Four Biblical principles for church-member-only communion 1. Covenant meal (Mt 26:28; Mk 14:24; Lk 22:20; 1Cor 11:25; Heb 8:8–9). It is actually membership, not profession of faith, that admits to the table. 2. Necessity to take by faith; union of Word and Sacrament. Teaching, and accountability to believe and practice what is taught, fills in the content of what it means to eat and drink "in remembrance" of Christ. Not just remembrance of a death. Remembrance of a Person and ongoing, covenanted connection with Him. "All that You say, we will do." 3. Assignment of particular elders and co-members (1Cor 12:18, 27–28; Eph 4:8–16; Heb 13:7; 1Pet 5:1–7) 4. Accountability of each to the other (Heb 13:17; Ac 20:26–28) Three options 1. "Open" communion or "fenced" communion. Give a warning, but leave their partaking entirely up to them. 2. "Closed" communion. Only members of that congregation. 3. "Close" communion. Only members of that congregation and other like-minded congregations. Hopewell's practice 1. Close communion. Recognizing that it is the Lord's table, not Hopewell's table. We do it the way we do because He says what He says. And He has other congregations on earth, praise God! 2. With a closed loop. Lord's Supper guest cards facilitate others' members communing in accountability to their own elders. a. Those in between membership may put Hopewell on their guest cards if they are willing to be accountable to our elders for actively pursuing membership.
SERMON ACTIVITY
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Pastor Hakim's family on his father's side was converted from nominal Coptic Orthodoxy to Reformed Presbyterianism, early in the 20th century. He is a third generation Presbyterian elder who grew up in Michigan but emigrated to the South to attend seminary at RTS-Jackson. After...
