Today's Word

 

Last week, 2 young boys joined us out of the blue at the Breaking of Bread, after the meeting had started, We had no opportunity to give them any understanding of what the meeting was about. You may have been wondering why I didn’t offer them the bread and wine, or at least juice, as that is the main culmination of the remembrance and fellowship gathering.

Firstly, it wasn’t an oversight, and it wasn’t because they were just young lads and it wasn’t because I hadn’t seen them before, although that is part of the reason. Normally, if someone we don’t know appears at the door before the meeting, whoever is at the door after welcoming them asks one question only: “Do you know the Lord Jesus as your Saviour?” If the answer is affirmative, then there is no reason why they should not take the bread and wine at that time in the service, because they take them on their own recognition. If the answer is negative, then we welcome them to sit in with us but gently and simply explain that we can’t offer them the bread and wine. The choice is then theirs as to whether they join us or not.

The reason for the question is two-fold, both of which are absolutely scriptural. The first reason is to protect them from committing a sin. The Apostle Paul, when he was giving us guidance from God on the remembrance service that we celebrate every week, also gave us a warning about not seeing the truth of what we are doing. If we do not understand or, even as Christians, we are not right before God, then Paul warns us that ‘we are eating and drinking damnation to ourselves!’ Our role as welcomers to the church is to prevent unsaved adding to their sin burden. As Christians, we have our own responsibility as Paul says, ‘to examine ourselves’ before we come so that we don’t eat and drink unworthily, not truly ‘discerning the Lord’s body and blood’.

The second reason, and this is far more unlikely, is to prevent doctrinal error creeping into the church fellowship from someone who does not know Jesus in a real, personal way. As we had no chance to talk to the lads, or indeed to anyone else unknown to us who comes into the meeting, this will always be the route we will follow.

Article written by Brian Preston, Elder @SFGH Church