Articles for tag: Lord’s Supper

His Story, Our Story, the Story of Christ

By Jeff Faull Imagine a child asking the apostle Paul, “Would you tell me a story?” Where would he start? He could tell about his Damascus road experience, adventures at sea, the time he was bitten by a snake, and the great basket escape. He could speak of the time Eutychus fell asleep during his sermon and fell out the window and died. Then there were the occasions he was stoned and left for dead. He could relate his vision of the third heaven. He might mention his authorship of at least a dozen books of the Bible. Paul could

Still We Meet on the Lord”s Day

By Jeff Faull “I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus. . . . On the Lord”s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet” (Revelation 1:9, 10, author emphasis). Today is the Lord”s Day, but it doesn”t quite seem the same. John was being punished. We are not. John was suffering. We are not. John was alone. We”re not. John was an apostle. We”re not. John was an eyewitness. We”re not But we are trying to listen to God,

A Divine Dessert

By Daniel Schantz “I left you a little treat for breakfast,” my wife says, as she passes my study door, on her way to the grocery store. “Thanks, Hon!” I am doing my morning devotions. When my stomach begins to rumble, I wander into the kitchen and sit at the table. Sharon has set out an odd assortment of items, including a big bowl of white flour, a smaller bowl with three raw eggs in it, two cups of sugar, a cup of cold butter, a glass of lemon juice, and a glass of milk. “Hmm,” I say to myself,

Extending a Hand and Standing Firm

By Mark A. Taylor The cover headline on Christian Standard”s July 2, 2006 edition was “We Are NOT the Only Christians.” The lead article was from a book written by Rick Atchley and Bob Russell, a small volume about Christian unity titled Together Again*. The book”s publication coincided with the historic 2006 North American Christian Convention, whose theme and goal was to repair wounds and open doors between a cappella churches of Christ and independent, instrumental Christian churches and churches of Christ. But the book talked about more than that division. It also offered a challenge for how we view

Ships in the Night?

By Darrel Rowland Churches across the country are shedding denominational names, and well-known Evangelical leaders, such as Francis Chan, are expressing the importance of biblical baptism. Are the heirs to the Restoration Movement headed in the other direction? “I find that denominational preachers are really finding an interest in our doctrine and our stand,” says Ben Merold, minister-at-large with Harvester Christian Church in St. Charles, Missouri. “At about the time they”re kind of coming our way, we”re not making much of our doctrine and our Restoration Movement stand.” Victor Knowles, founder of Peace On Earth Ministries, remarked, “It is more

The God Who Hung on a Cross

By Kay Moll In 1999 an evangelist visited a village in the northern part of Cambodia that for many years had been under the control of the Khmer Rouge. Christianity was seemingly unheard of. If people professed any kind of faith, it was in Buddha or their ancestral spirits. But when the evangelist came to this particular village, he was surprised at the people”s eagerness to hear and respond to the gospel. He said it seemed to him as though they had been waiting for him. One old woman told him they had been waiting . . . waiting for

Alone in a Crowd

By Tom Claibourne   The Lord”s Supper is quite paradoxical. It looks backward and forward. It calls us to look upward but also inward. It is utterly profound yet disarmingly simple. It celebrates life while focusing on death. The Communion emblems prompt feelings of assurance while also calling for an honest self-evaluation regarding our sin. They honor Jesus” death but also his resurrection. They help us celebrate the forgiveness of our sins while reminding us of our ongoing struggle with temptation. The Lord”s Supper stirs tears of repentance but also smiles of celebration. It calls forth horror at the intensity

Valentine Love

By Tom Claibourne   Legends abound regarding the origin of Valentine”s Day and the namesake for the holiday. At least three different Saint Valentines, all of them martyrs, are mentioned in the early martyrologies associated with February 14. The best-known account features a Roman priest who was martyred during the reign of Emperor Claudius for refusing to renounce his faith and for defying an edict issued by the emperor. The Roman Empire under Claudius was involved in many bloody, unpopular military campaigns. As a result, it became increasingly difficult to recruit soldiers. The emperor reasoned that the Roman men did

Powerful Reminders from Passionate Events

By Tom Claibourne   Twenty-six verses. Mark 14:1-26 comprises less than a third of the chapter, but it is filled with a whirlwind of passionate emotions and events. “¢ We see envy, fear, anger, deception, malice, hatred, and evil plots: “The chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill Him” (v. 1). “¢ We see gratitude, love, a sacrificial offering, some misunderstanding, an explanation, and a gospel message for the ages: A woman touched by the grace of God offered an expensive expression of love and gratitude to Jesus by anointing him

Lesson for November 10, 2013: Beginning of Passover (Exodus 6:2-30; 12)

By Sam E. Stone “The deliverance of Israel from the bondage of Egypt was at hand; also their adoption as the nation of Jehovah,” writes C. F. Keil. “But for this a divine consecration was necessary, that their outward severance from the land of Egypt might be accompanied by an inward severance from everything of an Egyptian or heathen nature. This consecration was to be imparted by the Passover””a festival which was to lay the foundation for Israel”s birth into the new life of grace and fellowship with God, and to renew it perpetually in time to come.” God gave

Communion . . . and Grace

By David Timms Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” Perhaps nothing hurts as much as betrayal. A wife discovers a string of e-mails and realizes her husband has been intimate with another woman. Or a man receives a note from his wife saying she and one of his longtime friends plan to start a life together. Or someone at work gives the boss information that was shared in confidence. Betrayal cuts deeply for all of us, and no less so for Jesus. That last night with his disciples, Judas sat close to Jesus. The plot was in place,

Communion . . . and Unity

By David Timms Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” When we attend a football game or a baseball game, we remember far more than the score (if we even remember the score). The whole event comes back to mind; driving to the game, our parking spot, our seats, the noise of the crowd, peanuts in the shell, the $6 hot dogs, and so much more. We remember everything surrounding the event. So did the disciples. That last night with Jesus was indelibly imprinted on their minds. How could they forget? They gathered for the Passover meal. Jesus washed

Communion . . . and Service

By David Timms Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” We typically use the word remember in a rather abstract way. Do you remember your first car? Your first boyfriend or girlfriend? Your first job? The birth of your first child? We recall an event and the warm emotions attached to it. Or perhaps we were forced to remember information for school. Remember the list of presidents? Remember those algebraic equations? Remember participles, passives, and prepositions? That kind of recall can raise our blood pressure and stress all over again. Let”s not dredge up those memories! But remember Jesus

Kingdom Clash

By Robert F. Hull Jr. In the closing of his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul includes this surprising note: “All God”s people here send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar”s household” (Philippians 4: 22). What? There are followers of Christ in the emperor”s household? The same Caesar who is holding Paul in prison and who will eventually see to it that Paul is executed? Talk about a clash of kingdoms! Both Jesus and Paul were acutely aware there could be no merger of the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this world, but neither could

From the Trivial (but Interesting) to the Eternal (and Compelling)

By LeRoy Lawson At Home: A Short History of Private Life Bill Bryson New York: Doubleday, 2010 The Divine Embrace: Recovering the Passionate Spiritual Life Robert E. Webber Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2006 Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewishness of Jesus Can Transform Your Faith Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009 Some authors are hard to resist. I”d already read several Bill Bryson books (Mother Tongue, Notes from a Small Island, A Walk in the Woods, A Short History of Nearly Everything), so when I came across At Home: A Short History of

A Conversation with Jeff Faull

Meet Our Contributing Editors: This month we begin a series of interviews with CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s contributing editors. What they have to say about the church, the ministry, our fellowship of churches, and anything else on their minds will challenge and interest our readers. Their insights and questions amply illustrate why each of these volunteers is such a valuable part of the CHRISTIAN STANDARD team.   Interview by Jennifer Johnson QUESTION: You and I both sit in on these conversations about the future of the Restoration Movement, and it seems many times they rehash the same topics and complaints. Let”s go

Downloads

CHRISTIAN STANDARD offers a growing library of downloads that are inexpensive, easy to order, and valuable for teaching, preaching, or personal study. Students are using these in their classes. Local church leaders distribute them as handouts or file them for study. To order, click on the links below, or go towww.standardpub.com and search for them by the item numbers provided. Please note: These items are downloads only; no product will be shipped. _________________________               2012 Christian Church Report–Deluxe Edition A thorough listing and analysis of a wide range of data from 344 congregations associated with

Lesson for March 24, 2013: The Lord’s Supper (Luke 22:1-38)

This treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson is written by Sam E. Stone, former editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. ______ By Sam E. Stone To the Jew, Passover was the most important of all the annual observances in Jerusalem. Passover was celebrated on the 14th of Nisan. At this feast, Jews remembered their deliverance from Egypt. They would eat bread that had not had time to rise, just as their forefathers had done as they hurried to escape Pharoah and his soldiers. At the feast, each family group would first sacrifice a lamb, then roast it for the meal. Luke

The Baby Bears an Apple

By Lee Magness It comes as a surprise in the painting of Jesus” birth by the great contemporary Chinese artist He Qi (pronounced “huh chi”). The baby bears an apple. Most of the features of the painting are to be expected, traditional if not biblical details common to many depictions of the nativity””Mary bending low, Joseph lifting his lantern, animals peering at the peculiar intruders, the manger with its golden straw, and the rosy-cheeked child staring straight into the onlookers” eyes. The painting doubles as an annunciation””an angel soars, shepherds gaze skyward, sheep frolic in the foreground. But there is

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