The Lord’s Supper: John Mark Hicks on the Communion

John Mark Hicks has posted a series of articles on the scriptural roots of communion, and he’s provided some very helpful observations. We begin with his article Breaking Bread in Luke-Acts VI: General Observations.

The church continues the ministry of Jesus. … Jesus sat at table with saint and sinner, insider and outsider. … [They] continued this practice–they broke bread as a community and with outsiders. The church continues to break bread on the ground of what Jesus did, not on the ground of what the church did.

It’s a mistake to view the bread-breaking passage as being all about a Sunday morning ceremony. We best remember Jesus by living as Jesus lived, which includes sharing table fellowship with saints and sinners. This is love.

The Lord’s Supper: Acts

Luke records that the disciples broke bread together daily.

(Acts 2:46-47)  Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

E. M. Blaiklock writes in the Tyndale commentary on Acts,

Thirdly, fellowship is the keynote. The ‘love-feast’ (breaking of bread, 42) includes the Lord’s Supper, but was later separated from it. Eating together, especially in the East, has always been a prime sign of fellowship. There is perhaps room for the revival of ‘the common meal’.

Renewing Our Worship: The Love Feast (expanded)

I received this question from a reader —

Hi Jay

First, I want to say how much I appreciate your blog. It is a great source of learning and encouragement for me. I left a legalistic church several years ago and I’ve been growing so much since then.

Anyway, I’m engaged in a discussion about authority for local groups having meals. This person is denying there is historical evidence of the love feasts. Do you have knowledge of good sources I can point out to him? I’m not sure it will even convince him.

Yes, there is very substantial historical authority for the love feast. The primary source is the New Testament.

The Regulative Principle: The Acts 20:7 Argument

I just have to jump in here and make a serious argument — although some will take it as a bit snarky. Nonetheless, I think it’s serious.

(Acts 20:7-12)  On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting.

9 Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. 10 Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” 11 Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. 12 The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.

As noted by Joe in a comment, Paul “broke bread” after midnight, which by the Roman calendar, would be on Monday. Monday! Now, this creates serious problems for the Regulative Principle argument. The argument runs like this —

CENI: A Better Way — The Acts of the Apostles

Let’s try the same thing with Acts. After all, Luke wrote Acts as something of a sequel to his Gospel. Let’s again purge from our minds the notion that Acts is all about baptism. It’s not. Let’s try to take a fresh look.

What’s in Acts?

* We can’t help but notice that the outline of Acts follows the command given the apostles at the beginning — go first to the Jews, and then Samaria, and then the Gentiles.

* The work of the Holy Spirit is unmistakeably prominent. Peter presents the coming of the Spirit as in fulfillment of prophecy regarding the Messianic age. And we see the Spirit pushing the Kingdom farther and farther out into the world. In fact, whether it’s an angel, the Spirit, or even God himself, all the big steps in Acts are initiated from heaven.