What Is The Primary Purpose of the Lord’s Supper – Part 1
What Is The Lord’s Supper?
As a Christian, you may be asking yourself what is the primary purpose of the Lord’s Supper?
Before we go into that let us first ask ourselves what is the Lord’s Supper and why is it important.
This post will be 1 in a series of articles about the Lord’s Supper.
I remember when I first started to go to church I wasn’t sure if I should partake of it because I wasn’t baptized as yet so I refused to do so.
I understood this to be a very holy occasion so I think I was unworthy to partake of the bread and the wine.
Hopefully, by the end of this article, you will have a good idea of what is the Lord’s Supper and the primary purpose of it.
I would like to share some gleanings on it that I learnt from Dr Adrian Rogers who was one of the best preachers I enjoy listening to.
The longer I live, the deeper I get into the Word of God, the more I study the Bible, and the more I study church history, and the more I learn about human nature, the more I understand the deep, deep significance of what we call the Lord’s Supper
Adrian Rogers
Understanding The Lord’s Supper
Firstly we need to understand the supper and what it is about.
What is the significance of the Lord’s Supper and its purpose?
The motive behind taking communion is to remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The significance of the Lord’s Supper lies in its ability to symbolize the body and blood of Christ, and to bring believers together in remembrance of his death and resurrection. It serves as a powerful symbol of faith and unity within the Christian community.
6 Things We Do At The Lord’s Supper
- We Congregate
1 Corinthians 11:20 20 So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat,
So in this scripture, it says that when we come together, we do not come together to have a feast like the pagans do which may include drunken orgies etc but we come together in one place to have a family meal because that is what the Lord’s Supper is about.
When we take the Lord’s Supper it is not just communion with the Lord but communion with one another.
It is a great sign of our unity in Christ.
2. We Consecrate
1 Corinthians 11:23 23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread,
Now here the emphasis is on the Lordship of Christ, the Lord Jesus, that we are consecrated to Him.
This table is for those who have bowed their knee to Jesus, who has clearly, plainly, openly, publicly, everlastingly said, “Jesus Christ is Lord.”
3. We Commemorate
1 Corinthians 11:24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
We commemorate the death, the burial of our Lord. You show the Lord’s death till He comes.
Now God has given the church two ordinances: the Lord’s Supper and baptism.
In the Lord’s Supper and Baptism we have the gospel.
The Lord’s Supper focuses on the death of Christ but Baptism focuses on the burial and resurrection of the Lord.
4. We Celebrate
1 Corinthians 11:24-25 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
Notice that this is not a funeral but a feast. It took place on the night of the Passover Feast. It is a meal of celebration for someone alive. Jesus is alive!
Therefore, if we want to laugh at the Lord’s Table, we’re not irreverent. If we want to praise at the Lord’s Table, we’re not irreverent. If our hearts are filled with joy, we are not irreverent, because He is not dead!
5. We Communicate
1 Corinthians 11:26 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Everytime we do this we are communicating as well. It is a sermon we are preaching.
The church is communicating that Christ died for our sins and what a vivid, visual illustration the Lord’s Supper is of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ.
6. We Contemplate
1 Corinthians 11:27-28 27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.
Oh, we contemplate. We think. We examine. We search. We allow the Holy Spirit of God to come into our heart and look at our inmost being. This is a primary purpose of coming to the Lord’s Supper.
And how good and how wonderful it is that we come to that place of contemplation, not only of His death but of our life and the way that we live in the light of His great sacrifice.
Question: Which one of these 6 things do you struggle with doing? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned for Part 2 in this series.
