Remember…It’s Non-Negotiable!
Posted on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
My beloved mentor and pastor from our Jesus Movement days, Ted Stone, is on his way to heaven. A deadly brain tumor diminishes him a little more each day. Sometimes he has the energy to talk on the phone when I call. I cherish his sentences. He pauses, gathers his strength, and says, “Eddie, I want to tell you something. I may never get the opportunity to say this to you….”
I hold my breath and wait for Ted to speak. It’s an awesome and holy moment as this man who loves me, and in so many ways has given his life for me, and others in the body of Christ, begins. I know I’ll remember every word until the day Jesus greets me in heaven with Ted at His side.
This was the atmosphere in the upper room. These were Jesus’ final words to His disciples. In just a few minutes dark and ominous events would leave them alone and afraid. Tomorrow at this time He would be dead, crucified by Rome and laid in a rich man’s tomb.
And what did He say to them? Remember Me!
If you want to start a religious argument, and get people talking about something that you soon discover they really know very little about, ask a group of Christians who come from different cultures, different traditions, and different generations this question: “What are the essential elements of corporate New Testament worship?”
Here are some of the “essentials” I’ve heard over the years: confession, music, benediction, Bible teaching, Bible reading, offering, altar call, pastoral prayer, and corporate prayer. The list goes on and on.
Our problem is that most of the evidence offered has to do with personal preference or personal experience rather than personal understanding of the Scriptures. Even when we turn to the Bible, most of the evidence we have is descriptive rather than prescriptive.
My understanding of the teachings of Christ and the Apostles, and the inspired history of the first century church in Acts and the Epistles is that there is only one essential element of corporate New Testament worship: The Lord’s Table.
When you worship Jesus, the only non-negotiable is the Lord’s Table. Not saying every week, or even every month, but it must be central to the worship experience of the believers in a local assembly of Christians.
What place does the Lord’s Supper play in your life? Is it central to your worship, or a meaningless religious ritual that gets in the way of your Sunday routine?
What are some ways you could make the Lord’s Supper more central to your worship of the Lord Jesus?
How does it make you feel when you consider that Jesus’ only simple request concerning His death on the Cross is that we wouldn’t forget what He has done for us? How about when you think about the next time He will share this cup with His people in His Kingdom?
Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us (1 Corinthians 5:7).
Ed, I’m convinced the most effective gathering of the NT Saints is eating a meal together. I don’t limit my understanding of the Lord’s Supper to the formality that I grew up practicing once a month in an institutional church setting. I regularly meet with other believers over a meal almost every day and talk about life that was intended for us to live that was made available through the death and sacrifice of my Savior.
I read about the ministry of covenants and have learned that even that process ended with a meal together. It makes sense that Jesus included a supper with his disciples right before his death and sacrifice. I can’t imagine that it was formal. I’m not saying that it was not reverent… But I am sure that it was very personal and full of conversation.
Thanks for your thoughts and encouraging words. Thanks for allowing us to process Truth.
It’s true that the Lord Jesus valued time around a table much more than we do. Our pace seems to outrun our hearts.
Ed, what a beautiful picture you paint for us to see….I see Jesus at a table waiting for me, longing for my company as His guest to sit, eat, laugh, just to love and be loved in return. Why do we take the simple gifts He gave us and the very simple request of just not forgetting Him and turn it all into some formal ceremony? Passover is everyday for believers, we passed from death to life, let’s celebrate Him!