The Lords Supper

Although much could be said about the history and development of the Lord's Supper over the centuries since its establishment, and although many questions have been raised as to form, observance, ritual, tradition, and the like, the most important thing to understand with regard to the Lord's Supper is its purpose and significance. If the event is deprived of its true meaning it becomes little more than a hollow, pointless ritual kept alive merely by tradition and a sense of duty.

It should be noted that the Lord's Supper has a variety of purposes. It is multi-faceted and impacts every area of our Christian experience. It is also important that with an understanding of the purpose and significance of the Lord's Supper comes the putting of these understandings into action. The Lord's Supper is not a passive memorial, but rather an event calling Christians to action!

Jesus has always linked understanding with action.

Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock Matthew 7:24

Before we can act with wisdom we must first understand. Therefore, consider the following seven major purposes of the Lord's Supper as revealed in the sacred Scriptures:

Memorial of Christ Jesus A memorial is "anything meant to help people remember some person or event" After instituting the Lord's Supper, Jesus told His disciples, "Do this in remembrance of Me" It is an act of remembrance that continually keeps before us both who He was and what He did

Occasion of Thanksgiving On the night that our Lord established the Lord's Supper, Scripture says that He "gave thanks" before distributing the elements

Public Proclamation For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes (1 Corinthians 11:26). By partaking of the elements, we not only remind ourselves of His death, but also the significance of His death... So as the Lord's Supper is observed, it is a proclamation to the...