by Stephen Rodgers

This is the hub post for Richard Shin’s four-part series on communion.  From this page, you can easily find and refer to all posts in this series.

All posts in the Understanding the Lord’s Supper series:

• Introduction & The Lord’s Supper as an Ordinance
• The Lord’s Supper as a Sign
• The Lord’s Supper as a Proclamation
• The Lord’s Supper as Communion & Conclusion

by Richard Shin

Editor’s Note: This is the 4th and final part of an ongoing series. Parts 1, 2, and 3 can be found here, here, and here.

The Lord’s Supper as Communion

Finally, we look at how the Lord’s Supper acts as a means of communing with one another and with Christ. Some people have contended that the bread and wine are somehow really the body and the blood of Christ, subconsciously committing the sin of idolatry. But in the Great Commission, we see that Christ exhorts His disciples by saying that He is always with us (Matt. 28:20). And Paul teaches us that Christ is the head and the church is the body (Eph. 5:23), indicating that the Church is always led by Christ Himself. Then, the idea that Christ is somehow more present in the believers’ life during the Lord’s Supper than at any other time seems entirely wrong.

Rather, we experience the presence of Christ through the proclamation that Christ is united with His people, the church. We, through faith, confess the identity of the people of God and our union with the crucified Messiah. Much like the Passover was a unified act to commemorate God’s deliverance of Israel from judgment and Egypt, the Lord’s Supper is an act of bringing together the body of Christ to commemorate His death on the cross for our deliverance from God’s wrath.

Paul teaches the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 that they are partaking in the Lord’s Supper “not for the better, but for the worse” (v. 17). They were not “discerning the body”, eating and drinking however they pleased (v. 29). These people were using the Supper to feed their individual appetites rather than to care for one another (v. 20-21). This form of eating the Lord’s Supper was repudiated because of the way the Supper forms the identity of God’s people as a whole (1 Cor. 10:17). Paul, in the Epistle to the Ephesians, drives this point home even further (Eph. 2:11-22).

Also, when we partake in the Lord’s Supper, we are fellowshipping with Christ through the Church in the same way the Israelites fellowshipped with fellow covenant people. The eating of the Supper points back to the Old Testament imagery of the worshiper “fellowshipping” with God through the meal of sacrifice, a meal the meat of which the worshiper actually consumes (cf. Deut. 32:32-33). The idea of a shared meal as fellowship sheds light on Paul’s warning in 1 Corinthians 10:18-22 that partaking of a sacrifice offered to an idol or a demon is in effect having fellowship with it.

This concept of union in Christ is precisely why we are asked to resolve any conflicts within the church before partaking in the Lord’s Supper. Any conflict existing between the brethren is equivalent to a division in the church. By not resolving the issues before eating the Lord’s Supper, we are saying the gospel is not enough to resolve our conflicts. Essentially, we would rather let our pride consume us and eat and drink in a manner that defiles the table.

So, What Now?

Given what the Scriptures say, I don’t think I need to stress how important the Lord’s Supper is. So, I won’t. But like all theology, it must be transferred from our thoughts to our actions (I hear Stephen screaming, “Theopraxis! Theopraxis!”). There’s no point in having theology if we don’t actually apply it to our lives. Many of us, including myself, have been far too ignorant about the implications this ordinance has in regards to Christ’s crucifixion and the Church itself. This is part of the reason Paul cautions us to examine ourselves before we eat (1 Cor. 11:28). So, next time we partake in the Lord’s Supper, let us remember the paramount significance of the meal, and approach the table in a manner that is holy and acceptable to God. Let us remember and declare that this meal is a visible act of our obedience to God and that we are committed to proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ wherever we go. Let us do all this united with one Spirit and as one Body, aimed at one thing: giving God the glory.

by Richard Shin

Editor’s Note: This is part 3 of an ongoing series. Parts 1 and 2 can be found here and here.

The Lord’s Supper as a Proclamation

To understand how the Lord’s Supper is a proclamation of faith, we must first understand its relationship to the Passover and the Passover meal of the Old Testament. The Passover meal was to commemorate an extremely significant event in Israel’s history—God’s “passing over” the Israelites’ households while striking down the firstborns of all of Egypt (Ex. 12:1-28). The meal was instituted as a ritual that reminded the Israelites that Israel was delivered out of Egypt immediately following the tenth plague of passing over the Israel’s firstborns (Ex. 12:43-51). The meaning behind the meal was to be taught to the future generations of Israelites (Ex. 12:27). Therefore, the Passover meal was to serve as a perpetual reminder to Israel that they were a redeemed people of God, who passed over their firstborns and also delivered them from the rule of Egypt.

It is no mere accident that the Lord’s Supper was first demonstrated and instituted by Jesus on the Day of the Unleavened Bread during the Passover because it was on this day when the Passover lamb was to be sacrificed. Upon careful reading of Luke 22:14-23, we can see that the Lord’s Supper is indeed meant to point us backward and forward, indicating the ordinance as a reminder of Jesus’ bodily and bloody sacrifice on the cross (Luke 22:19-20) and as a declaration that He will await the kingdom’s fulfillment until He eats of it again (Luke 22:16). We looked at this last week.

Then, it seems the Lord’s Supper served a similar function in the new covenant, as the Passover meal did in the old covenant. The Lord’s Supper was to serve as a celebration of grace for the new covenant saints to proclaim the redemption of Christ and the promise of the kingdom to come. It is a declaration of faith, in which our belief and trust in Christ’s sufficient work on the cross will redeem us of our sinfulness and eventually bring us to His kingdom where He will finally and completely establish His throne. Even in John 6, we learn that Jesus’ feeding the multitudes does not actually attain the multitudes’ salvation, but it is the belief in Christ as the Bread of Life that will save them (John 6:35-40), which is repentance and belief in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Starting in Eden, man’s continued distrust in God for the provision of food and drink remains a serious flaw in our complete faith in God. Noah gave in to his fleshly desires and lost self-control to become drunk with wine (Gen. 9:21), an act (drunkenness) later explicitly condemned by Paul (Eph. 5:18). Esau throws aside his birthright for stew (Gen. 25:33-34), a pattern from which the Hebrews author tells us to abstain (Heb. 12:16-17). The Israelites in the wilderness did not trust that God would feed them (Num. 11:4-5). Paul warns us against false teachers whose “god is their belly” (Phil. 3:19). In light of this, it’s amazing to see that Jesus demonstrated His full trust in the Father even when He was fasting forty days (Matt. 4:2-4).

Therefore, when we are eating of the bread and wine that Jesus told us to eat during the Lord’s Supper, we are not only proclaiming the gospel that is the power to save and our complete trust in Jesus (Rom. 1:16), but we are also proclaiming that we will indeed trust God for everything including what we eat and drink, rendering Him the glory for all of it (Rom. 11:36; 1 Cor. 10:31).

by Richard Shin

Editor’s Note: This is part 2 of an ongoing series. Part 1 can be found here.

The Lord’s Supper as a Sign

Here, we begin diving deeper into the significance of the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper is more than a symbol of our union with Christ; it is meant to be a sign that points both backwards and forwards: backwards to the cross of Jesus Christ and forwards to the banquet that we are to enjoy with Him forever.

The concept of eating and drinking is integrally tied to our understanding of God’s redemptive purposes. Before the Fall of Man, Adam and Eve were told not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Gen. 2:17). The Passover meal served as a reminder to Israel of the Exodus, in which God delivered Israel from Egypt through Moses (Ex. 12). The manna, quail, and water demonstrated God’s continued care for His covenant people in the wilderness (Ex. 16:35; Num. 11:32; Ex. 17:6). God was leading them to the land flowing with milk and honey in Canaan, also described as a “land of grain and new wine, whose heavens drop down dew” (Deut. 33:28). Zechariah speaks of God’s people inheriting the fruit and crops (Zech. 8:12). Amos announces, “The mountains will drip wine, and all the hills shall flow with it” when describing the exalted Davidic Kingdom (Amos 9:13) and the restored nation of Israel “will plant vineyards and drink their wine” (Amos 9:14).

Even during Jesus’ ministry on Earth, there is food to serve as a sign for what’s to come. He turns water to wine at a wedding feast, pointing to a greater feast to come (John 2:1-11). He feeds the multitudes by multiplying the food with His word, displaying His deity and power (John 6:1-13). He identifies Himself and His people with the vine of God (John 15:1-8), establishing Himself as the fulfillment of the promise that the vine would one day yield fruit (Isa 27:6; Gal. 5:22-23). All of these references to the eating and drinking tie us back to God’s continued faithfulness in saving us and pointing us toward the eternal kingdom that is to come.

In conjunction with the food motif, the Lord’s Supper emphasizes the “already but not yet” idea of God’s redemptive plans. God has already purchased our place in Heaven through our Mediator Jesus Christ, but we must still live our lives, working out our salvation in fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12). The Lord’s Supper is also a sober reminder of the warfare we are in that began with the Serpent that deceived Eve and will end in Christ’s eternal dominion over all creation. While we gather around the table to partake in the Lord’s Supper, we are reminded of Christ’s declaration of victory, pointing us to the day when we will eat at a table spread for us in the presence of our enemies (Ps. 23:5). This is why after Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper, He tells His disciples of the kingdom significance as it pertains to their eating and drinking at His table (Luke 22:28-30).

Understanding the significance of eating and drinking in the Old Testament as a sign of God’s redemptive plans, it is not surprising that Jesus would institute an ordinance that would involve the bread and wine to point us not only to the cross, but towards the future when we will enjoy a banquet with our Lord and Savior. And in response when we partake in the Lord’s Supper, we as a church should readily identify with joy and triumph that this meal signals, while remembering the sober reality that we were once captivated by sin, death, and Satan—powers that no longer have any dominion over us because of Christ’s victory!

by Richard Shin

Since the institution of the Lord’s Supper in the upper room (Luke 22), many competing ideas have surfaced regarding its significance and implications. Christ instructed us to commemorate our Messiah’s laying down His life and shedding His blood, an integral part of the gospel which is foundational to our faith. But somehow the significance and implications have been reduced to mean nothing more than a monthly ordeal. The fact that our Lord and Savior had to go through excruciating pain and break His perfect fellowship between Himself and God the Father is no longer a sober reminder of our sinfulness, but just an extra 15 minutes of a Sunday “wasted.” In the coming weeks, we’re going to take a deeper look into the origins of the Lord’s Supper, its significance in the new covenant, and its implications for us as brothers and sisters in Christ. And hopefully next time we approach the table to celebrate Communion, we’ll be able to remember what it truly signifies for us Christians.

I know nomenclature can get a bit hairy; so, we’ll untangle the hairiness here. We usually call the ordinance “Communion” (Gr: “koinonia”) as it was called in 1 Corinthians 10:16. But in the coming weeks, we will see that communing is only part of the significance that makes up the “Lord’s Supper.” I don’t want to denigrate the usage of the word “Communion” at our church (or any other), but we should keep in mind the actual act and significance of the communion aspect is only part of what the Lord’s Supper denotes. From here on out, I will use the term “Lord’s Supper” to signify the entirety of the ordinance. Incidentally, it is called many other things in the Bible like “the Lord’s table” (1 Cor. 10:21), “the breaking of bread” (Acts 2:42), and “Eucharist” (Matt. 26:27; 1 Cor. 11:24; in this case, the name was meant to express the most characteristic element of the Lord’s Supper: giving thanks).

The Lord’s Supper as an Ordinance

We recognize the Lord’s Supper as an ordinance, which basically means it was a ritual or ceremony instituted by Christ who commanded it be carried out by the local church (Luke 22:14-20; 1 Cor. 11:28-32). At Lighthouse, every first Sunday of the month (and on special occasions like Good Friday and Easter), we take time to have celebrate the Lord’s Supper. A pastor will give a short message from the Scriptures regarding the meaning, history, or significance of the Lord’s Supper, invariably tying it back to the cross. At this time, the families are encouraged to speak to their children regarding the gospel and the significance of the Lord’s Supper. After some time to reflect on the message, talk amongst the family, and resolve any conflicts in the body, we are asked to take a piece of cracker or Hawaiian bread (on special occasions)—representing the body of Christ—and a small cup of grape juice—representing the blood of Christ—and we are to eat and drink these items whenever we are ready to do so, remembering the cross and the fellowship we have with Christ and one another.

We do this as an ordinance because Christ commanded us to do so. We obey His commandments because we love Him (John 14:15) and His commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:3). In the early church, the first Christians regularly “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42). Paul himself “received” instructions regarding the Lord’s Supper and “delivered” it back to His people, indicating that it was a direct revelation from our Lord Jesus (1 Cor. 11:23). Jesus Himself saw it important enough to teach Paul that this was an ordinance to be observed by the church on a regular basis.

There are many disagreements among the Church on exactly how to carry out this command. Some people think we need to do it on a daily basis; if not daily, weekly; if not weekly, monthly. Some have also argued that it has to be unleavened bread, much like it was during the Passover meal. Some say we must have one loaf, and actually take apart that one loaf, dipping it into one cup, symbolic of the oneness behind the Lord’s Supper. Some use real grape juice and some use wine, like Jesus did. Regardless of the physical differences, the important thing to remember as believers is that we are united as redeemed sinners who have been called according to His purpose. We are united because of our common bond with Christ, not because of the bread (or cracker) or wine (or grape juice).

In the coming weeks, we’ll look at how the Lord’s Supper acts as a sign that points us to the cross and to the kingdom, a proclamation of our faith in Christ and His victory over this world, and all of this culminating to our communion with Him and His people.

by Steve Preslar

Philippians 2:3-4
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

The first four words sum it all up. “Do nothing from selfishness.” We would all do well to measure our motives for service every time we serve. Is our service to Christ and one another rooted in a true desire to see the needs of others met with no regard to our own wants or needs? Or as Pastor John had said, am I just trying to be one of the “pretty people?” Well, sadly I think that many of us can say that our motives have not always been in-line with God’s Word. If we choose to serve one another either in the context of the church or outside the context of church we need to make sure our motives are pure.

Pride is self-importance and self-focus – which leads to selfishness which is prideful thinking and prideful actions – which is the opposite of Jesus’ command of agape love (John 13:34). Pride and selfishness always go together. A truly humble person cannot be selfish at the same time. Pride is the root of selfishness – and thus the root of all evil. Pride is hidden but manifests as selfish acts. Selfishness is the obvious problem, but pride feeds it. Dealing with the root cause of the problem is the only lasting solution. Pride produces selfishness, and all selfishness is pride. Doing things yourself, on your own, is a part of selfishness. Prayer is the opposite of doing things yourself. We must desire God’s: will, done in God’s time, and done God’s way.

So pride and selfishness are rooted in every sin. If you remember, Satan got thrown out of heaven for placing his will above God’s (Isaiah 14:12-17), and it was Adam and Eve’s pride and independence that introduced sin into the world (Genesis 3). There are a whole host of other examples in scripture that testify to this fact. Why did King David commit adultery with Bathsheba? Selfishness. Why did he later murder Uraih, Bathsheba’s husband? Selfishness. In the New Testament, Acts chapter 5 we see Ananias and Sapphira’s sin of lying to the Holy Spirit. Why did they lie? Selfishness. I could go on with example after example and we would see that pride and selfishness are indeed at the root of all sin.

In Philippians 2:3-4, why do you think selfishness is listed first? It’s because we are so prone to it. So what are we doing about it? Simply, we do what the passage says. We just don’t do it. Simple huh? Being selfish is easy, its like water flowing down a stream. There is very little resistance to it. Not being selfish is hard work. It takes a very conscious effort on your part to set aside your own ambitions and perceived needs and interest for those of Christ or another person. I am not saying this is easy but it is written for our instruction. We should strive to be selfless. I am sure that most of us have read Philippians 2:3-4 more times then we can count, but have you taken the time to meditate on it? If not I encourage you to take some time this week to do so. Be honest with God, ask Him to reveal those areas in your life where selfishness has taken root, and then when He does show you, be obedient and be “doers of the word” (James 1:22).

by Stephen Rodgers

This is the hub post for Stephen Rodgers’s two-part series on how the personal motto of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk gets to the core of Christian devotion. From this page, you can easily find and refer to all posts in this series.

All posts in the Nebát Se A Nekrást series:

• Nebát Se A Nekrást (Part 1)
• Nebát Se A Nekrást (Part 2)

by Stephen Rodgers

So last week we started looking at the subject of idolatry. If you remember, we noted that both the 10 Commandments and the Greatest Commandment deal with the issue of the pre-eminance of God in our hearts. And I promised that we would tie this back to Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk’s famous quote “Nebát Se A Nekrást” (“Do Not Fear and Do Not Steal”).

Let’s start with the subject of fear. In Matthew 10:28 Jesus reminds us that God is to be feared about the powers and rulers of this world. Very briefly, let’s think about that for a moment.

Pastor Mark Driscoll once observed that the issue of fear is much more common in our culture than we like to admit. After all, most marketing and advertising campaigns revolve around presenting the concept of a “functional hell.” Whether that hell has to do with the lack of a possession (like a car or an ipod), the lack of a relationship (girlfriend/boyfriend), the lack of a physical characteristic (six-pack abs, being thin, attractive hair), or something else depends on what comes next. Because after the advertisement presents the “functional hell” that the person wants to escape or avoid, it then presents a “functional savior” to rescue them from that hell. In other words, advertising tells us that unless we want to wind up without something or someone that we deeply desire, we must obtain or purchase something to save us from that loss.

But what does 21st century marketing techniques have to do with the glory of God or the words of a dead Czech? Now that brings us to the topic of stealing…

You see, when we replace our fundamental savior (God) with some sort of functional savior (material possessions, relationships, physical fitness, etc.) we are comitting idolatry. And make no mistake that we are very prone to do this…we tend to idolize anything and everything other than God, and we do that quite often. John Calvin in the Institutes commented that the human heart was an idolarum fabricum (“idol factory”)…in other words, we’re just manufacturing these functional saviors left, right, and center.

So what? Is it really a bit deal? Isn’t that essentially a victimless crime? Is God really such a cosmic killjoy that we can’t even have a little fun…buy the latest cell phone…splurge on that shampoo that makes our tresses look amazing?

Fun isn’t the issue. Even what we spend our money on isn’t the issue…at least not the core one. No, the issue is what place these things are afforded in our heart and in our lives. God remarks in Isaiah 48:11 that His glory is of such importance to Him, that He “will not give it to another.” So if the iPad has dethroned God in your heart, let’s be very, very clear about something. God didn’t abdictate that throne.

You stole it from Him.

You see, our very idolatry is based on inappropriate fears. But the act itself is nothing less than thievery writ large. To committ the sin of idolatry makes us all nothing less than pickpockets and cutpurses in the eyes of the Lord. Idolatry is far from victimless. To be an idolater is to be a glory thief. It is to steal from the Lord the honor and preeminance that is rightfully His.

And that is why, despite everything about Masaryk that I don’t agree with, “Nebát Se A Nekrást” is something I can absolutely get behind.

And thank God for that.

by Stephen Rodgers

By way of introduction, it’s fair to say that the Czech Republic doesn’t have a lot of national heroes compared to America. And given the fact that they are now a predominantly atheist nation, it seems a bit strange that many of those that they do celebrate have such strong ties to Protestant theology. For example:

• Jan Hus, famous for his role in pre-Reformation theology, who was martyred in 1415, but is now celebrated as a national hero, complete with his own national holiday.
• Or Jan Amos Komenský, a protestant pastor who was exiled from his country in 1620, but is now revered as the father of modern education. In the town where the Mellwigs live, a school proudly displays his words across the building, in letters large enough to be easily read across the street: “Pojď sem, synu, uč se moudrým býti, boj se Boha, miluj lidi.” (“Come here, son, learn how to be wise, fear God, love people.”)

But neither of these men even come close to the legend of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, the famous politician, sociologist, philosopher, and the founder and first president of Czechoslovakia. Unlike Americans, who have a bit of an obsession with tarnishing their heros, Masaryk is still revered among Czechs today, almost 75 years after his death. And make no mistake, he was held in even higher regard during his lifetime, when it was a commonly quoted among Czechs in the mid and late-1930’s, “As long as Masaryk is alive, Hitler won’t start war.” And to this day, the Order of Masaryk is one of the highest honors that the Czech government can confer.

While his personal religious beliefs were not something that would remotely resemble those of Lighthouse Bible Church or myself, I find myself strangely fascinated by his work and writings. In particular, I find myself coming back to his personal motto: “Nebát Se A Nekrást.” Or, as we would say in English…

“Do Not Fear And Do Not Steal”

As a Christian, these words are at the heart of the Scriptures. To be sure, in one sense they can be understood literally, as written in Joshua 1:9 or Exodus 20:15. Or if you prefer verses to the right of Matthew, 2 Timothy 1:7 and Ephesians 4:28 come to mind. But rather than just prooftexting and verse-hopping around the Bible, let’s take a moment to consider those words from another perspective.

In Matthew 22:35-38, a Pharisee asked Jesus which of the commandments was the greatest. We all know Christ’s reply in Matthew 22:37, and most of us recognize that he was re-affirming what was written in Deuteronomy 6:5. What we may not realize however, is how deep the link is between Christ’s words in the New Testament, and the 10 Commandments of the Old Testament. And just in case you need a refresher from Exodus 20:1-17 as to what God said…

1. Don’t have any other gods before me.
2. Don’t make any physical idols.
3. Don’t take my name in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath.
5. Honor your parents.
6. Don’t murder.
7. Don’t steal.
8. Don’t lie.
9. Don’t committ adultery.
10. Don’t covet.

This is not just an idle theological question. As Christians, we really should take the time to reflect on the commandments of God in Scripture. After all, as people who desire to live for God and not for ourselves, knowing what God wants would seem to be pretty important. So what does Christ’s admonishment to love God have to do with God’s laundry list of instructions back in the day of Moses?

Well, it doesn’t take a genius to recognize the obvious. In the first four commandments, we see God’s prescriptions for HOW we are to love Him, and in the last six commandments we see God’s prescriptions for HOW we are to love our neighbors. But the key to putting this all together requires that we go just a little bit deeper…

It was Martin Luther who once observed that the key to obeying commandments #2-10 kept coming back to faithfully obeying #1. To break #2 is to exalt some created thing above God. To break #6 is to exalt your own anger above God. To break #9 is to exalt your own desires above God, and so on. The fundamental issue here is one of idolatry not a disparate list of arbitrary orders.

“Alright,” you might say, “I get that. But what does idolatry have to do with the words of the first president of Czechoslovakia?”

I’m glad that you asked, because we’re going to talk about that very topic next week…

by Stephen Rodgers

I debated on whether or not I should post anything about this. After all, it felt rather biased. Matt Chandler is one of my favorite preachers outside of LBC, and to draw attention to him in this way seemed…unfair?…unbalanced?…arbitrary? After all, this isn’t my newsletter, it’s the official newsletter of Lighthouse Bible Church. Right?

Wrong.

Ultimately, this is the official newsletter of Lighthouse Bible Church…which in turn is a church of Jesus Christ. And as anyone who remembers high school algebra or college logic will tell you, if LBC owns the Beacon, and Jesus owns LBC, then by the transitive property, Jesus owns the Beacon as well. And it is His glory, and His name, and His will that this blog is ultimately concerned with, not LBC’s.

Which brings us to Matt Chandler. I don’t know the man personally. I’m sure he doesn’t know me. As far as I can tell, no one from Texas even reads this blog. But none of that matters in light of the fact that Matt Chandler is a fellow brother in Christ, a fellow servant of our Lord, and a man currently in need of prayer.

Matt had a seizure last week, fell, struck his head, and was rushed to the hospital. While there, the doctor’s discovered a mass in his brain and, to use Matt’s words, “scheduled him for a date with the neurosurgeon.”

Pray for Matt Chandler. Pray for his family, his wife Lauren, and his children. Pray for his church. And in all of that, remember that you are praying to God. A God so awesome that He knew you, me, and Matt Chandler before there was an earth. A God so loving that He sent His only Son to die on our behalf. A God so merciful that He saved us all, dragging us kicking and screaming away from damnation to eternal life. And a God so wise that no matter what happens to you, me, or Matt Chandler, His perfect will will move inexorably onward, unable to be thwarted by the confusion and tragedies of this world.

More information can be found here.