Can a lay person preside over the Lord's Supper?

[JM]

Right. Not all Reformed folks take the Confessions quite so legalistically.

To be Reformed means something. It means confessing the faith of the Reformed churches.

Some people call themselves Reformed but have abandoned their heritage for liberalism.

 

[JM]

Depends on whether a person follows a religion or follows Jesus.

False distinction.

 

[timothyu]

False distinction.

Not really. One is institutionalized, the other is a way of life.

 

[JM]

This reminds me of the following passage...

36 As He rode along, the people spread their cloaks on the road. 37 And as He approached the descent from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of disciples began to praise God joyfully in a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen:38 “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 But some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples!”40 “I tell you,” He answered, “if they remain silent, the very stones will cry out.”

And so it is when ordinary folk celebrate in memory of Him.

This reminds me of the following passage...

"In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes."

 

[JM]

Not really. One is institutionalized, the other is a way of life.

Just....just, take the time to think about it. The video completely destroys this idea.

 

[timothyu]

The video is of man, it described itself perfectly, a corporate reality, made in man's image not of the Kingdom.

 

[Tigger45]

Gotta love Pr Fisk \o/!

 

[Der Alte]

Anecdotal.
God uses means, that includes irregular ones, that doesn't mean we make them the norm.

Factual anecdotal. Let's just ignore the results. Perhaps you can point me to the scripture which states that only an ordained deacon or pastor can officiate at a communion?

 

[JM]

The video is of man, it described itself perfectly, a corporate reality, made in man's image not of the Kingdom.

I can tell you didn't watch it.

 

[Carl Emerson]

This reminds me of the following passage...

"In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes."

Therein is a personal judgement. (You might read Romans 14) It is outrageous to suggest that we were somehow in rebellion to authority. My Pastor at the time said that the church was not within a bulls roar of what we were doing in the inner city.

 

[JM]

Factual anecdotal. Let's just ignore the results. Perhaps you can point me to the scripture which states that only an ordained deacon or pastor can officiate at a communion?

Mormons often point to the fruit of their endeavours, Muslims do as well, both claim it was God blessing their actions.

The problem is found in how each of us defines a Gospel minister, it's a presuppositional issue, not as a "I have more verses than you" kinda deal.

 

[JM]

Therein is a personal judgement. (You might read Romans 14) It is outrageous to suggest that we were somehow in rebellion to authority. My Pastor at the time said that the church was not within a bulls roar of what we were doing in the inner city.

Fair enough.

 

[JM]

Clearly I've ruffled some feathers and I did not mean to do that. Each one of us has to settle in our own mind what we believe and stand before God with our conscience bear before Him.

Let us all trust in His mercy.

In Christ alone,

jm
PS: Unsubscribed. Have at it.

 

[timothyu]

I can tell you didn't watch it.

Yes, I watched it.

 

[coffee4u]

Okay, right off the bat I'll let you know where I stand by stating only ordained ministers of the Gospel can preside at the Lord's Supper.

A co-worker mentioned that her church was doing it "virtually" Easter Sunday by allowing each household to preside over the Lord's Supper...I was completely shocked (but shouldn't be).

Yours in the Lord,

jm

Show me the Bible verse that says only an ordained minister can preside at the Lord's Supper and I will read it and consider it seriously. If there is none then this teaching does not come from God but man.

1 Corinthians 11
Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for 5 you. Do this in remembrance of me." 6 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.

Clergy are not mentioned, but eating and drinking in an unworthy manner are.

 

[Aussie Pete]

This reminds me of the following passage...

"In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes."

Lord Jesus is King now. All who are born again are his subjects.

 

[Der Alte]

Mormons often point to the fruit of their endeavours, Muslims do as well, both claim it was God blessing their actions.
The problem is found in how each of us defines a Gospel minister, it's a presuppositional issue, not as a "I have more verses than you" kinda deal.

IOW there is no scriptural basis for the idea that only an ordained minister/deacon can officiate at communion. See post # 55 above I'm not alone in this. Maybe other groups claim that God is blessing their actions but can they produce the fruit? I have dealt with a lot of Mormons both in person and on forums lots of claims but no fruit.

 

[Aussie Pete]

We do not know, but if one minister can conduct a worship service today at which Holy Communion is featured and there are a hundred communicants, this can't really be the issue some people seem determined to make it out to be.


Kinda flies in the face of the various places in the new testament in which bishops, presbyters, and deacons are referred to and qualifications for being made one of them are itemized, doesn't it?

Except they were not ordained in the formal sense. There is no mention of theological degrees and indoctrination into a denominational straightjacket. And where does it say that conducting the Lord's supper has to be by and elder or a deacon?

One of the great weaknesses of the Church is the clergy/laity divide. Every born again Christian is a member of the body and has a role to play. Everyone has a gift.
1 Corinthians 14:26
"What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification..."

The best meetings I've been to were decades ago when this was allowed to happen. As the pastor was a control freak, eventually he snuffed it out. The church folded a year or so later. I'd moved on by then.

 

[hedrick]

IOW there is no scriptural basis for the idea that only an ordained minister/deacon can officiate at communion. See post # 55 above I'm not alone in this. Maybe other groups claim that God is blessing their actions but can they produce the fruit? I have dealt with a lot of Mormons both in person and on forums lots of claims but no fruit.

No there isn't any explicit in Scripture. But there are still some good reasons. The most important, in my opinion, is that someone who presides at the sacrament is a church leader. At least in Protestant practice, churches have the right to choose their leaders. The exact structure of a church is up to the congregation or denomination, but one way or the other, the person presiding is a leader, and should be chosen by the congregation and properly prepared. There should also be structures for support and discipline of leaders.

While I don't fault you for having communion in your example, basically you were heading a congregation that hadn't elected you, and you weren't accountable either to them or anyone else. This should be at most a temporary situation, though with a bit more planning it might have been possible to avoid it. In missionary situations the congregation may not be ready to elect leaders, but in those cases normally some congregation or denomination is sending the mission leaders and authorizing them. It would have been better in your situation to have found a congregation that would sponsor your work, and provide oversight and someone to conduct the sacraments (possibly you, but with proper authorization and oversight).

While I don't insist that all churches have the same organization, in the Reformed tradition the leader who celebrates communion is normally a teaching elder, and in exceptional situations a ruling elder. (The latter possibility is not permitted in denominations that take the Westminster Confession as law, but despite some comments here, not all of us do.)

 

[timothyu]

What would the Pharisees have done in this situation?