Sunday Evening Communion

Johnie Edwards

A question that comes up from time to time, is whether it is scriptural for one to partake of the Lord's supper on Sunday evening or for a church to make provision for such serving.

1. Time of day, not a factor. To say that a Christian cannot take of the Lord's supper at the evening service is to bind the time of day in which the supper must be observed. I no where read in the New Law where the Lord bound the hour of the day. I do read where he bound the day. "And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to bread, Paul preached unto them " (Acts 20:7).

2. Second supper. Some call the evening communion a "second supper." For a person to partake of the communion at the evening service, who was unable to attend the morning service, he is not partaking of a "second supper." It is a first supper to him!

3. Obeying the Lord. If a person partakes of the Lord's supper on Sunday morning or Sunday evening, he is still just doing what the Lord said do, eating the Lord's supper. If not, why not? (Acts 20:7).

4. Tarry one for another. Those who come early are to wait for the others to get there. Some in Corinth were eating before the Lord's supper was being served and also making a feast out of it. 1 Corinthians 11:33 has no bearing on the evening service. If so, we could not partake in the morning, but must wait until the evening folks were present!

5. Some abuse the communion. No doubt, some do, but this has no bearing on the right of a church to provide or a Christian partaking of the Lord's supper at an evening service. If I am commanded to eat the Lord's supper no church has the right to deny me the right.

Guardian of Truth XXXVIII: 4, p. 11
February 17, 1994