Does the bread have to be broken after it is blessed and before the Lord’s Supper is taken?  I have seen a growing number of men break the bread in the plate after the prayer.  What's the biblical answer?

Sincerely,
Broken Up Over The Issue

Dear Broken Up Over The Issue,

We must break the bread like Jesus did, by sharing it with others who are also taking the Lord’s Supper. The term ‘break the bread’ can mean two things:

1. Physically separating a loaf of bread (Acts 27:35)

2. To have a meal, share food (Acts 2:46)

When we take the Lord’s Supper, we use Christ’s example as our guide. Christ took the bread first and then the juice (Matt 26:26-27) – so we do it in the same order. Jesus used grape juice, so we use grape juice (Matt 26:29). So if Jesus physically broke the bread as part of the Lord’s Supper, we should to. The example we see is that Jesus gave thanks for the bread and then broke the bread to share it with the disciples (Matt 26:26). So when we take the Lord’s Supper, we are to do the same thing… share the bread with the other Christians assembled. Without being too dogmatic on the point, the bread gets broken, by default, every time other Christians take some from the loaf. The emphasis isn’t on who breaks the bread – but on us all sharing the meal together (1 Cor 10:16-17).

What is the prayer a preacher says when someone is pronounced dead?

Sincerely,
Dying Breath

Dear Dying Breath,

You are probably thinking of the Catholic practice of Last Rites… which is not a Biblical practice, but a man-made hocus-pocus tradition.  The Catholic church teaches that someone who is dying should be given “last rites” which includes a prayer and the Eucharist (their twist on the Lord’s Supper) administered by a Catholic priest.  This practice cannot be found in the Scriptures.  The Bible doesn’t give an example of a prayer that needs to be said when someone is pronounced dead or near death… although, it would be entirely appropriate to pray at that time.  Mourning is one of the most important parts of the human experience because it reminds us of our own mortality (Eccl 7:2) and the importance of being prepared to face God (Heb 9:27).

This question is a follow-up to “Bored Enough To Leave”

Why is listening to one man preach for an hour the focus of our worship?

Sincerely,
Yawn

Dear Yawn,

Who ever said that it was the only focus?  Who ever said that it had to be an hour?  Our congregation’s sermons tend to range from 35 minutes to 45 minutes – a good 25% less than an hour.  Paul once preached until midnight (Acts 20:7)… a good deal longer than an hour!  The length of the preaching isn’t set in Scripture.

However, the purpose of preaching is made clear in the Bible.  In Nehemiah 8, Ezra set out to preach to the people of Israel.  He gathered the people (Neh 8:1) – specifically those old enough to understand truth (Neh 8:2).  He set up a pulpit, so he and the others who spoke could be seen and heard (Neh 8:4).  Then Ezra began to read from God’s law (Neh 8:5) and explained that Law, so the people could understand it (Neh 8:8).

Preaching is a planned and prepared explanation of God’s Word so that people who want to learn can understand it.  Now, if you are going to explain something, it is going to take some time.  Depending on the size of the subject, it might take a long time, or it might take just a little, but it does require time.  Every congregation must decide what amount of time is appropriate to allot for that.  If you don’t allot enough, the people can perish because they don’t understand God’s Word (Hos 4:6)… however, it is also true that if you spend too much time preaching (especially if it isn’t thoughtful preaching) that you can hinder people’s understanding and growth in the text.  The issue comes down to wisdom – wisdom of the congregation and wisdom in the preacher.

The preacher at my church is so boring that I can barely stand to listen to him for more than ten minutes.  Why do we have to make the focal point of service listening to one person talk to us for an hour?  I mean, if this is what "going to church" is all about, I don't think it's for me.

Sincerely,
Yawn

Dear Yawn,

Christianity isn’t about entertainment, and if the only problem you have with a congregation is that it doesn’t hold your attention, it is time to take a serious look at your own spirituality.  Learning and studying God's Word is often hard and can feel tiresome, but the hard work pays off in the end.  It is nice if a preacher can be "easy on the ears", but ultimately, it is our job to learn and grow from studying the Bible (1 Pet 2:2)

The church’s main job is to stand by the truth (1 Tim 3:15), and one sign of a congregation turning from the Lord is that the preaching and teaching are no longer about truth, but about entertaining the people (2 Tim 4:3-4).  So, using excitement or the feeling of being entertained isn’t a good benchmark.

On the other hand, a congregation whose love has grown cold (Matt 24:12) or one that has left their zealous love for the Lord (Rev 2:4) is sometimes seen as “boring”.  If a church is no longer active and working to be effective in its service for the Lord, that can be a real problem.  After all, we are to worship God in spirit and in truth (Jhn 4:24), and if a congregation holds to the truth in word, but not in deed, there is a definite issue.  That type of “boring” can be a reason to leave a group.

     Do you think the music at the beginning of the videos is "instrumental music"?

Sincerely,
Harmony

Dear Harmony,

Yes, we do.  The Daily Cup video music is definitely instrumental music (pretty sure it is whistling and ukulele), but it isn’t used as part of worship, and it isn’t religious music.  The Bible has no problem with the use of instruments, but when we are commanded to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God, we must fulfill that command by singing only (which means no instruments).  See “Instrumental To Worship” for further details.  The introduction to our video series isn’t an attempt to fulfill that command or be a form of worship.