Articles
The Ekklesia and the Lord's Supper
Jesus said, "...upon this rock I will build my build my church (ekklesia) and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18, emp LS). What does the ekklesia of Christ do when they assemble on the first day of the week?
Jesus Christ, on the night He was betrayed by Judas, instituted the Lord’s supper at the Passover feast with His disciples, "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom" (Matthew 26:26-29).
The first day that the ekklesia of Christ met, they ate the Lord's supper, "And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread and in prayers" (Acts 2:42, emp LS). The first century Christians continued to take the Lord's supper (break bread) on the first day (Sunday) of every week, "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" (Acts 20:7, emp LS).
The apostle Paul gave the Corinthian brethren instructions concerning the taking of the Lord's supper, "For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body" (I Corinthians 11:23-29).
The Lord's supper is a memorial of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Every first day of the week (Sunday) the child of God assembles with the Lord's people (ekklesia) and eats the Lord's supper, thus worshipping and honoring the great love of God for man. In so doing, the ekklesia of Christ proclaims the power of God over death; gives hope for all those servants of God that when Christ comes again, they will be raised from the dead and live eternally in heaven with God and the angels.
