The Agape Feast and Life Together

Here's a short follow-up concerning my post on the Lord's Supper and the agape meal.  I was asked by a few folks if I had any more reference material on the subject for further reading, and to my surprise, I did find something. 

      First, check out a post by Tim Chester on eating with each other here.  Next go to James Jordan's website Biblical Horizons.  When in need go to James Jordan.  If it's worth writing about Jordan -- or one of his newsletter contributors -- has done it!  And sure enough, he has.  He wrote a great little article, I heartily endorse, on the historicity of the agape feast, and a few  suggestions on how to implement it into one's congregation.  Find it at his website Biblical Horizons.

      Our congregations need this type of feasting devotion more and more.  Our churches are fragmented, impersonal and disconnected which essentially is a thriving, robust model of isolation.  Geographically we're all spread out only coming together every seven days to worship, staring at the backs of heads, waiting for The Sermon (the only reason we go...right?) and hoping we agree with whatever monologue The Guy upfront delivers (because we don't really know him, do we?).  I think many Chrisitans sense something is obviously wrong but we continue to endorse the structures in place which prop-up and cater to personal peace, autonomy and affluence.  This is nothing more than the Family of God embracing the slow, cold grip of death wrapping itself around us.   

      We are in dire need of smaller congregations that are living out candid, interwoven lives and families, filled with close, dependent, one-anothering for God's glory and the love of our unbelieving neighbors.  This starts at the top though.  We need shepherding, hospitable servant-elders in our churches who  aren't just orthodox, but are "doers of the word" (James 1:22) as well.  It must ooze out of them, showing us the way to live because -- as much as we Americans hate to admit it -- our churches really do eventually come to look like those leaders over us. 

       The changes do start at the top though, and if our pastors and elders don't begin forsaking the lust for notoriety, laughably big congregations and buildings, salaries draining the budget, and capital letters after their names, ain't nuttin' changing here in the U.S., we'll just continue down the business-as-usual road with our squeaky bike wheels perpetually stuck in the seven-day death march.