Where's the Christmas Thread?????

[houston]

Originally Posted by mfblume

Why use scriptural terms to describe traditions?

Because most refer to the cracker and thimble of juice as communion.

[mfblume]

Originally Posted by houston

Because most refer to the cracker and thimble of juice as communion.

It can be communion if the proper FAITH is involved in it all. The food and drink and how it is served or how much there is is not the point. the point is what message it sends forth to partake of it.

[Evang.Benincasa]

Originally Posted by Aquila

Did you know that some early Modalists also venerated Mary and other "Saints"??? It was a wide spread custom.

Let me help you out. It was wide spread false doctrine of Eastern and Western Catholic church. Yet, before we go into the deconstruction do you have any evidence that the Bishop of Myra wasn't a Trinitarian? Veneration of the dead and talking to the dead was part of the European religious. The Mariology was part of both sides of the Roman Church, far surpassing the Trinity. But modalists? I think you are doing a bit of wishful thinking.

Originally Posted by Aquila

I'm not saying it is biblical.

Neither is Krishna, or Rama, therefore you place them in their mythological and historical place. Ecclesiastical History is inerrant and therefore we need to place it in its rightful position. While some history can be proven to be factual, other portions may take some hard detective work. Yet, you sending children off to defend your ecclesiastical historical baggage isn't wise. They just might end up meeting my kids.

Originally Posted by Aquila

I'm simply saying that one's Christology isn't dependent upon one's peripheral ecclesiological practices.

Agreed, but then a debate on whether or not Xmas is part of Christian practice is a moot.

Originally Posted by Aquila

As you know, I'm into house churching. We don't practice "Communion". We practice, "The Lord's Supper". We have a full meal together and close the meal with the breaking of bread and the passing of the cup. We believe that there must be a single loaf and a single cup (seeing that Paul describes the emblems in the singular).

One loaf? Paul was using metaphor to teach on the Body of Christ, the Church.

Originally Posted by Aquila

Some house churches in our fellowship slice the loaf, others pass the loaf and those present tear a piece off as they pass it to the next member. The symbolism is one Lord, being torn to pieces for us.

Originally Posted by Aquila

Then the cup is passed. We dip the bread in the cup (like a sop) and then pass the cup to the next member.

Sounds very ritualistic and formatted, but my question is who was the one who came up with your ritual? I mean we aren't told to pass around one cup of fermented wine, and dip a bread into it? We aren't told to use one loaf and one cup. So, what I'm asking is when did you all sit down and pencil out the program?

Originally Posted by Aquila

Once all have dipped, we have a Word, and partake. Some house churches use actual wine, others use grape juice. But it is a part of a full meal.

I can never understand the use of purple colored fructose corn syrup over the Biblical fermented wine. I know of a church who used Hawaiian Punch.

Originally Posted by Aquila

I don't know about you, but I find it rather amusing when believers rant and rave over some non-biblical practice or tradition, while partaking in the Lord's Supper in an equally pagan or Catholic manner.

Yet, what I find amusing is that we tend to over compensate. Just to avoid the Pagan/Catholic associations. We then end up making up our own extra biblical traditions.

[Esaias]

Originally Posted by Evang.Benincasa

I can never understand the use of purple colored fructose corn syrup over the Biblical fermented wine. I know of a church who used Hawaiian Punch.

What do you do when you have folks who are life-long AA members and who literally will not touch alcohol? Do they pass on communion, do you offer grape juice for them and wine for the rest, or ???

This is an issue I deal with, we believe wine is what ought to be used but not sure how to deal with teetotalers who actually believe they will wind up dead or in an asylum if they so much as taste alcohol.

[Evang.Benincasa]

Originally Posted by Esaias

What do you do when you have folks who are life-long AA members and who literally will not touch alcohol? Do they pass on communion, do you offer grape juice for them and wine for the rest, or ???

This is an issue I deal with, we believe wine is what ought to be used but not sure how to deal with teetotalers who actually believe they will wind up dead or in an asylum if they so much as taste alcohol.

A situation of fermented wine causing someone to lose out with the Holy Ghost?

I have never seen it.

Yet, I wonder if fermentation was the least of their problems if they were to return to drinking booze.

In 1 Corinthians 11:28 the apostle asks those partaking that they were to reflect before they even touched the bread, let alone the fermented wine. We are entering a time in our history where church families no longer pray together, cast out devils, pray for people to receive the Holy Ghost with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues. When the Spiritual side of what we believe gets kicked to the curb then everyone's going to need to break out the High C grape drink.

[houston]

Families no longer cast out devils? ��

[n david]

Originally Posted by houston

Families no longer cast out devils? ��

*church families.

And no, I have not witnessed a devil cast out of an individual in church or out of church since I was a kid.

[Evang.Benincasa]

Originally Posted by n david

*church families.

Thank you.

[Aquila]

Originally Posted by mfblume

they're the same thing scripturally.

1 Cor 10: 16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?

Communion means fellowship.

Technically, you're right. But the sacramental practice known widely as "Communion" is more deeply rooted in Catholic tradition.

[Aquila]

Originally Posted by mfblume

It can be communion if the proper FAITH is involved in it all. The food and drink and how it is served or how much there is is not the point. the point is what message it sends forth to partake of it.

Debatable. What kind of "fellowship" (communion) takes place in a sacrament of wafers and Dixie cups, followed by a homily or sermon?

In the Epistles, the Lord's Supper is described as a meal. Take into consideration that these references were written at least two decades after what most know as, "The Last Supper" (what many believe was a Jewish Seder, the Passover meal). This testifies that "communion" (the Lord's Supper) was indeed practiced as part of a meal for some time before being watered down to the "Lord's Snack" by the Catholic church. The "communion" and/or "fellowship" was the natural byproduct of sharing a communal, Christ focused, meal together.