Why are we drifting away from the !st christians?

[MoonlightParade]

what i have been noticing is how we are drifting away from the 1st Christians about the mass,communion, eukerist... The first Christians took Communion when they "Broke Bread" which in todays terms means whenever they ate!!! So they took Communion everyday. Now looking at todays times, some churchs dont take communion once a year... I belive that we should take communion AT LEAST once a week, like most traditional Catholics.... Please give me your opioion on this... THANKS
GOD Bless!!!
Moonlight

[WesleyJohn]

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[MoonlightParade]

I agree, because i belive that we should at least try to go back to the how the 1st Christians worshiped, and held communion.. Thanks wj for sharing..

[ClementofRome]

I have voiced this opinion in other threads...so here goes:

I agree whole heartedly. I am of the opinion that we should be celebrating the body and blood every week. In my church we do it once a month, but I have been working behind the scenes to try to change opinions and attitudes. Here is one response that I got from an older female member of the church: "Well since I have been supplying the bread and juice and setting it up for years, if we go to more than one Sunday per month, someone else is going to have to take this upon themselves."

I think that this is a sad commentary, but I understand that she would need help. I am willing to bring the bread and stock the fridge with several gallons of juice so that we can have it weekly. As a sinner, I need it weekly. If it is truly a form of grace, then we all need it as often as we can get it.

Thanks

[WesleyJohn]

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[MoonlightParade]

hey there guys, agree with Clement, we should commit, to communion AT LEAST once a week, but i think that we should follow the 1st christians, who celebrated Communion once a day, over supper. they didnt have priest stand over them and hand down the bread, which is dipped in wine//juice or common cup of wine//juice... they took a loaf of bread broke it, and drank wine with it, but later we learned that some people were doing it for the wine and free food, so i guess that is where we get the need for priest/minister/Pastors to head this celebration.. what do you think?

[herev]

I have voiced this opinion in other threads...so here goes:

I agree whole heartedly. I am of the opinion that we should be celebrating the body and blood every week. In my church we do it once a month, but I have been working behind the scenes to try to change opinions and attitudes. Here is one response that I got from an older female member of the church: "Well since I have been supplying the bread and juice and setting it up for years, if we go to more than one Sunday per month, someone else is going to have to take this upon themselves."

I think that this is a sad commentary, but I understand that she would need help. I am willing to bring the bread and stock the fridge with several gallons of juice so that we can have it weekly. As a sinner, I need it weekly. If it is truly a form of grace, then we all need it as often as we can get it.

Thanks

lol, I try to be happy for what I've got. Wesley liked to see us celebrate the Lord's meal every day. The first church I went to literally had communion once a year. I moved it to every other month. The next church was once a quarter--I moved it to once every other month. The next church was once a quarter--I moved it to once every other month. IN every case, I got real complaints of people who thought we were "overdoing it" The church I'm in now ACTUALLY ASKED ME TO CHANGE IT TO ONCE EVERY MONTH. Yeah!! So, to me, I see progress happening...

[IrishGrace]

At our church, the Eucharist is celebrated on the first Sunday of every month. I was surprised when I started going there that unless Easter/Christmas/whatever other celebration fell on the first Sunday of the month (which of course will never happen with Christmas and rarely with Easter) that there was no Eucharist. I grew up in the Episcopal church where it was celebrated every other Sunday and all "celebration" days.

I personally would love to see it moved to every Sunday or at least every other Sunday, but I haven't yet got the courage to ask about it.

[MoonlightParade]

Amen, i agree, i hope that it is moved to every week, and speaking of which, i am going to ask my paster, about moving it up the pace on it, for it is a very imporant ceremony, please pray that he takes it well, (we are a bi-monthly communion church)

[Theophorus]

Well, I am of the opinion that whenever the assembly meets, the Eucharist should be celebrated, for that is the most important single purpose for being there. The Eucharist, though a communal event, is ultimatley very personal and for the benefit of the recepient. However, given all of the paradoxes of Christian life, it is also something not to be taken alone if it can be helped.

In my parish, the Eucharist is celebrated weekly (Duh, I'm Orthodox), well actually every day, but the majority of the layity show up on Sundays. But, I do not, and neither do the others partake of it every week. Everyone partakes differently, ie: most children do partake weekly, but most adults partake once a month, based on their personal preperation, fasting and prayer etc.

[Velcro]

Since our L-rd said to do as He did, and since Paul said to immitate him only as he immitates our L-rd, shouldn't the question be "How often did the L-rd do the Passover seder?" I am not being either facetious or critical here -- I am really curious why "communion" is done so often in Christian churches. I can certainly find a historical basis for it but not a biblical basis. Is not a biblical basis far more important than a historical one?

[herev]

Christ said do this as often as you eat it--bread and wine were staples--that means as often as you eat the most basic thing you eat--make it a Holy LOrd's meal.

[Velcro]

I know that this is what is taught by some, but they were eating the Pesach or Passover seder, which is once a year.

[Julio]

Holy Communion is not the unleavened "bread of affliction" of the Passover of the Jews [Deuteronomy 16:3], but rather, the living "bread from heaven" of the Christian Passover [Exodus 16:4, Nehemiah 9:15, Psalm 78:24-25, John 6:31], the new manna, which is to be eaten often, proclaiming every time "the Lord's death until he come" [I Corinthians 11:26]. The Acts of the Apostles state further that the Christians "devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of the bread and the prayers" [Acts 2:42] --right after the feast of Pentecost, by the way, which is unseasonably soon to celebrate the Passover of the Jews again-- with no distinction of one being made yearly and the others more often.

[MoonlightParade]

amen Julio!!

[Velcro]

So Methodists agree with Julio's answer? That is interesting, and thank you for your answers. What about Nazarenes?

[WesleyJohn]

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[herev]

I agree with WJ, it was a practice in the earliest records we have of the church that they celebrated the holy meal every time they got together

[WesleyJohn]

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[Rebirth In Flames]

The great thing about being a Christian, is that we can practice our faith outside of the building. If one is so adamant to do communion on a regular basis in front of his congregation, the question needs to be asked, “Are you wanting to take this for your spiritual walk with God as an act of remembrance, or are you wanting to take this out of pride and self-righteousness in which case it MUST be done in-front of others?” If you want to partake of the Lord’s Supper more often than what your congregation provides during service, what’s stopping you from doing it in your home every day? Can it not be done just the same alone with the Holy Spirit as it can be done in public among other believers? Let us not fall victim to the traps of self-righteousness.

[ClementofRome]

The great thing about being a Christian, is that we can practice our faith outside of the building. If one is so adamant to do communion on a regular basis in front of his congregation, the question needs to be asked, “Are you wanting to take this for your spiritual walk with God as an act of remembrance, or are you wanting to take this out of pride and self-righteousness in which case it MUST be done in-front of others?” If you want to partake of the Lord’s Supper more often than what your congregation provides during service, what’s stopping you from doing it in your home every day? Can it not be done just the same alone with the Holy Spirit as it can be done in public among other believers? Let us not fall victim to the traps of self-righteousness.

I would agree with your sentiment, except for the notion of self-righteousness. Yes, I can do it at home (and am giving this serious thought as to what would be appropriate), but, I am also acknowledging the fact that Jesus instituted it among his spiritual family ("who are my mother and brothers). My desire to partake of the body and the blood every week has nothing to do with self-righteousness. And, I almost never notice the others around me when i am partaking, but am assuming that they are too communing with their Lord. My desire to "commune" with my Lord and my spiritual family is an even more powerful desire than I have to "commune" with my physical family at, for instance, Thanksgiving.

Thanks for the comments.

[Velcro]

Thank you for your answers. :-)