Worship - Sunday at 10:30AM
Bible Study - Wednesday at 6:30PM
2007-01-14 Communion Dedication - Baldwin Christian Church
JUDGE OURSELVES
Many churches and church denominations operate under the premise that somehow the church is a mediator between God and man, thereby elevating itself above its proper role as the body of Christ. The Bible clearly states that Christ Jesus is the mediator, the only peacemaker between God and man, and He is the head of the body, His church (1 Timothy 2:5, Colossians 1:18). The church is not the head of the body, so the church should not be standing between you and God. That is why this little church does not stand between you and the Lord's Supper.
To partake of this table, we are told to examine ourselves.
1 Corinthians 11:31-32
For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged,
we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
If I partake of this bread and wine without judging myself, I am doing disrespect to everyone else at this table.
God has promised to judge me for not discerning the body of His Son. He chastens His children in the church with weakness, sickness, and even death (1 Corinthians 11:29). It's true, there are many Christians who serve the Lord greatly while being in poor health and dying at a young age. Even so, the Bible tells us that long life is a blessing. Our lives are meant for serving God. The sooner we can take hold of that truth, the sooner we figure out that each day is another opportunity for service; long life can be long service, which is a good thing if you love the One you serve.
If weakness, sickness and death are the result of partaking of the Lord's Supper in a prideful manner, then the opposite is also true. Even so, our natural mind resists the thought that strength, wellness, and long life can come through humility. That doesn't make sense to us, so we resist it. We are always told to use our 'common sense', but this is another example that God's ways sometimes run contrary to common sense. Health and long life can come through meekness, servitude, and owning up to our faults.
The world teaches us, Never let them see you sweat, but God says, "Confess your faults one to another" (James 5:16).
The world tells you, You need to take some time for yourself, or You need to do something for yourself, but the Scriptures say, "In (God) we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28), and "seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33).
Let's examine ourselves at this table. Have we been listening to the things God says, or the things the world says?