As Providence Church Celebrates its First Communion, We Ask: What is the Lord's Supper?

Sunday night, as usual, we will gather to sing praises to God, pray, and hear teaching from God’s word. However, this Sunday night (11/4), we will do something very special! For the first time, Providence Church will celebrate the Lord’s Supper.

Some call it Communion, the Lord’s Table, or maybe even the Eucharist, depending on your background… but what is the Lord’s Supper? Before we break bread together, let’s make sure that we are all on the same page when it comes to this very special event in the Christian faith.

1. Our Beliefs About the Lord’s Supper are Sumarized in the Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 29.

Our church heritage dates back nearly 500 years to the Protestant Reformation. The church in those days had become corrupt, and God moved in the hearts and lives of men to “reform” the church of Jesus Christ and to “protest” against the teachings of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church. Providence Church is protestant and reformed in our doctrine. This doctrine (or teaching) dates back to the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF), written in 1647. We believe this document is an accurate summary of the Bible’s teaching. We live in a culture that changes constantly. We change our minds, and present “new ” ideas that all too often lead to old results. The WCF has been a rock for many churches over for many, many years. When the windsand waves of liberalism and sin beat upon her, she did not move because her foundation was built entirely upon the Word of God. While the WCF is certainly not authoritative or infallible in the way the Bible is believed, we are nevertheless grateful for it’s guidance and precision. Leaders in the EPC (our mother church) have taken vows to this document, myself included. In the same way, military personnel take vows to defend and uphold the Constitution of the United States. We believe the Westminster Confession of Faith. I recommend it to every serious Bible student.

2. It’s Not JUST a Memorial

For the sake of simplicity, we can say that most churches hold one of three different views of the Lord’s Supper. First, and perhaps most popular in our time, is the idea that the Lord’s Supper is most like a memorial. It is done frequently, sometimes casually, and does not impart any extraordinary benefit for the believer outside the physical demonstration and remembrance of the gospel. It’s a popular view, and it avoids much of the superstition that has sometimes accompanied the Lord’s Supper throughout the history of the church.

The second view, and perhaps opposite end of the spectrum, concerning the Church’s understanding of the Lord’s Supper is a position that we will call the Catholic view. While the Lutheran Church holds a variation of this doctrine, it is commonly known to Catholics as Mass. During the Mass, a priest sets apart the elements by incantation, and through a bit of hocus-pocus, the bread and the wine (according to Catholic doctrine) ACTUALLY become the body and blood of Jesus Christ. If the words said by the priest are not exact, the transubstantiation does not occur, and the Mass cannot be taken! Concerning this kind of superstition, I think the WCF says it best, “The teaching that the substance of the bread and wine is changed into the substance of Christ’s body and blood … is objectionable not only to Scripture but even to common sense and reason”. It just doesn’t make sense, but sadly it is the result of hundreds of years of man’s teachings set on the same level as God’s Word.

The third and final position is what we will call the Reformed position. The Reformed position (our position) sees a “real presence” of Christ in the Lord’s Supper; not the physical presence of the Catholic and Lutheran views, but more than a mere memorial, noted above. Christ is present spiritually, and the believer feeds upon His body and blood in a spiritual, but real way. For the believer, this is what we call a “means of grace”. In other words, we believe that through the participation in the Lord’s Supper, God’s children are spiritually strengthened by the actual presence of Christ. It’s a marvelous teaching, and one that encourages believers to look forward to breaking bread with our Lord and Savior.

3. The Table is Open, but Fenced

At Providence Church, the Lord’s Supper is an “open table." By this, we mean that our table is not closed to other traditions, other denominations, or even visitors from other churches. This is not a Presbyterian table. This is a Jesus table. If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, if you have repented and put your faith in Him, if He has become your treasure, then this Lord’s Supper is open to you and offered to any who confess Jesus Christ as Lord. It’s inclusive in the sense that ANY believer may participate. However, there are some important words of warning that must be made.

Have you ever stood in line waiting to ride a roller coaster? Maybe it’s because I’m a sign maker by trade, but do you ever pay attention to all of the warning signs along the way? WARNING: Do not ride this roller-coaster if you are pregnant, have any injuries, lower back pain, high blood pressure, etc, etc. Does it scare you a little? That’s a natural response. The point is, we need to listen carefully to the warnings. They are posted for a reason. In a sense, this is what we mean when we say that The Lord’s Table is “fenced”. The Lord’s Supper is exclusive in the sense that it does have some restrictions to it, but they are for our safety. Here are some of the restrictions based on what scripture teaches…

1. The Lord’s Supper is for believers ONLY.

Regardless of any pressure felt to conform to the group or person you are with, please do not take the elements unless you have truly repented and put your faith in Jesus Christ. Taking the Lord’s Supper as an unrepentant enemy of the cross is a grave offense and sin against Christ. It is for your own sake that we ask you to abstain from the Lord’s Supper. That said, just because you walked into the church as an unbeliever does not mean that you must come to the table as an unbeliever. It is possible that the moments leading up to the Lord’s Supper have driven you to a real and saving faith in Jesus Christ. If this happens, praise God! We rejoice with you, and welcome you for your first Christian sacrament. Please let us know by filling out the communication card or talking to Greg after the service.

2. The Lord’s Supper is for children who have confessed their faith to an elder of the church.

Children of believing adults will eventually share a desire to participate in the Lord’s Supper. This is a good thing! We believe that since they are children of the covenant of God’s grace in Christ, they should be brought to the table and share in the sacrament alongside the rest of their family. That said, it is important that children understand what it is that they are doing when they eat the bread and drink the wine (juice). In other words, it’s not just snack time. They should be able to (in a simple way) confess their need for a savior, their faith in Jesus, and be able to confess personal sin through prayer. If a child can do this, then we welcome them to the table. If you would like to have your child partake of the Lord’s Supper, please see Greg after service.

3. The Lord’s Supper is for REPENTENT believers.

1 Corinthians 11:27-29 states,

Whoever, therefore, 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. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself" (1 Corinthians 11:27-29 ESV).

These verses make it clear that before we take the Lord’s Supper, we must first “examine ourselves” to be sure that we are taking the bread and drinking the cup in a way that is worthy of the gospel. Now, this can really freak some people out. I am one of them! Sometimes when I heard this early in my Christian walk, I would say to myself, “how could I possibly confess every sin or become worthy enough to come to the table with Christ Himself?” I think I missed the point of the warning. The meaning that the Apostle Paul is trying to convey is one of holiness. God knows that we are sinners and that we are not perfect. He knows that we sinned yesterday, today, and we’re probably going to sin some more tomorrow. Coming to the table in a worthy manner does NOT mean “clean yourself up” and somehow become good enough to eat this meal.

Discernment means that we are humble before the majesty and holiness of God, grateful for the heroic work of Christ on the cross, and dependent upon the grace of God to cleanse us from all sin. We confess our sin, our sin nature, and the sin we cannot remember or even see. Then having our conscience cleansed by the gospel, we are free to enjoy this meal with thankful hearts to and for the glory of Christ.

Are you excited about taking the Lord’s Supper? When you come Sunday, remember that the real presence of Christ is with us.
 
If Jesus invited us to dinner at His house, would that not be THE highlight of our weekend?


Matt Johnson is an ordained deacon at Faith Church (main campus) and is an integral part of the planting team at Providence Church in Spring Hill, Florida. 

Revival and the Lord's Supper

Is it possible that the Lord's Supper may be one of the most overlooked and under-appreciated events that prepares a church for revival? I would argue that this is precisely the case. Here are four reasons why I believe this from Paul's first letter to the Corinthian church.

1) The Lord’s Supper is primarily a recognition and proclamation of the absolute lordship and supremacy of Jesus Christ. "For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes" (1 Cor 11:26).

We call this sacred meal the “Lord’s Supper,” not the Pastor’s Potluck or the Believer’s Brunch, or the Church’s Chow.  “The Lord’s Supper” is not just an arbitrary designation some theologian gave it, that title comes right out of 1 Corinthians 11:20. Both words are instructive:

• Lord’s: It is not just any meal, it is the Lord’s Supper. Jesus commanded it, He ordained it, and it points directly to Him. If this meal is anything at all, it is first and foremost a recognition of--and surrender to--the Lordship of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. Every time believers gather around the two simple elements of bread and cup, they are consciously submitting to—and also proclaiming—the Lordship and authority of Jesus Christ as King and Head of the church. The very act of putting that piece of bread in your mouth is a declaration to yourself, your neighbor and the world “Jesus is Lord. Jesus is King. Jesus is God.” 

• Supper: But that second word is important too. It is a supper. That implies that you and I come empty and hungry, not full and proud. You come in need, as a beggar to consume a meal that you did not and could not prepare for yourself—belly aching to be filled by the goodness and mercy of God! Just as could not be saved by bringing good deeds to God, so you can’t be nourished by bringing your own worthiness to the Table. No one should ever approach the Table as though it were some form of “institutional religion” or “ritual,” or “high church formalism.”  

2) The Lord’s Table is a unifying event within the Body of Christ.  Paul is livid with the Corinthians!  He is angrier than a tornado in a trailer park! Why is he so mad? Because the very event that is meant to hold the church together is actually tearing them apart. "When you come together, it is not the Lord's supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not" (1 Cor 11:20-22).  

Whenever The Lord's Supper is received as a church, unity is one of the many glorious results. There has never been a revival where hatred, envy, rank, and jealousy are the results. When the church comes to the Lord’s Table, there is no rank, no hierarchy. The smallest child and the most wizened elder are the same rank.

3) The Lord’s Supper (as an act) must never be divorced from repentance (as an attitude).  "Whoever, therefore, 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. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself" (1 Cor 11:27-29).

One phrase that we need to unpack here are the words “unworthy manner.”  It cannot mean that sinners are not welcome, or that if one is struggling with temptation that he is not welcome. Some have refrained from the table because they feel unworthy. But that is not the point. John Calvin said that would be like a man refusing medicine on the grounds that he is sick.

 On the contrary, "unworthy manner" means to receive the supper flippantly without doing the heart work of “examining oneself” mentioned in verse 28. You might ask yourself these questions:

•     Do I recognize myself as being a sinner in need of a Redeemer?
•     Do I desire to turn from my sin and acknowledge Christ’s supreme Law?
•     Do I trust that Christ’s blood alone has justified me and made me righteous?
•     Have I come hungry for grace or full of pride?

4) Communion is a real first-hand, direct, encounter with the person and work of Christ as given to us through the bread and cup. Let me put it to you this way: the communion event is the closest personal encounter we will have with Christ this side of Heaven.

That’s not just an opinion. I am drawing that statement from 1 Corinthians 10:16. Where Paul says, "The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?" (1 Cor 10:16). That word “participation” is the Greek word koinonia which means the an intimate form of person-to-person fellowship.

Some love to be in nature, hiking or kayaking, mountain climbing or swimming. But being in nature is never called participation in the body and blood of Christ in Scripture. Others love praise music or the good old hymns from centuries past. But music is never called koinonia with the body and blood of Christ. Others still love a good sermon, or commentaries, or church history. Some (nerds like me) like books by dead theologians. But these are never called koinonia with the body and blood of Christ.

Theologians have long debated exactly HOW Christ is present in the elements of the Lord’s Table. In the middle ages a view developed that the bread and cup literally transform into the body and blood of Christ in a doctrine called “transubstantiation.” Others have swung too far to the other side and said that nothing special happens at all; that the LS is just a visual reminder of the cross in history, like an old dusty dog-eared photograph. This is called the “Memorial” view.

But John Calvin and the Reformed theologians of our church have always said something different. We have maintained that while the bread remains bread and the juice remains juice; that nonetheless something much more is happening here. Something on the spiritual level. We are actually being drawn into the presence of the Reigning Resurrected Christ. We call it the “Real Presence” view. It states that in some mystical way, Christ is actually, really, and truly present with us in a first-hand way. Although His body is literally raised to the Right Hand of God, that He is really and truly among us at the Table. God shows up!

In some mysterious way—even the best theologians admit some mystery here—we are feasting on Christ and what He has done for us. It is quite literally “soul food.” Therefore, the moment the bread hits your tongue, you taste the forgiveness that Christ bought for you with His body. The moment that the tangy crispness of the juice or wine hits your palate, you taste the grace that He bought for you by His blood.

Matthew Everhard is the Senior Pastor of Faith Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Brooksville, Florida. Follow on Twitter @matt_everhard

An Open Letter to Stay-at-Home Christians

Note: The following fictional open letter is addressed to the growing demographic of self-professing Christians who prefer to worship at home than publicly in a fellowship of other Christian believers at church.

Dear Eugene,

I want to thank you for the kind email that you wrote me recently after we met by God's providence at the Holy Grounds cafe last Thursday. I believe you are right that it was "a divine appointment" that we ran into one another, as it afforded us an opportunity to renew a conversation that we begun months ago.

Although you have chosen to no longer worship with us at First Avenue Reformed Church, I was greatly encouraged to hear that your confidence in the grace of our Lord still remains strong. You described yourself as experiencing a new joy and freedom that you had not known in a long time. For this, I am grateful.

I have to admit that part of me was deeply jealous when you described the relief that you have felt since you walked away from the frictions of the Deacon board! Our work in serving the hurting persons of our congregation is no doubt messy. Sometimes hurting people can be the cruelest of all! Since you left, those tensions have not been fully resolved, and I admit that some of the other men you mentioned are as difficult to get along with as ever. We are such an imperfect lot! In this sense, the church will always be "full of hypocrites" as you alleged.

But are not these very tensions also part of our sanctification? It is true that you were wronged by our brother Carl. I have had to apologize for our many failures as a board and as a church much more often than I would like. It is my experience, however, that those same conflicts are really the necessary and silent hand of our Master Carpenter applying His rasp and sandpaper to our lives in order to refine us.

This prompts me to ask an important question: if you continue to worship alone in your home to avoid these kinds of conflict, would you not also be missing out on the joys of their resolution? In other words, how do you intend to practice forgiveness if you seek to avoid all those whom you may actually have to one day forgive? Is not our own Christian walk made more perfect by those whose walk is not?

Eugene, I too covet those times of personal prayer and devotional worship that you described taking place in the "prayer closet." Jesus commanded as much. You are right to cite Matthew 6:6 in cultivating a "personal relationship" with Jesus. But I don't think we must choose between "personal" and "corporate" as though they were mutually exclusive.

True, those times alone with Christ in the secret place are invaluable. But I have to confess to you that I am doubtful that our Lord meant those should be our only times of worship! Are we not commanded to worship alongside others in Scripture (Hebrews 10:25)? How then shall you fulfill the dozens of "one another" texts in Paul's epistles if not in the context of a local church like those to whom Paul originally wrote? Is not the first word of the Lord's Prayer the plural possessive, "Our"?

You mentioned that the Greek word "church" does not mean a building, nor does worship require any certain number of people in order to be authentic. You even quoted Matthew 18:19 when the Lord exhorted us that "where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them." But come now Eugene, surely you don't think that your reluctance to submit to church membership or the body of elders is justified by this text, do you? In context, my brother, this passage is in regard to church discipline; a "severe grace" of God that I am afraid is quite difficult to impose upon oneself!

While we are speaking of the means of grace, how do you intend to practice the Lord's Supper while alone, if at all? Or baptism? Unless you have jettisoned these practices too as "formal," "religious," and "institutional!" Are these not the very signs and seals of God's grace that Christ has given--even commanded--us to perform in his name? Are they not impossible when alone?

Yes, I am sure that the online sermons of Piper and Driscoll that you have grown so fond of are a means of grace as well, so to speak. You were correct when you said they are a blessing to millions. But that's just the problem right there. No matter how wonderful these gifted men of God are (and we thank God for their ministries) they will never know you, nor can you ever be known to them. As gifted as they are, they won't be able to correct you when you go astray or exercise discipline in your life if your doctrine should go amiss.

Perhaps that's what's so alluring.

Your brother in Christ,

George


Matthew Everhard is the Senior Pastor of Faith Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Brooksville, Florida. Please consider following me on Twitter @matt_everhard