What would be stranger: Metallica playing during the processional at a wedding or a mime performing the national anthem at the Super Bowl? Many would say the mime—and I’d agree. But Metallica at a wedding would be just as out of place. Certain occasions call for particular practices. The pinnacle of Christmas unfolds as gifts are exchanged. It would be absurd to let the day pass with presents still beneath the tree; likewise, it is atypical for a church to celebrate the Lord’s Supper apart from the corporate gathering on Sunday morning. Because communion is an ordinance of the church, it belongs in the gathered assembly of the saints.
The Lord’s Supper is an ordinance of the church in which followers of Jesus remember his atoning work and renew their covenant commitment to God and to one another. The Lord Jesus Christ, through his atoning work, saves sinners and gathers them into a people. Consider Peter’s sermon at Pentecost. After preaching Christ crucified (1 Cor. 2:2), Peter calls those who were cut to the heart (Acts 2:37) to repent and be baptized. Those who received his word were added to a body that devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, the fellowship, and the breaking of bread (Acts 2:42).
The New Testament shows the church regularly practicing communion when gathered (Acts 2:42–46; 20:7). When the church at Corinth mishandled the Lord’s Supper, Paul corrected them in the context of their assembly—“when you come together” (1 Cor. 11). Communion, then, is not an isolated act but an ecclesial one.
It is common to see the Lord’s Supper practiced at weddings, in small groups, and at camps. While common, this practice veers from the pattern and purpose we see in Scripture.
The Lord’s Supper displays the church’s unity in Christ.
The Lord Jesus taught that the bread represents his body given for sinners. When we partake, we remember that Christ did not die for isolated individuals but as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). That “many” is made visible in the local church.
Our congregations are comprised of people with different backgrounds, ethnicities, vocations, and ages, yet we share one thing in common: our union with Christ. On the Lord’s Day, God’s people gather because he has called us out of darkness and into his marvelous light (1 Pet. 2:9). We sing the gospel, pray the gospel, preach the gospel—and in the ordinances, we see the gospel. When the Lord’s Supper is practiced in the corporate gathering, every member present brings glory to God by remembering Christ’s body broken as the price of their redemption. The gathered church puts on display the redemptive and unifying power of Christ. The Lord’s Supper is a family meal (1 Cor. 11:17–18, 20, 33–34).
The Lord’s Supper strengthens the church through endurance and accountability.
When the church partakes of communion, we are not merely eating bread and drinking from a cup—we are proclaiming the death and resurrection of Christ and all it accomplished for those who believe (1 Cor. 10:16–17; 11:26). The Supper nourishes the soul and reminds us that suffering will not last forever.
The Lord Jesus promised, “I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Matt. 26:29). What a glorious promise. The Table points us forward. It fuels endurance and strengthens weary saints to press on a little longer.
The Lord’s Supper also calls the church to accountability. Paul makes clear that the Supper can be taken in an unworthy manner (1 Cor. 11:27). The Table belongs to a particular kind of sinner—repentant sinners. Therefore, the church bears the responsibility of guarding the Table, calling its members to examine themselves and, when necessary, exercising discipline for the sake of restoration.
This accountability is uniquely tied to the gathered church. When communion is practiced divorced from the assembly, this formative and protective function is diminished.
The Lord’s Supper is a means of evangelism and discipleship.
The Lord’s Supper proclaims the gospel. Paul writes, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Cor. 11:26). In the Supper, a visible sermon is preached. The broken bread represents Christ’s body broken for sinners. The cup portrays his blood poured out for the forgiveness of sins. These elements call the hungry to be satisfied in Christ (John 6:54) and the thirsty to drink of the living water (John 7:37–39). The saints are spiritually nourished through this proclamation.
Now consider the onlooker—the unregenerate. As the church participates in Christ, the gospel is put on display before them. The Table becomes an invitation: repent and believe. As we receive the bread and the cup, Christ beckons sinners to himself.
When practiced faithfully, the Lord’s Supper disciples the church. It trains believers to live lives marked by repentance and faith. It reminds us that we are saved not by our performance but by an alien righteousness. It teaches us that we are sojourners longing for our home in heaven.
Gathered Together
The Lord’s Supper was never meant to be divorced from the Lord’s church. It belongs to the gathered people of God.
When practiced faithfully, the church remembers Christ, displays their unity, is strengthened in holiness, and proclaims the gospel until he comes. The Lord’s Table is not for isolated Christians—it is for the gathered church, where God nourishes his people and reminds them that their Redeemer is coming again.
