Taking Heed to the Doctrine
The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper (2)
By Rev. Steven R. Key
Read the whole article here:To claim to be members of Christ's church, and not to partake of the Lord's Supper, is a monstrosity, a deformity in the church. It is a misrepresentation of all truth concerning what it is to belong to Christ.
One cannot belong to Christ and ignore His fellowship at the table of the covenant.
There is a rather constant danger that we fall into the sin of a self-willed religion. We like to do things "when we feel like it" or "the way we feel like it." That is to put self before God.
The celebration of the Lord's Supper is not a matter of our pleasure or our feelings; but it is the command of the Lord of lords to His church.
Our young people must understand their obligation in this connection. I don't mean that our young people must make confession of faith just for the sake of taking communion at a certain age. That must never be the case. To say in that confession that you love Christ in the truth as taught in this Christian church, when you don't, is to speak a lie of profound proportions. Confession of faith must be made spiritually, as a matter of one's knowledge, experience, and spiritual desire. But we must understand that to belong to Christ compels us to make that confession.
Under normal circumstances a man or woman in his or her youth will confess faith and partake freely of the fellowship of Christ's body. We must. A young person ought to be able to take that stand before making such significant life decisions as further education, employment, or marriage. Nothing is of greater significance or priority than taking the stand of confession of faith and thus becoming a spiritual partaker of the Lord's Supper. To neglect that, or to postpone it unnecessarily, is to walk in disobedience against the Lord Christ.
Still more, if I contemplate skipping the sacrament because things are not right in my own life, or because things are not in order with a fellow church member, the Lord's command stands. In such a case He tells me that I had better take care to put my house in order and to make things right so that I can partake properly of His holy Supper.
"This do in remembrance of me."
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