An Open Letter to the Church regarding the Lord’s Supper

Filed under Lord's Supper, Worship by on January 31, 2012 at 12:18 am {no comments}

I wish for you to consider the following three issues regarding the Lord’s Supper:

  1. The Lord’s Supper is a means of evangelism for the unbeliever.
  2. The Lord’s Supper is a means of grace for the believer.
  3. We must be cautious that we don’t turn the Lord’s Supper into an evangelical “confession and penance” ritual wherein we repudiate the very gospel we claim to proclaim.

One observation of many of the evangelical churches I have visited in the past three years (40+ and counting) is that the Lord’s Supper is observed rather infrequently, with little explanation as to its efficacy and with little connection to the rest of the worship. One argument advanced for the infrequent observance is that the Lord’s Supper is perceived to be less “friendly” to unbelievers.  I suspect the rationale is that if we desire to be more open to newcomers who might be less familiar with the Lord’s Supper, we might consider reducing the times per month that we observe it.  Unfortunately, with that thinking we pit “evangelism” against the Lord’s Supper.

 1.   The Lord’s Supper is a means of evangelism for the unbeliever.

 What is odd about such thinking is that it is the very opposite of what Scripture says of the Lord’s Supper. Cf. 1 Corinthians 11:26 “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” That word “proclaim” is used throughout the NT to refer to the proclamation of the Gospel message.  It therefore seems that one of the benefits of observing the Lord’s Supper is that it is a powerful visual demonstration of the very Gospel that unbelievers need to hear and receive.  The International Critical Commentary refers to the Lord’s Supper as “an acted sermon, an acted proclamation of the death which it commemorates.” (1 Corinthians, p 249)

Contrary to thinking that the Lord’s Supper is counterproductive to evangelism, the Bible indicates that the Lord’s Supper is a means of evangelism.  It is reasonable to still discuss the frequency of the Lord’s Supper but not on the grounds that it inhibits evangelism.  Regardless of the text of Scripture that is being preached on any given Sunday and regardless of the theme of the worship music we sing, the Lord’s Supper gives us occasion to reiterate visually, tactilely, and certainly verbally the basic message of the cross. That I submit is evangelism at its most potent.

 2. The Lord’s Supper is a means of grace for the believer.

 Now just as importantly, the Lord’s Supper is a means of grace. There is mystery in this but not magic. I must start with what that does not mean. Sacramentalism is a view that, when blessed, the bread and the cup bring God’s saving grace to the recipient even if the recipient doesn’t believe.  In other words the bread and cup become inherently and automatically effective. This we reject as totally unbiblical and damning to souls.

So if we reject such a magical view, what do we accept? When we say it is a “means of grace” we declare that by it God grants His grace to us whereby we are spiritually benefited. When, for example, seeking to hear from God, we humbly read God’s Word, the Holy Spirit supernaturally minister’s God’s grace to us nurturing our faith. The reading of the Word of God with faith becomes a means of grace.

Likewise, but even more particularly, as we participate in the Lord’s Supper, humbly seeking the Lord Jesus in faith, He comes to us in the bread and cup. He is not physically present, but He is really and truly spiritually present.  Pastor and theologian, Robert Letham, wrote, “Thus in the (Lord’s Supper) the Holy Spirit unites the faithful (people) to the person of Christ as they eat and drink the signs, the physical elements of bread and wine. There is an inseparable (joining) of sign and reality. As truly as we eat the bread and drink the wine, so we feed on Christ by faith…The role of those who take the bread and cup is, therefore, to believe and receive. (Robert Letham, The Lord’s Supper, p. 28-29)

When we eat the bread and drink the wine, Jesus says it is like eating His flesh and drinking His blood.  In other words, by faith we are taking Him in, trusting Him, reaffirming our faith, declaring anew our belief and trust in Him.  And in that He ministers His grace to us to believe. There is a mysterious synergy in this that we cannot fully explain.

 He offers us Himself in the bread and cup.

We obey and eat and drink, believing Him.

He ministers His grace to us to trust Him more fully.

 In a well-known passage in John 6, after miraculously feeding bread to thousands of people, Jesus refers to Himself as the bread of life. Then Jesus says plainly, “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:40 – Emphasis Added) The point is that He, in His very person, is the life they need. But to press the point that it is Jesus, Himself, that they need, He uses metaphors for what He has already said, when He says again, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:54) Certainly we see the parallel between verses 54 and 40. When we trust in Jesus He does not physically come into us but He does truly come into us spiritually.

Likewise, when we come to Jesus’ words, in the Lord’s Supper, about the bread being His body and the drink being His blood, we see that He is not saying that He is physically present in the bread and drink or that He physically enters us in the bread and drink. He is saying that He is spiritually present and He comes to us. The ingesting of the bread and drink corresponds to the spiritual indwelling of Christ in us.  He is part of our very spiritual beings, as food becomes part of our physical beings.  This is a mystery to be sure but no less declared by God’s word.

Until the day we see Him face to face, there could be no sweeter, more intimate, fellowship with Jesus than what He offers us in the bread and cup.  He comes to us – He comes into us to commune with us, reassure us, and strengthen us.  It seems life-giving that we would observe such a means of grace more frequently not less frequently.

 3.   We must be cautious that we don’t turn the Lord’s Supper into an evangelical “confession and penance” ritual wherein we repudiate the very gospel we claim to proclaim.

 I want to deal briefly with what I think is a misunderstanding about Paul’s warning in that same text: 1 Corinthian11:27-29 “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. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.”

Here is a section of the teaching that I think has caused no end of unnecessary mental suffering among God-fearing people especially those with sensitive consciences. The typical understanding of this passage is that the believer is to inspect his life to see if there is any unconfessed sin. Then feeling sufficiently sorry for it and confessing it, the believer is somehow made worthy again to take communion. And further, if we take communion without confessing our sins we eat and drink judgment on ourselves. If you think about it, it sounds very much like what we criticize in some Catholics who go to confession and do penance before they take communion. In this popular evangelical misunderstanding of this passage have we created a form of “evangelical” confession and penance before Communion?

Closer inspection of three words might relieve us of that misunderstanding. First is the word, “unworthy.”  Paul is not addressing your character, as if because of sin you are unworthy to take communion. The Gospel message is that no one is worthy on their own and we are made worthy not by our “work” of confession but by Jesus’ righteousness being given to us. Instead Paul is describing certain actions that he has already been pointing out; the entire context is about how they were treating each other, namely how the “haves” were treating the “have nots.”

The second word is “examine.” Again, this is not some sort of morbid introspection attempting to ferret out any vestige of formerly unknown or unconfessed sin. Paul is saying I want you to test yourself to see how genuine your motives and actions are particularly toward each other (see context).

That becomes clearer when we look at the third word, “body” in verse 29. You will recall that the problem Paul was addressing in Corinth was their lack of love for each other. That disregard for each other spilled over even into their participation in the Lord’s Supper. Paul describes their guilt as not “recognizing the body of the Lord.” It is not that they looked at the bread and said, “I don’t know what that is.” It is that they were claiming to belong to Christ and his church, as indicated by their participation in the Lord’s Supper, while at the same time sinning against their brothers and sisters in the Lord of which they have been made part.

Dr. Blomberg writes of this, “The (Lord’s Supper) should be a time of self-examination, not so much for past sins, though (true) repentance from them is always appropriate. Rather, Christians should consider their present attitudes toward those needier than themselves. This would lead to a radically different group of people who ought to refrain from the Lord’s Supper than usually appears. All repentant sinners are welcome, no matter how far away from God they may have recently felt. (But) all professing believers who are unprepared to give generously of their wealth to help the poor in their midst, or who treat people of lower classes as second-class citizens, or who simply remain unreconciled with fellow (believers), should refrain. Jesus’ words concerning a somewhat analogous situation remain remarkably relevant here too: ‘If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. (Matthew 5:23-24).’” (The NIV Application Commentary)     In 1 Corinthians 11 the Lord’s Supper explicitly calls for us to examine our attitudes and conduct toward other Christians, especially the poor. The usual call for introspection, confession and feeling sorry for our sins can lead too easily to a sense that we somehow make ourselves “worthy” to receive the Lord’s Supper.

If we believe it is necessary to refer to 1 Corinthians 11:27-28 in our Lord’s Supper ritual (“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. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.”), I think it is imperative that we do so only in the context of Paul’s argument wherein the exact observance of the Lord’s Supper is not the issue but how they were treating each other is. (See also Gordon Fee in The New International Commentary on the New Testament p561ff)  I suggest that we focus instead on the grace of God given to us in and through Jesus Christ.

For the unbeliever in our midst and for the believer, I urge church leaders to reconsider the importance and frequency of participating in the Lord’s Supper .  

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What do you believe?

Filed under Theology, Worship by on January 23, 2012 at 6:19 pm {no comments}

Enduring Elements of Public Worship (part 1)

Thomas Aquinas said we must know:

  1. What to believe (The Apostles’ Creed)
  2. How to live (The Ten Commandments)
  3. What to pray for (The Lord’s Prayer)

These are the core issues of life and they are answered in the Creed (What to believe), the Commandments (How to live) and the Prayer (What to pray for).   Peter Kreeft in Knowing the Truth of God’s Love 1988 p44-47

What to believe?  The answer to that question is longer than we usually have time to explain. In fact, we often don’t know where to begin to give an answer.  For hundreds of years the “Apostles’ Creed” has been a common statement of faith for Christians all over the world.  Forms of it appear as early as A.D. 140 and full versions as early as A.D. 460.  Though not written by the apostles it is based in Scripture. It has become for many of us Christians a concise statement of our own belief – a shorthand way of expressing the fundamentals of our faith. It is also, importantly, short enough to memorize and readily bring to mind.  When recited together we remember we are the new people of God here, all over the world, and throughout the past 20 centuries.  Ephesians 2:19 “you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household,  20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.”  We do well to commit it to memory and declare to ourselves and each other what we believe.  I commend it to the church as a regular part of worship.

In the next issue we will consider “How to live – The Ten Commandments” and later “What to pray for – The Lord’s Prayer.”

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Public Prayer in Public Worship

Filed under Prayer, Worship by on January 16, 2012 at 5:26 pm {no comments}

It was over 20 years ago that Gordon MacDonald changed my understanding and practice on the subject of public prayer in worship (“The Cleansing Power of Public Prayer” in Leadership, Winter Quarter, 1987).   Since then I have read a number of books and articles on the subject (see suggested books below) and am more convinced than ever that prayer should have a significant role in our public worship services.  In a previous article, I wrote about the lack of the public reading of Scripture in many evangelical churches, likewise I have discovered there is a lack of public prayer.  Prayers when offered are but a few sentences (or less) and seem either obligatory or as mere segues in the order of service.  In too many churches, thoughtful, pastorally-significant, biblically-based prayers are infrequent.

In a well-intentioned attempt to create greater intimacy and genuineness in public prayer many pastors/worship leaders have reduced public prayer to   inviting all people to pray their own private prayers at the same time (usually silently). It is as if the intention is to create a private devotional experience in a corporate setting.   Obviously, private prayer is very important in the life of the Christian but that is (or ought to be) a different subject than the corporate prayer in public worship about which I am here writing. Certainly Christianity is very personal but it is not private. The Bible has much more to say about our life together as the people of God than it does about our private experiences.  Even the prayer the Lord taught his disciples is corporate (note the plural pronouns and context).

While intentionality should be exercised in prayers of invocation, confession, thanksgiving and benedictions I am here speaking mostly to what was once called the “pastoral prayer” – that usually longer, substantively-inclusive prayer offered in the main body of the worship experience.  For that “pastoral prayer,” I am now an advocate for carefully crafted prayers that accomplish several important objectives:

  • Lead the people into the presence of the living God in a respectful and thought-filled way. The pastor’s words and demeanor should communicate that we are on holy ground.
  • Express our corporate gratitude and plead our corporate cause. The pastor should speak on behalf of his people and himself.
  • Teach the people how to pray. Our private prayers can tend to be spontaneous, self-serving and short. The public worship service is an excellent time to demonstrate prayers that are thoughtful, centered on God and his kingdom and long enough to be obviously substantive (but short enough and eloquent enough to hold one’s attention). The pastor can model the appropriate full range of prayer – adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication (though not necessarily in every prayer).

You will notice I presuppose the pastor leads such prayer.  I clearly believe that such prayer can be effectively led by women as well as men and by non-elders as well as elders (pastors).  But as a pastor I am jealous for that weekly opportunity to “pastor,” in this unique way, the people God has given to me as his under shepherd.

Leading such intentional prayers require that we give greater than usual attention to preparing both our hearts and our words. I found that it took upwards of an hour to carefully determine what should be prayed for in a particular prayer and how it should be worded so that my words became the people’s words; they were following me into the presence of God.

For help in how to lead in public prayer I suggest the following works some of which are instructional and others illustrative:

Leading in Prayer Hughes Oliphant Old

The Pastor’s Public Ministry  Terry Johnson

Mother Kirk   Douglas Wilson

A Method for Prayer Matthew Henry

A Guide to Prayer Isaac Watt

Valley of Vision   Puritan prayers edited by Arthur Bennett

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The Public Reading of the Bible

Filed under Articles, Bible, Church, Worship by on January 10, 2012 at 6:25 pm {no comments}

Bible

What happened to the public reading of God’s Word?

A visit to many “evangelical” churches will confirm how few give serious attention to this biblically mandated part of corporate worship.  Maybe some would suggest that in a highly literate culture where most have access to printed Bibles, public reading of the Scriptures is not as necessary.  But the real issue is not whether people can read but do they read the Bible.

But whether people do read the Bible on their own or not, the Bible illustrates and declares that public reading is to be part of God-directed and God-centered worship.  Consider the following passages:

1 Timothy 4:13 “Until I come, devote your yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.” (ESV) Though the Greek word “public” is not in the manuscript, almost all major English translations insert the word because of the definite article (“the”) used with the word “reading” and the context of the public acts of “exhortation” and “teaching.”

Luke 4:16-17 “And he (Jesus) came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and he entered, as his custom was, into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. 17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And he opened the book, and found the place where it was written (and he read)…” (NIV)

Ezra 8:2-3 “And Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, both men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month.  3 And he read therein before the broad place that was before the water gate from early morning until midday… (NIV)

It is important that we do not allow the sermon to become a substitute for the reading of the Bible.  Both are necessary.  Clay Schmit (author of The Public Reading of Scripture) points out that the sermon is really a secondary proclamation, God speaking through a preacher. “Reading the Word is God’s direct proclamation to us. You are called upon to be the human embodiment of the Word of God when you read Scripture publicly,” he says.

If you look again at the Ezra 8 passage you do have to ask yourself how practical it would be to read the Bible aloud each Sunday for 5-6 hours.  And if you read further in that 8th chapter you find that the people stood for the reading (for 5 hours?).

Some suggestions for making the public reading of Scripture a joy and not a burden for listeners:

  • Select readers whose voices are pleasant to the ear and easily understood and who are teachable as to public reading.
  • The reader should know the passage and context well to be able to accurately communicate the intention of the writer.
  • The reader should read the text with proper expression (the kind of expression that communicates the ideas accurately).  A monotone reading or, conversely, an overly dramatic reading will detract.
  • Select carefully the number of verses to be included in the reading. The passage needs to be long enough to capture the main idea of the text selected but not so long as to be difficult for people to maintain attention.
  • Encourage people to follow along in their own Bibles (best) or with the text projected for all to see – what we see and hear is usually better comprehended.
  • Use variety in the reading – responsive readings, two or more readers if it is a narrative dialog, etc.
  • If the reader is visible to the listeners they should dress so as not to distract thus detract.
  • Practice, practice, practice.

For more information see:

Reading the Bible and Praying in Public by Stuart Olyott (Banner of Truth)

The Public Reading of Scripture  Clay Schmit  (Abingdon)

 

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