The Lords Supper and the Local Church.

With regard to the issues of closed communion, close communion, and open communion consider these scriptural realities. The New Covenant of Christs blood created a world-wide, cross-cultural, multi-ethnic, yet also delineated, set apart, redeemed & regenerated people of God as the expression of Gods kingdom in the current dispensation. Jesus promised not to build local churches but His Church (singular). Matthew 16:18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it The apostles expanded on this teaching: Ephesians 4:11-13 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, How many Bodies does Christ have? Ephesians 2:19-22 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. How many temples are being built up? 1 Peter 2:5 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. How many spiritual houses, holy/royal priesthoods, holy nations, chosen races, peoples, does is God making through Jesus? (one each each of these titles describes one group of people). In Revelation the church being brought home to her Lord, Jesus, is often described with the picture of a bride coming to her bridegroom. Revelation 21:9 9 Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, "Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb."

Is Jesus a polygamist or a monogamist? There is only one Bride of Christ. These existence of what some call the universal church I prefer the greater New Covenant community of Christ, of course, does not imply that there are no local churches but it shows that something called the Church in a form larger than any individual local church spanning across time and space is a real identifiable entity, i.e. it does exist. Consider also The Apostles sometimes refer to believers as existing in Covenant with Christ with no reference to local churches. 2 Corinthians 5:16-20 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God As displayed by the Apostles work in the book of Acts we know that the gathering of believers together into local churches and church-planting shows the local church to be the only visible expression of this redeemed community which is in covenant with Christ. The local church is essential for the greater New Covenant Community be manifest seen, witnessed on earth: ...so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, (Ephesians 3:10-11) The only way for such manifold wisdom of God to be made known in any practical visible way is through local expressions of the church, gathered ecclesiastical groups of believers, under biblical forms of pastoral leadership and elder-led authority. Paul addressed specific local churches and addressed their leadership and problems with the epistles (Corinth, Thessalonica, Ephesus, Galatia, Colossia, etc.). Jesus also addresses seven specific local churches in Revelation 2 & 3 (Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea ) When the Apostles appointed and instructed elders they were most often addressing the leadership in specific local churches. James 5:14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders [pl] of the church [sg], and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Acts 14:23 And when they had appointed elders [pl] for them in every church [sg], with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed. Acts 20:17 Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders [pl] of the church [sg] to come to him.

Acts 20:28 *Paul to the Elders at Ephesus+ Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers [pl], to care for the church [sg] of God, which he obtained with his own blood. 1 Timothy 5:17 *Paul writing to Timothy who was laboring in one church in Ephesus+ Let the elders [pl] who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. *more than one preacher and teacher!+ Philippians 1:1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi [meaning: the local church], with the overseers [pl] and deacons [pl]

Titus 1:5 This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders [pl] in every town [i.e. the church in every town - sg] as I directed you--

1 Peter 5:1-4 Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, [pl] as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, 2 shepherd the flock [sg] of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; 3 nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. So the Greater New Covenant Community is real and exists and it is expressed through local gatherings of believers called local churches with gifted leadership giving instruction and authority. Now to which aspect of the Church does the Lord's Supper as a sign belong in terms of administration and designation? The Lords Supper (as is baptism) is clearly a sign of the membership in the Greater New Covenant Communtiy of Jesus Christ. Luke 22:15-20 15 And he said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." 17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, "Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

The Lords Supper was instituted by Jesus himself (vv. 18-20) It was built on the Old Covenant foundation of the Passover (vs. 15) Jesus commanded that it be done in remembrance of Him. (vs. 19)

Devotion to the Lords Supper is an expected result of conversion after baptism just as devotion to the teaching of the Word, fellowship, and to Prayer are the expected fruit of a regenerated soul:

Acts 2:41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. For a believer (and especially an ordained leader), therefore, devotion to the Lords supper along with all one of these things is an expected fruit of ones salvation. To neglect the Lords super or to abstain by choice or in order to uphold a churchs doctrinal conviction is counter to the full counsel of scripture on the importance of devotion to these disciplines.

But is the administration of the Lord's supper a sign of the New Covenant community in general or is it explicitly taught in Scripture that the sign and its practice is bound to the authority of only each local church? Some factors from Acts to consider: 1. Paul the Apostle "belonged" or at least submitted to the leadership either to the Jerusalem Church or the Antioch Church or both. For our purposes we may think of Paul at one point in his ministry as a missionary of the Antioch Church because if there was any sense of his belonging to a church it was most likely to the Antioch church which we are told sent him out in Acts 13:13 along with Barnabas. 2. Paul who was sent out from the Church at Antioch, later reasons with the local church at Corinth thus: 1 Corinthians 10:14-17 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. The Apostle's appeal to not participate in the idolatrous worship of the pagan cultures of Corinth is based upon an argument from their shared experience of participation in blood and body of Christ (not just the local church) through the Lords Supper. Remember, Paul lives in a different place than the Corinthians. He is sent out from a different church than the Corinthian church. Yet, Paul argues that he and the Corinthian Christians (we who are many vs. 17) share a unity due to a sharing in participation in the Lords Supper. This is because participation in the Lords Supper is participation in Christ and a participation in Christ is participation in the New Covenant Community. The New Covenant Community is made up of everyone who is in Christ and exists supra-local-church. This participation in Christ is therefore not only reason for not participating in cultural idolatrous practices that could be construed as participation with demons (vs. 10:21) but also a testimony to Pauls unity with the believers in the Church at Corinth though they reside in different places gathered in different local expressions (churches) of that faith community.

3. Paul broke bread with the believers of local churches with whom he fellowshipped along the way on the missionary journeys he took. From Acts 19:8,10 and 20:31 we know that Paul spent around three years in Ephesus during his third missionary journey sent out from Antioch. This raises a question for us with regard to the Lords Supper which all baptized believers are to be devoted to along with teaching, fellowship, and prayer (things which Paul modeled and passed on to every church he started or nurtured on his missionary journeys). Did Paul abstain from breaking bread during all the time he was with the believers in Ephesus? Perhaps Paul as an apostle carried his own Christ-given authority and could administer the Lords Supper where ever he went as an apostolic authority over every church he helped to plant and grow. If this is so then Paul is an exception and is not normative for us today because there are no more apostles in the sense that Paul and the 12 were apostles. But what about his traveling companions? Were they instructed to abstain from the Lords Supper as if the administration of this New Covenant sign was bound to their local church membership and authority? These questions can be answeredDo we have any scriptural evidence that Paul and his companions (who did not necessarily hold the office of apostle) took the Lords Supper with local churches and/or believers from various local churches with whom they fellowshipped along the way on the missionary journeys they took? After the riot at Ephesus described in Acts 19:23-41 Paul departed for Macedonia then continued on through Greece (Acts 20:1-2) where he spent three months (Acts 20:3). Discovering a plot against him (Acts 20:3) he then decided to head back to Syria/Pheonicia ( and ultimately Tyre (Acts 21:3) before heading south to Jerusalem). In Acts 20:4 we are told that Paul brought with him Seven believers from 5 different local churches: Sopater from the Berean church, Aristarchus and Secundus from the Church at Thessalonica, Gaius from the church at Derbe, Timothy, and two Asians, Tychicus and Trophimus. There were likely other un-named companions with them or at least one, Luke the physician, the inspired author, as this portion of Acts turns to the first person plural voice using we. The companions that are named here were sent ahead on the journey back toward Syria/Phoenicia by way of Troas (Acts 20:4). This was probably because Paul and the Jewish background believers wanted to stay longer to celebrate the days of Unleavened Bread (i.e. Passover - Acts 20:6), something the Greek-background companions wouldnt have had any interest in and were not bound by the New Covenant to participate in. It should be noted that Paul as a Jew could participate freely in the Passover as a sign of the Covenant of Moses into which he was born. Moreover, it was not a sign of membership in any given local synagogue or the temple. It was a sign of membership in Gods Covenant with the nation of Israel at Sinai. This is the background to the Lords Supper as a sign of the New Covenant in Jesus which is given for all who have entered into that covenant with Jesus. Remember, that it was during Jesus last Passover meal with his disciples that he instituted the Supper. This tells us to expect a great amount of continuity between the two covenant signs. But the question remains as to the place of the administration of the Lords Supper. Is there much continuity or some discontinuity between the Passover of the Old Covenant and the Lords Supper of the New Covenant with regard to its administration? If there is a greater amount of discontinuity then we might see the Lords Supper being administered only under the authority of the leadership of the local church as a visible expression of the New Covenant Community whereas the Passover was administered from house to house. If there is a greater amount of

continuity then we will see the Lords Supper in the New Testament administered at times apart from a strict regard to membership and the authority of the local church. We have already seen in Acts 2:46 that the practice of breaking bread was done in homes yet it could be argued that it was always under the auspices of the local Jerusalem church. Is there any other indication of a greater continuity between Passover and the Lords Supper. Yes After the Passover in Macedoinia, Paul, and whoever was with him and Luke, joined up with the other traveling companions in Troas (Acts 20:6) and they stayed there for seven days before moving on. Now we read of Pauls practice regarding the Lords Supper on his missionary journeys: Acts 20:7-8 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered.

During only a week-long visit, the traveling missionaries, representing at least six different churches (probably more) gathered together with the local church at Troas and together broke bread, i.e. they participated in the Lords Supper all together. From this passage we can be sure that: 1. Being only a week in a rather less significant local church (we have no epistles addressed to Troas) that Pauls practice was the same in all the places where he gathered on the first day of the week together with believers especially places like Ephesus where he spent nearly three years or Rome where he spent two years (Acts 28:30). 2. That the Lords Supper was administered in Troas without regard to strict local membership and authority regulations requiring only members of one local church to take the Lords Supper only under the leadership and location of the local church in which they held membership. Again, if this was Pauls practice with his companions in Troas which has no indication of being an extenuating circumstance, there is no scriptural reason to argue that this was not his practice on all his missionary journeys. In other words, there is no reason to consider Troas as an exception to a rule a rule which is not explicit in scripture.