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A
Simple "Thank You" Is Needed!
In 1 Corinthians 14:16-17, we have a description of one who should be able to say “Amen” at the giving of “thanks”. This passage tells of one who is speaking in a tongue, by the power of the Holy Spirit, and that the unlearned was unable to say “amen” at the giving of “thanks” because he did not understand what was being said.
I am constantly troubled today by another circumstance where we are unable to simply say “amen” at the giving of “thanks”, because the inspired instruction about the giving of “thanks” is not being followed. Jesus instructed us by His example, which is recorded in the following scriptures : Matthew 26: 26-28 - “...Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it; and He gave to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And He took a cup, and gave thanks, and gave to them, saying . Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many unto remission of sins.” Mark 14: 22-24 - “...He took bread, and when He had blessed, he brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take ye : this is my body. And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks, He gave to them : and they drank of it. And He said unto them, This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.” Luke 22: 17-20 - “And He received a cup, and when He had given thanks, He said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: for I say unto you, I shall not drink from henceforth of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. And He took bread, and when He had given thanks, He brake it, and gave to them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. And the cup in like manner after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood, even that which is poured out for you.” After the establishment of the Kingdom, in I Corinthians 11: 23-25, the Apostle Paul instructs us about the Lord’s Will as it pertains to the Lord’s Supper: “For I received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He brake it, and said, This is my body, which is for you this do in remembrance of me. In like manner also the cup, after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood: this do, as often as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye proclaim the Lord’s death till he come."
In the light of the above instruction, why do we have brethren constantly offering prayer at the Lord’s table without saying “thanks” for the bread or the fruit of the vine? We may want to pray about other factors when leading prayer at the Lord’s table, but why do we pray without saying “thank You” for the bread and “thank You” for the fruit of the vine? When we fail to do that, then everyone else in the assembly cannot simply say “amen” at the giving of “thanks”, because “thanks” was not given! It then becomes necessary for every other Christian to say their own prayer of “thanks”, just as Jesus taught us to do!
Shouldn’t
we be more careful, when an entire assembly is participating in our
prayer? When the one praying fails to give “thanks”,
then others are forced by conscience to say their own prayer of
“thanks”. Wouldn’t it be far better for everyone
to participate by simply saying “amen” at the giving of
“thanks”? We have had teaching dealing with this
matter on many occasions, but some brethren are not paying very
careful attention to the seriousness of the situation! My
sincere plea is that we go back and read these scriptures very
carefully, and that we determine to pay very close attention to our
prayers when we are asked to give “thanks” at the
Lord’s Table! We must remember that our prayer is
one in which the entire assembly is to participate.