Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 1 Corinthians 11:28
Jesus said: “...whoever is not against us is for us”. Mark 9:40
Last time we thought about a common misuse of scripture - when Paul’s severe warning about taking communion “in an unworthy manner” - and thus “eating and drinking judgement” on yourself - is taken to refer to non-Christians sharing in the communion service. This is simply wrong. Paul’s warning is directed at Christians, and has nothing to do with unbelievers at the Lord’s Table.
So where does this leave us? Should we simply shrug our shoulders and not bother if we see people taking the bread and wine even though they have never yet confessed Jesus as Lord?
No, I don’t think so.
For one thing, there’s no getting away from the fact that this remembrance meal was indeed intended by Jesus for his followers. And for another, there’s no getting away from the fact that taking communion is a serious business, not something to be done lightly: “Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup”, Paul warns in verse 28.
Communion is not something to be casual about!
The whole issue, I think, boils down to our basic attitude of mind when we take communion.
After the first post in this little series a friend contacted me about someone he knew who, despite being a declared unbeliever, came to church regularly and took communion routinely. When challenged about this he replied, “Well, since I’m going to hell anyway, I might as well.”
How seriously this was meant I don’t know. But certainly, anyone who shares in communion for, so to speak, a bit of a laugh, must surely fall under Paul’s warning.
But I would guess that most non-believers who come to our churches do so from much better motives - perhaps they have friends or family members who belong to the church; perhaps they are lonely or troubled and find the atmosphere welcoming and loving; perhaps, above all, they are genuinely seeking God. Anyone in such a situation surely doesn’t come under God’s judgment for taking communion.
We need to remember that the communion service is, so to speak, an acted sermon. Nobody can sit through it and listen to the “words of institution” (Jesus said “this is my body... this is my blood”) without hearing the gospel - this is the price he paid for our sins! Nobody can watch the bread being solemnly broken and the wine poured without being drawn to the cross. And if Paul’s words of warning are read out as well, it’s hard to imagine anybody partaking flippantly or light-heartedly.
In brief, the Lord’s Table can be not only a reminder to believers of what Jesus did for them, but also an announcement to unbelievers that he did it for them too. Please don’t quote me, but I think I read somewhere that John Wesley, the great evangelist and founder of Methodism, actively encouraged unbelievers to take the bread and wine. He saw it as an evangelistic opportunity - it could be a means of grace to them, a milestone in their spiritual journey.
There’s a little episode in Mark 9 that’s worth thinking about. In verses 38-41 the disciples tell Jesus about a man they came across who was “driving out demons in your name” (what a cheek!). They “told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”
He was not one of us - what revealing words those are! The disciples obviously thought they had cornered the Jesus-market, if I can put it like that. They expected a pat on the back for their zeal in safeguarding his reputation.
But a pat on the back is exactly what they didn’t get! “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no-one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me...” And then this: “... for whoever is not against us is for us”.
The disciples imagined they had Jesus in their pockets; and they needed to learn that they were wrong.
Are there times we today need to learn the same lesson? Those words have nothing to do with communion, of course. But they reflect a generosity and kindness of spirit in Jesus that is lacking if we say to our non-Christian visitors, in effect, “It’s really good to have you here - we do warmly welcome you. But don’t you dare to share in our meal!”
So... what to do about that unbeliever at the Lord’s Table? Perhaps a simple inner prayer is all that’s called for. Beyond that, once some kind of relationship has been built up, I would suggest a quiet word of welcome and explanation.
Who knows, before you know where you are, you might have a wonderful conversion on your hands!
Lord Jesus, thank you for leaving with us this simple meal as a reminder of all that you have done for us. Please help me to value it for myself, and also to take any opportunity that arises to explain it lovingly to anyone who doesn’t yet understand the cross. Amen.
Jesus said: “...whoever is not against us is for us”. Mark 9:40
Last time we thought about a common misuse of scripture - when Paul’s severe warning about taking communion “in an unworthy manner” - and thus “eating and drinking judgement” on yourself - is taken to refer to non-Christians sharing in the communion service. This is simply wrong. Paul’s warning is directed at Christians, and has nothing to do with unbelievers at the Lord’s Table.
So where does this leave us? Should we simply shrug our shoulders and not bother if we see people taking the bread and wine even though they have never yet confessed Jesus as Lord?
No, I don’t think so.
For one thing, there’s no getting away from the fact that this remembrance meal was indeed intended by Jesus for his followers. And for another, there’s no getting away from the fact that taking communion is a serious business, not something to be done lightly: “Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup”, Paul warns in verse 28.
Communion is not something to be casual about!
The whole issue, I think, boils down to our basic attitude of mind when we take communion.
After the first post in this little series a friend contacted me about someone he knew who, despite being a declared unbeliever, came to church regularly and took communion routinely. When challenged about this he replied, “Well, since I’m going to hell anyway, I might as well.”
How seriously this was meant I don’t know. But certainly, anyone who shares in communion for, so to speak, a bit of a laugh, must surely fall under Paul’s warning.
But I would guess that most non-believers who come to our churches do so from much better motives - perhaps they have friends or family members who belong to the church; perhaps they are lonely or troubled and find the atmosphere welcoming and loving; perhaps, above all, they are genuinely seeking God. Anyone in such a situation surely doesn’t come under God’s judgment for taking communion.
We need to remember that the communion service is, so to speak, an acted sermon. Nobody can sit through it and listen to the “words of institution” (Jesus said “this is my body... this is my blood”) without hearing the gospel - this is the price he paid for our sins! Nobody can watch the bread being solemnly broken and the wine poured without being drawn to the cross. And if Paul’s words of warning are read out as well, it’s hard to imagine anybody partaking flippantly or light-heartedly.
In brief, the Lord’s Table can be not only a reminder to believers of what Jesus did for them, but also an announcement to unbelievers that he did it for them too. Please don’t quote me, but I think I read somewhere that John Wesley, the great evangelist and founder of Methodism, actively encouraged unbelievers to take the bread and wine. He saw it as an evangelistic opportunity - it could be a means of grace to them, a milestone in their spiritual journey.
There’s a little episode in Mark 9 that’s worth thinking about. In verses 38-41 the disciples tell Jesus about a man they came across who was “driving out demons in your name” (what a cheek!). They “told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”
He was not one of us - what revealing words those are! The disciples obviously thought they had cornered the Jesus-market, if I can put it like that. They expected a pat on the back for their zeal in safeguarding his reputation.
But a pat on the back is exactly what they didn’t get! “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no-one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me...” And then this: “... for whoever is not against us is for us”.
The disciples imagined they had Jesus in their pockets; and they needed to learn that they were wrong.
Are there times we today need to learn the same lesson? Those words have nothing to do with communion, of course. But they reflect a generosity and kindness of spirit in Jesus that is lacking if we say to our non-Christian visitors, in effect, “It’s really good to have you here - we do warmly welcome you. But don’t you dare to share in our meal!”
So... what to do about that unbeliever at the Lord’s Table? Perhaps a simple inner prayer is all that’s called for. Beyond that, once some kind of relationship has been built up, I would suggest a quiet word of welcome and explanation.
Who knows, before you know where you are, you might have a wonderful conversion on your hands!
Lord Jesus, thank you for leaving with us this simple meal as a reminder of all that you have done for us. Please help me to value it for myself, and also to take any opportunity that arises to explain it lovingly to anyone who doesn’t yet understand the cross. Amen.
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