A church-going society is a healthier one

Miami Herald ^ | Dec 30, 2017 | John Stonestreet

[2nd amendment mama]

God has totally changed my life in the last 7 years since I have completely surrendered. I have never before had such a peace about me. Thank you Jesus.

[metmom]

That’ll happen when you do that.

I’m glad to hear that.

[ReaganGeneration2]

Acts 2:47 and Acts 20:7 are clear about Christians meeting and “breaking bread”, maybe not as formally as we do today, but they met “first day of the week”.

Here is how Catholics interpreted this, and still do:

Acts was written through John’s death around 100 AD. Ignatius was Bishop of Antioch, and actually heard the Gospel from John, who wrote John 6. Like John 6, “Breaking bread” was not symbolic to them, nor was it merely eating a normal meal. About 10 years after John died, in 110 AD, Ignatius wrote: “...They (the heretics) even absent themselves from the Eucharist and the public prayers because they will not admit that the Eucharist is the flesh of our savior Jesus Christ.”

Ignatius also wrote: “Take care, then, to partake of one Eucharist; for, one is the Flesh of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and one the cup to unite us with His Blood, and one altar, just as there is one bishop assisted by the presbytery and the deacons, my fellow servants. Thus you will conform in all your actions to the will of God” (Letter to the Philadelphians, par. 4).

Ignatius also wrote using the same language as the Acts’ “breaking of bread”: “obey bishop and clergy with undivided minds and to share in the one common breaking of bread - the medicine of immortality and the sovereign remedy by which we escape death and live in Jesus Christ for ever more”

[Gamecock]

Yes. That.

[ealgeone]

Did you know that “church “ is not in the Bible. In 1611 the King James English translators , in order to assert control over Christians fashion a non existent translation for Ekklesia , the Greek word meaning the “”called out” ( believers). There was never the word or concept of “church” for the first 1,600 years after Christ. Why now? Don’t tell me Ekklesia meant “gathering or assembly” either. The Greek word for that was “Sanhedrin” . The English translated the word originally to “Circe” or the Scotch “kirke’ meaning “circle “which was the pagan worship formation. Church was never intended as a Biblical concept.

Documentation is required to substantiate your claim.

[ealgeone]

For clarity....Paul on the Lord's Supper:

23For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;

24and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

25In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

26For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 NASB

[ravenwolf]

And it can make eternal life a bit
more pleasant too!
,......................
How is that?

[SaveFerris]

+1

[ReaganGeneration2]

Yes breaking bread means a memorial, which is what a literal renactment of the Paschal sacrifice is, by its nature, as the first Christians interpreted John, Luke, the letter to the Corinthians, and Acts.

The first Christians attended this service for the reality; the “memorial” symbolism was a byproduct.

The belief that the Eucharist was only symbolic became gradually widespread in the last 500-1000 years.

[ealgeone]

...do this in remembrance of Me.

Sounds like it was happening at the time of the writings....not the last 500-1000 yrs.

[ravenwolf]

What’s for dinner?
,...............
If it is at a Pentecostal gathering it is probably
roast pig since that is one of the things God tells
his people not to eat.

It is easy to spot as you can smell the pig for a mile.

[ReaganGeneration2]

Yes. The Eucharistic service meant both a memorial and the living presence of God, from Acts and for 1000 years, with a gradual decline through around 1500; now, the living presence part, as a conscious reason to attend services, seems very much removed.

Our Post-Enlightenment thinking patterns are difficult to overcome.

[ealgeone]

ἀνάμνησις, (Cognate: 364 anámnēsis (from 363 /anamimnḗskō, "bring to mind") – properly, deliberate recollection, done to better appreciate the effects (intended results) of what happened; active, self-prompted recollection especially as a memorial (memorial sacrifice).

Used in Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24,25

19And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” Luke 22:19 NASB

24and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembranceof Me.” 25In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 1 Corinthians 11:24-25 NASB

[Elsie]

...the medicine of immortality ...

HMMMmmm...

[Elsie]

For as often as you eat this bread ...

And just what bread WAS it?

That which was eaten during a PASSOVER meal.

[Elsie]

Making sure that it is lived in the cooler part of GOD’s creation.

[Dilbert San Diego]

While I’ve never seen the studies, which liberals always want to see to have documentation, I have a feeling that church attendance is positively correlated with many positive factors.

In addition to what has been noted, what does everyone think about criminal activity committed by those who attend church regularly? How many murderers, rapists, youth gang members who commit assorted crimes, embezzlers, etc. — How many such people are also regular churchgoers and/or devoutly religious in their faith? And how do such numbers compare to the general population? I have a feeling that very few in our faith communities fall into the criminal category.

[Elsie]

The Passover meal was both “memorial” and symbolic.

 

 

http://considerthegospel.org/2013/02/15/the-passover-sign-of-moses/

[Elsie]

...that is one of the things God tells his people not to eat.

Until Ol' Pete sees a sheet...

Acts 10:9-16

[Elsie]

I have a feeling that very few in our faith communities fall into the criminal category.

And yet these are EXACTLY the kind of folks Christ came to SAVE!