Lord's Supper: Frequency

## Core Position

The Lord's Supper should be observed regularly by the gathered church. The NT pattern suggests frequent observance without specifying an exact interval. It is for born-again believers who have examined themselves before God. It is not a means of salvation and should not be withheld as a tool of institutional control — but it is also not casual. Taking it without genuine self-examination carries real spiritual consequences.

Frequency

1 Corinthians 11:26 — "As often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." Frequent — no prescribed interval given. The emphasis is on the act, not the calendar.

Acts 2:42 — The early church devoted themselves to "the breaking of bread" — regular, communal practice alongside prayer and teaching.

Acts 20:7 — "On the first day of the week... we were gathered together to break bread." Weekly pattern suggested in the early church.

The NT does not mandate a specific frequency. The early church pattern suggests regular and frequent observance. The more important question is the posture of the participant, not the interval of the practice.

Participation & Self-Examination

1 Corinthians 11:28 — "Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup." Self-examination is commanded before participation.

1 Corinthians 11:27 — "Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord."

1 Corinthians 11:29-30 — "For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died." Spiritual and physical consequences confirmed.

The Lord's Supper is not casual. The self-examination commanded is not a ritual — it is a genuine accounting before God of one's heart, relationships, and standing. The elements are symbolic, but the spiritual reality they represent is genuine. Taking it without faith and self-examination treats the symbol as empty — which Paul says brings judgment.

Who Participates

Born-again believers who have examined themselves. Genuine self-examination does not require sinless perfection — it requires honest accounting and genuine faith. The "unworthy manner" of 1 Corinthians 11:27 refers to treating the ordinance with contempt or participating in a state of unrepentant division and sin — not to the ordinary struggle of sanctification. Children below the threshold of genuine faith and understanding should not participate.

What This Rejects

Withholding as institutional control — the Supper is Christ's table, not the institution's.
Casual or thoughtless participation — 1 Corinthians 11:27-30.
Frequency as the primary concern — the NT specifies no interval; the posture of the participant matters more than the calendar.
Open to all regardless of faith — self-examination is commanded.