Church.... Why We Do What We Do.

Illustration: A story is told about a wife cooking a roast. She cuts the end off of the roast, puts it on a pan and then in the oven. The husband asks her "Why did you cut the end off?" she replies "Because my mom always did." The next day the wife talks to mom and asks "Why did you cut the end off of the roast before putting it in the oven?". Mom replies "Because my mom always did." So the both of them went to Grandma and asked the same question. "Grandma, why do you cut the end of the roast off before cooking it?" Grandma replies "So it would fit in to the pan!"

So many times we do things without knowing why but we do it any way. Because we have always done it that way and no one ever has taken the time to find out why themselves. We just go through life doing things that we have no idea why we do what we do.

Friends, I see the church is the same way. Many have been raised in good Biblical teaching churches, never missing a Sunday, always striving to live a good Christian life. But sadly many are clueless of some fundamental issues. We go about our business within the church, never asking or really seeking the reasons why we do the things we do. We simply accept certain things because that’s just how things are and we really don’t need to know exactly why. Things have just always been that way and we’re content and comfortable.

It reminds me of the military to a certain degree. “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” I am fine and don’t need to know, let’s just do our thing and continue on. But I must tell you that this is ignorant and I do not believe Ignorance is bliss. God desires each of us to follow Him not blindly but boldly and intelligently.

This morning I want to share with you some areas that we need to look back at and understand the reality of why we do the things we do. For some of you, this may simply be a review, none the less; God desires all of us to evaluate the things we do for Him often. The first thing I want to talk about is,…..

I.COMMUNION

A.We do this every week; and I often wonder how many of us are partaking the way God designed us to partake in the Lord’s Supper?

1.The Bible nowhere instructs us how often we should take communion.

1 Corinthians 11:24-26 records the following instructions for communion:

24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

2.This passage gives all the instructions we need to perform the rite of communion and to understand the significance of what we are doing.

3.The bread which He broke in half represents His body which was broken on the cross for us. The cup represents the blood He shed on our behalf, sealing a covenant between Him and us.

4.Each time we perform the communion ritual, we are not only remembering what He did for us, but we are “showing” it as well to all who watch and all who participate. This is a beautiful and graphic picture of what happened at the cross, what it means, and how it impacts our lives as believers.

5.Some churches have a monthly Lord’s Supper service; others do it bi-monthly, others weekly. The Bible does not give us specific instruction as to how often we are to take communion.

6.Here at our church we have chosen to observe the Lord’s Supper each week. This gives each one of us a fantastic opportunity to renew our focus on Jesus each week.

B.But one serious danger in many churches like ours is that the congregation may take communion so often that it becomes routine. No matter how often communion is taken, we should partake with reverence, love, and a deep sense of gratitude for the Lord Jesus.

1.I do pray that we are honoring Jesus each week as we take communion. I also pray that each one of us are taking communion in a worthy manner.

1 Corinthians 11:27-30 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. 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.