Concerning the Lord's Table

It's been awhile since I posted and I needed to discuss some aspects of the Lord's Table. I belong to a movement that is Reformed in it's tradition as it relates to the Lord's Supper. It is somewhat confusing because on the one hand we will state that the elements are completely symbolic and we will not in any way want to be confused with the Roman position of Transsubstantiation "which views the transformation of the bread and the cup literally becomes the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ." Thus in the Roman tradition the sacra or grace is literally transforming the elements to a completely different substance. The other view point that we do not identify with is the Lutheran tradition of consubstantiation "which sees the sacra or grace as being upon the elements." I do not agree with the other two theological view points though I am convinced that the Reformed perspective does not go far enough in identifying what and where is the sacra in the Eucharist. Being in the Foursquare movement we will say that the elememts of the Lord's Supper are symbolic and yet at the same time we will present that there is access to healing and a unique encounter with the presence of Christ that takes place as one celebrates the Eucharist.

It is my conviction that we may want to offer another perspective that does not violate the Reformed Perspective of the symbolic nature of the communion elements but at the same time does allow for the understanding that there is a sacra that is upon the people who Celebrate this powerful event. I would like to present the idea of Anthro-Substantiation which denotes that the sacra is upon the individual people who participate in the Eucharist. In future posts I will lay out the basis for this theological perspective both in my exegesis of scripture as well as looking at the Historic Basis for this perspective. Allow me to finish this post with the the idea that though I would never place History or the creeds of the church on the same level of inspirational authority as scripture itself; it is important to note that such early Christian theologians such as Justin Martyr when discussing the (αναμνησισ) which was the liturgical recollection of Christ. It was Justin Martyr who stated that in the act of rememberance the worshipping congrgation believed Christ himself to be present among them. He would also believe that Christ was present apart from the Eucharist but the adoration and worship that was given during the eucharist did in fact allow for a special presence of Christ during the Celebration (Just.Dial. 41.i; 117.3 Godspeed 138, 235; Pelikan, The Christian Tradition, Vol. I, p. 167-168).

I look forward to this journey with you.

Considering Others

Today, I had the Opportunity to lead the Heritage Church Staff in Communion. We always finish our time in affirming one another. Once again, I was very blessed to see the sincere love that people have for one another here at Heritage. I have included my presentation in this post.

Who are You Considering Today?
“And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.”
(Hebrews 10:24)

The word for “consider” is from the Greek word katanoeo, a compound of the words kata and noeo. The word kata depicts something that is moving downward; the word noeo (from the word nous) depicts the mind and means to think. When the two words are placed together, it means to thoroughly think something through or to ponder something from the top all the way to the bottom. It is the idea of mulling something over; carefully contemplating a matter; pondering and carefully looking at a particular issue; or examining and fully studying a subject.

This word pictures someone who is so concerned about someone else that he/she has taken the time to really consider that other person. He/she has observed the person’s ups and downs and his/her highs and lows. He/she studied to find out what helps that person feel encouraged and what events tend to pull him/her down. Because he/she has determined to really know and understand that other person, he/she invests a great deal of time and concentration into studying and getting to know that other person. This kind of knowledge doesn’t come by accident, but by determined pursuit.

Not only are we to consider one another, but the Bible goes on to say we are to provoke one another unto love and good works. The word “provoke” comes from a compound word. Para means alongside and it carries the idea of being close. The second part, of the word means to sharpen something, such as a knife, and indicates a very sharp situation. When you put these two words together, it describes someone who has come alongside of someone else for the purpose of prodding and impelling that person to do something.

Provoking can be both positive and negative but in this verse “provoking” is telling us that our relationships with other believers should incite us to become better, stronger, and bolder in the Lord.

In our context here at Heritage Church how can we provoke other believers in a positive way? How can you stimulate your brother or your sister in the Lord in such a way that you make him or her want to walk in love and do good works? Just as Jesus Christ at the Cross “considered us” and gave His best for us to become more like Him. We are to encourage others to run their race well!

Paraphrase of this verse might be the following:

“And constantly be observing one another, seriously contemplating, studying, and examining each other, until you know exactly how to incite and stimulate each other to love and to good works.”