New Testament Worship: Communion and Giving

The Corinthian Church 

When we look at the Corinthian church, Paul had specific instructions for them on orderly worship. This does not mean worship services are to be scripted and go in a certain order. What he meant by orderly is that everything is done without chaos and peacefully. Paul was giving them instructions on how to go about certain aspects of the gathering to keep the peace. “When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation”. These are the direct aspects Paul discusses about the gathering in Corinth. From chapter 13, we learned there was prophecy that went on and we also know from the first letter that they took the Lord’s Supper though they were not doing it in a proper manner. 

We can see from these examples that when the believers met together they: 

• Sang
• Taught
• Read Scripture
• Prayed
• Prophesied
• Spoke in tongues
• Exhortations 
• Observed Lord’s Supper 
• Generous giving 

Lord’s Supper

Much can be said about the Lord’s Supper. The first Christians seemed to take it on the first day of the week because this was the day they came together. There is also a wrong way to go about observing communion. In the Corinthian church many were eating private dinners and excluding others. Some were getting drunk and eating just to fill their stomachs. Paul says they were not “discerning the body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:29) when they came together to share a meal. This means they were not thinking about remembering Christ or proclaiming his death, they were having a fancy meal for themselves. When we partake of the Lord’s Supper, we should be remembering Christ and his death, that is why we take it because we proclaim his death until he comes again (v.26). 

Offerings

Giving was also part of the first Christians gathering. When Christians think of giving today they think of placing money in a basket or giving online and the money pays the preacher, keeps the lights on, or maybe helps a ministry. In the first century, they were actually selling their own land or possessions so they could give to those who were in need. Later, Paul took up a collection to help those in Jerusalem who were under persecution and suffering. Giving was more than sacrificing money; they were sacrificing things and their time and the funds went directly to those in need. It wasn’t something they felt they had to do, it was something they were doing because the Spirit transformed them to feel they needed to do. They no longer felt their possessions were their own because everything they had belonged to God and they were all part of the same body, the body of Jesus.  

There are many aspects to a gathering of believers but we don’t see direct commands or emphasis on the order in which a service is done, scripting services, or how things are done other than peacefully. What we do see a focus on is that when believers come together, there is encouragement, needs are met, and Christ is the center focus of teaching and praise. When we start focusing on how things are done and the technicalities we lose sight of why we gather. The writer of Hebrews says we should not neglect meeting together so we can encourage one another until Jesus comes again. Everything that is done during a service should be building up the believers and encouraging believers until Jesus comes back. That’s the mission of the church and the goal of every gathering.