BobHunt
21st January 2007, 12:34 PM (12:34)
It has been brought to my attention more and more of the importance and significance of the Love Feast. Sharing meals together was a crucial part of early church life. There were certain instructions given not only about what to eat, but also of who NOT to eat it with. God's people were warned not to eat meat that had been sacrificed to idols and if they did, not to eat it with the pagans in their temple feasts or they would become "participants with demons."
Jesus set an example by welcoming to the table fellowship all who would come. The early church continued this practice and members often met together in people's homes to share food. Remember the events of Acts 2:42? "They devoted themselves to the apostle's teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." Certain Jewish and Greco-Roman religious associations also met for common meals, and at times behaviour at pagan communal meals could become extremely disorderly. For Christians, however, the shared meal was such a powerful emblem of their love in Christ, that it came to be called a "love feast."
Jesus also instituted the Eucharist (The Lord's Supper) and it is difficult to ascertain the relationship between the Eucharist and the "love feast." Were they one and the same or two different events? The most likely answer is that in the early church no firm distinction was made between the two.
When I come to the Lord's Supper, sometimes it seems as if I can see the Lord looking down over the portals of Heaven saying to me, "Son, if I had to go all the way to Calvary again, I would do it just for you." Thinking about this, breaks a person up and you realize how important it is to have and to keep a close relationship with the Lord. To keep this relationship fresh and unhindered, it must be worked on, on a daily basis.
There are many times, I suppose that we all gather together as a church for a meal, a potluck, or even a casserole. What if we turned these times into a Christian love feast, a time of expressing concerns for the events that are happening in our brothers and sister's lives, many of which are troubling them? What if we turned these times into scenes of one encouraging another, of praying one for the other, or making sure no one among us is hungry either spiritually or physically? And what if we turned these times into moments of coming together, forgiving one another, getting rid of all the prejudices, and grudges?
Jesus set an example by welcoming to the table fellowship all who would come. The early church continued this practice and members often met together in people's homes to share food. Remember the events of Acts 2:42? "They devoted themselves to the apostle's teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." Certain Jewish and Greco-Roman religious associations also met for common meals, and at times behaviour at pagan communal meals could become extremely disorderly. For Christians, however, the shared meal was such a powerful emblem of their love in Christ, that it came to be called a "love feast."
Jesus also instituted the Eucharist (The Lord's Supper) and it is difficult to ascertain the relationship between the Eucharist and the "love feast." Were they one and the same or two different events? The most likely answer is that in the early church no firm distinction was made between the two.
When I come to the Lord's Supper, sometimes it seems as if I can see the Lord looking down over the portals of Heaven saying to me, "Son, if I had to go all the way to Calvary again, I would do it just for you." Thinking about this, breaks a person up and you realize how important it is to have and to keep a close relationship with the Lord. To keep this relationship fresh and unhindered, it must be worked on, on a daily basis.
There are many times, I suppose that we all gather together as a church for a meal, a potluck, or even a casserole. What if we turned these times into a Christian love feast, a time of expressing concerns for the events that are happening in our brothers and sister's lives, many of which are troubling them? What if we turned these times into scenes of one encouraging another, of praying one for the other, or making sure no one among us is hungry either spiritually or physically? And what if we turned these times into moments of coming together, forgiving one another, getting rid of all the prejudices, and grudges?