for His service. In so doing, we pass on the gift
of life that God so graciously passed on to us.

So let us prepare to share the Lord’s Supper now. Take this opportunity
to ask the Lord Jesus Christ into your life as Savior. Take this
opportunity to commit yourself to the ministry that God has for you. If
you want someone to pray with you, any of the deacons or I will gladly
share with you if you come forward. I ask now, as Joan plays the organ,
that everyone come to God in prayer as we prepare to share together the
Lord’s Supper in a worthy manner.

Rev. Charles A. Layne, pastor, First Baptist Church, Bunker Hill, IN

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