Tag: examine

Thinking Through The Alphabet During The Lord’s Supper

Monday’s Column: Neal At The Cross

Neal Pollard

Every Sunday (Acts 20:7), we take time during our worship to “observe the Lord’s Supper” (1 Cor. 11:23-29). What that looks like and what we do during this special time has changed over time and in different cultures. What appears to have been more interactive in the time of the early church is today more individual and introspective. Paul instructed churches like the one in Corinth to correct abuses (1 Cor. 11:17-22; 30-34). God seems concerned that we focus on His Son’s sacrifice for our sins. Examining self seems to indicate looking carefully into the heart (1 Cor. 11:28). 

What we do and how we do it is very personal and subjective (Read More Here). Surely, our mind will turn in both morbid and merry directions during that time. Considering the cross, we will alternate between conviction and celebration. Years ago, Wendell Winkler suggested something practical that can help us keep focus on this “feast” as we worship. He suggested thinking through the alphabet, then gave us a few examples. Every Sunday for decades, I have been building those words in my mind. Each word carries with it related thoughts. They carry my mind back to that fateful day, make me think of my current way of life, and cause me to look ahead to the end. 

Obviously, I do not get very far in my list. I do not always start with “A.” I vary my approach, but this has proven very helpful to my keeping my mind on the Lord during the Lord’s Supper. Those precious moments each week are not to be frivolously and mindlessly spent, but what you do is individual to yourself. But, perhaps this will prove helpful to you. Here is an incomplete list of words I think about during the Lord’s Supper:

A–Abuse, Alone, Anxiety, Atonement, Adversary, Abandoned, Anger, Anointed, Able
B–Battered, Blood, Beaten, Blessings, Brave, Burden, Bruised, Brave, Body
C–Christ, Cruelty, Cowards, Callous, Cursing, Criminals, Caring, Crowd
D–Denial, Disciples, Dread, Death, Devil, Darkness, Doubt
E–Eternity, Evil, Everlasting Life, Everyone, Elect
F–Faults, Faith, Faithful, Factual, Father, Foreknowledge, Flogged, Future
G–Grace, Guilt, Gladness, Gift, Gethsemane, Gloom, Grave
H–Heaven, Hell, Hill, Hope, Heart, Hanging, Hurting, Hours 
I–Iniquity, Injustice, Isaiah 53, Inscription, Irritation, Important, Innocent, Insurrection
J–Joy, Jesus (Man), Justice, Jews, Jealousy, John, Judas
K–Kindness, Knowledge, Kiss, Key, Killed, King
L–Love, Load, Life, Lamb, Lashes, Lifted Up 
M–Master, Mercy, Murder, Myrrh, Mingled, Mary, Mother, Memorial
N–Newness, Nails, Naked, Near (John 19:20)
O–Only Son, Obedient, Open, Offering, Objective, Others
P–Pilate, Peter, Power, Pure, Paschal, Pharisees, Planned
Q–Questions, Quake, Qualms, Quotations, Quest (Luk3 19:10)
R–Rebellion, Railing, Righteous, Romans, Resurrection
S–Spiritual, Shame, Scapegoat And Slain, Seven Sayings, Speechless, Slaughter, Savior
T–Thirsty, Torture, Thankful, Tired, Temple, Trembling, Thieves
U–Unavoidable, Ugly, Unbelievers, Utterance, Ultimate, Upright
V–Vicarious, Victory, Vicious, Vail, Vilified, Vindication, Vulnerable
W–Wood, Woe, Weary, Wail, Wine, Women, Worship
X–Excruciating, Extreme, Expiate, Examine, Execution
Y–Young, Yearning, Yelling, Yield
Z–Zeal, Zenith, Zealots 

Keeping Our Thoughts On The Lord During The Lord’s Supper

Neal Pollard

“Three babies are crying across the auditorium… Somebody dropped a songbook… Everybody has a cough today… Oh, good… brother So ‘N So sure prayers nice prayers… My big toe sure is bother me… I think I forgot to write out the check for the giving again… Better do… Wow! Are we done already?”

That scenario probably happens in many a mind more frequently than we care to admit. The greatest memorial of all time can also provide one of the greatest mountains to climb– concentration and distraction. The Lord’s Supper is a congregational activity, but it is participated in by individuals. What does it take to maintain concentration on the significance of this feast?

Examination. See 1 Corinthians 11:28. We should examine our state of mind, taking care to dwell on Christ’s suffering sacrifice, His triumphant resurrection, our debt to Him, the depth of heaven’s love shown in this sacrifice, and the joyful hope we have through His act. We should examine our lives and see where we can live better and eliminate sin–checking our motives, morals, and mindset. Self-examination should mark this time.

Forgetting. We should forget the daily, mundane affairs of life. We are focusing on something of much greater and eternal significance. Other things should be shut out of the mind. This is the Lord’s time.

Fellowship. We take the Supper with every other saint present. This is a special moment of fellowship (Acts 2:42). In a sense, we are also taking it with all our brothers and sisters throughout the world. The communion provides a bond of fellowship that has special meaning and ties together all baptized believers in fellowship with Christ.

One. We commemorate the Lord in the one body according to the instructions of the one Spirit with the one hope that Christ’s atonement saves us and gives us access to the Father. We honor that one Lord and follow the one faith in obedience to the will of the one God. the Supper unites us with God as well as each other (Eph. 4:4-6).

Remembrance. The Lord’s Supper is a time to reflect on the cross with its manifold significance. Until He comes again, the Lord’s Supper is an appointed, weekly, and mental trip back to His death (1 Cor. 11:26). One remembers, with the help of the gospel writers, the body wounded on the tree and the saving blood flowing from the body of God in the flesh.

Thanksgiving. The Lord’s Supper is a time for deep appreciation and gratitude. Because He suffered, we can have peace. Because He died, we can have eternal life. Because He arose, we can rise from sin to newness of life.

Paul had to remind Corinth that the Lord’s Supper was not just another meal (1 Cor. 11:20-34). Modern Christians, too, need always to keep that fact in mind when we lose focus and concentration or forget why we’re partaking. What we need, despite the distractions, is EFFORT! May the Lord’s Supper never grow old for any of us!

communion