Letter from Paul 11.25.09

Dear Friends, On Sunday, October 22 I brought a message from 1 Corinthians 11:17-34. I thought it was a pretty good message. And actually, I still do. I appreciated so much the many positive and encouraging comments that that message brought. But I also received a number of questions concerning my meaning or intent and the accuracy of the interpretation of Scripture. As I've gone back and reviewed what I said, I stand by my comments. However, I've had enough questions to convince me that I could have been much clearer in my intent and declaration. So, I will seek to do so through this medium. It appears that the primary concern voiced is that I'm opening communion to those who are not saved as opposed to reserving it only for believers. Some have reminded me that I have traditionally invited people who are walking in a right relationship with Christ and their brothers and sisters to the Table, and they have wondered if that has changed. I think I can understand where these questions are coming from, and while I'm seeking to communicate more than just that, I don't think we're that far apart. Let me give this a shot. Even in the invitation to the communion table that I have traditionally given, I have sought to communicate that this is a prime opportunity for believers to: 1) confess any known sin before the Lord and 2) to make right any wrong relationship with a brother or sister (though that would most likely occur following the service). The point being: communion is an opportunity to do business with God and draw close to Him. I also think that's true for someone not saved. That is, I believe that communion has an evangelistic element to it that cannot be denied. Is that not, after all, what Calvary and the broken body and spilled blood of the Savior is all about? In my message I made these points: "Some churches prohibit a person who has had a failure in their life from coming to the Table as a means of discipline. But that indicates an unawareness for two reasons: First, it's not our Table to say who gets to come. It's the Lord's. Second, there is power in this Table—and when people are prohibited from coming, this limits their ability to draw on the very Resource that will help them deal with whatever problem caused that failure. "That means that not only are people who are not members of that particular church welcome to come, but also those who haven't received Christ yet... "I invite them to come and let Jesus show Himself to them. I invite them to say, 'Jesus, if You're real, I want to taste and see if the Lord is good like people say You are.'" As my professor in Seminary, James D. Roberson said: "Our Lord at the Supper is both the Giver and the Gift. HE invites us to HIS table to partake symbolically of the which HE has provided." And my intention there, was/is to offer the opportunity for people who do not know Jesus to respond to Him, move towards Him, even at that moment. I believe I'm in good company here as Pastor Jack Hayford has also encouraged unbelievers to respond to the Lord during communion. In fact, he testifies to people getting saved and being healed when coming to the Table. I had mentioned in the message that at the Table we are "declaring the accomplishment of Calvary. When Jesus says, 'This is my body broken for you,' He is saying, 'I was broken so you can be made whole. I suffered so you can be healed.'" Who needs this wholeness, this healing, more than someone who is lost? I had tried to communicate that receiving communion could provide such an opportunity to respond to Christ. Perhaps I could have been clearer here. Is it possible that an unbeliever might come thoughtlessly and thus eat and drink "judgment on themselves?" Possibly. Though I find no indication that this warning is directed toward unbelievers. To the contrary: the warning in 1 Corinthians 11 is specifically addressed to believers (cf. 1:2). The people that the Apostle Paul was concerned about here were the folks in church who failed to appreciate what coming to the Table was all about. I sought to communicate in my message that the matter of eating or drinking in an "unworthy manner" (11:27) meant failing to attribute to the Table "the full weight, worth and substance it deserves;" failing to "ascribe to it the full weight and worth of what is available" to us when we come. Should I examine myself before partaking of communion? Of course. Can an unbeliever examine themselves before partaking of communion, and perhaps in that process, respond to the grace of Christ? Of course. Could I have made this clearer in my message? Well, I thought I did, but perhaps not enough. I do see communion as an opportunity to say "yes" to Christ. I do see coming to the Lord's Table as an evangelistic opportunity. The same Jesus whose body and blood is represented at the Table said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28); "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink" (John 7:37b). Who is more weary or burdened or thirsty than someone without Christ? What could be a better opportunity to invite them to meet Christ than at His Table? It is not my intention nor do I mean to teach that an unbeliever should come and glibly partake of the Table and go away unchanged. The same thing would be true for a believer. In fact, ESPECIALLY TRUE for a believer as I find more Scripture issuing a warning to believers in this regard than to non-believers. No. I would desire for all of us, myself especially, to come yearning to encounter Jesus in life-giving, life-transforming ways. Lloyd Ogilvie has written: "Holy Communion is that very special time when we receive him (Christ). Taking the sacrament is our awesome time to receive Christ's living presence. He is faithful to his promise. He enters our minds so we can think his thoughts; he floods our emotions so we can love each other as he has loved us; he captivates our wills so that we can respond to his guidance; and he penetrates every fibre of our bodies with healing and health. His amazing grace is mediated, and we are free to love him, ourselves, and each other." It's my heart's desire that that be a reality for everyone and that all might respond to this Christ, tasting and seeing that "He is good." To the degree that I failed in communicating this clearly last Sunday, I apologize. And I sincerely hope that I have not come across defensively here. I do hope that the above provides some clarification to both my reasoning and intention. What I am very pleased about is this: that so many were tuning in and asking good questions about what, in fact, the Scriptures say. It made me think of Acts 17:11, "Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." I applaud and would encourage each of you to keep checking out the Scriptures yourselves to see if what "this Paul" says is true as well. I can definitely recall making a mistake or two in times past! I love searching the Scriptures together with you!