A high school student I knew had recently placed faith in Jesus Christ as his savior, and in addition to attending youth group and Sunday church himself, began bringing his younger brother (very Andrew and Simon like (John 1:41)). The second time the younger brother came to church happened to be the first Sunday of the month, when we served the Lord’s Table, and I noticed that he took and consumed the bread and juice, just as everyone else.

After church, as we hung out in my living room, I said this to him. “You’re not in trouble or anything, but I was just wondering something. At church, when they passed around the bread and juice, did you understand what that meant or were you just following what everyone else did?” He replied that he just thought that’s what he was supposed to do, so I asked him if he would like to know what it meant, and he did want to know.

We spent the next few minutes reading Scriptures, and I explained the meaning of the Lord’s Table. After I finished, I asked him if he understood what it meant, and he responded by saying, “Yes! It means I need to become a Christian.” I had not pushed him towards a decision, but had simply explained what he had participated in earlier that day. He made the jump, through the conviction of the Holy Spirit, to act upon what he had learned.

This real example demonstrates why Wesleyans practice open communion, open not just to any Christian, but to anyone. The Lord’s Table can be a means of grace, not only to the Christian, but unto salvation for the non-Christian. At the very least, it is not a bad idea to invite a non-Christian to church on a day that the Lord’s Supper is being served, whether the local church practices open communion or not. Because this act may be unusual, new, or something they have not done since childhood, it opens the door to later discussion. Salvation has come to us through the body and blood of Christ.

• For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 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.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
• Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir,” they said, “from now on give us this bread.” Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:32-40).
• But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:5).
• In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Heb. 9:18).

Other posts in this series:

• The Sacraments as Means of Grace part 1: The Lord’s Supper
• The Sacraments as Means of Grace part 2: Baptism
• The Sacraments as Means of Grace part 3: Marriage
• The Sacraments as Means of Grace part 4: Ordination
• The Sacraments as Means of Grace part 5: Reconciliation
• The Sacraments as Means of Grace part 6: Anointing of the Sick
• The Sacraments as Means of Grace part 7: Confirmation
• The Sacraments as Means of Grace part 8: Acts of Mercy

©2002-2012 Paul Tillman