Preparing for the Lord’s Supper - Part 1
It is sometimes said, ‘the way we spend our Saturday
evening will affect the way we honor the Lord the following day’. Perhaps we
might further add, the way we spend our week will
affect the way we honor the Lord on a Sunday morning. It is of vital importance
that when we attend the Lord’s Supper we do so with our hearts fully prepared
to worship Him, hearts that have been preparing throughout the week. Without
this we risk ‘not discerning (or distinguishing) the Lord’s body’, a serious
matter indeed. This subject is taught in 1 Corinthians chapter 11 verse 28 and
will be discussed later.
Before we consider how we might best prepare for the
Lord’s Supper, we should remind ourselves what the purpose of the gathering is.
Believers gather to remember Him, 1 Cor. 11:24-25 and
proclaim His death for us until we meet Him in the air, 1 Cor.
11:26. This meeting is called the Lord’s Supper, 1 Cor.
11:20, as it draws attention to the authority of the One
whom we come worship and remember; it is His supper. It is also called the
Breaking of Bread, Acts 2:42; 20:7, which describes the simplicity of what we
do. We break the bread (a symbol of His body given for us), we drink the cup (a
symbol of His blood shed for us) and we do so together (a symbol of the
fellowship we share with Him and each other). In the Gospels you have its institution, Matt. 26:26-30; Mark
14:22-26; Luke 22:19-20, in Acts its practice,
Acts 2:42; 2:7, and in the Epistles, its doctrine,
1 Corinthians 10:16-17; 11:23-24.
Why then is this gathering so important? Firstly, to
remember Hi in this way is an act of obedience; He has asked us to do this,
Luke 22:19. Secondly, the book of Acts indicates that this gathering had real
prominence in believers’ lives and it should be no different for us. For
example, it was the first thing the believers did every week, Acts 20:7, and
the apostle Paul even waited seven day in order to attend the Lord’s Supper at
Troas, Acts 20:6. Finally, the Lord’s Supper is a meeting of reverence or
worship and provides an opportunity and a responsibility (Heb. 13:15) to offer
our appreciation of Him. If we have nothing to offer, it suggests we do not
have much appreciation of Christ, which will affect our daily Christian living.
Given its importance, there are three ways in which we
should prepare for the Lord’s Supper. Prepare to be present, prepare to participate
and prepare to partake of the
emblems. In the next installment we will explore these three important aspects
of preparation.
By: Pastor David Jones
Excerpts from D.R.