How to Interpret the Bible Lesson #7 - The weekly observance of the Lord's Supper
Introduction. Over the past few weeks, we have explored the various tools God has given to reason and understand His will. We have seen the consistency in both His material creation and His Word. God used direct commands for simple instructions, and examples to show us how things should be done. But for those “who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Heb. 5:13), He gave the critical thinking skills of logic, deduction and inference. Jesus showed His own ability to do this with the Sadducees, using an unrelated passage of the burning bush to prove the resurrection (Mt. 22:23-34). To those who are “full age,” even the way a command is worded is of great importance. Simple commands with no specifics are obeyed using our own wisdom, but the more specific the command the more meticulous we must be in our obedience. All of these skills are needed if we want to worship God in spirit and truth
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Jesus could not have been more specific when He spoke of how worship would be conducted in the New Covenant. “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (Jn. 4:23-24). In the bolded sections, we see both the necessity (must) and the specifics (spirit & truth). God is seeking such and we must worship thus to be genuine and accepted! Cain and Abel are classic examples of this difference. Cain was rejected because he did not worship in truth while Abel received acceptance and praise because he did (Heb. 11:4; 1Jn. 3:12; Jude 11)!
On His final night on earth, Jesus commanded His disciples to remember His body with unleavened bread and His blood with the fruit of the vine. (Mt. 26:26-29; Mk. 14:22-25; Lk. 22:17-21). Yet as we search Acts and the epistles, there is very little information about it. Was it a part of their weekly assembly? Some cite “the disciples came together on the first day of the week to break bread” (Acts 20:7) as a clear example of the church taking the Lord’s Supper, but others contend this was just a common meal. Multitudes of “disciples” are being taught that this can be done monthly or annually, others that it must be done weekly. So we have the same type of controversy disciples faced in Acts 15. If we use the same tools they did we will find the truth.
As Paul rebuked the Corinthians in 1 Cor. 11 for the sins and abuses committed in taking the Lord’s Supper, we also find commands, examples, and logical deductions that will lead us directly to the truth.
Paul began by calling them instructions: “in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse.” (1 Cor. 11:17) There were clearly some very serious problems. First, “when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you.” Second, “when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper.”
As Jesus did in proving the resurrection with the burning bush, what can be proved here? In his instructions Paul said: “you come together” “you come together as a church,” and “you come together in one place.” This proves to a fair-minded person that the churches were instructed to come together and take Lord’s Supper, and that was the problem. In Corinth alone, it was “not to eat the Lord’s Supper.” Their coming together was for the worse, because they had perverted Lord’s Supper! Their assembly to take the Lord’s Supper had been perverted into some kind of meal, where “one is hungry and another is drunk.”
Paul gave the solution: “What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you.” Every church must make a distinction between the “eating and drinking” of the Lord’s Supper and the “eating and drinking” done in our houses. In the house they could eat bread and drink fruit of the vine to their hearts content. But by doing it as a church, they were “despising the church of God.” That’s why Paul concluded the chapter by saying, “if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment.” They were not to come together hungry, because the church did not come together to eat bread for food, but to eat bread to remember the Lord’s death.
As Paul continued his instructions, he reminded them of Jesus own words: “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me” and “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” This is how all churches are to “come together as the church... to eat the Lords’ Supper... in one place to “worship God in spirit and truth.”
Paul told the Corinthians that when they gathered together as a church in one place to take the Lord’s Supper, each must “examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” Anyone who “eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord” and “he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself.” This is exactly why Paul could not praise them and why their “coming together as a church” was “not for the better but for the worse.” But in condemning their unworthy manner, he also instructed on the worthy manner.
How could it be any clearer! When the church comes together ... to eat the Lord’s Supper, ... in one place, they must do it in a worthy manner. When they eat the unleavened bread and drink the cup of the Lord in a worthy manner they proclaim the Lord’s death until He returns.
Paul was not finished rebuking them for abuses on the day they come together as the church. They were also sinning in their use of spiritual gifts. After describing the abuses Paul again instructed them. “How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification." In addition to the Lord’s Supper, he added singing (has a Psalm, I will sing with the understanding), praying (I will pray with the understanding), and teaching (has a teaching). Finally, “if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church.” This was something to be done “in all the churches” (1Cor. 14:26-32).
Paul also instructed about another difference in what is done in church and what is done in the home. He again broadened it to “in the churches.” “Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak. But if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in church." He concluded with: “If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord. But if anyone is ignorant, let him be ignorant." (1Cor. 14:34-38)
In the final chapter, Paul added one more “order” to what was done in addition to the Lord’s Supper, singing, praying, and teaching. It is the giving. “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come." (1 Cor. 16:2). He also gave the day and frequency. It is to be done on the first day of the week (many translations have first day of every week).
The passage in Acts 20:7 confirms all of this. “As in all the churches,” the church at Troas also came together on the first day of the week. “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.” (Acts 20:7). With Paul’s "instructions” in mind, they could not be coming together to eat a common meal because he said, “when you come together to eat, wait for one another. But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home.” They did not come together as the church in one place to eat a common meal, but only the Lord’s Supper.
Conclusion. It is evident that the instructions regarding the Lord’s Supper are not given in simple instructions. They must be dug out of the book to Corinth in the midst of the many rebukes of Paul’s instructions. But they are there. On the first day of the week, churches came together in one place to take the Lord’s Supper. While gathered, they also sang, prayed, taught and gave. This was done every first day of the week in all the churches. It is interesting that all churches can find the giving, preaching, singing and praying in Corinthians, but still overlook or ignore the instructions regarding the Lord’s Supper. This is the assembly the Hebrews were commanded never to forsake. “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." (Heb. 10:24-25)
For additional study material from our archives, see the following:
On His final night on earth, Jesus commanded His disciples to remember His body with unleavened bread and His blood with the fruit of the vine. (Mt. 26:26-29; Mk. 14:22-25; Lk. 22:17-21). Yet as we search Acts and the epistles, there is very little information about it. Was it a part of their weekly assembly? Some cite “the disciples came together on the first day of the week to break bread” (Acts 20:7) as a clear example of the church taking the Lord’s Supper, but others contend this was just a common meal. Multitudes of “disciples” are being taught that this can be done monthly or annually, others that it must be done weekly. So we have the same type of controversy disciples faced in Acts 15. If we use the same tools they did we will find the truth.
As Paul rebuked the Corinthians in 1 Cor. 11 for the sins and abuses committed in taking the Lord’s Supper, we also find commands, examples, and logical deductions that will lead us directly to the truth.
Paul began by calling them instructions: “in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse.” (1 Cor. 11:17) There were clearly some very serious problems. First, “when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you.” Second, “when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper.”
As Jesus did in proving the resurrection with the burning bush, what can be proved here? In his instructions Paul said: “you come together” “you come together as a church,” and “you come together in one place.” This proves to a fair-minded person that the churches were instructed to come together and take Lord’s Supper, and that was the problem. In Corinth alone, it was “not to eat the Lord’s Supper.” Their coming together was for the worse, because they had perverted Lord’s Supper! Their assembly to take the Lord’s Supper had been perverted into some kind of meal, where “one is hungry and another is drunk.”
Paul gave the solution: “What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you.” Every church must make a distinction between the “eating and drinking” of the Lord’s Supper and the “eating and drinking” done in our houses. In the house they could eat bread and drink fruit of the vine to their hearts content. But by doing it as a church, they were “despising the church of God.” That’s why Paul concluded the chapter by saying, “if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment.” They were not to come together hungry, because the church did not come together to eat bread for food, but to eat bread to remember the Lord’s death.
As Paul continued his instructions, he reminded them of Jesus own words: “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me” and “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” This is how all churches are to “come together as the church... to eat the Lords’ Supper... in one place to “worship God in spirit and truth.”
Paul told the Corinthians that when they gathered together as a church in one place to take the Lord’s Supper, each must “examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” Anyone who “eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord” and “he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself.” This is exactly why Paul could not praise them and why their “coming together as a church” was “not for the better but for the worse.” But in condemning their unworthy manner, he also instructed on the worthy manner.
How could it be any clearer! When the church comes together ... to eat the Lord’s Supper, ... in one place, they must do it in a worthy manner. When they eat the unleavened bread and drink the cup of the Lord in a worthy manner they proclaim the Lord’s death until He returns.
Paul was not finished rebuking them for abuses on the day they come together as the church. They were also sinning in their use of spiritual gifts. After describing the abuses Paul again instructed them. “How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification." In addition to the Lord’s Supper, he added singing (has a Psalm, I will sing with the understanding), praying (I will pray with the understanding), and teaching (has a teaching). Finally, “if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church.” This was something to be done “in all the churches” (1Cor. 14:26-32).
Paul also instructed about another difference in what is done in church and what is done in the home. He again broadened it to “in the churches.” “Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak. But if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in church." He concluded with: “If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord. But if anyone is ignorant, let him be ignorant." (1Cor. 14:34-38)
In the final chapter, Paul added one more “order” to what was done in addition to the Lord’s Supper, singing, praying, and teaching. It is the giving. “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come." (1 Cor. 16:2). He also gave the day and frequency. It is to be done on the first day of the week (many translations have first day of every week).
The passage in Acts 20:7 confirms all of this. “As in all the churches,” the church at Troas also came together on the first day of the week. “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.” (Acts 20:7). With Paul’s "instructions” in mind, they could not be coming together to eat a common meal because he said, “when you come together to eat, wait for one another. But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home.” They did not come together as the church in one place to eat a common meal, but only the Lord’s Supper.
Conclusion. It is evident that the instructions regarding the Lord’s Supper are not given in simple instructions. They must be dug out of the book to Corinth in the midst of the many rebukes of Paul’s instructions. But they are there. On the first day of the week, churches came together in one place to take the Lord’s Supper. While gathered, they also sang, prayed, taught and gave. This was done every first day of the week in all the churches. It is interesting that all churches can find the giving, preaching, singing and praying in Corinthians, but still overlook or ignore the instructions regarding the Lord’s Supper. This is the assembly the Hebrews were commanded never to forsake. “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." (Heb. 10:24-25)
For additional study material from our archives, see the following:
- "A" for "Attendance"
- "L" for "
Lord's Supper"