Bob,
I received a very "nice" letter from someone at the community that explained to me why it is Catholics do not invite Protestants to receive "the eucharist"
I responded, you can be sure.
While I do understand that he is correct concerning a person understand what they "mean" and "why" such an emphasis is placed on communion I also disagreed saying that there is no place is scripture this teaching is supported.
I will though say that I think the way we celebrate communion in most Reformed churches is somewhat carried over from the Roman Catholic Church, I don't really want to argue the point.
It is still my earnest belief that originally when the first communion was ever given by Jesus Himself to His apostles it was "Passover"
The Jews had celebrated Passover and still do as one of their highest and most holy days and the meaning behind Passover is not only a "looking back" to deliverance from Egypt but was a looking forward to the coming Messiah, deliverance from SIN and the time Isaiah and the prophets speak of as "entering into the Promised Land" (Heaven and Earth become ONE)
Jesus said very clearly "when you do this do this in rememberance of me" as He was passing the bread and the cup.
Messianic Jews understand the meaning of this better than either Rome or the Reformed have as they continue celebrating Passover from year to year and do so "in rememberance of their Messiah Jesus (Hamashia Yeshua)
Every bit of the Passover is a picture of Jesus Christ..the slain lamb, every bit was eaten ... the broken bread, a part being wrapped carefully in a napkin (they have a name for that) and hidden until after they've finished eating the bread, dipping the sop, drinking from the cup.
At Passover it was one cup that was passed to each (symbolizing the unity of all being of one flesh, one blood as children of Abraham, Issac and Jacob) though this is done family by family and was throughout all of Israel as together they as a nation wherever they'd been scattered on earth at the same time go through the motions of Passover.
Unless they have come to know the Messiah, they don't really understand or do in His rememberance what Jews who have known Him from the first Church through today are doing (eyes wide, hearts listening)
There is still an empty seat at each table, the seat is for Elijah (not Jesus Himself) who it is believed must come to announce the coming of Messiah .. and, as Jesus said to His disciples, "Elijah had come but the Jews didn't recognize him" (John the Baptist)
Unfortunately, both Catholic and Protestant tradition leaves out this important element of "Passover" ..not that we should celebrate Jewish holy days in the same way they had for the same reason..
rather though that we understand the meaning behind any given tradition.
There are doctrines and traditions of men and there are doctrines and traditions ordained by God Himself.
The Catholics created doctrines and traditions that reflected pagan celebrations and Roman thought while rejecting most of what was taught to them by the apostle Paul and his true "disciples"
In the end, they formed a priesthood similar to the one Jesus taught His Own disciples they were not to imitate in this world. He is our ONLY HIGH PRIEST and HE IS IN HEAVEN..
I do think yet there is confusion among many Reformed Churches still that hold onto many of the traditions of Rome while rejecting the doctrine.
Isaiah wrote of the time when no man will teach another because "all know the Lord"
Ultimately that is an important truth for us to consider..when people truly know the Lord and are listening to the Voice of the Same Jesus through the Holy Spirit given freely to us all, we recognize His Voice and Truth no matter who it's coming through.
If we don't KNOW for ourselves then we can't KNOW if what another is telling us is a LIE or TRUTH.
I have never embraced the teaching of Rome when it came to their false doctrines..nor did I embrace the false prophecies of many within the Charismatic movement or false teachings (error) within Reformed Churches.
All of scripture is true and to get hold of part without taking time to look at the whole is why doctrines of men abound..there is pride on the part of men who refuse to recognize error no matter what church or age we are living in...and it's almost always "religious authority" that ends up persecuting and oppressing whoever dares to challenge a belief that is not lining up with "all" of scripture as it's been given to us.
This is why I think Paul said we were to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace until we all come into "unity of doctrine"
I'm sure many more Roman Catholics who have studied God's Word and know Jesus for real, as they witness true brothers and sisters in Christ being turned away from the Lord's Table will begin questioning themselves and what it is they've believed.
Such teachings as saints being exalted to a position only the Holy Spirit is to hold or a pope (or any human) into the position Jesus Christ Alone clearly taught was HIS ALONE in HEAVEN (no man was to rule over or be exalted over another in this present world, all are equally BROTHERS)
In less than a century the organized "traditional" church looked far too much like "the world"
This is why we need to be looking more and more at the persecuted church, the Church that is emerging from their places of hiding throughout every nation where persecution and poverty has prevented them from being seen and heard by the Universal Church.
As Harlan rightly told me years ago, persecution has a way of purging out everything that is false ..the fire that refines and purifies His Church.
The first thing to "go" is "false brethren" ..the systems of men crumble regardless of what they are called, false doctrines are meaningless to brothers who are living together holding on in faith to Jesus and to each other learning what the real LOVE of our HOLY LORD is all about.
sins like pride, lust, anything of this world we have a tendency to hold onto are purged out by the fire God Himself uses to chasten His Own.
We who are "lukewarm" (a mix of doctrines of men and TRUTH) need to buy that gold tried by fire (the faith of the martyrs) and listen, learn what it is we ourselves need to stand and be strong (courageous) in such a time as this.