I miss celebrating the Lord’s Supper this Sunday, and I also miss eating with my church family. There’s a reason that Acts 2 says that the first church was “continually devoting themselves to . . . the breaking of bread,” and that they were “breaking bread from house to house” (2:42, 46, NASB). Also, in Acts 20:7, Luke says that the church at Troas was “gathered together to break bread”, and Paul implies in 1 Corinthians 11:20 that when the Corinthian church came “together”, it was to “eat” the Lord’s Supper. This is how they remembered “the Lord’s death until He comes,” and reminded one another that they all shared in the body and blood of Christ (1 Cor. 10:16; 11:26). And remember, this is what they did every time they met together as churches.

So, the main activity wasn’t the teaching of Scripture — although that happened — nor was it praise singing — although that happened as well. Rather, it was the remembrance of their sharing in the suffering, death, and resurrection life of Christ through the sharing of a meal. This meal climaxed with the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. It was a family meal that allowed them to enjoy one another’s company, to encourage one another, and to remind one another that they were needy people of flesh that required food and drink, as well as a family to share it with.

Why don’t we do this anymore? Why don’t we recognize the fact that we need to remember the Lord’s death the way He commanded at least every time we come together as churches? Why aren’t we consistent with our claim that our churches consist of our eternal and spiritual family by desiring to share in one of the most intimate of human activities on a weekly basis? I say it’s time we get back to the way Christ originally designed the church to love one another regularly — by eating together and remembering together. I know there’ll be objections and excuses — tradition, time, money, resources. But if the Lord and the first churches thought it important enough to do it at least on a weekly basis, shouldn’t we do the same? The fact is, we need this kind of fellowship and encouragement on a weekly basis. Let’s get back to biblical church — the gathering of the brethren for teaching, fellowship, prayer, and the breaking of bread.