can not taking communion lead to...

Lifelong_sinner · Sep 6, 2021

church discipline?

long story short, im in the process of trying to join a church. one requirement is to take this class, where the preacher talks about what the church stands for. the preacher thinks that i am saved, but i dont. well, first sunday of each month is communion, which i never take. he sees this each month. im sure he questions it, but hasnt asked me as to why, yet. if he did, i would be worried what to tell him. if i mentioned its because of unrepentant sin, could that eventually lead to church discipline?? or is that for something more serious??

Tolworth John · Sep 6, 2021

Lifelong_sinner said:
church discipline?

long story short, im in the process of trying to join a church. one requirement is to take this class, where the preacher talks about what the church stands for. the preacher thinks that i am saved, but i dont. well, first sunday of each month is communion, which i never take. he sees this each month. im sure he questions it, but hasnt asked me as to why, yet. if he did, i would be worried what to tell him. if i mentioned its because of unrepentant sin, could that eventually lead to church discipline?? or is that for something more serious??

Church membership is for Christians. It is not a social club where anyone can be a member, non christians are vey welcome to attend church services and other activities but membership is as I've said for Christians.

So if you douht whether you are a Christian you should not becoming a member.
If the minister doughts whether you are a Christian he should not be accepting you.

You say you have unrepented sins.
First Jesus died for All your sins, known, unknown by you, repented and unrepented sins, past, precent and future sins.

You are aware and ashamed of your sins because it is not so much unrepented as current, yes?

Be honest with God. He already knows, but wants your honesty with him.
Talk with your minister if he won't accept yu into membership because you, while a Christian are not perfectly sinless, leave.

No one except Jesus is sinless as 1John1:8+9 says, If we say we have no sin, we deseve ourselves and the truth is not in us.

Remember, Jesus is a friend to sinner.

royal priest · Sep 6, 2021

A church that takes sin seriously will not receive a Christian who does not also take sin seriously into their membership. They understand that a real Christian strives to follow Jesus as his Lord.
As far as church discipline, it's purpose is to help the member of that church to repent of the sin they have fallen into. Depending on the sin, it may require only a private one-on-one appeal to repentance.
In my experience, a church that offers communion to anyone without any discretion tends to be less scrupulous about the spiritual condition of the congregation. It is better to encourage only members in good standing of that or other churches to partake. I also think it's good to discourage church members from abstaining from communion. It is better to encourage all members to use communion as an opportunity to have heart dealings with God right then and there in a holy resolve to please Him in every aspect of life.

com7fy8 · Sep 6, 2021

Lifelong_sinner said:
the preacher thinks that i am saved, but i dont.

It is wise to evaluate yourself. But trust God to evaluate with you.

And Jesus died so we may be forgiven. So, Jesus has hope for you.

And how Jesus has been so kind and generously forgiving of us is our example of how He desires us also to forgive kindly and generously.

So, He does not want us only to be forgiven, but to change into forgiving people.

com7fy8 · Sep 6, 2021

Lifelong_sinner said:
if i mentioned its because of unrepentant sin, could that eventually lead to church discipline?? or is that for something more serious??

I think he can speak for himself, about how he would do things with you.

And why wait to find out what the church would do? God is able to change us out of our wrong things. Think about how we can be loving, instead of continuing in wrong things. Loving is so better and pleasing to our Father.

Albion · Sep 6, 2021

"Lifelong," I suspect that the minister will, sooner or later, talk to you about it, so you might better ask for a meeting with him now to talk about your concerns.

He won't find them to be shocking, and he may be able to help you understand better how to deal with your misgivings and what the church's own view of the matter is.

Lifelong_sinner · Sep 6, 2021

Albion said:
"Lifelong," I suspect that the minister will, sooner or later, talk to you about it, so you might better ask for a meeting with him now to talk about your concerns.

He won't find them to be shocking, and he may be able to help you understand better how to deal with your misgivings and what the church's own view of the matter is.

i agree that sooner or later, he will say something too. I need to get my story straight, and for now, i will not seek church membership. I will finish out the class though.

William J · Sep 6, 2021

Lifelong_sinner, it sounds to me like you have some serious issues in your relationship with God, and your relationship with God is infinitely more important than what a pastor thinks about you or whether a church considers you a member. Salvation is a free gift of God and can only received by faith in Jesus. I see that it says you are a Calvinist, and I want to respect that, yet within Calvinism there isn't much you can do one way or the other. The I in TULIP, irresistible grace will force you to accept Jesus if you are saved, and if you don't get the unmerited election (the U) there's not much to be done. So let's leave salvation for a moment and move to sanctification. If you have some unrepentant sin on your heart, tell a Christian that you trust about it. Maybe the minister, if you feel comfortable confiding in him. It sound like this sin, whatever it is, is bugging you. It seems that this sin is too big for you to tackle on your own, so I would recommend bringing in a mature Christian who is trustworthy to help you deal with it. I pray that God will save you if He hasn't already and that God will continue to make you a better follower of His Son and help you to overcome the sin in your life.

ViaCrucis · Sep 6, 2021

Lifelong_sinner said:
church discipline?

long story short, im in the process of trying to join a church. one requirement is to take this class, where the preacher talks about what the church stands for. the preacher thinks that i am saved, but i dont. well, first sunday of each month is communion, which i never take. he sees this each month. im sure he questions it, but hasnt asked me as to why, yet. if he did, i would be worried what to tell him. if i mentioned its because of unrepentant sin, could that eventually lead to church discipline?? or is that for something more serious??

"This is My body, which is broken for you"
Take and eat.

"This is My blood of the New Covenant for the forgiveness of sins"
Take and drink.

It's for you.

Perhaps the reason you refuse to acknowledge that you are saved and forgiven is because you are refusing to see where and how that forgiveness and salvation looks like. That's what the Lord's Supper is, that's what it is for.

The Eucharist is not there to make us feel like good pious people. The Eucharist is there because, as one modern hymn says,

"Would you be free from your burden of sin
There's power in the blood power in the blood
Would you o'er evil a victory win
There's wonderfull power in the blood

There is power power wonder working power in the blood of the lamb
There is power power wonder working power in the precious blood of lamb"

Well, here it is. The blood of the Lamb poured out for you, His flesh broken for you. Come before the Mystery of Mt. Calvary, where the Son of God gave Himself for you because He loves you: Here is Christ for you.

-CryptoLutheran

Lifelong_sinner · Sep 6, 2021

ViaCrucis said:
"This is My body, which is broken for you"
Take and eat.

"This is My blood of the New Covenant for the forgiveness of sins"
Take and drink.

It's for you.

Perhaps the reason you refuse to acknowledge that you are saved and forgiven is because you are refusing to see where and how that forgiveness and salvation looks like. That's what the Lord's Supper is, that's what it is for.

The Eucharist is not there to make us feel like good pious people. The Eucharist is there because, as one modern hymn says,

"Would you be free from your burden of sin
There's power in the blood power in the blood
Would you o'er evil a victory win
There's wonderfull power in the blood

There is power power wonder working power in the blood of the lamb
There is power power wonder working power in the precious blood of lamb"

Well, here it is. The blood of the Lamb poured out for you, His flesh broken for you. Come before the Mystery of Mt. Calvary, where the Son of God gave Himself for you because He loves you: Here is Christ for you.

-CryptoLutheran

you do realize that even if saved, there are still restrictions to taking communion?? I’ll never take communion again, knowing what can happen if you take it unworthily.

ViaCrucis · Sep 6, 2021

Lifelong_sinner said:
you do realize that even if saved, there are still restrictions to taking communion?? I’ll never take communion again, knowing what can happen if you take it unworthily.

What you're saying is that you're too sick to take medicine, you're too hungry to eat food, too naked to wear clothes, too poor to receive money, too thirsty to drink water. Noticing a trend here?

"I'm too sinful to be forgiven" is the same kind of logic.

God doesn't save good people. He saves people like me, dirty rotten wretches.

-CryptoLutheran

Lifelong_sinner · Sep 6, 2021

You’re right that Jesus saves wretched people. But there are conditions to meet in order to be saved. One condition is that you cannot commit the same exact sin, everyday, without remorse, and think that He will forgive you. Thats not what repentance is.

ViaCrucis · Sep 7, 2021

Lifelong_sinner said:
You’re right that Jesus saves wretched people. But there are conditions to meet in order to be saved. One condition is that you cannot commit the same exact sin, everyday, without remorse, and think that He will forgive you. Thats not what repentance is.

Seems a little weird to think that you're stronger than Jesus.

Which is what you're saying when you imply that you can sin worse than God can forgive. How deep is God's forgiveness? Christ conquered hell for you. That's how deep.

God isn't so easily impeded by such trivial things. You're not going to win against His love for you.

-CryptoLutheran

Lifelong_sinner · Sep 7, 2021

Wow, you completely missed the whole point of what i was saying. What i am saying is that you seem to believe in what some call easy believism. Simply believing in Jesus isnt going to save anyone. James tells us this. Even demons believe in Jesus. So why arent they saved?? Why didnt judas get saved?? No repentance. Without repentance, you CANNOT be saved.

Joy · Sep 7, 2021

I've been praying for you and will continue to do so. Have courage and seek Godly counsel but more than that talk to the Lord and study His Word because Romans 2:4 says it is knowing the goodness of God which leads us to repentance.

seeking.IAM · Sep 7, 2021

@Lifelong_sinner, I am curious about two things. What is your definition of repentance? What are the barriers to your achieving it?

How you conceptualize "repentance" may be useful to this discussion. We all assume we share a common understanding, but sometimes we don't.

Lifelong_sinner · Sep 7, 2021

seeking.IAM said:
@Lifelong_sinner, I am curious about two things. What is your definition of repentance? What are the barriers to your achieving it?

How you conceptualize "repentance" may be useful to this discussion. We all assume we share a common understanding, but sometimes we don't.

good question. Repentance is a confessing of sin as well as a desire to stop doing sin. A turning away from, if you will.

CMDRExorcist · Sep 7, 2021

Lifelong_sinner said:
church discipline?

long story short, im in the process of trying to join a church. one requirement is to take this class, where the preacher talks about what the church stands for. the preacher thinks that i am saved, but i dont. well, first sunday of each month is communion, which i never take. he sees this each month. im sure he questions it, but hasnt asked me as to why, yet. if he did, i would be worried what to tell him. if i mentioned its because of unrepentant sin, could that eventually lead to church discipline?? or is that for something more serious??

Sounds to me like you're going through a crisis of self confidence that is affecting your faith. This happens to me quite a bit. It's easy to say, "Oh, just trust in Jesus and you'll know.", but the reality is much more difficult The truth is that sometimes our hearts weigh us down to the point where our lack of confidence clouds our vision of how Christ sees us. The most straightforward answer to your question is that you should never taken communion if you don't feel that it's honest and right for you. That's about being true to God and to yourself, but you shouldn't let this continue on forever. As some have already said, I'd recommend speaking with the pastor to discuss your doubts. Your feelings are not uncommon and I'm sure that the church could offer you guidance that could alleviate some of the anxiety.

Many blessings to you! I hope you find the way!

seeking.IAM · Sep 7, 2021

seeking.IAM said:
@Lifelong_sinner, I am curious about two things. What is your definition of repentance? What are the barriers to your achieving it?...

Lifelong_sinner said:
good question. Repentance is a confessing of sin as well as a desire to stop doing sin. A turning away from, if you will.

Thank you for answering the first question. While there is no need for you to answer it here, it may be useful for you to answer the second question for yourself to help yourself move along. That is, what is the barrier holding you back from stopping?

I think it is a thoughtful and well-intentioned thing on your part not to take communion in an unworthy manner, but I'd encourage a sit-down with your pastor or other trusted spiritual advisor to have a frank conversation to help sort it out. That wouldn't result in church discipline in my church. I can't say about yours, not knowing more about it.

Lifelong_sinner · Sep 7, 2021

seeking.IAM said:
Thank you for answering the first question. While there is no need for you to answer it here, it may be useful for you to answer the second question for yourself to help yourself move along. That is, what is the barrier holding you back from stopping?

I think it is a thoughtful and well-intentioned thing on your part not to take communion in an unworthy manner, but I'd encourage a sit-down with your pastor or other trusted spiritual advisor to have a frank conversation to help sort it out. That wouldn't result in church discipline in my church. I can't say about yours, not knowing more about it.

as for the 2nd question, quite simply, i dont feel bad about certain sins i do.

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