Kitchen Table Theology
Where Coffee, Conversation, and Theology Meet. During my 40 years in ministry, I’ve developed an increasing burden for what I sense to be an increase in biblical illiteracy, not only among those in our churches, but also in the young men and women entering the ministry. Conversely, I am hopeful, because I also sense a hunger from people to learn and know biblical truth and the things of God has revealed to us in Scripture. Our Kitchen Table Theology team has developed a list of over 150 doctrinal topics which I, along with one of my cohosts, Jen Denton or Tiffany Coker, examine weekly. Our goal is to educate and share biblical truth on the same level as if we were sitting at your kitchen table with a Bible and a pot of southern pecan coffee in front of us. Welcome to the table!
Kitchen Table Theology
085 Ordinances of the Church: Communion Part One
“Jesus initiated the Lord's supper at Passover, the Jewish Passover meal. The Passover celebrates Israel's deliverance out of Egyptian slavery, Jesus took that and upped it in a major way; He gave us the Lord's Supper. And that celebrates an infinitely greater deliverance over sin.” - Pastor Jeff Cranston
Hello Kitchen Table Theology Family! In this episode, Pastor Jeff and Jen Denton are currently in a series about the ordinances of the church. So far in this series, we have discussed Baptism and today we discuss Communion or the Lord’s Supper.
[00:01] Introduction
- This episode is brought to you by Your Greatest Adventure: Taking the Next Steps in Your Faith by Pastor Jeff Cranston
- The Church’s ordinances are meant to unite the Body of Christ, however, they have engendered a lot of confusion and discord among Christians
[02:57] What Do You Think of When You Think of Communion?
- Communion is also known as the Lord's supper, or the Eucharist
- Pastor Jeff tells a story about Charles E. Welch and how Welch’s grape juice impacted lives with the Gospel
- Jen reads 1 Corinthians 11:17-34, Paul correcting the Corinth Church from misunderstanding communion
[13:33] The Origin and Practice of Communion Within The Early Church
- In Acts 2, Luke tells us the 4 markers of an early Christan
- Obedience to the teaching of the apostles
- Fellowship with one another
- Breaking of bread
- Prayer
- Some scholars believe that communion in some households was celebrated at every meal
- An extra-biblical source on how the early church was perceived from Pliny to Emperor Trajan
[19:23] The Perversion of the Lord's Supper, the Purpose for it and its Preparation
- How can communion be perverted?
- When the Church (Ecclesia) is divided in every way
- Unity, love, fellowship, togetherness, those have to be the hallmarks every time we take the Lord's supper together (Corinthians 10:11)
[25:30] Closing Segment
- Jen and Pastor Jeff read a review from a listener!
- Closing words!
Key Quotes
“We remember the spiritual and the eternal redemption that He bought and paid for, for us his loved one.” - Pastor Jeff Cranston
“Unity, love, fellowship, togetherness, those have to be the hallmarks every time we take the Lord's supper together.” - Pastor Jeff Cranston
Resources Mentioned
Join the Conversation
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Remember, the real power of theology is not only knowing it but applying it. Thanks for listening!