Participating in the Lord’s Supper – More Detail

In 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 God gives specific instruction to the church as to how we are to go about this. In this passage we are told: ‘Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.’ – verses 27-28

What should we each examine ourselves on?

• Have I been born again by the power of the Holy Spirit, and am I trusting only in Christ for my salvation?
• Am I seeking to live a godly life and not excusing sin?
• Am I truly united with my brothers and sisters with whom I am now about to eat the Lord’s Supper here?
• Am I actively committed to brothers and sisters in Christ, in a local church that faithfully preaches the truth and that I trust to care for my soul?

Your responsibility as a Christian

To participate in the Lord’s Supper with a clear conscience and for the good of the Church, there are four requirements that we believe every one of us should satisfy. Please consider them carefully‚

1. 1. Have I been BORN AGAIN by the power of the Holy Spirit, and am I trusting only in Christ for my salvation? The Lord’s Supper is for those who are the Lord’s, i.e. who have entered the kingdom of God through faith in Christ. Jesus said, ‘Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God‘ (John 3:3). The Lord‚s Supper will not make you born again or right with God; it is for those who are already born again.
   2. Am I seeking to live a godly life and not excusing any sin? The Bible commands us to ‘present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God‚ and not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind’ (Romans 12:1-2). None of us is perfect, and we daily sin ‚ we acknowledge as much, even in coming to the Lord’s Table. But ‘if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness’ (1 John 1:9). But we must not use God’s grace as an excuse to ignore God’s Word and go on sinning (Romans 6:1). In the Lord’s Supper Christ renews His covenant with us, and we with Him. ‘But to the wicked God says: ‘What right have you to declare My statutes, or take My covenant in your mouth, seeing you hate instruction and cast My words behind you?’ (Psalm 50:16-17)
   3. Am I truly united with my brothers and sisters with whom I am now about to eat the Lord’s Supper here? The Lord’s Supper is not just a meal we share with the Lord, but also with each other: the Bible says, ‘we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread’ (1 Corinthians 10:17). As important as it is that I am born again, the critical issue with the Lord’s Supper in Corinth (in 1 Corinthians 11) was not that they were not believers, but that of disunity among the believers there. Those addressed all professed to be Christians (1 Corinthians 1:2), but they were selfish and not at one with each other ‚ and consequently the Bible says that though they went through the outward form, they were not really eating the Lord’s Supper at all (1 Corinthians 11:20). If you are not at one with a brother or sister at the Lord‚s Table the Bible tells you ‘first go and be reconciled’‚ then come. (Matthew 5:23-24)

If you are visiting, a good test of your unity with others in this church would be to ask yourself the question: ‚Is there any reason (that I am aware of) that so divides me from the members of this church that I would not consider becoming member here?

1. Am I actively committed to brothers and sisters in Christ, in a local church that faithfully preaches the truth and that I trust to care for my soul?
   • • Unity with other believers is first of all practised in being ACTIVELY committed to one another in a local church, eg. see Ephesians 4:15-16. Like the early Christians you are to ‘continue steadfastly in’ (i.e. be committed to) ‘the apostles‚ doctrine and fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayers’ (Acts 2:42). This means ‘not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together, as is the manner of some’ but actively and regularly meeting with your brothers and sisters to ‘consider one another in order to stir up love and good works’ and to ‘exhort one another’ (Hebrews 10:24-25). In practical terms this usually means being committed in membership in a local church.

   If, as a Christian, you are not yet a member of a local church,you should at least be seriously seeking to become one. We invite you to consider joining here.

   • It is important that the church you commit yourself to be one that faithfully preaches the truth. The Bible says that unity with other brothers and sisters in Christ must be based on truth; it is ‘the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God’ (Ephesians 4:11-13). You are endangering your soul, and damaging your unity with other believers, where you join yourself with a ‚church‚ that doesn’t proclaim the truth (Ephesians 4:14). Though no church is perfect (this church is not), and we all get some things wrong, you should avoid fellowship with serious error that will undermine your faith (2 Corinthians 6:14-17, 1 John 4:1-6, 2 John 9-11, Romans 16:17-19, Galatians 1:6-11, 1 Timothy 6:3-5, 2 Timothy 3:1-5, Titus 3:9-11).
   • The other aspect of a faithful church is SPIRITUAL CARE. In a faithful church the leaders will ‘watch out for your soul, as those who must give account’. For your part, you are to ‘obey those who rule over you, and be submissive [to them]’ (Hebrews 13:17). Where you cannot, or will not, do this, you are not committing yourself to a church in the way God‚s Word commands.

Please understand that we are not passing judgement on any individual, rather, we are simply trying to perform what we believe is our biblical responsibility.

Our responsibility as a Church

The Lord’s Supper is a an act of corporate worship, not just an individual matter (1 Corinthians 10:16-17). In 1 Corinthians 11, the Lord holds the whole church responsible for the conduct of the Lord’s Supper (see verses 17, 20, 30-32).

To see that the Lord’s Supper continues to be edifying for you and everyone else, if you are not a member but wish to continue coming to the Lord’s Table, we would like to catch up to get to know you better over the next month.

Even if you don’t participate in the Lord’s Supper you are more than welcome to stay and watch.

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