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Some of the conversation on modern church movements have brought up another question that I have been hearing more and more lately. Is the version of "the church" we see today in Protestant evangelical circles what God had in mind? Or, just like the Reformation when people recognized the Roman Catholics had strayed away from the truth and Scripture, are we arriving at a time when "church" needs another serious "reformation"? Some of the questions and concerns I'm hearing are:What about church buildings? Aren't we wasting a lot of money on "temples"? What about paid preachers, and paid staff, and paid services? What about all the programs, support groups, and things meant only to serve the congregations social needs? What about the direction music is going? Has it become too worldly? Too man-centered? Too shallow? Are home churches the answer? Is there a need for sweeping change? If yes, what? Has the modern evangelical Protestant church gotten so far away from the Biblical model, that it simply needs to be done away with?These are questions I am hearing over and over and over with increasing frequency. Obviously there is a significant number of people who feel like something is wrong with "church". Your thoughts?
Brent Riggs - Author, teacher, mentor, online business expert riggsreport.com | brentriggsBLOG.com | brentriggs.com | seriousfaith.com | brentriggsPHOTO.com | brentriggsSTUFF.com
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One can't help but agree with the view that the Church in general has lost the plot. The focus of many Churches, in my experience, is no longer Christ centred. It is caught up in many issues and activities that have no bearing on the Good News about the Kingdom of God and the Lordship of Jesus. However, in saying this it has been very refreshing to have recently read what is happening in China. I can thoroughly recommend reading the book "Back to Jerusalem" written by three Chinese Church Leaders in conjunction with Paul Hattaway. It helps one get a better appreciation of how God is working in the world at large, in spite of the problems we see affecting the Church in many ways.
May His banner over us be LOVE. Fred C.B.
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Indeed, a can of worms can be opened here. Paid Pastor:I'm from the "old" school. Let the church pay his/her's expenses, but let them get a job. Paid Staff: I have been working in church since May 6, 1960 and never took a penny from the Lord for my services; No, I do not agree with paid staff. Social needs: All of this is okay with me providing the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ is taught first. Music: I am a baptist and love my music. Again, from the old school, I prefer "Meeting in the Air; I'll Fly Away; Gospel Ship, etc". But I can handle a little of this modern stuff. Home churches: No, home churches aren't the answer. Home bible studies is fine and recommended (so far what is happening in China and other non-christian countries, the home church is their only viable alternative. Need of sweeping changes: Due to 2,000 years of tradition, it just "ain't" gonna happen without a divine intervention of the Holy Spirit.
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My concern is to take it one step deeper, and get past personal preferences, tradition or prgamatism. What I wonder about all these issues: are they Biblical? Is really the way God wants His Body to "assemble" (ekklesia)? Church buildings for example. Didn't become the norm until several hundred years after Christ when Constantine integrated pagan Roman religious practices with Christianity. In Scripture, "church" (ekklesia) is NEVER defined as a building or location. It refers to an assembled body of Believers. Today, it is almost exclusively defined in typical conversation as the identifiable church building, denomination or group of Christians. It doesn't matter whether it's people that are part of big organizations like the Southern Baptists, or Presbyterians, or even groups who claim "we are not a denomination" like the Church of Christ. The fact is, you can identify them readily by their name, practices, belief and buildings. No amount of claiming otherwise changes that fact. Being from a Church of Christ background, it is particularly curious to me that my Church of Christ brethren pride themselves in returning to "first century Christianity". However, I find not a single example in the Bible of church buildings, paid preachers, social programs, or even the way the Lord's Supper is conducted (a entire meal in Scripture, not a ritual). It would seem that NOT using musical instruments is tantamount to "first century Christianity" because beyond that, there is little difference from other evangelical groups. I'm not singling out the Church of Christ. Not at all. It is a pretty universal practice for all church groups to own buildings, pay staff and conduct "worship services" in similar manners. My question is, and it is a question that is becoming more and more discussed: is the current version of "church" a Biblical version?
Brent Riggs - Author, teacher, mentor, online business expert riggsreport.com | brentriggsBLOG.com | brentriggs.com | seriousfaith.com | brentriggsPHOTO.com | brentriggsSTUFF.com
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Brent, as you well know this topic can run very deep. I will be thinking and studying on this for a while. As a matter of fact, I have had simular questions pop up like this for a while now. I don't know if there is a simple answer to this. Definately, the church is viewed as a building, a body of believers. You mentioned "ekklesia". Some of my humble research and study and thoughts on that. PLEASE ! correct me if I am wrong. Ekklesia is a greek word which means "a calling out." Church is a pagan word that comes from a Germanic word Kirke which means circle or standing in a circle. Assembly would be a better choice of words, but even that does not represent the true meaning of ekklesia. Chosen or chosen ones would be a better choice. Church is another one of those words which possibly never should have been used in the Bible. It was put there by scholars who relied heavily on the Latin Vulgate which we know to have been corrupted by the Catholic clergy. I am not saying that we shouldn't go to church, let's just make sure we are going for the right reason. Fellowship is great, hearing the word preached, good singing, these are all great. Could we not have these same things without a special "church" building? Of course we could. Society and denominations have evolved "church" into what it is today. Again, I AM NOT saying going to church is bad. Actually I am currently looking for a new church to attend due to some of the problems that are being addressed in these forums. I served in the same "church" for 20 years and throughout that time I have seen a lot of things transpire. One being a Pastor who is a dictator and does no wrong in his eyes. That simply is wrong. Sorry for getting off topic, I will continue my studies into these things. Any help from you and readers out there world be great. No one has all the answers. To be continued...................
http://www.simpletruth-simplyput.com
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"Church" is not a bad word, used in Biblical context; it is simply the term that defines the "ekklessia", the "called out". However, "church" today has become synonymous with a church building or a definable organization (denomination), something that is totally foreign to the Bible. The "church", Biblically speaking, always refers to PEOPLE, to buildings, man-made organizations or denominations. It is not the point of this topic to try and determine who is, or is not, part of the "church", but whether or not "church" as we commonly call it and practice it today is what God intended, or has become some ineffective (to varying degree) and powerless form of man-made religion replacing what God instituted. The early church was intimate, participatory, without separation (no clergy/laity) and informal (not to be confused with disorderly). There were no church buildings, paid staff, rituals (including our modern "communion" which was an actual meal then) or endless programs to "meet the needs" and attract people. There was no professional entertainment to "lead worship" or create an atmosphere. What I keep hearing people ask, and I wonder myself... has all this led us to a point where "church" is far from what God intended for the "ekklessia"... ie, the routine fellowship of the body of Believers in a community?
Brent Riggs - Author, teacher, mentor, online business expert riggsreport.com | brentriggsBLOG.com | brentriggs.com | seriousfaith.com | brentriggsPHOTO.com | brentriggsSTUFF.com
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Wow, this is interesting to say the least. 7 Elders from our previous church all resigned, left said church and they with their families and others that left are worshiping together every Sunday with a full meal as the Lord's Supper, at a local school. What caused such an exodus? You might ask.
Well several things at first and then it was turned into another disagreement on doctrine. We will leave this alone at the moment.
I agree that even if some realize that the church is not the building, that is still how we are identified today. If we were to keep with Scripture I think we would be identified by our Father in heaven and His mark is very evident on those who walk according to Scripture alone and not denominational affiliation. All through the Bible it is evident who the true believers are opposed to those posing or acting as such. According to scripture it is evident that some claimed to be believers and did not want all of God's precepts, therefore only claimed the ones that were comfortable and seemingly simple to live by.
The "called out assembly", does our inclusiveness to the world mean that those from the world coming into the buildings or amongst our assembly are called out? Much of what is being taught today is that we have to accept the World into the buildings among the "called out assembly" and we have to change or for lack of a better term "dumb down the Word" to make the world feel more comfortable about coming in among the "called out assembly".
Matthew 28:19-20: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing then in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I command you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
It certainly seems to me that the called out assembly is not safe against the wolves in sheeps clothing when we want to make the called out, assemble with those that have not gone through the teachings that help them observe all that God has commanded the called out to hold fast to.
How did they do it in the early church? They taught the converts seriously after their conversion. I Timothy I-Paul talks to Timothy about instructing certain men not to teach strange doctrines. He goes even farther to say that the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
Then when you read 6 & 7 you see that some are straying from the sincere faith and the love from a pure heart and a good conscience for fruitless discussion, wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions."
Maybe this is how we got to the point that we are presently in today where the "church" is what it is.
Teaching evidently is important because Christ taught his disciples who in turn taught others. Christ taught and proclaimed the gospel of the kingdom and healed people from every kind of disease.
Today the routine is to proclaim the gospel but not in a way that might make someone uncomfortable, teaching someone the whole Cousel of God so that they will observe all that He has commanded is no longer wanted. We have an attitude of worship as long as it does not go beyond 12:00 pm and does not require us to show that we haven't read a Bible since our conversion, however long ago that may have been. Even further we have Elders because they have been members forever and they make confident assertions or they are CEO's or Presidents or Financial Advisors or independent wealthy businessmen, but none of them could teach or instruct others (because they don't want to) on all that God commanded.
Many churches today (not all) are businesses, not places where the "called out assembly" can truly assemble to praise and worship together beyond the outer layer of fluff that is projected so the world will feel comfortable in this particular setting. The Whole counsel of God makes faithful converts, churches (not all) today make wishy- washy christians.
Home churches fit into this place where the Word is taught and instruction can take place to teach all that God has commanded. Questions can be posed and study to get the right answer can take place.
Kendra
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Amen, Kendra. I think that Matt 28:19-20 is the key to what's missing in the "Church" today. I see Christ's command to "make Disciples" as the "Prime Directive" to His followers. The main attitude of most professed followers I know is to simply get people to church. Then, as if by magic, they will become Disciples. Most churches, at best, try to make only converts, workers, tithers, good parents, regular attenders, etc. I believe that the main reason Christ told us to make disciples is that when you make a disciple, everything else will take care of itself. Making a disciple takes two things, another Disciple and a lot of time, work and prayer. Unfortunatley, true Disciples seem to be in short supply these days and the church is becoming les & less effective because of it. My 2 cents.
Russell In Chicago
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I feal the Church today at times is not following GOD's true desire he established for it . I have been doing a study with lessons from Student life bible studies . It's based on book of Acts which explains the begining of Church . The Church is just a community . The Church foundations that GOD had in mind are very clear it is us the beleivers & followers that are need of repair & Change . The Church was not intended as a building but as comunity a gathering place where followers of christ who except him & attain the Holy Spirit would be the body & Jesus the Head & cornerstone of church . After Penticost in ACTS 2:46-47 They worshiped at the temple each day,meet in homes for the lord's supper,& shared their meals with great joy & generosity . All the while praising GOD & enjoying the goodwill of all pepole . And each day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved . (NLT) We have lost that sense of comunity & love for one another . I think pay is ok for preachers , & staff if they are providing are qualified & providing a service . They should be rewarded for time . In most cases Pastors have had to go to college or seminaries & payed to learn theology or counseling . Paul did say in bible in Cor 9:1-10 & makes it clear in 1 Cor 9:10 b Christian workers should be paid by those they serve (NLT) . The programs & support groups to serve the congregation are esential to keep our values christ like so we constantly learn & encourage us to stay on the path . I feal the Church should strive to be the hub of it's community & offer all the services so more can share Jesus & his values . Music is a preference by our human tastes & what moves us . I prefer more modern praise & worship it moves me to worship while other belivers prefer hymm's . The music should not be an issue but sometimes it does become one . The church I attend some members get upset with other forms of music . We should lift up & love one another & get over such petty issues . It's not about our desires but gloifying GOD & worshipping him . I also belive small groups are a way for believers to gather & share intamite topics & study GODs word & worship the LORD in a small setting at homes as the 1 st Church did to laugh ,cry, & share strugels we face in the corupt world we live in & encourage each other threw love & grow in Christ but they should not replace a spiritual bible based Church . That is where some of Church problems arise not following word . I feal we need to look inward at the ? of sweeping change. I feal we are all sinners & we all mess up . Many times we fall short of Christ . Our Society has turned into a me society . We have turned Church into what is in it for me or what am I going to get out of it more than a place to worship our Creator & Jesus Christ . After Jesus cleared the Temple of merchants & fliped over the tables . He said something in Mt21:13 The Scriptures declare my temple will be called a place of prayer . We should look look to Holy Spirit for guidence often Church is worried to much about #'s & our comfort zone rather than GOD's purpose . In closing we need to view our oun hearts brothers & sisters & see if we have turned Church into something for us or GOD's Glory . The Church is not just a building it is where we come to worship & pray to our Creator & LORD JESUS CHRIST . It is a body of believers who gather together in Loveof one another & share time & life together & worship together . The Church is GOD's Hub for true community both localy & globally . To fellowship , support , unify , strengthen & encourage each other to honor our father & share word with others the great commision (Mt 28:19-20) . The world is a scary place with alot of evil temptations to try to lead us away from Christ . At church threw the Holy Spirit & GOD's gifts we are the body & we need to share are gifts with each other so we can become a strong & unified Body with Christ as our head . If you are at a Church that is not bible based then you should find a Church that shares GOD's word . Beware of False Prophets the bible states that in end times ther will be many False Prophets . I am not saying the end is near only GOD knows when that is . We are here to glorify GOD not the other way around so it's up to us to strengthen & build up the Church to glorify our creator . HE loved us so much he gave his only begotten son to die for our sins so we can join him in heaven when our time here is done
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To answer Brent's seven original questions:
Yes there's a lot of money wasted on "temples" today, especialy those "jumbo" size ones, the shear number of people attending, makes it impossible for the preacher to get personal with individual members (attendees ?)i mean he has no clue of how many people in there are saved and how many are not...they all smile, they all sing, they're all there EVERY sunday....There's a size of flock which particular sheppard can manage and keep healthy, if there is more people joining that group, they should appoint another preacher and divide the flock to make it not dependant on "church buildings", "paid preachers" etc. but most of all that the preacher knows the spiritual state of every member of his flock, and work constantly on those who are still not saved, but primarily it seems, that the scriptural church assemblys, were all about the ekklesia, the genuine belivers who honestly hungered for The Word, and needed it on a daily basis, that's the kind of "flock" that Jesus allways spoke about, this is the kind of flock which would not mind to meet in some humble settings of some fellow beliver's house, back yard, or if the wheather is nice meet somewhere outdors! There's no need for any paid services, programs, grups, music (belive me i could write on music....) The purpose of the assembly meetings according to scripture is allways Christ focused, and to edify those who thirst after the truth, anything beyond that comes from world and comes to accomodate the world. If an individual finds true preacher, preaching the Word Of God "boring", and suggests that a "christian rock" (an oxymoron !) band is in order, than he should be shown the door...i say that with no appology. The true belivers are being deprived of the true pure knowledge and so much needed "nutrition" to help them deal with deceptions, lies, and all sorts of enemy attacs, in the name of "reaching out", "common turf" etc....Should we "reach out"? absolutely! we are commanded to, but those whom we reach, should be made to understand that Christianity and world are incompatible, and that the only reason for them being "reached" in the first place, is to save their souls from eternal fires of hell, which no music, programs, or support groups will ever accomplish.
-walter broda-
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brentriggs wrote:Some of the conversation on modern church movements have brought up another question that I have been hearing more and more lately.
Is the version of "the church" we see today in Protestant evangelical circles what God had in mind? Or, just like the Reformation when people recognized the Roman Catholics had strayed away from the truth and Scripture, are we arriving at a time when "church" needs another serious "reformation"?
Some of the questions and concerns I'm hearing are:
What about church buildings? Aren't we wasting a lot of money on "temples"?
What about paid preachers, and paid staff, and paid services?
What about all the programs, support groups, and things meant only to serve the congregations social needs?
What about the direction music is going? Has it become too worldly? Too man-centered? Too shallow?
Are home churches the answer?
Is there a need for sweeping change? If yes, what?
Has the modern evangelical Protestant church gotten so far away from the Biblical model, that it simply needs to be done away with?
These are questions I am hearing over and over and over with increasing frequency. Obviously there is a significant number of people who feel like something is wrong with "church".
Your thoughts?
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I have only a few words to write regarding whether the present church is what it is suppose to be:
"If the early church was so successful, then why not follow their example. Let's meet in homes and ask the Holy Spirit to supply the power needed to proclaim His Word."
Stanley Lamb
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Brent,
Lets not confuse the Last Supper and Communion. They were two different things. They may have happened in the same place, but they are not synonymous. Jesus said this was the last time He was going to eat with the disciples this side of heaven. Then He took the cup and the bread and made that a memorial to Him. Paul is very specific in Corinthians. 1 Cor 11:20-26, 20 When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper. 21 For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. 22 What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not. 23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 24 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. 25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
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True... the Last Supper was a one time event. The Lord's supper, or Communion is a recurring occasion. Orginally, it was a full meal of memorial, praise and festivity centered on what Jesus did for us. Over the centuries, for various extra-Biblical reasons, it has become a symbol ritual (even if sincerly done) that does not resemble how the early Church celebrated it. We have have denominational arguments over the frequency, over who can officiate it (or if it is even suppose to be officiated), the nature of the "elements" (or if it is even supposed to be "elements" rather than part of a meal) and the atmosphere that surrounds it (somber or festive; contemplative or joyous). Without stating whether it is right or wrong, good or bad, fruitful or harmful to our worship and Christianity, there is no doubt at all that the current typically practiced form of "Communion" does not resemble the practice of the first generation of the Church, nor does it have Biblical support (ie, as a symbolic ritual, especially if it can only be performed by "clergy"). Thoughts?
Brent Riggs - Author, teacher, mentor, online business expert riggsreport.com | brentriggsBLOG.com | brentriggs.com | seriousfaith.com | brentriggsPHOTO.com | brentriggsSTUFF.com
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To Me it is simply stated in one word. MOTIVE. Whevever I "take communion" I reflect on what Christ did for me on the cross of Calvary. It is not a show and go thing. I do not do it for others. I do it in remberance of Christ. For Him Alone.
http://www.simpletruth-simplyput.com
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Gary, I agree but it is instructive to look back at both Scripture and history and see what the Lord's Supper WAS, compared to what HAS BECOME through centuries of man's traditions. It was a full meal. It's not a symbolic gesture. It was a time of joyful celebration. It's now a somber memorial. It was an open informal event that any Christian, anywhere, anytime could celebrate. It's now an official event in which in most churches, only official clergy can officiate at prescribed times. The point of this line of conversation is not to question the individual motives of people, but to discuss the differences in what New Testament worship was in New Testament times, versus what it has evolved to.
Brent Riggs - Author, teacher, mentor, online business expert riggsreport.com | brentriggsBLOG.com | brentriggs.com | seriousfaith.com | brentriggsPHOTO.com | brentriggsSTUFF.com
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Yes Brent ..... you are exactly right, it was indeed a full meal, a joyish occasion which has turnd into a somber ritual type of event. Sorry to have gotten off topic with my own personal explanation on why and when I do it. Gary
http://www.simpletruth-simplyput.com
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Actually Gary, you are RIGHT ON topic. The point here is not to question the individual's motive or heart. I myself participate in the modern version of communion routinely, and I know my heart is in the right place. The question I'm pondering is whether or not this is LESS than what God would have us experience?
Brent Riggs - Author, teacher, mentor, online business expert riggsreport.com | brentriggsBLOG.com | brentriggs.com | seriousfaith.com | brentriggsPHOTO.com | brentriggsSTUFF.com
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May I ask You Brent, what do you mean by "participate in the modern version of communion routinely" ?
-walter broda-
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Broda wrote:May I ask You Brent, what do you mean by "participate in the modern version of communion routinely" ?
-walter broda- Walter, I mean that on a regular basis, I take participate in the typical communion that we see today: small pieces of unleavened bread, small plastic cups of grape juice, served to the congregation, normally presided over by a church leader who says some of the typical things about examining your life, and "take, eat..." verses. My point was that even though I find myself contemplating why we don't conduct communion the way it was originally conducted, that doesn't mean I condemn or shun the current manner in which Communion is done in almost all Protestant churches. It just means at this point in my Christian walk, I wonder if we "boiled down" and "symbolized" something that was originally intended to be much more participatory, engaging and full.
Brent Riggs - Author, teacher, mentor, online business expert riggsreport.com | brentriggsBLOG.com | brentriggs.com | seriousfaith.com | brentriggsPHOTO.com | brentriggsSTUFF.com
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I do indeed think that we "the church" have allowed communion AND many other things to be "Boiled down" as Brent puts it. We can believe it or not, but all we have to do is study what the bible says and it will and does show how far today's chuch has drifted away. . Kind of like a stalled boat drifting away from shore. It won't be long untill it drifts so far away that it can't get back. Let's get those "motors" started and head back to solid ground, before it is too late. Is it to late already ?????????????????? Only God knows. I myself and praying and praying about whether God wants to start a home church in my life and situation. Brent has started this forum (and GOOD FOR HIM) but what alot of people don't realize is that this topic about church and watering down, all the above and etc..... IS a MAJOR issue in America. It is indeed more widespread that we know. Satan has subtlely invaded the world and the church world as I have mentioned before. Sad thing is most people and churches don't know it. Please don't get me wrong. I truely believe there are still good God fearing churches out there and have not drifted very far at all. My point here is that "in general" churches have allowed the world to come into church, and have toned down as not to offend.
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Hello,
Well I have been gone for a while and wanted to share something with you all. I recently have been in a Bible study group, we are studying Revelation. The revelation of Jesus Christ given to Christ by God his Father to give to His bondservants. If the Last Supper was something that Jesus shared with His disciples and it was done in the manner that He did it, why did we change it over the years? Was it for the matter of time? I think this is one of the reasons that the church has lost it's effectiveness today.
We want disciples, we want tithers, we want memberships, we want big nice buildings, to grow to support our versions of christianity.
Something that hit me between the eyes through this study is Jesus builds the kingdom "His bondservants" into a kingdom that cannot be destroyed. We build buildings, denominations, memberships, traditions, similar practices of Biblical teachings, all of which can be destroyed. We tolerate in order to make sin feel comfortable among all of these things. No where did we see Jesus take a short cut because it might take to long or be to time consuming, or hurt someone or offend them. There obviously is order and proper ways to doing things the way God wants them done. The old testament is full of exacting measurements. The Lord's Supper was done by the Son of God, a certain way. Aren't we to behold Him as our example to follow and obey?
It seems to me that we (humans) sinful at best are wanting what God has offered, but on terms we want. So we adopt some things from the Bible to do and opt out of the other stuff, because it is time consuming and convicting if we practice the way we should. Boiling down some things leads to satan getting a foothold where we say in part that we don't want him to have access but we keep getting in the way of Jesus. As Revelation says, He is coming back and He is the Alpha and the Omega. It will be done exactly as He sees fit. If the places we worship are not doing it the way it should be done, we don't have to wait for them to do it that way, practice it in your homes the way it is really done and teach your children and grandchildren the way it should be done. If we are all priests because of Jesus making us so, then we don't have to wait for clergy to figure it out for us or our families. Home churches may be the way to go to making real disciples and teaching scripture to new converts.
Be the light you were intended to be without the denominational barriers, membership issues, the traditions set by man, and partial Biblical practices. Obey God through the blood of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit leading the way to do so.
Kendra
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Location: Washington, OK
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Kendra, You are certainly correct about one thing that Jesus made very clear. We do not have to have buildings were traditions or any of the attachments we see in "modern church" in order to properly worship God and fulfill the command to assemble as a church. We want to be sure and clarify that it is wrong to require those things, but it would be equally wrong to simply condemn them across the board along with anyone involved. Of course it is beyond question that their multitudes of good and sincere Christians who still worship and assemble in the traditional church setting as we have come to know it. That is beyond question or speculation. The purpose of this conversation was simply to contemplate and discuss whether or not the traditions we have come to accept his church are strictly biblical, and if not hardly detrimental? Or, is it a case of settling for less than what God would have us to experience?
Brent Riggs - Author, teacher, mentor, online business expert riggsreport.com | brentriggsBLOG.com | brentriggs.com | seriousfaith.com | brentriggsPHOTO.com | brentriggsSTUFF.com
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Rank: Regular Member
Joined: 2/21/2008
Posts: 14
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Sorry to be coming in on this conversation a little late - anyway, I have a couple of things I would like to say about the communion conversation here.
The "original" communion or Lord's Supper was a supper - it was the Passover Meal (see Mark 14, among others). So although it wasn't necessarily solemn in nature, neither was it a joyous supper. During the Passover meal families would "remember" how God delivered His people from the death angel in Egypt by "passing over" the homes to which the blood of a sacrificed, perfect lamb was applied. And the food and drink of the Passover meal are very specific items, meant to bring stories of the first Passover night to mind, to be told by the Jewish father. (One of the specific items of a Passover meal is unleavened bread.)
Jesus, as the master, would have probably taken the Jewish father's role of telling the Exodus story throughout the Passover meal. Can you imagine what he was thinking as he told of God delivering his people by the blood of the lamb.....and at some point during that meal of remembrance, Jesus lifted the cup and said "This cup is a new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. Do this in remembrance of me."
He was specifically saying that the old covenant with the whole system of sacrificial lambs is going away. There is no longer any need for this meal. But I want you to do something else to celebrate the new covenant of my blood - the Perfect Lamb of God - sacrificed for your sins. Paul, of course, spells this out more specifically in his letter to the Corinthians - "as long as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you remember my death until I come".
All that to say that there is nothing wrong with the modern day communion, as far as the elements used and the solemnity of it - Jesus himself did and said some pretty solemn things during that meal - washing the disciples feet as a lesson in humility - speaking of his death and pointing out his betrayer. This was not just the family getting together for a great meal.
However, I do agree that there is one thing that the Bible exhorts us to do in relation to communion that is often overlooked - to our detriment, I fear. That is that believers ought not to take communion unworthily - there is a need for repentance before partaking of the elements. Paul said that this was a reason why many were "asleep" (died early).
I don't mind the solemnity of the way the Lord's Supper is taken - but I do mind the empty-headedness of it. Think about what you are doing - that is the whole purpose of it. REMEMBER.
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