Original Entry:
November 30, 2011
McMinnville, OR
Therefore, 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. A man ought to
examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 1Corinthians
11:27-28
I have a beef with
communion. Actually, I have a beef with
how we participate in this holy sacrament.
My first beef with
communion came two decades ago at a youth camp I counseled at on Catalina
Island. The camp ended on Easter Sunday
with the traditional Sunrise Service. Tired teens wrapped in blankets and
sleeping bags shared stories of how God had changed their life this week at
camp. The service would conclude with a strong
message and a warning, “Communion is only for believers and if you are not a
follower of Jesus DO NOT touch the elements (or else)!”
Or else what, I
wondered? Or else, they might be
condemned to an eternity in hell? Isn’t
that already the case? What can be worse
than hell?”
Often the exclusivity
of communion is placed upon men who do not believe in Jesus. In the Church however only 20% of a given congregation
gives or serves. Maybe we should talk to
those men.
Paul did.
Communion is a time
for a man to examine himself. Am I
faithful in giving? Have I been serving
others in the name of Jesus? Do I have a
conflict with any other person in my life?
Do I have any un-repented of secret sin I am hiding?
Communion without
examination is judgment. The man of God lives
between the lines of loving his God and testing his life. We are told to “Test yourself to see if you are in the faith” (2Corinthians 13:5).
Why are so many men “sick, weak or asleep” in the American
Church today? Maybe it is as simple as refusing
to focus communion on what really matters, the lost souls of men in the Church
who do not realize their lost-ness.
