When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper he gave his instruction to the 12 disciples who were with him at the time. Some might argue that it was for them and no one else. However, we see the practice of “observing the Lord’s Supper” in the early church when the disciples gathered together.
Obviously, Peter and the Apostles taught early Christians to observe the Lord’s Supper. We practice it today because of the example of early Christians. Also, by example we observe it on Sundays because that’s when they did it… every Sunday.
There is evidence that the Lord’s Supper was the primary reason the Christians assembled on Sundays. That’s interesting because in many modern day churches the Lord’s Supper is not observed every Sunday. They assemble every Sunday but not for the purpose of taking the Lord’s Supper. They assemble for some other purpose. Many church assemblies today gather *apparently* to listen to preaching or for social reasons. That’s a huge departure from God’s plan for the Church.
If God’s purpose for the Church is to help Christians to grow in faith and the Lord’s Supper is one of the tools to accomplish that purpose then many Churches today are failing in their purpose. It would be like trying to build a house without a hammer or without nails.
If you want to find a church so that you can grow in faith then don’t pick a church that under emphasizes the Lord’s Supper.
On the other hand there are churches who offer the Lord’s Supper every single Sunday but it is a mechanical, obligatory, emotionless sort of observance. Leaders, individuals and the congregation are all responsible to not let that happen. Elders need to select men to wait on the table who can offer thought provoking comments in preparation for the Lord’s Supper. One of my favorite guys is Ken Case. There is not a quieter guy in the congregation than Ken, but when he prays or makes comments at the Lord’s Table then I’m “all ears”. I wish I could record the things he says so I could share them with other congregations.
Individuals have the responsibility to focus their thoughts on what the supper means. The congregation has the responsibility to not cause distractions like whispering or fiddling through your things. If your kid starts screaming… take him out. If he is repeatedly a screamer take him out before the Lord’s Supper starts.
The Lord’s Supper is one of God’s greatest tools to build faith. Let’s be responsible and not neglect it.
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