Text: Mark 1:16-20
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 24 May 2020
Text: Mark 1:16-20
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 24 May 2020
A major subject that the apostle Paul teaches in Romans 8 is the Holy Spirit’s work in every Christian’s life. The Holy Spirit is mentioned nearly twenty times in chapter 8 of Romans. Therein, Paul explained certain important works of the Spirit in every Christian’s life. Thus, it provides us with a treasure trove of theological, spiritual and practical truths concerning the Spirit’s work in a Christian’s life. It is amazingly enriching and inspiring to all who seek their spiritual growth.
In a Christian’s life, the Spirit’s influence is essential to all that he ought to be as a godly person to glorify God. He is the Source, Enabler and Securer of our spiritual life. True believers serve God, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts" (Zech. 4:6). It is the Holy Spirit, who ultimately will bring every believer to eternal glory in the presence of God.
In Romans 8:1-4, Paul wrote, "1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
Everyone in Christ Jesus has been liberated from the divine condemnation and the subjugating power of the carnal passions of the flesh. He is now characterised by a new life that is "after the Spirit". The spiritual freedom from sin and condemnation sets him forward to live according to the direction of the Holy Spirit, who now dwells in him. Such an individual’s life is no more anchored on his fleshly or carnal desires. His passion for living is as the Holy Spirit guides him. So, it is said in verses 1 and 4, that Christians "walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit". In fact, a Christian’s life is a life in the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit!
Paul testified concerning his own Christian life in verse 2, that it is a life directed by the Spirit – "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." Here, Paul uses the term "law" in the sense of "governing operation" or "effectual working", and not the Mosaic Law or other divine commandments. The effectual working of the Holy Spirit ("the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus") grants to every Christian the power to break free from the bondage of sin, guilt and condemnation ("the law of sin and death"). When a person experiences the saving work of Christ through the Holy Spirit, he is endued with a newness under the powerful influence of the Holy Spirit.
Paul also said that such a renewed spiritual life was "what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh" (v. 3a). In verse 3, "the law" refers to the Moral Law of God (i.e. the Ten Commandments). In other words, a godly life, as taught by the Law of God, was not possible because he was kept weak by his carnal nature ("flesh"). Man’s sinful corruption made the Law powerless to save him. The Law could only condemn man for all his sins. But God worked out the sinful man’s deliverance from the miserable bondage of sin and condemnation by "sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh". By Jesus’ death on the cross, our sin and its condemnation had been removed. Jesus bore the fury of God’s wrath that was against our sin, and thus He broke sin’s power over all those who would come to Him with faith. Jesus’ death was "for sin" and it "condemned sin in the flesh". Whereas sin once condemned the believer, now Christ condemns sin, delivering the believer from sin’s power and penalty!
The freedom from sin and condemnation which Jesus has secured for the believer results in a life of righteousness. So Paul said in verse 4, "That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Once a person trusts in Jesus for deliverance from sin and judgment, he is freed from the slavery of sin and empowered through the Holy Spirit to live a life of sanctification. Every true Christian is under the influence of the Holy Spirit, and hence will possess the divinely imparted ability to live righteously. It does not mean he will be utterly free from temptations of the flesh and its influence. But he will be empowered to overcome such attempts of the flesh by the working of the Holy Spirit. God does not redeem men in order that they may continue sinning, but in order that they may begin to live righteously by having the requirement of the Law fulfilled in them.
God has made available the Holy Spirit and His empowerment to all Christians so that they "walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit". Without exception, every Christian can walk in the power of the Holy Spirit to live a righteous life. The word "walk" is used figuratively to refer to a habitual way of life or a lifestyle. A Christian’s habit is to walk in the Spirit and not after the sinful passions of his flesh. Because every true believer is indwelt by the Spirit, every true believer will produce the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). A true believer, whether young or old, immature or mature, has the influence and the enablement of the Spirit to live a biblical, righteous life.
Text: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 10 May 2020
The prophet Jeremiah wrote, "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts" (Jeremiah 15:16).
"Thy words were found…" Have you found God’s Word? It is the wisdom and truth of God’s Word. Every soul that discovers the immense value and power of God’s Word would have great joy in all His words. Therein, he will find the Gospel of salvation, sanctifying truths, exceedingly great and precious promises, perfect guidance, blessed hope, etc. The written Word of God is all about Christ, the Living Word. It reveals to us His greatness and His truths, by which we may be ushered into His salvation and all spiritual blessings. It is the sacred treasure trove of Christ to His people.
"…and I did eat them…" He, who has found God’s Word for what it really is, would quickly consecrate himself to enjoy its dainties. By looking at good food and merely analyzing it mentally, no one can enjoy it. Everyone must eat the food to be nourished up by it, and so it is with God’s Word. It is the soul’s food - wholesome, savoury, saving and nourishing. Looking at it with an intellectual understanding of its contents would not suffice for our enjoyment of it. But everyone should consume it by making it the principle of his life. It will delight his soul and excite him to pursue all its truths and counsels with an irrepressible passion.
"…and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart". When God’s Word is consumed through the reading and studying of its contents, one will be encouraged to apply its truth, wisdom and counsels in his life. Thus, God’s Word will provide a delightful experience of spiritual joy and rejoicing to one who savours it. He would then be fully assured of the gracious calling of God to His wonderful and glorious salvation and all the eternal blessings, as Jeremiah said: "for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts".
The following testimony by Bro. Tan Eng Huat, who has been diligently studying God’s Word through the courses offered by GBI-Online, will cheer you to pursue the joy that comes through the study and application of His Word.
Jesus said, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled" (Matt 5:6).
I have been puzzled by the Beatitudes, including this verse in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 5, after becoming a believer in my early 20’s. Thanks to God for faithful preachers and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who illumines, I have a progressively better understanding of this verse and passage. God knows the need for His children to be instructed in His ways, for He "gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ" (Eph 4: 11-12). For when the Spirit puts in my heart the sense of poverty of spirit, and the grief over my sins and failures (Matt 5:3-4), He also puts in my heart a strong desire to seek wisdom and understanding through the Scriptures. I was struck by the apostle Paul’s zeal and love for Christ. Though he was an apostle and endued with deep understanding through special revelation (2 Cor 12:4), he expressed the need to continue to pursue after the "excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord", that he "may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death" (Phil 3: 8, 10).
I am grateful that God has put in place excellent teachers and preachers in Singapore to enable me to have clearer understanding and interpretation of His Word. The FEBC courses that I have attended for quite a number of years have blessed me greatly in my spiritual growth. I learnt of the GBI online courses when I came to Gethsemane BP Church for worship last year. Since starting on the GBI online courses in January 2020, I have come to appreciate the limitless immensity of the knowledge of God. Though incomprehensible, yet God allows Himself to be known of His children, that we may rejoice in this knowledge and render a deeper worship in greater awe and understanding of His presence. I am also more conscious of my need to learn more about the Triune God and how much I need Him to help me in my earthly sojourn, that I may always bring gladness to Him in the way I live my life, as well as how I may be a blessing to the people around me and how I may edify the brethren of the body of Christ.
Through the course of Bibliology, I can better appreciate God’s goodness towards us in not forsaking man even after Adam failed Him in the garden of Eden. He left us not without witness (Acts 14:7), but put in each and every one of us an awareness of His presence in our conscience, that we may seek and find Him (Acts 17:27). For this reason, my heart is filled with thanksgiving and gratitude to God for revealing Christ to me and providing me the faith and the way to embrace Him as my Saviour. I also thank Him for the priceless gift of the Holy Spirit that indwells me to help me understand His Word. For all His mercy and grace, and His gifts and providence, I am made more aware of the need to diligently seek Him through the study of His Word. And I realise that I can only seek by His power and enabling to obey Him, that my life may be consecrated to my Saviour. As I grow in the faith, I am also more and more conscious of my weaknesses and my proneness to pride and carnal desires. But God is gracious and full of tender mercies in that He has not left me without help. The Holy Spirit is also my Teacher and my Comforter. He impresses upon me the imputed righteousness of Christ, which is perfect. He also comforts and encourages me when I feel disheartened and helpless.
The GBI online courses are a treasure trove for believers and lovers of His Word. The Bible which has been preserved faithfully through the ages is the only treasure worthy of my time and effort to study, understand and live by (Matt 13:44-46), for the Book is true, totally reliable, and a Light in my earthly sojourn. Knowing His Word is the only way for the carnal self to decrease and Christ to increase in my life. Just as Paul has set his heart upon Christ as his righteousness, so must I (Phil 3:9). Just as Paul has set his heart on the ultimate prize of resurrection to that of a glorified presence with Christ, so must I, that I might not be ensnared by worldly things (Phil 3:11). Just as Paul continues to crave for more of God’s grace to be manifest in his life (Phil 3:12-14), so must I never cease to use every opportunity to revel in the knowledge and experience of God’s grace through the study of His Word.
I am thankful for the extra time given by God due to the Covid-19 pandemic to study His Word through the GBI online courses. I am also reminded that the study of God’s Word is not merely for knowledge acquisition, but that I may be sanctified and be fit for His use. May God’s name be praised and magnified through His people.
Text: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 3 May 2020
In the past few weeks, we were enabled by the Lord to extend help to needy brethren in our mission stations. We were able to send timely help because of the quick response from our members and friends to the dire needs of brethren in the mission fields.
Last Tuesday night, immediately after the live-streaming of the prayer meeting, I received the following message from a participant: "Thank God for the blessed message from the praying meeting which just ended. Can you advise me on the amount needed by the GBI students in India, which you mentioned in the meeting? Will send you a cheque. Thank God for your faithful preaching of His Word… My dad died when I was 10, left $10 for my mum to feed a family of 4. As what you have preached just now, God had taken me through a childhood of poverty with much hardship and now has blessed me with abundance, so as to be His channel of blessings. Thank God for His providence."
As we learned last Tuesday night, it is the grateful acknowledgment of the abundant grace of God extended to us that makes us generous givers. Even though we are unworthy of His goodness, the Lord has sustained us daily by His grace and also blessed us with savings for the future. When God gives us abundantly, God wants us to be gracious helpers to those in need. That is what the Lord taught the Israelites – "If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: but thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth" (Deuteronomy 15:7-8).
Similarly, the New Testament reminds us, Christ "gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works" (Titus 2:14). Therefore, let us "do good, that [we] be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate" (1 Timothy 6:18).
Following are the notes of acknowledgment and thanksgiving from our missionaries.
Dear Rev. Koshy,
Greetings in the blessed name of Jesus Christ!
Praise God for hiding you, your family and the whole church under the shadow of His wings.
I have come back safely from visiting my relatives. We had a good time encouraging one another and discussing family matters.
Although we could not do God’s work in full force, like before, due to the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are trying to do everything in our power to further the cause of Christ. Please keep us in your daily prayers.
May God bless Gethsemane BPC leaders for their love and support. Once again, thank you for the love gifts sent from the church brethren to the families of all our full-time workers in God’s vineyard.
May the Lord protect you, your family, and all Gethsemaneans in this trying time. Please convey my regards to all. Please pass my regards to your family and the whole church.
(Pastor’s note: Our missionaries Pr Engida Tefera and Pr Imane Dola had called me to acknowledge and express their thanks to all the brethren in GBPC, Singapore, for their prayers and support. Our Board of Elders have also decided to extend support for the two graduates of GBI, Ethiopia, who are assisting the work in Alem Gena. They are Bro. Bayera and Bro. Bedada.)
Dear Pastor,
Greetings to you in our Lord’s most blessed Name!
I checked my personal bank account (ATM) and there was PHP 45,000.00 added to the standing balance which I presumed is the peso equivalent of the gift for the church that you mentioned during our phone conversation. On behalf of the church, please receive our sincere thanksgiving.
With regards to the "cash gifts" that you have advised, here are the names of brethren and the proposed amount that would be given. For easy distribution, we thought of having the amount rounded off to the nearest hundreds.
Total amount distributed is PHP 24,500.00. The remaining balance (PHP 20,500.00) will be used to buy sacks of rice and foodstuffs that we would be giving out to every family and household. The said amount will be sufficient for us to do 2 rounds of distribution.
For transparency purposes, I have cc. this email to the Church Session (Cebu).
Praise God from Whom all blessings flow! Pastor, thank you very much!
Dear Pastor Koshy,
Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Praise the Lord for His gracious provision. Thank God for the gift that the mother church sent through the church account, amounting to 16,771.00 pesos for the brethren of Bogo and San Antonio churches. Our heartfelt thanksgiving for the gift received.
We will use this said amount to buy rice and food provisions for the brethren of Bogo and San Antonio for the duration of the quarantine. Likewise, we would give cash aids to those who are in maintenance medication.
Praise the Lord for His goodness.
Dear Pastor Koshy,
We thank God for His provisions. I distributed the love-gift from GBPC, Singapore, to the brethren here last Sunday, after the worship service. For the brethren in Anda, I sent it to Bro. Hansel, who distributed it to the brethren there, and the brethren would sign to acknowledge their gifts received.
Thank you, Pastor, for your prayers and care for the brethren in Bohol.
In total, we have distributed PHP 33,900.00. I’m sending to you the list of the brethren from Tagbilaran, Bohol, and Anda, Bohol, who received the love gifts from Gethsemane BP Church, Singapore according to their needs. They are: Archie & Taelma Galigaw, Eutiquiano Bucio, Leah Bucio Rebuyon, Nestor Israel, Michelle Coquila, Angelcito Mendez, and Paterna Locot.
Dear Pastor,
The gifts (SGD 2,000 & SGD 500) transferred to my bank account have been received. Thank you for sending this support for the needy GBI students and worshippers.
I will give to those who are really in need, and will send to you the list of recipients and the amounts I distributed to them. Please know that I would like to give some special help to Bro. Murali, who is awaiting a leg surgery. He had a motorbike accident, and was planning for it in February. But because of lack of funds, he didn’t go for the surgery. Soon came the coronavirus and the lockdown. Now, the surgery can only be in May or June. Since the accident, he could not come for GBI classes. He has pain, and experiences great difficulty in walking. He is on medication for pain management. Another student who has not been well is Pastor Timothy, who is suffering from sickle cell anaemia. He also dropped out of study this semester as he needs to go for blood transfusion on occasions. His brother and mother are helping him, so his financial situation is not so bad.
Lockdown in India is extended for another two weeks. Some of the brethren would join the GYAF seminar - some from Vizag and some from other places. Please plan for an online youth seminar for the youths here. Several youths, who had planned to attend the Youth Seminar that we wanted to hold in March, are interested to join the online seminar, if there will be one.
Text: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 26 April 2020
Report by Samson Hutagalung
"I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest. I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation" (Psalm 40:9-10).
David’s commitment to declare God’s greatness and His truth among all the people of God reflects our prayer and passion behind the GBI-Online ministry. "God shall send forth his mercy and his truth" (Psalm 57:3), and for that purpose, God has appointed "the church of the living God" as "the pillar and ground of the truth" (1 Timothy 3:15).
Hence, it is with much thanksgiving to our God that I write this brief report on Gethsemane Bible Institute (online) or GBI-Online. Six years have passed since we made our first humble efforts to start this ministry. His grace has enabled us through this ministry to extend the teaching of God’s Word in our church to God’s people all around the world. Our hearts are thrilled to see how the Lord has used GBI-Online to educate and edify God’s people everywhere.
I am glad to report to you that the Lord has used GBI-Online to spread the Gospel everywhere. We have now 155 active students, learning God’s Word from different countries. These students came from different backgrounds and countries, such as Singapore, Malaysia, The Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, India, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Zambia.
GBI-Online now offers several courses, including the following: (1) Systematic Theology 1 – Theism; (2) Systematic Theology 2 – Bibliology; (3) Systematic Theology 3 – Anthropology; (4) Systematic Theology 4 – Soteriology; (5) Systematic Theology 5 – Ecclesiology; (6) Systematic Theology 6 – Eschatology; (7) The Book of Jonah; (8) The Names of God; (9) Theology of Prayer; (10) Divine Adoption; (11) The Book of Revelation. In addition, we currently have two ongoing courses that Pastor Koshy is still teaching off-line, namely (1) The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah (which quite a number of you are taking online, due to the current situation), and (2) The Book of Isaiah (which Pastor Koshy teaches during every Wednesday Lunch-Hour Bible Study).
We are glad to know that some of you desire to study the Book of Isaiah. Thus, we shall try to make it available in GBI-Online as soon as possible. Since the Book of Isaiah is still ongoing offline, we shall offer this course gradually. We shall make available the study of the first nine chapters of the Book of Isaiah, and we shall add more lessons as we go along. You may remember Pastor in prayer as he labours to teach these two subjects.
Currently, we can access 12 courses at GBI-Online. Let us make use of the time and opportunities that we have now to learn God’s Word in-depth. Visit http://www.gbi-online.com and sign up for any course from those made available for your learning. Blessed be the LORD God who hath not left us destitute of His mercy and His truth.
Apart from the courses mentioned above, we are also working on another two set of courses which Pastor had taught before for Wednesday Lunch-Hour Bible Study, namely (1) The Book of Zechariah, and (2) The Book of Job. We are working on the technical issues; when ready, they will also be offered as part of GBI-Online.
During this period of global pandemic, how good it is that we spend more time with the Lord in the study of His Word. As the apostle Peter wrote in 2 Peter 3:18, "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." As the Lord commands us to know His Word, let us hunger and thirst for its knowledge and blessings. Without His truth that edifies us, we cannot live a life that is pleasing to the Lord.
May we continue to pray for Pastor Koshy, as he labours day and night to teach God’s Word and makes it available through GBI-Online. Please also pray for our GMC media staff (Arnold Diaz, Matthew Peh and Melissa Mah) and me, as well as all who labour daily to record, edit and make available the teaching of God’s Word.
We also thankfully remember all those who have assisted us, from time to time, in many different ways. Continue to cheerfully give as the Lord leads you, that this ministry may be well-maintained and become profitable to God’s people – not only in Gethsemane BPC, but also all around the world. May the Lord make Gethsemane BPC a blessing to God’s people everywhere.
In recent times, it has been asked repeatedly, "Can I take Holy Communion at home by myself? Can Holy Communion be observed with my family at home, or in private?" These questions are raised because some famous charismatic pastors encourage the private partaking of Holy Communion at home by individuals.
Baptism and Holy Communion are two ordinances that Christ has instituted. When He first instituted those ordinances, it was the apostles (and not all the believers) whom Christ commissioned to administer them. According to Matt 28:16-20, Jesus commissioned the apostles to baptise. While Christ called people to baptism, it was the disciples whom the Lord designated to baptise (see John 4:2); not all who believed on Him were given the prerogative to baptise themselves or one another. Likewise, He instituted the Holy Communion when only the apostles were with Him in the upper room (Matt. 26:20-30; Mk. 14:16-26; Lk. 22:14-20). Upon Christ’s ascension, the apostles were the chief leaders of the church who led in the ministry of the Word and sacraments. The Lord also gave the church evangelists and pastors to work along with the apostles, as the ministers of the Word and sacraments in the churches. (This is evident from the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles - cf. Ephesians 4:11.)
After the Lord Jesus called Paul to be an apostle (to the Gentiles), he received instruction concerning the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. Concerning which he wrote, "For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread..." (1 Cor. 11:23). Now, Paul’s words regarding baptism, "For Christ sent me not to baptise, but to preach the gospel" (1 Cor. 1:17a), should not be thought of as dismissive of his ministerial duty concerning baptism. Instead, he was emphasising that when he was in Corinth, preaching the Gospel was his primary duty, and then baptising. Paul did baptise those who turn to Christ with their household (cf. Acts 16:28-33; 1 Cor. 1:14-16). So, even Paul who joined the apostolic team, as "one born out of due time" (1 Cor. 15:8), was involved in the administering of the sacraments in the early church.
The New Testament shows that baptism and the Lord’s Supper were done in the presence of the apostles or by men appointed as leaders of the churches by the apostles. (Acts 2:42; Acts 20:7, 10-11). In all those records of Lord’s Supper, the presence of the apostles is mentioned.
Even when it is recorded in Acts 2:46 concerning the Jerusalem church "breaking bread from house to house," when taken in its context, it is not a reference to individual families or individuals breaking bread on their own, but the believers coming together in houses and, as a church, breaking bread. Moreover, the immediate context of this record (v. 42 – "they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship") demands that we should recognise those ’house to house’ gatherings as including the apostles. So, if need be, believers may get together with their ministers of the Word in their homes and break bread.
But there is no evidence that believers were permitted in the New Testament era to take Holy Communion on their own in their homes. The practice of the New Testament churches was to come together to break bread, and not breaking bread at home by each family or each individual. Consider the following biblical evidence.
Acts 20:7 - "And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight." The norm was for believers to come together on the Lord’s day (the first day of the week) to break bread. The apostle Paul was in their midst, ministering to them the Word. (See also Acts 20:11). The record of Acts 20 is an emphatic witness against the private breaking of bread in one’s home!
The church in Corinth, according to the apostle Paul, gathered together in one place to break bread. However, Paul severely rebuked them when each of the church members started to eat on his own (ignoring the order that was instituted by the apostles and practised by the early church). While admonishing them for such frivolous conduct, he said, "When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord’s supper. For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken" (1 Corinthians 11:20-21). In Corinth, the issue of the private partaking of Lord’s supper was further worsened due to their selfishness, insubordination, divisions, lack of forbearance and love for one another.
So Paul continued his rebuke in 1 Corinthians 11:22, "What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not." These words of the apostle show that he certainly did not regard eating at home individually as the proper manner of partaking in the Lord’s Supper. Later, he insisted that the coming together in Christian unity and in love for one another is the way to participate in the Holy Communion. Otherwise, he advised that "if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come" (1 Corinthians 11:34). Eating at home as an individual family or as individuals – and not as part of a fellowship of the church, as well as without a minister of the Word – was not regarded as manner worthy of the Lord’s Supper. In other words, the partaking of Holy Communion by oneself or by families was against the divinely taught pattern of its practice in the early church.
The exhortation that the apostle gave to the church in 1 Corinthians 11:33 – "Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another" – is instructive. Earlier in 1 Corinthians 10:16, Paul had reminded the Corinthian church of the partaking of the Lord’s Supper as a communion of the body of Christ (not an individual affair) – "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?" Undoubtedly, the fellowship of the brethren as a church was an essential part of the Lord’s Supper.
The clear teaching of the New Testament is that the Lord’s Supper ought to be administered when believers gather together as a group, with their ordained minister of the Word – for the singing of psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, for worship, for the teaching of the Word of God, for prayer, for fellowship. It was never practised, according to the Scriptures, individually at home. Holy Communion is to be observed with the church family.
That’s not all. The Bible also warns us of the great dangers of partaking the Lord’s Supper against the definite counsels of the Word.
Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians clearly show that the individual partaking of Holy Communion, apart from the communion of the church, was against the order, discipline and unity that the Lord expects within His church. Such individualistic partaking of the Lord’s Supper will destroy the church’s cohesion, submission to the divine order concerning worship and ordinances.
Another danger is that careless and unbiblical partaking of the holy ordinances would provoke God to wrath. According to 1 Corinthians 11:27-32, such behaviour invites His chastisement, even sickness and death – "27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world."
Moreover, the private partaking of the Holy Communion is a dangerous trend that will lead to more flippant and irreverent practices which are unbiblical. For instance, if fathers and families will serve Holy Communion at home on their own, what would prevent them from baptising themselves or other family members? Since the Bible does not warrant commemorating the Holy Communion at home on one’s own or observing it with one’s family at home, or in private, such self-appointed role speaks of careless and presumptuous behaviour. Partaking of Holy Communion at home without the fellowship and the oversight of the ministers of God ignores the clear Biblical records and instruction on this matter. It not only portrays ignorance of and irreverence to the biblical guidelines, it also breaches biblical unity and order within the church. Such is not the practice of the ordinances that we see in the Bible.
It is also crucial for us to note that such private partaking of Holy Communion has not been the practice of Reformed, Presbyterian churches. Westminster Confession of Faith (Chapter 27 - Of the Sacraments - Section 4) states, "There be only two sacraments ordained by Christ our Lord in the Gospel; that is to say, Baptism, and the Supper of the Lord: neither of which may be dispensed by any, but by a minister of the Word lawfully ordained" (cf. Matt 28:19; 1 Cor 4:1; 1 Cor 11:20, 23; Heb 5:4).
Well, things are changing for the worse in these days of apostates, self-lovers, insubordinate people who infiltrate the church, even persuading some of the very elect, who have not been thorough in their study of the Scriptures. Lamentably, more and more churchgoers want to do things their way! In these days, many so-called Christians prefer the ease of turning on the television/you-tube to watch a preacher and commemorate the Lord’s Supper. Such a practice is irresponsible as it flouts the biblical instructions on the matters of administration of sacraments (baptism and Lord’s Supper), church unity, and submission and accountability to the leadership of the church (cf. Hebrews 13:7, 17).
In situations when a believer is sick at home and unable to attend church, the minister of the Word, together with some of the leaders and members, may visit the sick for fellowship and break bread. But can the believers take Holy Communion on their own in times of national crisis (like war and pandemic) or natural calamities that prevent them from gathering together as a church? The Scriptural examples show that believers should wait in prayer for the Lord to change the circumstances that prevent them from gathering together and partaking the Holy Communion. When the God-ordained sacraments were precluded during the 70 years of exile in Babylon, the saints of the Old Testament waited in prayer until God once again made them possible. During their captivity, they offered no sacrifices or sacraments like the Patriarchal times (before Moses). Hence, in rare times when the sacraments are disrupted, we should not hurry to practise them in ways not prescribed in the Scriptures. Instead, we should humbly search our lives, repent of our ungodly attitude and actions, and pray for God’s merciful restoration of church fellowship gatherings (whether it be in the church building or homes of believers) and the biblical practice of sacraments.