Thursday, September 17, 2015

Lord's supper weekly?

The falsely so called "Church of Christ" of the Campbellite's "Restoration Movement" boldly proclaims in their tracts, pamphlets, and books that the Lord's supper must be taken by believers every "Lord's day" in the local church in order to 'stay saved'. 2 John 9 is their proof text for this, which they apply to all of their doctrines (of devils--1 Tim. 4:1). There are several problems with that right away...

There is no command to take the Lord's supper every week. 1 Corinthians 11:20 When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper.

No member of Christ's body with eternal salvation has to do anything to "stay" saved. You are either saved nor not saved, not working to "stay" saved (John 3:36, 1 Cor. 1:18, 2 Cor. 2:15). Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? (Gal. 3:3)

"Sunday" is not in the Bible anywhere, and in a lot of places in the world it is not even the first day of the week (Monday is the international standard). In Germany Sunday is the last day of the week (Montag, Dienstag, Mittwoch, Donnerstag, Freitag, Samstag, Sonntag). Sunday is certainly not the "Lord's day", it is never called that in the Bible. The terms "Day of Christ", "Day of the Lord", and "Lord's day" in the Bible never have anything to do with Sunday of the first day of the week, they are about last days prophecy (Rev. 1:10). In the Dispensation of Grace we have no "holy days" to observe, the first day of the week is in no way special and we are never told to do anything on any particular day of the week. Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain. (Gal. 4:10-11) Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: (Col. 2:16)  

None of the Scripture passages about the Lord's supper (Matt. 26, 1 Cor. 11) ever mention a certain day or schedule for doing the Lord's supper. In fact, the impression I get is that it was done on the Passover and would therefore be done once a year (in April). That is the case in Matthew 26. When Paul mentions it in 1 Corinthians 11 he says nothing about a time or day to do it, he seems to imply that it does not matter at all. In 1 Corinthians 11:26 we see "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come." Whenever we do the Lord's supper (if we do it at all), it does not matter. Time and place do not matter. Believers are the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:12-13, Eph. 1:20-21, 5:30) and the temple of the Holy Ghost (1 Cor. 6:15-20). There is no 'holy ground' for us to take the Lord's supper on.

In spite of this, the so called "Church of Christ" does manage to drum up a proof text for weekly observance of the Lord's supper. They get this from their Roman Catholic brothers in Satan (John 8:44). All Campbellites are drunk with the satanism of Rome. Here is their verse, 

Acts 20:6-7 And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days. And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.

That is it. What we see there is the best that the "church of christ" can come up with.

The verse does not mention any "Sunday"

The verse does not mention any "Lord's day"

The verse does not mention any "Lord's supper"

What does it say? That the disciples in that church met on the first day of the week and broke bread. Braking bread does not mean the Lord's supper ("break bread" simply means "break bread", see , nor does the verse say that this was done every week. 

Look three verses down, did the disciples take the Lord's supper twice a day? 

Acts 20:
[6] And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days.
[7] And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.
[8] And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together.
[9] And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.
[10] And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him.
[11] When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed
.

Obviously these verses are just referring to "breaking bread" and not the Lord's supper. I know that because that is what the verses say. "Breaking bread" here is the disciples eating and talking like friends normally do. It has nothing to do with a Campbellite "worship" service. 

However, what IF the passage was referring to the Lord's supper? What would that prove? That those disciples observed the Lord's supper every week? What has that got to do with us? Do we follow the practices of early Christians or do we follow commandments found in the word of God? The early Christians were divisive (1 Cor. 1:10), lived in fornication (1 Cor. 5:1-2), misused the Lord's supper (1 Cor. 11:20-34), sued each other (1 Cor. 6:1-2), did not believe in resurrection (1 Cor. 15:12), and desired to be back under the Law of Moses (Gal. 4:9-11). We do NOT follow the "tradition of men", we follow the word of God.

Colossians 2:
[8] Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
[9] For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
[10] And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
[11] In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
[12] Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
[13] And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
[14] Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
[15] And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
[16] Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
[17] Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
[18] Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
[19] And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.
[20] Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,
[21] (Touch not; taste not; handle not;
[22] Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?
[23] Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh
.

Mark 7:
[1] Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem.
[2] And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.
[3] For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.
[4] And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.
[5] Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?
[6] He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
[7] Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctines the commandments of men.
[8] For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
[9] And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
[10] For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:
[11] But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.
[12] And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;
[13] Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye
.

The Campbellites are guilty of disregard for context in Acts 20:7 and attempt to follow traditions of men rather than the commandments of God.

Here are some Scriptures that prove "breaking bread" does not mean taking the Lord's supper.

Matthew 14:
[17] And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.
[18] He said, Bring them hither to me.
[19] And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude
.

Matthew 15:36 And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

Matthew 6:41 And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all.

Mark 8:6 And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people.

Mark 8:19 When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve.

Luke 9:16 Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude

Luke 24:30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.

If you are a Campbellite, you need to quit trusting your own works of righteousness and submit to the righteousness of God, trust Him for dying for your sins.

1 Corinthians 15:
[1] Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
[2] By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
[3] For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
[4] And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures
:

Romans 10:
[1] Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
[2] For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
[3] For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
[4] For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth
.


--Eli Caldwell

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