Just a few thoughts to ponder in the night hours............... All my life, I have attended Pentecostal churches. While I am thankful for my heritage, I also understand that those of us who identify ourselves with Pentecostal/ Wesleyan theology are often guilty of straining at gnats while we have little trouble swallowing camels. I do not wish to criticize any of my brothers or sisters of like precious faith by sharing my concerns- I only wish to point out that we must never fail to see the big picture! Please allow me to elaborate with the following example: I am of the opinion that one of our greatest failures in the Pentecostal movement is the frequency (or lack thereof) with which we participate in the Lords Supper- or Communion as we often call it. More times than I prefer to remember I have heard our ministers criticize other denominations for strict adherence to rigid schedules of this Sacred reminder of the Lords death! I suppose we feel that repetition somehow diminishes the meaning of the Cup and the Bread! One can not help but wonder if pastors might feel a bit discouraged if their members applied the same logic to church attendance in general! With this being said, I would like to submit to you that we do not partake of the Lords body ENOUGH! While it may be true that certain sects of Christianity have reduced this reminder of our Lords passion to little more than a mere formality, we should never allow the empty religion of others to keep us from reminding ourselves of the price that Jesus Christ paid for us as His blood was shed and His body was broken! Paul reminded the church at Corinth that Jesus instructed His disciples to drink of this Cup often! Paul added his own emphasis to the needed regularity of the Lords Supper by adding that as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lords death till he come. Is it possible that the Communion service can become nothing more to us than a boring routine? Yes! It is possible! However, I truly believe that the greater danger is our failure to remember on a regular basis the message of the Cross! Brothers and Sisters: I love you and wish you a peaceful night of rest in the Lord!! - Bro. Brian
Posted on: Fri, 18 Apr 2014 03:14:42 +0000