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When You Come Together as a Church (1 Cor. 11:18). The individual’s worship in the assembly. Worship. Acceptable to God, Jno. 4:23-24 Individual, Psa. 146:1-2; Jas. 5:13 Congregational arrangement, Psa. 122:1; Acts 2:42; 1 Cor. 14:26; Heb. 10:24-25
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When You Come Together as a Church (1 Cor. 11:18) The individual’s worship in the assembly
Worship • Acceptable to God, Jno. 4:23-24 • Individual, Psa. 146:1-2; Jas. 5:13 • Congregational arrangement, Psa. 122:1; Acts 2:42; 1 Cor. 14:26; Heb. 10:24-25 • Provides fellowship • Produces edification
A Question Arises • May (should) Christians eat the Lord’s Supper when we cannot assemble for worship? • What are we to do when we cannot assemble? • Willingness to study this subject is commendable and appreciated, 2 Tim. 2:15; Acts 17:11 • “What does the Scripture say?” Col. 3:17; 2 Tim. 1:13
What is Not in Question • Whether Christians should worship on the first day of the week, Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2 • Whether Christians should eat the Lord’s Supper, 1 Cor. 11:23-26 • When Christians eat the Lord’s supper, Acts 20:7 • Why Christians eat the Lord’s Supper, 1 Cor. 11:24-26
The Question Is… • Has God specified the setting in which we eat the Lord’s Supper? • When hindered from attending the worship assembly, are we expected to eat the Lord’s Supper privately? • If “yes”, it becomes mandatory • If “yes”, we must be sure all are doing so, including hospitals, nursing homes, etc. • If “yes”, we imply a sacramental quality to the Lord’s Supper
Establishing and Applying Bible Authority • Clear authority to eat the supper when the church comes together • Church in Corinth, 1 Cor. 11:17-34 • Come together (17) • As a church (18) • In one place (20, 21-22) • Come together to eat (33) • Not for judgment (34) • In assembly, each Christian eats (24-26) and examines his manner (27-32)
“When you come together as a church…in one place” (1 Cor. 11) Worship Assembly • -v. 17 • -v. 18 • -v. 20 • -v. 33 • Acts 20:7 • “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread…”
Establishing and Applying Bible Authority • What authority approves eating the LS outside the assembly? 1 Ths. 5:21 • Remember: Issue is not whether we should eat the LS, but whether we have authority to eat the LS outside the assembly • What about Matthew 18:20? • “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
Establishing and Applying Bible Authority • What about Matthew 18:20? • Immediate context: Apostolic authority on earth, 18:18-20 (16:19); cf. Acts 1:21-26 • Applied context: Unrepentant sin, 18:15-17 • Broader context: Christ is present when the apostles reveal heaven’s authority, cf. 1 Cor. 5:4
Establishing and Applying Bible Authority • Using Matthew 18:20 to sanction out-of-assembly LS proves too much: • Is Christ absent when there is only one Christian? • Would authorize and endorse whatever 2-3 Christians agree upon • This verse speaks of the agreement of heaven with apostolic authority • Not with whatever 2-3 of us do together
Unintended Consequences • Assembled worship ultimately becomes optional, unnecessary – or at least, a secondary consideration, Heb. 10:24-25 • Assembled worship becomes secondary to our convenience • We imply that 2-3 gathered together constitute the church, Matt. 18:16-17 • We are compelled to arrange the LS for all who do not attend the assembly • Consistency will compel us to treat all other acts of worship the same way
Conclusion • We stand on solid ground by eating the supper when the church comes together in one place, 1 Cor. 11:20 • Let us hold fast this pattern of sound words and carefully follow the apostles’ doctrine, 2 Tim. 1:13; 3:10