Tag Archives: Communion

“A MAN MUST EXAMINE HIMSELF”: A COMMUNION MEDITATION

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[This is a communion meditation I gave at the First Church of Christ, Greendale, IN, Oct. 6, 2013.] Just so you know, I definitely AM allowed to take communion today! I say this because I am holding in my hand a genuine COMMUNION TOKEN (which was a gift to me from my friends, Bill and Donna Jo Tucker). This token is oval in shape, about the size of a semi-squashed quarter. It verifies that I have been found worthy to partake of the emblems of the Lord’s Supper! At least that was its function when it was first issued. On … Continue reading →

THE SPRINKLED BLOOD: A COMMUNION MEDITATION

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THE SPRINKLED BLOOD: A COMMUNION MEDITATION by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Sunday, February 17, 2013 at 2:35pm THE SPRINKLED BLOOD: A Communion Meditation In the days of the Old Covenant, the Law of Moses required many kinds of animal sacrifices. In such a sacrifice, when the animal’s throat was cut, a priest collected its blood in a basin, then sprinkled the blood on various things—sometimes on the worshipers themselves! For example, regarding the special covenant-making ceremony recorded in Exodus 24, verse 8 describes part of it thus: “So Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, … Continue reading →

Communion Meditation: THE LAMB OF GOD

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Communion Meditation: THE LAMB OF GOD by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Monday, December 24, 2012 at 11:34am JESUS: THE LAMB OF GOD A Communion Meditation for a Christmas Eve Service After Jesus’ baptism and temptation, he returned to the place where John the Baptist was preaching and baptizing. John looked at Jesus and said, “Behold, THE LAMB OF GOD, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). What does this mean, that Jesus is “the Lamb of God”? Gary Burge, in his commentary on John, says he once asked a mature Christian why Jesus is called “the Lamb … Continue reading →

IS THE LORD’S SUPPER “MORE THAN AN MEMORIAL”?

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IS THE LORD’S SUPPER “MORE THAN AN MEMORIAL”? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, December 13, 2012 at 3:55pm My friend, former student, and fellow Kingdom-worker Tom Lawson has written a very provocative article on the Lord’s Supper:  “More Than a Memorial,”  in the 1/29/12 issue of Christian Standard (pp. 6-8).  He challenges the view that the Supper is “merely symbolic” and that the bread and juice are just “emblems” of the body and blood of Christ. Instead, Brother Lawson suggests that eating the loaf and drinking the cup are a real partaking of the actual body and blood of … Continue reading →

CRANBERRY JUICE IN THE LORD’S SUPPER?

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CRANBERRY JUICE IN THE LORD’S SUPPER? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, November 19, 2010 at 12:53pm QUESTION: Is it “necessary,” or is it just “tradition,” to use grape juice (or wine) for communion? Is “fruit of the vine” (Matt. 26:29) limited to the grape vine, or is any juice allowed? Someone told me they went to a church that used cranberry juice, because they got a deal on it at the store! What do you think? ANSWER: Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper [LS] during the yearly Passover feast (Matt. 26:17ff.), which God established for Israel on the night of … Continue reading →

WHAT WILL BE OUR ACTIVITIES IN HEAVEN?

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WHAT WILL BE OUR ACTIVITIES IN HEAVEN? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Saturday, May 22, 2010 at 1:06pm QUESTION: What kinds of activities will we be engaged in when we get to heaven? ANSWER: To answer this question, I have selected some paragraphs from chapter 32, “Heaven,” of my book, “The Faith Once for All.” Here I divide our activities in heaven into physical, mental, and spiritual. Regarding the PHYSICAL, what about activities that give us physical pleasure in our present lives, i.e., eating, drinking, and sex? This question is neither irrelevant nor irreverent, for these are normal and good … Continue reading →

May Women SPEAK in Church?

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May Women SPEAK in Church? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, April 29, 2010 at 3:34pm QUESTION: In view of 1 Timothy 2:12, are women forbidden to serve communion in a church service? Is a female song leader allowed? Can a woman lead prayers in a church service? Does this verse not say that a woman must “remain quiet”? Does not 1 Cor. 14:34 say that “women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak”? ANSWER: Here I have combined several questions into one, namely, what limitations does the New Testament place upon women’s … Continue reading →

Should the Emblems of the Lord’s Supper Be Taken by Christians Only?

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Should the Emblems of the Lord’s Supper Be Taken by Christians Only? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, April 2, 2010 at 10:09am QUESTION: Our small group has been discussing communion, and what it means when we partake of the Lord’s Supper each week. We were always taught that you do not partake of communion until you are a baptized believer. Does that come from Scripture or from tradition? Does “partaking in a worthy manner” (1 Cor. 11:27) mean that you must first be able to understand baptism and its meaning? ANSWER: I take it that your main question is … Continue reading →

Is Baptism a Sacrament?

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Is Baptism a Sacrament? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Saturday, March 13, 2010 at 7:54am QUESTION: Is baptism a sacrament? ANSWER: The short answer is NO, because there is no such thing as a sacrament. From a Biblical perspective, the category of “sacraments” does not exist. From an historical perspective, though, quite early in Christian history the Latin term “sacramentum” was used to translate the Biblical (Greek) word “mysterion,” or “mystery.” Since in the NT a “mysterion” refers to divine truths hidden to man, the word began to be used for sacred things in general, especially those with mysterious and … Continue reading →

Why We Need the Church (III)

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Why We Need the Church (III) by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, February 11, 2010 at 4:40pm THE ISSUE: Why is the church necessary? Why is membership in a local church necessary? Here I am continuing a theme from two previous notes which were titled “Is It Necessary To Be a Member of a Local Church?” I and II. In those notes my answer was YES. Here the answer is still YES, but I have changed the title somewhat because I am looking at the concept of “need” in a different light. Here I am saying that we need the … Continue reading →