Meant by Christ for unity, the Lord's Supper has been turned into a cause for division

There is an irony in the way church men have handled the Lord's Supper since Jesus instituted it with his disciples by saying, "Do this in remembrance of me." The details are certainly important. By the 1500's parishioners were running from church to church to admire the bread being lifted by the priest and see his "magic" pronouncement Hoc est corpus meum, "This is my body," which they thought turned bread into the actual body of Christ. The elements of communion had become idols and Christ was being sacrificed again. The Eucharist was a good work Christians did to earn God's favor.

The Reformers in turn argued about how much or how spiritual vs. physical Christ's presence was in the ceremony. At Marburg, Zwingli and Luther could agree on 14 of 15 articles of faith, but could not unite on the Lord's Supper. For this, Luther proclaimed that Zwingli did not have the same spirit as Luther and his contingent. He did not mourn Zwingli's death and saw it as God's justice for Zwingli's heretical views. It may be hard for 21st century onlookers to identify with just how crucial and "all or nothing" doctrine was to a believer in the 16th century. Today there is a "It doesn't really matter what you believe," attitude that is pervasive. We, in our age have lost the fire and courage of our convictions.

On the other hand, there is an original and New Testament purpose to the Lord's Supper that transcends the detail. Christ meant it as a time to come together and remember Him and His death until He returns for us. It is this bringing Christ's death and its implications which brings Christ closer to our own hearts and to our church community. Just as the disciples shared an intimate meal with Jesus in that upper room, so we are to use this ritual to bring us closer to Christ. Jesus talked to the multitudes and to his disciples in John 6 about being the true bread from heaven. It was easy for many to misunderstand. The multitudes wanted a free lunch, but Jesus wanted to show them true bread that would satisfy them forever, just as he told the woman at the well to obtain the water which, once imbibed, would leave her never thirsting again.

Jesus never meant us to think that the bread and the wine were His actual flesh and blood. This is a simplistic understanding of truly meaty and spiritual event. Some Muslims, similarly base in their thinking have accused Christians of being cannibals for this reason. Jesus meant both his pronouncement and the act of communion to be profoundly spiritual and symbolic. We are to remember and worship Him during communion and not get distracted by the elements themselves. Jesus is the object of our worship and our thoughts during this ritual. It is not some good work we get credit for, nor is it some credit voucher to add up points toward salvation. It is a time where God gives to us and strengthens us as we remember His ultimate act of love and unity for us on the cross.

21st Century Laodicea: Come on in! The Water is Shallow and Tepid

I have recently read Romans and John Owen’s great work from 1565, On The Mortification of Sin. Owen, the learned Puritan, wrote it in the midst of helping Oxford recover from the ravages of the English Civil War in his role as Vice Chancellor.
I felt that Owen’s sharp and precise exegesis combined with a study and meditation probed narrow and deep as down a cavernous well. He thirsted for a treasure buried deep like a cold, underground stream. In contrast, we postmoderns wade toes at our leisure in inches of a lukewarm kiddie pool, easily accessible, but not satisfying for bathing or drinking on a hot summer day.
Owen’s seminal verse was Romans 8:13: “For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.” Owen states the stark reality, unadorned: the wages of sin is death and if our habit of life is in accord with the sinful nature we can expect to perish in God’s judgement. Paul urges us to “examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith,” and says, “unless you have believed in vain.” In Romans 2 Paul warns the church and the Jews that it is not the hearers of the law or those who know the law that are justified, but those who do the law.
Today we are very quick to assure anyone who has made a profession of faith. The Puritans waited for fruit and confirmation of faith over a period of time before even accepting a “professor” as a church member. The crucial phrase in Romans 8:13 is “by the Spirit.” It is only the Holy Spirit that can truly cure us and rid us of stubborn sin habits. Only He can transform us substantially and permanently. Although we cannot obtain perfection in this life, we should still aim for no less. “You shall be holy for I am holy.” And I Thess 5:23-24: God will sanctify us entirely and present us blameless at the coming of Jesus Christ.

Be killing sin by the Spirit

We are a distracted, shallow, uniformed, uninspired generation, and our kids are noticing and going anywhere else but the church to find their purpose in life. Where is the zeal, the evangelism, the radical love of the New Testament in our lives? It is time to return and revive this type of New Testament Church in Action Today. We should face the indictment of Laodicea in Revelation 3, “Because you are lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth.” Does that sound like a secure place to be? John Owen warns us early in his book, “Be killing sin or it will be killing you.”