Unavoidable: the Importance of Eating

I'm going to end this series on an enjoyable topic: eating. Almost everybody likes to eat.

Eating was very important to the life of the early church. When they gathered they often shared a full meal together: the Lord's Supper. I'm referring to a literal complete meal, not a ritual ceremony with tiny glass of juice and tasteless cracker.

In Acts 2:42 we read, "And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers." The breaking of bread describes a full meal Lord's Supper.

Later in Acts (20:7) we see this, "On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight." This verse actually gives a purpose statement for why they got together (at least on that occasion): to break bread. They met to eat.

Why is eating important to church gatherings? Four reasons come to mind. In no particular order:

1. Eating keeps the atmosphere informal.

2. Eating meets a basic need (nutrition).

3. Eating keeps everyone equal.

4. Eating is enjoyable.


Sharing the Lord's Supper together as a full meal is a wonderful experience. I hope it is something that you get to do frequently. Not only is it a great time, but it is also an unavoidable principle provided to us in scripture.

No Shave November

Yesterday Alice (my wonderful wife) and I, along with a bunch of other family members, ate a scrumptious lunch at Puerto Rico Restaurant here in Savannah. While there someone snapped this photo of us; it actually came out pretty well. As you can see, I'm taking part in No Shave November. This year I'm just growing the beard for something sort of random to do. Next year I may do more to raise cancer awareness.

The beard is likely to come off in a few days. I threatened my family with just keeping the mustache, but they made it clear that it was not a good idea. A Fu Manchu might be fun though.

Getting the (Church) Recipe Right or Wrong

On Thanksgiving day I plan to eat some delicious food. For your sake I hope you are, too.

I admit up front that I will probably have little to do with the cooking. I can do supportive stuff such as taking out the trash, setting the table, filling glasses with ice, etc. However, when it comes to the actual cooking, I'm staying out. I can trust my wife, sister-in-law, and mother with those tasks. They have mad cooking skills.

I can trust that they will get the recipe right. They're not going to mess up the turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, pies, etc. They'll add the ingredients that should be in there, but won't mess it up by adding what shouldn't. Every year it is good.

As it is important to get the Thanksgiving recipes right, it is the same with the church. When we follow the recipe we've been given, things tend to go well. When we deviate from that recipe, things tend to go downhill fast.

Many Christians act as if we have no church recipe to follow. This is odd. The same people who look to the bible for instruction about gospel truths ignore much of what the bible has to say about church life. They sort of make things up as they go. This is how churches end up with things like youth groups and puppet ministries.

When we search the scriptures for its church recipe we find treasure after treasure about how we should live. If we are open to what we see there, the Holy Spirit will testify to its truths. We read about how we should treat and interact one another, why we should gather, what leadership looks like, how we ought to interact with unbelievers, what we should do with money, etc. The bible is simply full of information that gives us God's recipe for church life. Problems begin whenever we deviate from that recipe.

Let's take a Thanksgiving example: the turkey is excellent when the recipe is followed. However, problems will arise quickly if the cook adds something that is not needed like chocolate. Chocolate in other circumstances is great, but not on the turkey.

When extra ingredients are added to church life, even with good intentions, the results are almost always problematic. When we stick with the recipe, much more positive will come from it. God is the ultimate chef. He not only created the recipe, but he created the church. If we'll simply follow His plan the results will be good.

Chick-fil-A: Both-And Instead of Either-Or

I've been thinking about the whole Chick-fil-A thing for a few days now. Part of me is tired of it and just wants it to go away. However, since it is a significant cultural phenomenon and conversation, my desire is to end up thinking biblically about it.

I live in the middle of Chick-fil-A world (meaning the South of the USA). My daughter has worked at a local CFA branch for a couple of years now. Because of this, I've frequented Chick-fil-A restaurants, well, frequently. As a family we had lunch twice at a CFA in St. Augustine, FL this week (on a short family vacation).

Ever since Dan Cathy made his statement in favor of a biblical definition of marriage, the culture wars have been ablaze. As you well know by now, both sides have dug in. During this time, I've read two types of blog posts in the Christian blog-o-sphere. The first comes from those in favor of standing with CFA by eating at the restaurants while the left-wing in our country takes aim at CFA. The second comes from Christians who seem bent on inducing guilt in other Christians by writing things like, "You need to help the starving overseas instead of eating a chicken sandwich."

My reaction to all this is that we as Christians can treat the CFA situation from a Both-And perspective instead of Either-Or. I see no reason why Christians must either support CFA by eating a sandwich or care for the poor, care for the starving overseas, and share the gospel. Certainly the second option is more important, but why can't we do both?

Of course we must be careful in how we think of this. Eating a CFA sandwich supports a company that is trying to do things the right way and stand for something more than making the most money. However, that's all eating a sandwich really does. It doesn't make disciples or relieve suffering.

Of far more importance is sharing the gospel and caring for those in need. Additionally, we must remember that gays are not the enemy; Satan is. Homosexuals need Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior just like all other lost people do.

To sum up, feel free to eat a CFA sandwich. You'll be glad you did. It's infinitely better than the excuses for chicken sandwiches they sell at places like McDonald's and Wendy's. Just make sure that you're involved in much more than this for the cause of Christ.

And for you Christians who are determined to guilt the rest of us for eating at CFA, please relax a little bit. My advice is that you eat and enjoy a CFA sandwich.  Have a milkshake while you're at it.

If you do not live near a CFA, I feel sorry for you. You may need to relocate.

Why Bacon is Good for You

Yummy!

Church Gatherings Fight Hunger

When the church gathers together, one of the main purposes is to eat together.

Acts 20:7 provides us with one of the clearest purpose statements for a church gathering in scripture. Luke writes, "On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight." Notice that the church got together "to break bread."

Numerous benefits come from eating together. One that we don't often think about is that the Lord's Supper provides everyone with a significant meal. It is a spiritual meal, but at the same time it is a real meal. The body gets to eat. This fights hunger.

Paul was greatly concerned that the Corinthian church was abusing the Lord's Supper. The apostle wrote in 11:20-21, "When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk." One of Paul's main frustrations was that some were going hungry.

We live in a country of plenty. Most of us rarely think abut truly feeling hungry. When our family had the privilege of living in India for a few months I was confronted for the first time with real poverty. We saw many people who, based on their ultra-thin appearance, usually had little to eat.

God is the provider of food for his people. When the Hebrews wandered in the wilderness for forty years God provided manna and quail for them to eat. He then sent his son, Jesus Christ, to save us and feed us spiritually. Christ is in every way the bread of life. We read the following in John 6:32-35:

 "Jesus then said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father 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.' They said to him, 'Sir, give us this bread always.' Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.'" 

God provides his church to one another for both spiritual and physical care. We feed on Christ together. We feed one another. Part of this is literally feeding each other. For some poor Christians around the globe the best meals they may get are the ones they take part in at church gatherings. I'm sure everyone tries to bring some food, but the wealthier would and should bring more.

When the church eats, people get fed. This fights hunger. We shouldn't discount the significance of this. Jesus took time to feed the 5000 and 4000. We must care for the well-being of others, too. We can relatively easily do this by eating a meal when we gather.

Tomorrow we'll be gathering with our church family.  The theme is Italian.  I can't wait.