A Charismatic Theology Of The Lord's Supper

Charismatic churches affirm the importance of the Lord's Supper, although it is not always a central feature of their worship services. Many discussions about the Lord's Supper among charismatic Christians have centered around the actual practice of the Lord's Supper.

The celebration of the Lord's Supper is one of the earliest expressions of Christian worship, predating the writing of the first New Testament documents by twenty years. Like water baptism, Holy Communion is viewed by some groups within the charismatic movement as a sacrament, a holy mystery of God that imparts grace. Others see Communion as an ordinance or memorial instituted by Christ and carried out in obedience. These two perspectives are, in many ways, determined by the theology of the denomination to which the group belongs or from which the group has emerged. While there is a great variety in the frequency and style of celebration, the majority view of both charismatic and Pentecostal churches falls on the side of the ordinance. Holy Communion, then, has not been given a significantly high priority in practice. Except for individuals and groups that still maintain their connection and activity within formal liturgical churches, the Eucharist (which means thanksgiving) has been stripped of most written liturgy and is celebrated in a more spontaneous manner. A few Pentecostal groups have developed a standard approach to Communion, but most of them, along with non-aligned ministries, charismatic fellowships, and independent churches, have endorsed a bias against any structure in worship. This has produced an approach to the Eucharist which inhibits the use, effectiveness, and appreciation of written prayers and other liturgical structures. The emphasis on the "?now work?" of the Spirit encourages a more informal method of celebration that meets the need of the moment. The consecration and distribution of the Communion elements usually takes place by offering a spontaneous prayer over the bread and the cup, utilizing a theme developed during the service or other topics. No standard design of the liturgy or concern for the physical posture of the communicant is required. The use of the wafer or host (found in many mainline churches) has not been continued by most charismatic or Pentecostal churches, who prefer the use of bread loaves, crackers, or other forms of leavened and unleavened bread. One reason given is that the loaf of bread is more symbolic of the unity of the body, than the individual wafer. Perhaps the most sensitive area, with respect to the Last Supper, is the use of grape juice instead of fermented wine. While the balance of biblical and historical scholarship confirms the use of fermented wine in the early celebrations of the Eucharist, Pentecostal and most charismatic groups have adamantly adopted the use of an unfermented substitute. The Pentecostal conviction stands consistent with their declaration of total abstinence from all alcoholic beverages. From this position, the issue of wine versus juice is seen as irrelevant or that Jesus' use of wine was merely an accident of history. A few still believe that the wine in Scripture was not actually fermented. Whatever reasons are given, most would argue that the elements are not as important as what they symbolize. Charismatic groups generally use an unfermented juice as well. Many who have come into the charismatic movement from evangelical or holiness expressions of faith were used to grape juice as the normative symbol and have simply continued encouraging this practice. Some charismatic leaders have even contended that fermented wine is an inconsistent representative of the incorruptible blood of Christ. As a rule, both Pentecostal and charismatic churches celebrate Holy Communion once a quarter or once a month. In rare instances, weekly Communion is celebrated.