Healing for the Heart and Mind
November 25, 2018 • Pastor Steve Pope
Growth Group Discussion Guide
Week of November 27th
Q: What is the biggest party you’ve ever given? What food and drink did you serve?
Q: Did you grow up in a church that celebrated the Lord’s Supper? If so, what meaning did it hold for you as a young person? And now?
READ FIRST: I Corinthians 11:17-32
Q: How would you describe the scene if you were observing the Lord’s Supper at the church in Corinth?
Q: Have you ever been in a church that was that was affected by divisions among the members? How did that affect the worship services?
Q: In this passage, Paul instructs the Corinthians to examine themselves prior to taking the Lord’s Supper. How is this done? What are the consequences of receiving the Lord’s Supper in an “unworthy manner” (v. 27)?
Q: Why is it important for Christians to observe the Lord’s Supper? What does Communion mean to you?
Q: When do you tend to approach worship or a part of the worship experience too lightly?
Sermon Meditation, Sunday, Nov. 25th
Giving Thanks: Healing for the Heart and Mind
I Cor.11:23-26
The bold-print headline of the March 20, 1531 edition of The Netherlands Gazette could have read “Snyder Beheaded for Heretical Baptism.” The state courts of the land and the church were in an unholy marriage, so the secular authorities were willing to carry out capitol punishment for a difference of religious opinion. Snyder’s sin? Being baptized as an adult believer in Jesus Christ in the day of infant baptism. He was unrepentant in this Biblical conviction and paid the ultimate price.
Twenty years later, during the reign of bloody Mary, Queen of England (a Roman Catholic), 288 protestant reformers were burned at the stake. What was their offense? The meaning of the Lord’s Supper. Did the elements of the Lord’s Supper become the actual body of Christ as soon as the priest said the mystical words of consecration? When the reformers dared to disagree with this position, they were burned at the stake.
There was a time when the Lord’s Supper and baptism were such important issues that people were willing to die for their convictions. This is an expression of a deep and powerful love for Jesus and His church.
While it may seem extreme and even crazy to be willing to kill or be killed for one’s perspective concerning the Lord’s Supper, in America we have now run to the other tragic extreme - superficiality and apathy. It’s time to reawaken the church to the power and presence of God among His people as we celebrate the Lord’s Supper together.
You won’t want to miss worship this Sunday as we bring the Lord’s Supper into clear focus.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Pastor Steve
