The Lord’s Supper
This solemn act of remembrance was instituted by the Lord Jesus on the
night of His betrayal. Immediately after He had celebrated the last Passover
with His disciples, He introduced what we know as the Lord’s supper. “He took
bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, ‘This is my
body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.’ Likewise also the
cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is
shed for you.’ ” (Luke 22:19, 20).
1. Why Keep the Feast?
With regard to the significance of this ordinance, certain facts are
presented. First, it is an occasion for remembrance. The Savior said, “This do
in remembrance of Me”. It is a time to remember His sufferings and death, the
giving of His body, the shedding of His blood. Here Calvary with all its sacred
associations passes before the minds of the participants. It is quite
impossible thus to remember the passion of the Lord Jesus without responding to
God with worship and praise. Thus the Lord’s supper is a time of public
worship, a time of adoring God for all He is and all He has done.
Then again, the Lord’s supper is a public witness to the unity of the
body of Christ. The loaf of bread is a picture of the body of Christ, made up
of all true believers. In partaking of the bread, the believer testifies that
he is one with every true child of God. In drinking of the cup, he acknowledges
that he is one with everyone who has been cleansed by the precious blood (1 Corinthians
10:16, 17).
Finally, the Lord’s supper is a constant reminder that the One who
instituted this memorial of Himself is coming again. “For as often as ye eat
this bread and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till He come” (1
Corinthians 11:26). Thus, the worshipper not only looks back to Golgotha and
remembers Him in His death, he not only looks upward to the Throne of God and
praises Him for an accomplished redemption, but he also looks forward to that
moment when the Lord will descend from heaven and take His waiting people home.
2. Frequency
With regard to the time and frequency of the Lord’s supper, the
Scriptures do not command in the language of law, but entreat with the voice of
grace. In Acts 20:7, it is stated that “upon the first day of the week, . . .
the disciples came together to break bread”. The first day of the week is the
Lord’s Day, or Sunday. It is the day of the Lord’s resurrection and a fitting
day for His people to meet together for worship and remembrance. The instruction
is, “As often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup” (1 Corinthians 11:26).
The moment a person says it must be observed every week, or month, or quarter,
he has gone beyond what the Bible says. At the same time, the probability is
very strong that the early disciples met every week to remember the Lord.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon argued strongly for a weekly observance of the
Lord’s supper. “My witness is, and I think I speak the mind of many of God’s
people now present, that coming as some of us do, weekly, to the Lord’s Table,
we do not find the breaking of bread to have lost its significance—it is always
fresh to us. I have often remarked on the Lord’s day, whatever the subject may
have been, whether Sinai has thundered over our heads, or the plaintive notes
of Calvary have pierced our hearts, it always seems equally appropriate to come
to the breaking of bread. Shame on the Christian church that she should put it
off to once a month, and mar the first day of the week by depriving it of its
glory in the meeting together for fellowship and breaking of bread, and showing
forth the death of Christ till He come. They who once know the sweetness of
each Lord’s day celebrating His supper will not be content, I am sure, to put
it off to less frequent seasons”.
Jonathan Edwards also was an advocate of a weekly remembrance of the
Lord. “It seems plain by the Scripture, that the primitive Christians were wont
to celebrate this memorial of the sufferings of their dear Redeemer every
Lord’s Day, and so I believe it will be again in the church of Christ in days
that are approaching”.
3. Eligibility
It should scarcely need to be mentioned that the Lord’s supper is only
for Christians. Only those who have been redeemed are eligible and capable of
entering into its sacred meaning. Christians themselves should partake of the
emblems in a judged condition (1 Corinthians 11:28). Sin must be confessed and
forsaken, and the emblems must be taken in a worthy manner (1 Corinthians 11:
21, 22). All who partake without judging themselves are in danger of being
chastened by the Lord (1 Corinthians 11:27, 29-32).
Here again it is good to remind ourselves that it is possible to eat the
bread and drink the wine without really remembering the Lord. It is possible to
reduce this ordinance to a mere ritual if our heart does not answer to what we
are doing in symbol. Our lives must be in fellowship with God if we are truly
to obey His words, “Remember me”.
The Prayer Meeting
Not very much information is given in the New Testament concerning the
meetings of the local church. We do know that the Christians assembled for
fellowship, prayer, ministry of the Word, and breaking of bread (Acts 2:42);
but beyond that there seems to be a veil. As far as gospel testimony is
concerned, that appears to have been carried on by the individual Christian
outside the confines of the assembly, wherever the unsaved could be reached,
but always with the idea of bringing the ones who were saved into the
fellowship of a local church.
In all the gatherings of the early assemblies, certainly nothing was
more prominent than prayer. In fact, the church was born in the wake of prayer
(Acts 1:14), and thereafter the Christians “continued steadfastly in prayer”
(Acts 2:42). The Book of Acts presents numerous instances of prayer, at all
times and in all places. Indeed, the entire history of the church is a tribute
to the faithfulness of God who answers prayer.
1. A Special Promise
We do well to remind ourselves constantly that collective prayer not
only has divine sanction, but carries with it a special promise of the presence
of the Lord Himself. In Matthew 18:19 and 20, we read, “Again I say unto you,
That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall
ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two
or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them”.
Language could scarcely be clearer than this. We have a twofold pledge that
cannot be broken. First, when two believers are united in presenting a petition
to God, that request is answered. Secondly, when Christians are gathered in the
Name of the Lord Jesus, He is there in their midst. The trouble is that we do
not believe it. If we did, our prayer meetings would be filled, and our churches
would be on fire for God.
2. How to Pray as a Group
In considering the subject of collective prayer, we should like at the
outset to present a few elementary facts concerning it. First of all, in a
prayer meeting, one person leads at a time. The others are silent, but actually
all are praying. The one whose voice is audible is expressing the prayers of
the group. The others follow him as he prays, and makes his prayer their own.
Oftentimes they express this unity of spirit by saying “Amen”. Next, we want to
mention that there is a big difference between “saying prayers” and praying.
There is a children’s hymn which makes this distinction:
I often say my prayers,
But do I ever pray?
And do the wishes of my heart
Go with the words I say?
I may as well kneel down
And worship gods of stone
As offer to the living God
A prayer of words alone.
For words without the heart,
The Lord will never hear,
Nor will He to those lips attend,
Whose prayers are not sincere.
There is nothing that will kill a prayer meeting more quickly than a
series of rehearsed prayers where there is no real heart interest. Too often we
just go through a list of empty petitions. The prayers of young converts are
usually refreshing because they are spontaneous and fresh. But older Christians
frequently fall into a pattern of prayer that is useless for God or man. It has
been well said, “Meetings where prayers are offered from a sense of duty only,
need closing down”.
Another danger that should be avoided is long prayers. It is true that
Scripture says “Pray without ceasing,” but this does not authorize an
individual to monopolize the time in the prayer meeting. If the prayers are
short and many men take part, the interest will be increased.
Then, too, our requests should be specific. Do not pray, “God, save many
souls throughout the world”. Better pray, “Lord, save my brother, David”. Then
when David is saved, you will know your prayer has been answered and you will
be encouraged to pray for others by name.
3. Be Specific
There is no reason why any prayer meeting should be a dull affair. There
are plenty of specific requests which we can bring to the Throne of Grace. Here
are a few of them.
- Pray for those who are in authority over us,
mentioning them by name. Pray that they might be saved, and that we might
lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty (1 Timothy
2:2).
- Pray for those who are sick in your church. The
Lord knows who they are, but maybe some of the Christians don’t, so give
their names.
- Pray for unsaved relatives and friends. We should
never be ashamed to have our loved ones mentioned in the prayer meeting.
If we really want them to be saved, we will welcome the prayer support of
the church.
- Pray for the elders in the church. They have
important responsibilities which require wisdom and patience. They deserve
an interest in your supplications.
- Pray for missionaries who have gone out from your
local church. if you correspond with them from time to time, you will know
what problems they are facing and what their needs might be.
- Pray for the Sunday School, for its
superintendent, for the teachers, and for the boys and girls who are being
taught the Word of God.
- Pray for the poor. If it would cause
embarrassment to anyone present, it might be better to withhold names in
this instance.
- Pray for the men and women from your assembly in
the armed forces. They face dangers, temptations and trials. They need
your prayers.
- Pray for those who are engaged in the work of the
Lord, such as evangelists and teachers.
Then in your prayers be sure to include thanksgiving. This is forcefully
brought before us in Philippians 4:6. “Be careful for nothing; but in
everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be
made known unto God”. The Lord rightfully expects His people to be thankful.
Ingratitude for all His mercies is sin.
4. Important Conditions
But are there not conditions that must be observed if our prayers are to
be answered? Indeed there are!
- First, we must abide in Christ. He said, “If ye
abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it
shall be done unto you” (John 15:7). Abiding in Christ is keeping His
commandments, doing His will, obeying His Word.
- Secondly, our prayers should be according to His
will. “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask
anything according to His will, He heareth us” (1 John 5:14). Since the
general outline of God’s will is found in the Bible, our requests should
be scriptural.
- Third, our requests should be offered in the Name
of Christ. “And whatsoever ye shall ask in My Name, that will I do, that
the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:13). “Whatsoever ye shall
ask the Father in My Name, He will give it you” (John 16:23). When we
truly ask in His Name, it is the same as if He were making the request to
God.
- Finally, our motives must be pure. James reminds
us that we ask and receive not because we ask amiss, that we may consume
it upon our lusts (James 4:3). If our motives are selfish and sinful, we
cannot expect an answer.
5. A Few Rules to Remember
There are a few more do’s and don’t’s which should be mentioned if our
prayer meetings are going to be “the power-house of the church”. For instance,
do not pray to be seen. The hypocrites, you remember, love to stand praying in
the corners of the streets that they may be seen of men (Matthew 6:5). Again,
do not ask God to do something you can do yourself. We ask God to bring the
unsaved into our Gospel meetings. Does He not expect us to use our lips to invite
them and our cars to bring them? And be careful that you do not ask for
something you know you should not have. God sometimes grants such requests but
sends leanness to the soul (Psalm 106:15). Do not be discouraged if the answer
does not come immediately. God’s answers are never too early lest we miss the
blessedness of waiting upon Him; they are never too late lest we fear we have
trusted Him in vain. Then, if God’s answer is not just exactly what you asked
for, remember this! The Lord reserves the right to give us something better
than we ask for. We do not know what is best for us, but He does, and so He
gives us more than we could ever ask or think.
Finally let us emphasize that there can be no real progress in the
church without prayer. We can go through a routine, and produce even seeming
results, but nothing is accomplished for God apart from intercession. If we do
not see this conclusion from the Scriptures, we will be soon driven to it by
sheer necessity.
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Read the next chapter: The Bishops
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Read the next chapter: The Bishops
