Christian Challenge International

"Ask the Pastor"

We frequently receive questions in email from people about doctrine, practice, etc. From time to time we will post the questions and the answers here on the web page. If you'd like to submit a question, simply email our pastor at Bro.Buddy@ChristianChallenge.org or use the form below.

Tuesday, August 20, 2002

> Question.

> I Believe in the inerrancy of the Scriptures. I Believe that Jesus
> is the Son of God. I Believe that Jesus shed His blood for the sins of
> the world, that He died once, and for all. I Believe that Jesus died
> for MY sins, and that because that He shed His blood, I AM saved.
> With all of that, I can not bring myself to partake of the Lord's
> Supper, because I can not get "ritualized cannibalism" out of my head.

Dear Friend,

Someone fed you a line. The Lord's table is anything but ritualized
cannibalism. To begin with no one literally eats the body and drinks the
blood of Jesus. The Lord's table is a calling to remembrance of the
death of Jesus and His second coming. It is a memorial meal that is
made part of our worship in the new covenant.

Paul explains it this way: "In the same way He took the cup also after
supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as
often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.' For as often as you eat
this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He
comes." (1Co11:25,26)

Notice that Paul says the covenant meal points in two directions, to the
first coming of Jesus, and to His second coming. He said, "You
proclaim the Lord's death until He comes."

Believe it or not my step-dad partook of the Lord's table for the first
time only recently. He is almost 80, fought in WWII, was raised Baptist,
and has been a Christian since early childhood. Yet he had the same
sort of fears that you expressed. It makes me wonder just how many
believers struggle over this same area. (I have permission from my
step-dad to share how this was a struggle for him.)

> I know that the context of Paul's words are about the Church in Corinth
> turning the Lord's Supper into a "Drunken Feast", but his warning in
> this passage is too much for me to ignore.

The warnings should not be ignored. But the warning needs to be
understood. Paul said, "Whoever eats the bread or drinks of the cup of
the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the
blood of the Lord." Paul is not saying that we need to become worthy
to partake of the Lord's table. No one is worthy in their own right. The
apostle is dealing with the issue of sacrilege. Sacrilege is the
desecration, profanation, misuse, or theft of something sacred

The thing to remember is that the table of the Lord belongs to the
Christian faith. It was put in place by the Lord Himself, and becomes
part of our testimony of faith in Jesus. Therefore it is a sacred act of
worship. It has always been a sin to profane sacred things. And this is
what some of the members of the Corinthian Church were doing. The
were treating the table of the Lord as though it were not holy.

> So, can you please address this issue for me? I would like to
> partake of the Lord's Supper in faith, but as of now I do not dare to
> do so because of my doubt. I have struggled with this too long by
> myself, and I really need help.

The table of the Lord is for all believers. It sends a wonderful
message. That message is that all we believers are one in Christ, and
we declare our faith together, in that Jesus died for our sins, and we
await with faith His appearing.

Put your doubts to rest. Your love for the Lord is obvious. The enemy
has managed to distort this area. You need to take your place among
God's people at the Lord's table.

> Please feel free to post and edit this on your "Ask the Pastor" page,
> or anywhere else as you see fit; but I ask to remain anonymous.

Thanks for letting me place it on our web site. It will minister to others. I've
edited this for the purpose of the 'Ask the Pastor' page.

The Lord bless you,

Bro. Buddy

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Lawrence "Buddy" Martin
email: Bro.Buddy@ChristianChallenge.org
Web: http://www.ChristianChallenge.org