A visitor had been observing the meetings in our assembly for about six months. He had attended a number of different local churches in the area but found our gathering distinctly different. One Sunday morning, with a perplexed look on his face, he stated, “I don’t understand why the attendance is so good at the first meeting.” He went on to say, “There is no speaker, no program, no choir, and yet the meeting is consistently well-attended.” I had to smile. The meeting he referred to was the remembrance meeting which is sometimes referred to as the worship meeting, communion (1 Cor. 10:16), the breaking of bread (Ac. 20:7), or the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:20).
Scripture does not detail the specific format of the breaking of bread, but since Acts 2:42 includes it with teaching, fellowship, and prayer as activities that the early Christians continued steadfastly in, it is clear that it is vitally important in the structured life of the local church. From 1 Corinthians 14 it is evident that the men are to participate in the leadership role (1 Cor. 14:26) while the women participate silently (1 Cor. 14:34-36). Partaking of the emblems (the bread symbolic of Christ’s body and the cup symbolic of the new covenant in His blood) is the focal point of the meeting (1 Cor. 11:20-26). Because it is the Lord’s Supper, all sincere believers who do not hold doctrines contrary to Christ (2 Jn. 9-11) and who are not immoral in life and conduct (1 Cor. 5:9-13) are welcomed to participate. We are to do this “until He comes” (1 Cor. 11:26).
Central in the Lord’s Supper is the remembrance of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 11:20-31). He is the attraction to the meeting. In remembering the Lord, we focus our attention upon Him in our meditation, our songs, and the substance of our worship. Hymns are chosen and Scripture passages are read to turn our thoughts to Christ in His worth and His work. Old and New Testament Scriptures relating to the Lord Jesus are fertile ground in which worshipful thoughts can grow. Participation ought to be thoughtful and reverent with each prayer expressing our thanks to, and adoration of, God on behalf of all. Before saying a word, each brother ought to consider whether or not his contribution is focused on the Lord Jesus. Teaching on other matters or exhortation to godly living are profitable in other settings, but are inappropriate at a meeting whose purpose is to remember Him.
Unseen to the casual observer is that, prior to the meeting, each believer should have prepared his heart for the remembrance of their Saviour through prayer, reading the Word, and confession of sin. 1 Corinthians 11:27-29 states that self-examination is required before participating in such a meeting. Proper self-examination results in right relationships and attitudes toward God and toward one another. No unconfessed sins, overdue apologies, or unrighted wrongs are to remain (Mt. 5:23, 24). Failure to examine or judge oneself prior to participating in the Lord’s Supper will result in a lack of worship and, perhaps, the Lord’s chastening (1 Cor. 11:30-34). The remembrance meeting thus becomes another incentive to living a life that is well-pleasing to God.
Another Christian friend of mine, who was the “worship leader” in a large Christian congregation, attended the remembrance meeting in our small assembly. After the meeting, and with tears in his eyes, he stated, “That was the first time I’ve ever really worshipped.” May this meeting always find its place and prominence in the local church in order that believers might regularly render to the Lord the worship due His name.