Sullivan church of Christ – Sullivan, MO
Date: May 20, 2007
THE LORD’S SUPPER IS NOT TO BE MIXED WITH
SOCIAL EVENTS
Marvin L. Weir
It is amazing to observe the steps man will take to please himself. It is even
more amazing to note the steps man will not take to please the Lord! We now
have a generation of young folks who are members of the church of Christ that
neither know nor care about sacred matters. Such is true because their parents
have failed to teach them the way of the Lord (Deut. 6:6-9; Eph. 6:3; 2 Tim; 3:15).
The congregations they attend specialize in the felt needs approach and ridicule
respect for a "thus saith the Lord."
One must ever be careful not to make vain a spiritual act. Guy N. Woods makes
this noteworthy statement: "The phrase 'in vain,' translates a He¬brew term
signifying that which is done in a flippant, frivolous fashion, without due regard
for, or attention to, the sacred nature of the same." Thus, an act of worship to be
engaged in on the Lord's Day as a memorial of our Lord and His sufferings in
death for our sins is not to be implemented at will as dramatic appeal at social
events!
The Lord's Supper is a memorial of the death of Christ for our sins. Jesus
instituted the Lord's Supper saying, "And as they were eating, Jesus took
bread, and blessed, and break it; and he gave to the disciples, and said,
Take, eat; this is my body. And he took a cup, and gave thanks, and gave to
them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the covenant, which
is poured out for many unto remission of sins. But I say unto you, I shall
not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink
it new with you in my Father's kingdom" (Mat. 26:26- 29). The kingdom of God
came with power (Mark 9:1) on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). The day of
Pentecost was always the next day after a certain Sabbath (Lev. 23:15-16), and
the Sabbath was the seventh day (Ex. 20:10). In Acts 20:7 the apostle Paul
waited to "break bread" (a reference to the Lord's Supper) on the first day of the
week. Paul warned the Corinthians who had assembled on the Lord's Day:
"Wherefore whosoever shall eat the bread or drink the cup of the Lord in
an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.
But let a man prove himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of
the cup. For he that eateth and drinketh, eateth and drinketh judgment
unto himself, if he discern not the body" (1 Cor. 11:27-29).
The Lord's Supper is a memorial of the Lord's death (1 Cor. 11:26-—not His
burial and resurrection) and we are told in the Holy Scriptures when, where, why,
and how we are to partake. It is now becoming quite common to hear that young
married couples are partaking of the Lord's Supper at their wedding ceremony.
Many congregations wearing the name church of Christ evidently think this
blatant abuse of the Lord's Supper is a wonderful thing. A wedding ceremony is a
social event and not a part of our worship to the Lord on the first day of the
week. Brethren, we dare not mix the two together as there is absolutely no
scriptural authority to do so! A wed¬ding ceremony may include a feast (John 2),
but not the Lord's Supper.
In a marriage ceremony, those who have a God-given right to marry become "one
flesh" (Mat. 19:5-6). Oneness in Christ, however, can be possible only if both the
man and woman have obeyed the precious Gospel. It cannot be made more clear
than did Paul when he said, "For ye are the sons of God, through faith, in
Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on
Christ. There can be neither Jew nor Greek, there can be neither bond nor
free, there can be no male and female; for ye all are one man in Christ
Jesus. And if ye are Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, heirs according
to promise" (Gal. 3:26-29).
As has already been mentioned, it now seems to be rather stylish for those
professing to be Christians to celebrate the Lord's Supper after being united in
marriage. The truth of the matter is that there is absolutely no biblical authority
for partaking of the Lord's Supper at a wedding ceremony. One is authorized by
God's Word to partake of the Lord's Supper only on the first day of the week
(Sunday) at a Lord's Day worship assembly of the saints. To do otherwise, is to
take a sacred act of worship and treat it in a selfish, flippant, frivolous fashion to
satisfy a human whim. In 1 Corinthians 11:20 the entire congregation of the
Lord's people had assembled together to worship God. Each member would
partake of the Lord's Supper. The Lord's Supper is to be observed only on Sunday
and is never to be incorporated into a wedding ceremony (or any other social
event) whether ob¬served by many people or by only two people.
May we carefully consider the seriousness of making mockery of sacred acts of
worship. The Lord will not hold him guiltless who does such. When people once
again desire to glorify God instead of man, foolish acts such as serving
communion (Lord's Supper) at a wedding ceremony will cease to be practiced.
May we never treat sacred matters in flippant fashion!