Seriousness at the Table
By Kyle Blackwell
What happened to the Lord’s Supper? On December 25, 1530, Martin Luther invited anyone who wanted to partake in the Lord’s Supper to his church. This was very unusual in his day because people would only be able to take part in the bread (or wafer) and not the wine. The catholic church believed that if any wine spilled then the priest would have to lick it off the ground. This comes from a doctrine called transubstantiation, meaning that both the bread and wine literally become the body and blood of Jesus. Martin Luther stated, "It is not the doctrine of transubstantiation which is to be believed, but simply that Christ really is present at the Eucharist". On that Christmas Day, Luther’s church was packed. They were excited to partake in the Lord’s Supper. I wish that America and westernized Christianity would get back to that excitement. Most churches do a quarterly observation of the Lord’s Supper and the people still get upset.
While partaking in the Lord’s Supper adultery should be ended, marriages should be mended, pornography should be cast out, alcoholism should be stopped, drug addictions should be finished, pride should be abolished, judgement should be seized, lives should be transformed, hearts should be humbled, forgiveness should be asked, and forgiveness should be received.
Also, the Lord’s Table should be guarded. That may sound a little harsh but take it up with God, not me. Nobody should be allowed to participate in the Lord’s Supper who is participating in willful, unrepentant sin.
Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. Corinthians 11:28-29
This special time should be considered a gift because we get to reflect on what Christ did for us on that Cross. Jesus reinstituted the Table sacrifice. Only now, instead of pointing toward the Cross, it is now a remembrance of the sacrifice that occurred on the Cross for our sins. We must examine ourselves. Any Lord’s Supper should be preceded by confession of any sin, repentance from those sins and a desire for purification. Otherwise, we cast judgment on ourselves. This is why there is so much death, sickness and hurt in the church today. Now, this does not mean that I believe everyone who dies, is sick or hurting partook in the Lord’s Supper with an unrepentant heart. However, Paul said:
That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. 1 Corinthians 11:30-32
Consider what happened to Judas in Luke 22:3, “Then satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve.” Do you really think that Judas was a good little boy scout up until the time of Jesus’ Death? No. He was a thief long before this time. Judas was the keeper of the money bag, and he was constantly stealing from the Lord. He came to the Table to partake in the Lord’s Supper with an unrepentant heart, and he cast judgment on himself. 1 Corinthians 10:21 states, “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons”. One more thing, I almost forgot, Judas died not too long after he took the Lord’s Supper with evil on his heart.
How can we honestly take the Word of God seriously and not pay attention to these passages of scripture? Sometimes the Bible is harsh but only because God knows what is best for us. Also, the fact that we do serve a jealous God, that plays a big part as well.
I was reading the book of Malachi and the first chapter is about God being mistreated by His people for not offering their best at the Table. He despised what His people were offering Him. He hated their attitude. People, just like today, were tired of bringing their animals to the table. In modern day terms, “oh no, not again”.
But you say, ‘What a weariness this is,’ and you snort at it, says the Lord of hosts. You bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering! Shall I accept that from your hand? says the Lord. Malachi 1:13
After Malachi, the prophets disappeared for 400 years. I think God was hurt and despised. And to think we are doing the same thing today. Instead of bringing our lame and sick animals, we bring our sin to the most sacred place in the church, the Lord’s Table.
If we ever want to see a true revival in the church again, we must start with how we approach the Table of the Lord. I promise you that if we did this God would bless the church beyond any comprehension. So, we have to make sacrifices of the flesh, humble ourselves in order to ask and receive forgiveness, and rebuild our marriages. Wonderful! He sacrificed His one and only Son, Jesus Christ!
By the way, you do not have to wait on the church to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. My wife and I take communion once a week. It is our authority to do this. Christ is the church. And Christ resides deep within my soul. Therefore, I have the God given authority to partake in the Lord’s Supper anytime. And it is also great bonding for my wife and me. Two is stronger than one, but three is a triple braided cord. Why not partake in such a sacred and Holy event with the one whom God gifted me to walk side by side through this dark and twisted world?
We serve a great, mighty and awesome God. It is time that we start treating Him as if we believe what we preach and teach.
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge -Hosea 4:6
