Monday, August 14, 2017

It was a Christ-Centered Church (Acts 2:42d)


SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/14/2017 9:40 AM

My Worship Time                                                            Focus:  It was a Christ-Centered Church

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Acts 2:42d

            Message of the verse:  “to the breaking of bread.”

            In our last SD we looked at fellowship and it was because their fellowship was symbolized by obedience to the breaking of bread, which is a reference to the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, or as it is sometimes called Communion.  Different churches have the Lord’s Supper at different times, some do it once a week, and some do it once a month.  The two churches that I have been members of do it once a month, sometimes in the morning service and some times in the evening service.  Once in a while in our church we do a full communion service in the morning where the entire service is focused around the Lord’s Supper with the music and also the preaching of the Word dedicated to the remembrance of what Christ has done for us on the cross.  These are moving services to be sure.

            Participating in the Lord’s Supper is not optional for true believers in Jesus Christ as Paul speaks of In 1 Corinthians 11:24-29 “23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; 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 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." 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. 27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. 28 But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly.”  This section of Scripture is the one that is most read before a Communion service and we see in it the requirements of partaking in it.  One must be a believer who is walking with the Lord, who does not continue to commit a sin that they are unwilling to confess before the Lord.  Everyone sins, but John tells us when we sin we are to confess it to the Lord and He will forgive us.  This is not the issue, but if a person is enjoying a particular sin and refuses to confess it to the Lord then they should not partake of the Lord’s Supper.

            John MacArthur writes “In Communion, all believers meet on common ground at the foot of the cross (Eph. 2:16; Col. 1:20), since all are sinners saved by the grace of God in Christ.  Communion acknowledges the wondrous work of the Lord Jesus on the cross.  Communion further exemplifies the unity of believes, since in it all partake together symbolically of the same Lord (Eph. 4:5).  Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, ‘16 Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? 17 Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.’

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I am thankful to the Lord that He has allowed me to remember what He has done for me on the cross, and my prayer is that I will never take this lightly when having the opportunity to partake of the Lord’s Supper.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust that the Lord desires for me to continue teaching Sunday school for the next year or so, teaching through the book of Revelation.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table” (Luke 16:20-21).

Today’s Bible question:  “From which book of the prophets did Jesus read at the synagogue?”

Answer in our next SD.

8/14/2017 10:10 AM

 

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