Page 5 - Winan Miss. Baptist Church Messenger

The MESSENGER
The Lord's Supper: Open, Closed, or Does it Matter?
"UNTO THE CHURCH OF GOD WHICH IS AT CORINTH" (1 Cor. 1:2)
What Missionary Baptists believe about the Lord’s Supper is directly tied to two important Bible truths: the nature of the church and church discipline. And while these two es- sential truths have been neglected, and in some cases completely ig- nored, they are the keys to a Biblical understanding of the Lord’s Table, and a Biblical view of the Lord’s Sup- per.
First of all, IF the church is made up of all the saved, as the majority of the evangelical world believes, then communion SHOULD be open to ALL the saved. However, the Word of God teaches absolutely nothing of a uni- versal church that is composed of all the saved.
Secondly, if the church is universal, there would have been no need for the plural use of the word ἐκκλησία (1 Corinthian 7:17; 16:1; Romans 16:16; Galatians 1:2; Revelation 1:4).
Thirdly, when Paul wrote to correct the perversion of the Lord’s Supper at the church in Corinth, he inten- tionally addressed his letter
“unto the church of God which is at Corinth” (1 Cor. 1:2). To know that Paul addressed his letter to a local, visible church, and then try to make it apply to all the saved (including those who have not yet submitted to scriptural baptism and covenant relationship with one of the Lord’s churches) is dishonest at best and ungodly at worst.
Therefore, since the church is by definition: a local, visible assembly of saved, baptized believers, in a covenant relationship to carry out the commands of Jesus Christ - then it stands to reason that the Lord’s Supper should be observed only by those who are members of that par- ticular congregation.
Early in my ministry, a couple who had been regularly visiting our church asked if they observe the Lord’s Supper with us that night. After spending a good deal of time explaining what the Bible teaches about the Lord’s Supper (and getting nowhere I might add) it occurred to me to ask them if they would like to vote at our
March 5, 2017
https://winanmbc.church t