Thank you so much for this wonderful site!  It is a blessing and a great tool for Bible study!  My question is: how exactly are we supposed to examine ourselves before and while participating in the Lord's Supper (1 Cor 11:26-29)?

Sincerely,
Looking In The Mirror

Dear Looking In The Mirror,

When Paul told us to examine ourselves before taking the Lord’s Supper, he used a very unique word.  ‘Examine’ means ‘to try or test for genuiness’.  The Greek word for ‘examine’ is sometimes translated ‘prove’, ‘discern’, and ‘test’.  It is a word that was used when someone examined precious metals to see whether or not they were genuine.

God doesn’t give any specific method for examining ourselves.  We are supposed to contemplate and use introspection to examine whether our lives are genuinely dedicated to Christ.  We can know whether our lives are faithful by the fruits we are bearing (Matt 7:16-20).  When you get ready to take the Lord’s Supper next Sunday (Acts 20:7), ask yourself what kind of life you have lived this week.  Examine your life and whether or not it genuinely belongs to Christ, and you will have fulfilled the commandment of 1 Cor 11:28.

I'm a new christian, but there is so much that I do not understand; one of the things that I need to know is: when I was in the Baptist church, I learned to take communion every first Sunday.  Now, I'm in a different church, and there is no communion… just once a year washing of the feet as Mary did for Jesus, so when I heard that one of the ministries on TV was giving communion last week, I also took part while at home.  Was I wrong, or should I only do feet washing?  Thank you for taking the time to answer.

Sincerely,
Clean Toes

Dear Clean Toes,

The church should take communion every Sunday.  In fact, the subject is so clear that it is an evident sign that a congregation isn’t biblically sound if they don’t take it every Sunday.  In Acts 20:7, we see that the church, including the apostle Paul, gathered on the first day of the week to take the Lord’s Supper.  We are told to follow the example of the apostles (1 Cor 11:1).  In the New Testament, the church took the Lord’s Supper on Sunday, and we should, too.

On a separate but related note, we never see feet washing as a part of the worship service of the church.  Though there are examples of feet washing in the Bible, none of those examples are a part of congregational worship.  The church you are attending is failing to take communion when the Bible says to, and it is adding feet washing as worship when the Bible never teaches that… God warns against adding or subtracting from His Word (Rev 22:18-19).

While on vacation, I had heard other christians say it’s okay to take the Lord's Supper in their hotel room.  My concern is when checking out places to take vacations, shouldn't a christian go where they know a church exists?  It seems you’re not putting God first – but your vacation.

Sincerely,
Travel Agent

Dear Travel Agent,

There are some issues that it would best not to be too dogmatic about – this is one of them.  Some brethren feel that you can take the Lord’s Supper and hold services in your hotel room on a Sunday because God says that “where two or three are gathered together, there I am” (Matt 18:20).  Others feel as you do, that all vacations should have a congregation to visit planned into the trip.  It is impossible to say that one brother is right and the other is wrong in this sort of situation.  Paul tells us that when the Scriptures leave room for personal choice, that we should allow each christian to independently decide because we all must face God independently (Rom 14:3-4).  You have a very valid point in your view of this issue and should make sure to never offend your own conscience by vacationing where there is no church (Rom 14:23), but don’t be too judgmental with those who feel differently.

The people at my church are quite hostile... and there are a lot of problems in the congregation.  It has come to the point where it’s hard to go, due to all the backbiting.  Is there any way to take communion at home until I can find a new church?  I do not have a car available to search at the moment.  Thanks for any help!

Sincerely,
Fed Up

Dear Fed Up,

Communion is something the church is supposed to do when it is all together (1 Cor 11:33).  Offering the Lord’s Supper is a congregational activity (1 Cor 11:20), not an individual one.  We can really appreciate your frustration and concern over the state of your congregation.  We can also understand the difficulty of your transportation problem.  If you would like, we would be happy to help you contact a faithful local congregation that could provide you transportation to services.  Our e-mail is askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org.

(This question is a follow-up to “Division Of Leaven”)

     How much of a pattern is one to follow?  You require one to follow the "order" Jesus used in taking the Lord’s Supper, but you don't require the distributor to break the bread prior to serving it?  Why do you pick and choose and say the latter requirement would be non-essential to the pattern?  Why not say the order is also arbitrary because essentially the juice will beat the bread in the digestive system anyway?

Sincerely,
Broken Up Over The Issue

Dear Broken Up Over The Issue,

Good brethren are divided over whether or not it is an important detail to physically break the unleavened loaf.  Unleavened bread is flat because it doesn’t have the yeast to make it rise – like a cracker.  Some brethren think it is required to break the bread; other folks point to Scriptures that use the term “break the bread” as a colloquialism to generically refer to any meal.  The argument isn’t over whether or not we should break the bread – the disagreement is over whether or not “break the bread” in this context means to share the bread (a common meaning of the phrase) or to physically crack the bread into pieces.  It is best not to be too dogmatic because there is no way to know definitively.