"CHURCH-ASSISTED SUICIDE":
UNRESTRICTED LORD'S SUPPER
"When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper" (I Cor. 11:20).
Who restricted the Lord's Supper? Jesus! When Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper on Tuesday night (before He was crucified on Wednesday), the Passover of the Jews was going on (Matt. 26:1-2). Every Jew that could get there was there...including, no doubt, His mother (Mary), His sisters, and His brothers who were not of the twelve disciples. But only the twelve disciples who made up the Lord's church at that time were invited to eat the Lord's Supper.
"And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover. Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve" (Matt. 26:19-20).
The "seventy" that the Lord had appointed (Luke 10:1) were not invited. Those who eat the Lord's Supper must be a part of and under the judgment of the local church that is observing the Lord's Supper.
"Purge out therefore the old leaven [sin], that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast [Lord's Supper], not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person" (I Cor. 5:7-13).
The condition that existed in this church was that a man had his father's wife. The church was to purge out the leaven [sin] and then keep the feast [Lord's Supper] (I Cor. 5:7-8). The church is not to company with fornicators, etc., yet they have to work alongside of them in this world (I Cor. 5:9-11). The church is to judge those that are within the church (I Cor. 5:12). If members are judged to have any of the sins mentioned (I Cor. 5:10-11), "with such an one no not to eat"; i.e., do not eat the Lord's Supper with them. The church is to put away from itself that wicked person (I Cor. 5:13). We are "playing church" today when we do not practice Scriptural discipline.
"The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?" (I Cor. 10:16).
Near Easter you will read in the newspaper, "Come by (name of church) and take communion (eat the Lord's Supper) any time of day", even though you are not a member of that church. You may think, "What a nice, friendly church!" But, according to the Scriptures, a church that allows a person to partake of the Lord's Supper, who is not a member (and cannot be judged by that church), will "drive a nail in your coffin".
"For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body" (I Cor. 11:29).
"Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse...when ye come together in the church".
Why would it be for the worse? Because there are divisions and heresies (I Cor. 11:17-19).
What day should the church observe the Lord's Supper? Answer: Any day the church chooses. Not one time is it recorded in Scripture that the Lord's Supper was actually eaten on the first day of the week (Sunday). The church met on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7), but did not observe the Lord's Supper until after midnight. By today's time clock, that would be Monday morning. It is Scriptural to observe the Lord's Supper on the first day of the week, but not necessary. The Lord's Supper was never meant to be a social affair. The church at Corinth made the mistake of making the Lord's Supper a social affair (I Cor. 11:17-22). There is a proper way to observe the Lord's Supper; Paul received from the Lord the proper way for the Lord's Supper to be observed (I Cor. 11:23-34).
When Jesus had received the bread, He broke it and gave thanks. He let the disciples know the bread represents His broken body (I Cor. 11:24). Today's wafers do not represent anything broken. It is a very solemn occasion: "This do in remembrance of me" (I Cor. 11:24). The cup represents His shed blood. "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come" (I Cor. 11:26).
After members have been judged by their church (I Cor. 5:12), they must then examine themselves in case they have a sin unknown to the church (I Cor. 11:28).
"For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep [are dead]" (I Cor. 11:30).
