I think the following paragraph is on the subject you're talking about, Steven. It's the last paragraph from the Living Waters articale of June '96. I might add that my own experiences traveling in many places, both foreign and domestic, have reinforced in my mind the idea that eating as a group is a very significant activity -- family meals, exercising and accepting hospitality, sharing with friends and brethren.
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God wants us to recognize that eating together has value and significance for his people. Not only the eating of the ritual meal, the Lord's supper, but also eating together ordinary food in harmony (for a negative example, see 1 Corinthians 5:11). The Christians of ancient times ate together frequently (Acts 2:46, Acts 20:11, Galatians 2:11-14, for example). Not everyone who ate at the common meals participated in the genuine love of the brethren (Jude 12) and some developed traditions of eating in front of their brothers instead of sharing with them (1 Corinthians 11:21), while others developed cliques within the group (Galatians 2:11-14) perverting the Lord's Supper and corrupting the fellowship of the saints in the process. Such abuses and those who committed them were condemned, but the habit of sharing food with brethren, of having common meals, was not. The disciples did not lose sight of the value of eating together. The apostles had learned by many experiences with Jesus, breaking bread together, as well as sharing the customs of the Jewish faith, how valuable time spent together at the dinner table could be, what beneficial sharing could take place there, what insights could be gained, what fellowship enjoyed. Numerous examples in both Testaments, from Genesis to Revelation, tell us that God had some special things in mind when he designed us to eat and drink. Not only the fueling of our bodies, but also the refreshing of our spirits in fellowship with him and with one another.
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Thanks Keith. I always enjoy your posts. The points about the spiritual circumcision certainly offer a good insight.
Would you (any/all of you) agree/disagree with:
Our breaking of bread together is done solely in keeping with the instructions regarding remembering the Lord and being one body, etc...obeying the Lord's instructions regarding "communion". In contrast, the early church seems to have shared 'meals' just like the communion on a regular basis whether it was for that purpose or not.
That's not worded just like the question that is in my mind, but maybe some good discussion can come of the question anyway. Or maybe everyone is ready to move on to other topics?
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