HOW OFTEN IS THE LORD'S SUPPER TO BE EATEN?

HOW OFTEN IS THE LORD’S SUPPER TO BE EATEN?

The Lord’s Supper (communion) is an important part of the worship service. The frequency of eating the Supper is also important. How often does the Bible teach that it is to be eaten?

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 11:26, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” How often should we eat the bread and drink the cup?

We have an example of how often the early church partook of the Lord’s Supper. Luke tells us in Acts 20:7:

On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight. On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight.

“To break bread” is a synecdoche (a figure of speech in which a part is made to stand for the whole) for the Lord’s Supper (the bread and fruit of the vine, which represent the body and blood of Jesus). The disciples regularly met on the first day of the week, and this passage shows they did so to partake of the Lord’s Supper.

Why did they meet on the first day of the week? They met on the same day that Jesus rose from the dead (Matt. 28:1; Mark 16:1-6; Luke 24:1; John 20:1-14). From that day on, the disciples met every first day for worship and prayer (John 20:18-26; Luke 24:23-26; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:1-2; Rev. 1:10). Acts 20:7 states that they came together “to break bread” (partake of the Lord Supper).

That the early Christians met regularly to break bread can be seen from Acts 2:42. Luke writes, “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread [partaking of the Lord Supper] and to prayer.” They were continually devoted to the breaking of bread (steadfastly, King James Version). This cannot mean they partook of the Lord’s supper once a year as a year had not passed at this time.

Not only is it true that the early Christians met for worship and to partake of the Lord’s Supper on every first day of the week, but that is the only day they partook of it.

The Bible teaches that the early Christians partook of the Lord’s Supper every first day of the week (Sunday). We must follow their example.

Strasburg church of Christ