I don't know what everyone's views on Communion, or the Lord's Supper are. At my church, we have it once a month. The pastor reads the Warning in 1 Cor. 15. Then the elders come and they take the bread first, and pray, and then they pass around the bread. Then the same thing with the wine. After the elders partake, and pray, they pass around a round container that has little cups in it. The outer rings are grape juice, and the inner rings are wine, so you can take whichever one you want.
There is the Protestant view of the Lord's Supper, the Roman Catholic view, and the Lutheran view which is in the middle of those two views. The roman Catholic view is called Transubstantiation. It is just nutty, and contradicts Scripture completely.
Below are two quotes concerning the Lord's Supper.
Our Lord Jesus, in the night wherein He was betrayed, instituted the sacrament of His body and blood, called the Lord's Supper, to be observed in His Church, unto the end of the world, for the perpetual remembrance of the sacrifice of Himself in His death; the sealing all benefits thereof unto true believers, their spiritual nourishment and growth in Him, their further engagement in and to all duties which they owe unto Him; and, to be a bond and pledge of their communion with Him, and with each other, as members of His mystical body.
Westminster Confession (29.1)
Calvin held that though the bread and wine remained unchanged (he agreed with Zwingli that the is of "this is my body...my blood" means "represents," not "constitutes"), Christ through the Spirit grants worshippers true fellowship with himself in heaven (Heb 12:22-24) in a way that is glorious and very real, though indescribable. Christ in this sign perceived through the senses sets forth the grace of God in Christ and the blessings of his covenant. They communicate, seal, and confirm possession of those blessings to believers, who by responsively receiving the sacraments give expression to their fatih and allegience. In them God "remembers" his covenant toward us in Christ and does not give us the just wrath we deserve. The Supper is rightly viewed as a means of grace. The efficacy of the sacraments ...resides not in the faith or virture of the minister but in the faithfuness of God. As the preaching of the Word makes the gospel audible, so the sacraments make it visible, and the Holy Spirit stirs up faith by both means.
I think you may have mistpyed, I Corinthians chapter 15, instead of I Corinthians 11, this is where the warning is and the proper procedure of taking of the Lord's table.
If you're speaking about the warning, this is the warning you are speaking about in verse 29-32." But let every person examine him/herself, and so let him/her eat of that bread and drink of that cup. For the person who eats and drink in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to him/herself, not discerning the Lord's body. And for this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many are dead. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged, but when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, so that we may not be condemned with the world."
And I agree with you, I've noticed the Methodist which is a branck off the Catholic church, all take the supper one after the other which is not scriptural according to how Jesus performed it, and how we are suppose to follow His example of partaking of the bread and cup. Also, in the Catholic church each person drinks from the same cup which, is not clean or safe..wheeeew... and the priest places the bread on their tongue, which is out of order as well... The bible says Jesus broke the bread and gave each disciple a piece, and each disciple had thier own cup to drink from after Jesus blessed the cup.
Jesus say as often as we take it, do it in remembrance of Him, our church also take the supper once a month 1st Sunday, unless someone is baptized, then we take it as part of the fellowship of the new member.
Some churches take it every Sunday, but I don't think there is a rule for as often as we should take it. But there is a followed procedure as to how it should be performed as Jesus taught us to take the bread, bless it and everyone eat together in one accord, and the same with the cup.
Some churches still use the common cup, which I think it just unwise knowing what we do about how colds and flu are transmitted.
Those lone wolf Christians who refuse to become a member of the local church, really need to remind themselves that Jesus asked us to do this together, and that is one of the many reasons they need to join the local church.
LOL... I figured you had made a typo, but maybe it was also a sign that you should post something on 1 Corinthians chapter 15, there is much to be said and to know about our risen Savior, and the last enemy to be destroyed and our final victory in Christ...
Sir james, My church does it the same way yours does, but it's only done every couple of months. More than once I have taken communion at my home with immediate family as well. I wish my church would do it more often. Some people I know are hesitant to partake, because of verses 27-30. They feel un-worthy. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thanks for posting this topic.
Our church doesn't have communion on a sunday very often at all
(it's a CofE church and is steeped in traditions of men), but mid morning during the week when most of us are at work. I asked the vicar about this and she said that it's "too religious" for some people in the congregation and they didn't like it!!!
Mind you, the way it's done, I don't like it either: you kneel before her at the altar rail and she gives you a little wafer type thing and we share a common cup, taking it in turns.
At my old baptist church we did it usually about once a month and everyone was equal, though the pastor and elders (for want of better titles) usually were last.
The Church I attend is purty big...we hold communion 1st & last Sunday of the month...when ya walk in the greeters offer a lil cup/waffer thing that looks similar to a single coffee creamer. Grape Juice only in the cup & waffer above...all nicely packaged & sanitary...Scripture is read the same as James Church...then Prayer from Pastor...then we all at the same time take the Communion...Amen ! AMEN !!!...then they pass a bucket to dispose of the containers...When Finished...Pastor will remind us..you may do this as often as you chose...Communion is a Sacred Covenant Bond betwix you & the Lord Jesus & his body which is all of you...Let know one tell you otherwise...I just love my Church...xo
There are many churches who don't offer up communion, but this is against the Bible teachings that all Christian believers should partake of the bread and wine which represents the body of Christ, in remembrance of His blood shed bruised body on the cross that was given and sacrificed for our sins.
I think Jesus makes this very plain and clear in John chapter 6, as to the importance of believers to partake of the bread and wine.
I think those churches who don't offer the serving of the Lord's Supper are hindering the things of God and neglecting their obligation.
I've been part of churches that served once a week, once a month, and quarterly. I prefer more often, but 1 Cor 11:25 'whenever you drink of it' could have been yearly at passover or more frequently in fellowship. The last two churches I was part of partook together, rather than one after another. I like that.
The cup may have been one cup, though I don't think that we all need to (or even should) drink out of one cup today. However, 1 Cor 11:25, Mark 14:23, Mt 26:27, and Luke 22:20 all use cup in the singular form:
Mark 14:23 Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it. ...
This could also be understood to be one cup that they each poured from into their own cups, rather than drank from, though.
According to Barnes Notes on the Bible, the "warning" in 1 Cor 11:27 doesn't mean what many understand it to mean. "The term "unworthily" (ἀναξίως anaxiōs) means properly "in an unworthy or improper" manner "in a manner unsuitable to the purposes for which it was designed or instituted;" and may include the following things..."
