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Bible Answer
How often should believers partake in communion?
What does the Bible say about the frequency of partaking in communion? Our church has communion on a weekly basis, and sometimes twice a week. But I know of churches that only have it once a month. Is there a scriptural recommendation?
Paul gives the church the biblical prescription for conducting the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians 11 when he says:
1Cor. 11:23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;
1Cor. 11:24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
1Cor. 11:25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
1Cor. 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
Pastor Armstrong covers this passage in detail as part of his teaching on 1 Corinthians (Lesson 11B), but we can summarize Paul’s teaching concerning timing: The expected frequency for conducting communion is “as often as you eat…” In other words, unlike other rituals that are practiced only once, like water baptism, or practiced annually like the Passover, this ritual happens frequently but without a prescribed schedule. When Paul says “as often as” he indicates there is no prescribed schedule.
Therefore, the church is free to establish for itself a routine for how often it observes the meal, so long as it is done routinely.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org
