Off the Agenda: Conversations for Building Church Leaders

Wasn't this material covered in a similar fashion in that famous volume for pastors, "How to split your church and get yourself fired?"

J.I. Packer has completely misrepresented the meaning of Christians partaking in the Lord's Supper. What are you trying to do, initiate the Communion Police Brigade in churches?? You gave reference to 1 Corinthians 11, but you obviously didn't read it or perhaps you didn't understand its meaning.

Here's what the word of the LORD says:

"27 So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 That is why you should EXAMINE YOURSELF before eating the bread and drinking the cup. 29 For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without HONORING the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking GOD'S JUDGMENT upon yourself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.

31 But if we would EXAMINE OURSELVES, we would not be judged by God in this way. 32 Yet when we are JUDGED BY THE LORD, we are being DISCIPLINED so that we will not be condemned along with the world.

33 So, my dear brothers and sisters, when you gather for the Lord’s Supper, wait for each other. 34 If you are really hungry, eat at home so you won’t bring judgment upon yourselves when you meet together..." [1 Cor. 11:27-34, New Living Translation; emphasis mine].

When Paul said that no one should take the Lord's Supper unworthily, he was speaking to the church members who were participating in it without thinking of its meaning. To not honor the "body of Christ" means not understanding what the Lord's Supper means and not distinguishing it from a normal meal (notice it did not mention ANYTHING about discerning the Lord's body as you, Mr. Packer, tried to say). Those who did so were "guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord." Instead of honoring his sacrifice, they were sharing in the guilt of those who crucified Christ.

In reality, no one is worthy to take the Lord's Supper. We are all sinners saved by grace. This is why we should prepare ourselves for Communion through healthy introspection, confession of sin, and resolution of differences with others. These actions remove the barriers that affect our relationship with Christ and with other believers. Awareness of your sin should not keep you away from Communion but drive you to participate in it.

So you see, there is nothing in the word of God that says Pastors are to call out others (no matter what we believe their spiritual condition is) to not partake in the communion. At the end of this article, you finally get around to stating, "I think the best thing to do is simply leave it to people’s own sense of fitness as to whether they receive the elements or not." Still, the article is full of half truths and misrepresentations regarding this subject.

Shame on you, Christianity Today and Tim Avery, for sinking to a new low in publishing this article and not contending for the faith [Jude 1:3]. You should rename your entities NEW AGE/NEW GOSPEL/NEW SPIRITUALITY TODAY!

Josephine, I think Dr. Packer would agree that, as you say, "awareness of your sin should not keep you away from Communion." But awareness should bring repentance. When he speaks of someone "living in sin," he's referring to a person that is sinning and will not acknowledge it; hence, his example of someone in a gay partnership.

Also, "discerning the body" is the way that many translations (TNIV, ESV, RSV, etc.) render what the NLT has as "honoring the body" (v. 29). Packer's argument is that, whether you take the "body" to mean the physical body of Jesus (and by extension, his saving death and resurrection) or the church, an unrepentant sinner discerns neither.

Of course, the question of whether pastors or elders should intervene or leave it to individual consciences is a separate one. Paul says we should examine ourselves. But does that rule out the role of corporate accountability? Where does the elder's call to shepherd the flock fit in?

At the time Paul wrote to the Corinthians, communion was a full meal, much like the Passover Seder. The issue Paul addresses had to do with those who came early to the service (usually the wealthier or merchants) eating all of the meal. This left little or no food for the poorer, working-class folks who came later. By ignoring their brothers and sisters, they were in fact "not discerning the body." BUT they were also beginning to treat the Lord's Supper as JUST a meal. In losing the unique nature of the Lord's Supper, these persons were also failing to discern the body of the crucified Lord in the elements. The issue was not so much about sin in the individual members as J.I. Packer presents, but rather misunderstanding about the nature of the Church as the Body of Christ, and the nature of the Communion elements as either the literal or representational body of Christ.

The warning Paul uses addresses individuals and their self-evaluation. There is no command in this scripture for the Church to discern others and make them toe the line. Instead Paul tells them to "examine your self." In addition his judgement is that those who choose to eat in an unworthy manner eat and drink judgment on themselves. In this case, those who eat and drink unworthily eat and drink damnation only to themselves.

Should the pastor or leader teach these principles? YES! Should they make it clear the consequences of failing to discern? YES! Should they judge and then restrict those who are deemed unfit? NO!

I think Packer has completely lost his mind!! No wonder those outside of the Church see it as place full of judgement and condemnation.

We need to remember that when Jesus broke bread with his disciples he served Judas, knowing full well what Judas was just about to do. He didn't deny Judas the meal, he ate with him.

I believe in Communion God calls every one to share in the meal to be fed by Christ by His Spirit. It is up to God and God alone to decide if we have eaten in an 'unworthy manner'. But I firmly believe that through this meal we participate in Christ and therefore God is mysteriously at work and can bring transformation through the meal to anyone.

I am curious of this... Jesus knew that there was a devil among the twelve (John 6) yet he fellowshipped, and washed feet and ate the Passover meal with the "devil" at HIS table.

Yes, teach on the meaning of communion. Teach on examining oneself. And please teach that sin IS sin. Liars and gossipers are just as guilty as adulterers. All have sinned.

To quote my mother, “God does not need Bouncers in His church”.

I am very surprised that this article was published without any commentary by Christianity Today. I was confused by the quotes of Dr. Packer and thought that surely he was taken out of context. I am still hoping that there is more that he wants to say/clarify. Are we to have The Lord's Supper Police available to hand out scarlet letters and drive people away from forgiveness?? I was always taught that "when we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim your death Lord Jesus Christ, until you come in glory". Are we not suppose to be proclaiming that Jesus died for the very sins that the Spirit convicts us of during the SELF examination time? I hope that there will be a follow up to this article that explores all of this in more detail. Thank you for driving me back to the Word to pray and ponder this matter. Blessings.

I am in total agreement with Packer and I am surprised that someone could equate his views with "new ageism". If anything his views are old views based on the Puritan ethic concerning the serious nature of all Christian sacraments. He is speaking of unrepentant sinners who have been confronted by their church and chose to ignore the request to 'sin no more'.

In actuality Paul goes even further than refusing the sexually immoral the rite of Communion. In 1 Corinthians 5:9-13

I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.

What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you."

I am surprised by the strong response to Dr. Packer's comments.

After all, people who are in known sin are to refrain from the Lord's supper; not to do so carries a warning of dire consequences. Pastors and elders are to shepherd the flock. If they do that with love they will want to protect their members from those consequences.

Case in point: we had a man who appeared at the communion supper with his new girlfriend. His wife was in the church. He had been pleaded with, warned, and finally rebuked by the leadership (as well as other brothers and sisters.) When the elder who was serving communion saw him, he avoided passing the communion to him because he knew how serious such disobedience could be to him. That was an act of love.

I'm concerned that the world's view of "tolerance" has affected us more than we even realize.

I also agree with Packer and find the critical spirit he is accussed of actually more present in the comments of his offender. If one goes to 1 Cor 5 we see that those who are in ongoing sin are not to be tolerated in the assembly they are to be put out. Why? So that we feel good, religious and clean? Absolutly not. They are turned out from the spiritual protection and covering of the church for the destruction of the flesh, so that they might get enough pain, come to their senses and repent. At that point they are to be received back into fellowship.
But those who claim to be believers and are in unrepentant ongoing sin are not to fellowshipped with. God calls His people to seperate themselves from those who are claiming to be His, but flaunting their sin. It is His to discern whether they are His or not, we can only treat them as they claim. If they claim to be believers then we deal with as such, if they do not, then we deal with them as such.
I think Packer was gracious and yet held the line. He left plenty of room for the different philosophy of ministry variations that might exist, yet reiterated that there is a time and place for seperation for the sake of discipline.