How many of us know when we will be serving the congregation before we arrive for services? I would imagine there is a great variety of preparedness. The men of the congregation truly serve their fellow Christians when they guide our minds in worship. With that in mind, I wanted to provide some Scriptures for study that can help those who participate and those who serve during the Lord’s Supper and our contribution.
The Lord’s Supper
I would imagine 90-percent of the times I have eaten the Lord’s Supper one of the following verses was read: Matthew 26:26-30, Mark 14:22-26, Luke 22:14-23, or I Corinthians 11:23-29. These are excellent Scriptures to read and every man who serves on the Lord’s table should have these ready at his fingertips. But there are other verses in the word of God that are appropriate for reading during the Lord’s Supper as well. It may take a little extra preparation but these are presented for your study.
The Lord’s Supper reminds us of the body Jesus sacrificed on the cross and the blood he shed for our forgiveness and to sanctify the new covenant. Why not read a few verses that deal with the act of his crucifixion? Matthew 26-27, Mark 14-15, Luke 22-23, and John 18-19 all deal with the arrest, trials, beatings, and crucifixion of our Lord. What better way to prepare our minds to remember the Lord’s death than reading about his prayer in Gethsemane, how his disciples abandoned him, and how he chose death for us over life for himself?
Isaiah chapter 53 is a great Scripture that many read before the Lord’s Supper. But it is not the only Old Testament Scripture that applies to the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Several prophetic verses from Psalm 22 have their fulfillment in the crucifixion of Jesus. Exodus 12:43-47, Psalms 34:20; 69:21, Daniel 2:44-45, and Zechariah 12:10 all are referenced or fulfilled in the crucifixion of Jesus.
The blood of Jesus as the blood of the new covenant is another theme that can be explored in preparation for the eating of the bread and the fruit of the vine. Hebrews chapters 8,9, and 10 are devoted to a discussion of the old and new covenants of God with man. Think of ending a talk on the fruit of the vine with: “we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”-Hebrews 10:10.
But wait there are more! Acts 20:7, I Corinthians 10:16-17, I Peter 1:18-19, Ephesians 2:13-21, and Colossians 1:19-23 all provide excellent thoughts pertaining to the sacrifice of Jesus and its direct impact on our salvation. It will take some extra study to use these verses properly but the result will be rewarding.
The Contribution
Another important part of our worship service is the “laying by in store” to provide for the work of the local congregation. I Corinthians 16:1-2 and II Corinthians 9:6-9 are fantastic verses to use during the collection. They fit the occasion and need little further explanation. But it never hurts to broaden our scriptural horizons.
Let’s start in II Corinthians. Chapters eight and nine deal almost exclusively with giving. Paul talks about Christians giving “themselves first to the Lord”-8:5 and being “enriched in every way to be generous in every way.”-9:11. There are many points to be made about our giving in these chapters. It just takes a little extra study.
There are tremendous parables and stories from other places in the Scriptures that make for thought provoking comments as well.
The early Christians Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-37
Give without publicity Matthew 6:1-4
The widow’s offering Mark 12:41-44
You could also focus on the things for which the funds collected should be used to glorify God. I Corinthians 9:6-14, Philippians 4:15-20, and I Timothy 5:17-18 all deal with teaching and preaching the gospel. Acts 11:27-30, Romans 12:10-13; 15:25-28, and many of the verses listed above, deal with providing for needs of our fellow Christians.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of Scriptures that can be sought for inspiration during the contribution or the Lord’s Supper. Take the time to study them all. Look at the context in which they occur. It will benefit your worship to God and if used properly during worship will benefit your fellow Christian as well.
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