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Evidence of the pentecostal age that is PAST!
The context of the Acts period is very much seen in the institution and maintenance of the Lord’s supper as revealed by Paul in 1 Corinthians. Mid-Acts believers beware, taking Israel’s spiritual food could be dangerous! For more detail on the Lord’s supper and mid acts see the topic on the Lord’s supper.
Received of the Lord
The Lord’s supper was received by Paul from the lord, not as the revelation of something “hid in God” but a continuance of the teaching that the Lord gave in his earthly ministry and recorded in the synoptic gospels. Those who wish to teach a mid-Acts beginning for the church for which Christ is head should also expect to see the pentecostal signs and wonders (if they are not here then neither is the body of 1Cor 12:12 ff and if that is so what replaced it and when? see Eph. 1:22ff)
23 ¶ (AV) For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:
23 (TR) εγω γαρ παρελαβον απο του κυριου ο και παρεδωκα υμιν οτι ο κυριος ιησους εν τη νυκτι η παρεδιδοτο ελαβεν αρτον
Thats not all that he received of the Lord, these communications however never went beyond the prophets, even mysteries which were unveiled and explained to him were but hid in the ages and were brought to the surface Rom. 16:25ff. The mystery “hid in God” was only revealed to PAul the prisoner Col. 1:25ff after Acts 28. “The same night” takes us into the gospels and connects the doctrine found in 1Cor with the ministry of Christ “on the earth!” The risen Lord is connecting Paul with His own earthly ministry. The teaching that says or assumes that Jesus in heaven on the right side of the father dispenses only new and different doctrine to that which He preached on earth is here disproved. To say that “we follow only Jesus from heaven” doesn’t take you out of the covenants of promise where you as gentiles are stranges and aliens and without hope!
24 (AV) And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
24 (TR) και ευχαριστησας εκλασεν και ειπεν λαβετε φαγετε τουτο μου εστιν το σωμα το υπερ υμων κλωμενον τουτο ποιειτε εις την εμην αναμνησιν
25 (AV) After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
25 (TR) ωσαυτως και το ποτηριον μετα το δειπνησαι λεγων τουτο το ποτηριον η καινη διαθηκη εστιν εν τω εμω αιματι τουτο ποιειτε οσακις αν πινητε εις την εμην αναμνησιν
Notice that the content of what Paul delivered is the same as what was recorded in the gospels. Paul simply carries this doctrine over. There is NO mystery hid from ages here — indeed the roots of this go back to the passover. The cup represents the new covenant in His blood. Paul was an able minister of the new covenant and in his acts ministry was busy proclaiming the hope of Israel.
26 (AV) For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.
26 (TR) οσακις γαρ αν εσθιητε τον αρτον τουτον και το ποτηριον τουτο πινητε τον θανατον του κυριου καταγγελλετε αχρις ου αν ελθη
In performing this feast they certainly remember the Lord but further “shew the Lord’s death till he come”. The context of his coming then is His parousia as promised and prophesied by the prophets.
1Co 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
A concordance of the word παρουσία gives the following concordance in the Acts epistles written by Paul to the Thessalonians
1Th 2:19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming <3952>?
1Th 3:13 To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming <3952> of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
1Th 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming <3952> of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
1Th 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming <3952> of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2Th 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming <3952> of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming <3952>:
All of this is God’s dealing with Israel and the nations in relation to srael. The Lord’s supper connects directly with the an EARTHLY hope associated with ISRAEL! Mid-Acts takes you into Israel and her promises.
26 (AV) For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.
So every time that the Lord’s supper is commemorated you “shew the Lord’s death till he come” that is till he comes in his parousia to the earth according to the prophets and in celebrating this you declare the hope and the aspirations of the Lord given to the disciples (and then by Paul to the Corinthians) — for this is the context of the night in which the Lord was betrayed.
Hold the phone! There is more here. When Paul adds “till he come” — did he teach that this was way off in the future perhaps more than 2000 years away in the future? No!
1Co 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1Co 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Surely then as far as Paul’s expectation is concerned not all the believing Corinthians would die, some would be changed alive. Therefore the coming of the Lord was close at hand. “Till he come” meant “till he come in our lifetime” and this didn’t happen, the expectation was not fulfilled because Israel did not repent. The expectational failure was not because God’s prophecy failed but that Israel failed and hence a new dispensation was brought in through PAul the prisoner. To say that you will take the feast becasue Christ has not come is to neglect that in the first century AD a new economy began and this is evidenced by the fact that the Lord did not return then! The fact that he hasn’t come now is not the point that you need to address, the point is He did not come in the first century — why? The answer to this is evidence for why we should not partake!
But what if you eat “unworthily”
Does the eating of this feast separate you from the Acts administration of Jew first? No!! A thousand times NO! Look what happens when people eat “unworthily” — remember this is not talking of unworthy people, but christians who eat and drink “unworthily”.
27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.
Woe!! He does what? Eateth and drinketh damnation to himself!! What kind of damnation?
30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
Weak, sickly …. sleep! What? You mean weak, sickly and snore? Clearly there is a progression here — weak, sickly and death. This is the Judgment of God that appears in the Acts where God disciplines in a most severe way those who move out of His holy boundaries. This is His predestination and to cross His boundaries in the Acts period would result in very severe actions. See also Acts 5;13; 1Cor. 5.5
31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
33 Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another.
34 And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.
Judging yourselves in the acts and waiting for the rest of the believers would help you to respect the feast and thereby stay alive!
We don’t live in the time when Jew was first so why take what is not ours?
The point that we need to understand and appreciate is that Paul had two ministries. During the book of Acts he went to the Jew first and preached the “hope of Israel” not only as the saviour and God of Israel (Jer 14:8; 17:13) but also the fulfilment of the promises given to Israel (Acts 13, Rom 15) to assume that the church today is the body of 1Cor12 is to present the spectacle of a body surviving after it is stripped of its members and plucked out of the olive tree. This is not to resurrect a living church but to offer to the world a limp, half dead inconsistent mixed multitude mishmash of leftover hand me downs.
To say that Jew is first is also to say that Gentile is second. Are we second today? Acts 28:28.
Paul had a second ministry after the catastrophe of Acts 28. From prison he delivers to us Gentiles a new hope and dispensation Eph 3, Col 1. Why not embrace it and distinguish the things that are different and thereby clarify our hope and calling? Let us not confuse people by taking the Lord’s supper and put ourselves and others under the fear of God’s judgment unnecessarily.
We have the opportunity to keep the unity of the faith Eph. 4:5ff and declare our particular hope and doctrine taken from the Lord’s revelation to PAul after Acts 28. Let us remember the Lord by bringing forth the truth of the unsearchable riches of Christ Eph. 3:8.
It may be that you dear reader will never in this life have your eyes opened to this truth. We do not present this teaching to condemn but to help all those who have eyes to see and ears to hear.