B·I·B·L·E & L·I·F·E
Bible Teaching Newsletter
of Biblical Doctrine & New Testament Assembly Life
| Volume 12, No 1 | January 1, 2005 |
Spiritual Revival and the Lord's Supperby David Dunlap
The practice of the Lord's supper has fallen on unfortunate times. To many
believers, the Lord's supper is considered an incidental ordinance of the
church to
be dispensed with quickly at the end of a preaching service; to others it is an
ancient ceremony whose meaning is hidden in mystery and ritual. However, this
was not always the case. In the early church, the Lord's supper was integral in
the
life of the church. The Lord's supper was instituted by the Lord Jesus Christ
in the
gospels. The book of Acts lists the Lord's supper as one of the four
foundational
practices of New Testament church life (Acts 2:42). The apostle Paul declares
that his teaching on the Lord's supper was received by special revelation from
the
risen Christ (1 Cor. 11:23). The weekly Lord's supper was important in the early
church; it was important during the Reformation; it was important during the
Wesleyan revivals in England. In virtually every major period of church history,
the Lord's supper stood at the forefront of the life of the local church.
Throughout the history of the church, whenever the church was experiencing
spiritual revival, the Lord's supper was especially vibrant and alive. However,
when
the church was in spiritual decline, the worship of Christ at the Lord's supper
was
stifled, muted, and shrouded in mystery. In every generation the Lord's supper
functioned as a spiritual barometer, measuring the spiritual health of the
church.
Protestant Reformation and the Lord's Supper During the Reformation many truths that had been shrouded in darkness since the early days of the church were recovered. Some of the truths recovered: were solo fide, salvation my faith alone; solo scriptura, the word of God is the sole authority of faith and life; and solo gratis, salvation is by and through the grace of God. However, the New Testament teaching concerning the Lord's supper was also a leading truth during the Reformation. Thousands of men and women who had found faith in Christ sought to express their worship at the Lord's supper. One of the leaders of the Reformation, John Calvin, sought to give direction to these swelling numbers of new believers. He wrote in his Institutes:
Martin Luther also provided important teaching to these believers. Luther, along with John Calvin and the other Reformers, argued for a weekly remembrance of the Lord's supper. Historian Scott Brenner writes of Luther's passion concerning the Lord's supper and its lasting effect on generations of Christians:
The passion for the worship of Christ would not die in Europe with the rise of German Rationalism. In England, the Wesleyan revival would restore some of its New Testament character. The Wesleyan Revival and the Lord's Supper In every great spiritual revival, renewed emphasis and interest in the Lord's supper was God's stamp of approval upon that movement. Interest in the Lord's supper was never a detriment to spiritual growth. Worshipful appreciation of Christ is the natural outflow of a changed heart and life. The most powerful spiritual awakenings in history have often been characterized by a two-fold renewal in worship: firstly, a renewal of simplicity in the practice of the Lord's supper; then a renewal of spiritual appreciation for the Lord's supper. Simplicity of worship has often been a great characteristic of true revival down through the centuries. Elaborate ceremony and arranged worship will, almost without exception, lead to dead ritual, which neither pleases God nor satisfies the heart of man. A true mark of spiritual revival time and again has been a return to worship in simplicity and the rejection of the forms and ceremony of the established churches. The Wesleyan revival in England is a striking example of this practice. The Spirit of God began to work in the hearts of a small company of believers. As they studied God's Word, they were convinced that these principles of worship should be put into practice. In simplicity they attempted to carry out what they found in the Scriptures to be true. Soon the power of God began to change the hearts and lives of these men. As their lives changed, their hearts were soon burdened to express their worship of Christ. Soon, to celebrate the Lord's supper simply as the New Testament instructs, became their passion. One researcher writes of how the Lord led in their lives:
The simple way of worship also found its way into the life of believers in the north of Great Britain. Fifty-eight years later in Scotland, James and Robert Haldane, ministers of the gospel, traveled in a carriage and were well supplied with tracts which they themselves wrote, printed, and distributed. They spoke in churches and schools, but chiefly in the open air. Hundreds, and sometimes thousands, gathered to hear them; there was much power in their testimony and many were converted. At the fair at Kirkwall, three to four thousand listened daily, and on the Lord's day some 6,000 gathered to hear. Following the principle of the New Testament, they began to take the Lord's supper the first day of each week. Robert Haldane recalled,
Missionary Revivals and the Lord's Supper An accompanying hallmark to simplicity in worship has been a great heartfelt appreciation of Christ at the Lord's supper. A leading feature of spiritual revival has been the tenderhearted affection present in remembering the Lord Jesus Christ in His death. In America the gospel went forth to the Indians in New Jersey through the missionary David Brainerd. Here, and in other places, as the Spirit of God mightily moved in the hearts of men, spiritual revival was accompanied by a sincere appreciation of the Lord's supper. David Brainerd wrote in his journal on July 13, 1746:
It is refreshing to see Christ-centered worship at the forefront of the gathering-together of the New Testament church. This worship pleases the heart of God and empowers the evangelical witness and spiritual life of the church. Worship, the True Mark of Spiritual Vitality Throughout the centuries, the weekly practice and the genuine appreciation of the Lord's supper was an indication of the spiritual strength of the Christian church. The past is the great interpreter of the present and a safeguard of the future. A worshipping assembly is always a spiritually robust assembly. Biblical orthodoxy leads to worshipful doxology. Where there is no vision the people perish; and likewise it is true where there is no worship believers languish. When the assembly gathers together, the Lord Jesus Christ must have the first place in all things. He is the Lord of our lives and Head over the church, His body. Unfortunately, today we are beginning to see amarked departure from this essential truth. May the church soon realize that the sincere appreciation and the regular practice of the Lord's supper is a measure of her spiritual strength. The pattern is plain throughout history: when the church began to forget the Lord in worship, very soon thereafter she also forgot her calling in the world. When we ignore the voice and testimony of history, we do so at our peril.
Endnotes
|
"The Lord knew
well the tendency
of our hearts to
slip away from
Him. To meet this
tendency was one
of His objectives
in the institution
of the Lord's
supper. He would
gather His people
around His own
blessed person.
There they might
see the love of
God for them and
the blood of
Christ which has
made them fit to
be there."
"The Lord's
supper is the
zenith of
assembly
fellowship, the
one unique
gathering of
saints when all
spiritual exercise
is directed
Godward. God
does not assess
the spirituality of
His people by the
activity of their
service alone, nor
by the eloquence
of their
preaching, but by
the quality of
their worship."
BIBLE & LIFE
|