“Wait for one another” #1712

33 Therefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. 34 But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment. And the rest I will set in order when I come. (1 Corinthians 11:33–34, NKJV)

The apostle has been correcting problems in the Corinthian church that were happening when they came together to worship (namely, abuse of the Lord’s supper, and class divisions, 1 Cor. 11:17-22). Now, he summarizes the solutions he gave by exhorting them to “wait for one another.” To “wait” means “1) to receive, accept 2) to look for, expect, wait for, await” (Thayer, 193). Paul makes a unity argument here. When a church assembles, the members should receive or accept each other so that their coming together is blessed (11:17). By doing so, the assembly can “eat the Lord’s supper” decently and with order (11:20-21). To bring and eat our own suppers to satisfy hunger produces “judgment” (condemnation). The work of the church, when gathered together, is orderly worship, not disorderly, divisive conduct. It gathers for spiritual work, not for social activities. By keeping our own suppers at home (entirely separate from the assembled activities), the Holy Spirit ensures unity when the church gathers to eat the Lord’s Supper. By doing we, we avoid condemnation.

The Lord’s Supper, Not Your Own Supper #1707

20 Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. 21 For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you. (1 Corinthians 11:20–22, NKJV)

The division in the assembly of the Corinthian church made it impossible for them to properly and reverently eat the Lord’s Supper. What a church does when it “come(s) together in one place” is crucial to God’s approval. To their shame, they were corrupting the Supper’s manner and purpose by bringing their own suppers (which also had the effect of shaming those who had nothing). The apostolic solution was simple, and is the model for churches today. The apostle told the church they must come together to eat the Lord’s Supper, and they must eat their “own supper” at home. That clear, divine edict puts each supper in its proper place – the Lord’s Supper in the worship assembly, and one’s own supper at home (not the gathering of the church). Yet, many churches invite you to bring your own supper to their weekly potluck, while relegating the Lord’s Supper to a monthly or quarterly event. Churches in the New Testament did not plan, promote and provide social activities for their members. The duty of the local church was to reverently worship God in unity and in truth. Men have drifted far from this Bible pattern.