By Matthew Castro
Our church had the privilege to celebrate communion together for the first time as a church. We plan to make this a regular part of our weekly worship service. However, you will notice that we ask a series of questions before taking communion together.
First, We will ask that before you take of the bread and juice that you are a believer in Christ for your salvation. The bread and the juice represent Christ's work on the cross. Therefore, you must trust in his work for the forgiveness of your sins to participate in the celebration of his work with his church. We would love to discuss salvation with you that morning.
Next, we will also ask if you have been baptized as a believer. Therefore, if you were baptized as an infant, we would ask that you not take the communion elements since you have not followed faith in Christ with water baptism. We would love to discuss baptism with you that morning.
Finally, we will ask if you have unrepentant sin in your life. We want to make sure everyone including the pastors of Redeemer come to the table of grace relying on that grace for the forgiveness of their sins. Therefore, we want people to confess sin in their life knowing that the body and blood of Christ represented in the bread and juice cleanses them from that unrighteousness. The actually bread and juice does not cleanse you of your sin. However, Christ Jesus forgives and cleanses us of all unrighteousness through his work on the cross, if you trust in his work.
Also, we will ask you when you receive the bread and juice to wait to take it until everyone has received it. Take that time to pray and prepare your heart. Then, after everyone has receive the elements, we will take each portion of the communion together as believers, which symbolizes our joint union in Christ. Only by the work of Christ on the cross, do we have union with each other as believers.
Hopefully understanding our view of communion will prepare you for worship on Sunday.
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