Text: Matthew 26:26-29
Can We Partake of the Lord’s Supper of a Day Other Than Sunday?
- We know the early Christians partook on Sunday (Acts 2:42; 20:7) – no other example; nothing to imply another day
- Basic principle of authority – when something is specified, everything else is excluded (Hebrews 7:14)
Can the Lord’s Supper Be Observed as a Meal?
- Some have speculated that the “love feasts” (Jude 12) were fellowship meals tied to the Lord’s Supper – this is pure speculation
- Lord’s Supper is a memorial, not a meal (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
- Meals have no place in the assembly of the church (1 Corinthians 11:22,34)
Can the Lord’s Supper Be Served Outside of the Assembly?
- This is often for those who are sick in the hospital / nursing home & cannot assemble – well-meaning Christians take the emblems of the Lord’s Supper so they can partake
- It is important to remember/visit/care for the sick – but the Lord’s Supper is meant for the assembly (1 Corinthians 11:18,20,33)
- Only examples of the Lord’s Supper show it in the assembly (Acts 2:42; 20:7)
Must We Use Just One Cup?
- Some argue that we must use just one cup (container) to take the fruit of the vine – use certain passages that mention a cup to argue their case (Matthew 26:27; 1 Corinthians 10:16)
- They ignore a figure of speech called metonymy – one word replaced by a related word
- Focus on the contents, not the container (1 Corinthians 11:25; 10:21)
Can the Lord’s Supper Be Offered a Second Time on Sunday?
- Some brethren argue that the Lord’s Supper cannot be served a second time in a second service on Sunday
- They argue that the Lord’s Supper is to be done “together” (1 Corinthians 11:20) and that we must “wait for one another” (1 Corinthians 11:33) – but this means it is done in an assembly at a designated time
- What is necessary for us to partake of the Lord’s Supper? – right place (assembly), right day (Sunday), right elements (bread & fruit of the vine); these are present in the second serving
- This is commanded (“do this” – 1 Corinthians 11:24-25) – when right elements are present, who are we to deny one the opportunity to partake and obey the Lord’s command?
