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How Often Should We Partake of the Lord's Supper? 11
established. Notice a third text, Acts 12:4. The word "Eas–
ter" is a mistranslation. The Greek word is
Pascha
meaning "Passover."
It
is exactly the same word used for
"Passover" in Matthew 26:2, 17, 18, 19. Many other trans–
lations faithfully render this "Passover" in this text, as it
should be. So this text is, "intending after the Passover to
bring him forth to the people." This was more than ten
years after the New Testament Church had been estab–
lished.
The Meaning of "Break Bread"
Some churches turn to Acts 20:7 - "And upon the
first day of the week, when the disciples came together to
break bread...."To them this says take the Lord's supper
every Sunday morning.
Let us examine this. Notice verse 6. This was just
AFTER
the Days of Unleavened Bread, when the "Lord's
supper" had been taken. Paul was holding a farewell meet–
ing at Troas, ready to depart at sunrise. When was Paul
preaching?
It
was not Sunday morning, but what would
now be called Saturday night.
It
was between sunset,
when the first day of the week commenced, and midnight
(verse 7) and there were many lights burning (verse 8). But
it was after midnight before they broke bread, when they
were all getting hungry. Notice carefully in the 11th verse.
"And had
broken bread and eaten."
This bread-breaking
was not the Lord's supper, but eating a plain meal.
"Break bread" does not necessarily refer to the
"Lord's supper," as some have carelessly assumed. Notice
Acts 27:34, 35: "Wherefore I pray you to take some
meat . . he took bread ... and when he had broken it,
he
began to eat."
Notice Acts 2:46: "... And breaking bread from house
to house, did
eat their meat
with gladness...." Here they
were breaking bread
daily,
eating meat, and Paul says
if
we eat to satisfy hunger at the Lord's supper, we do it to
our condemnation (I Cor. 11:34).
Then notice Matthew 26:29. Jesus said He would not
again take the New Testament "Lord's supper" until after
His second coming in His Kingdom. Yet, later, as He sat