Self Examination
Originally scheduled for
November 1
The
church which your author attends has recently made a deep commitment to what is
called Consumer Christianity. This has had a particular effect upon the
communion service itself: the service has been revised to completely prevent
self-examination. The usual method is to have a special number by the worship
team which is loud and intrusive.
Upon
inquiry, the explanation is given that communion is a time of congregational
praise, not a solemn remembrance. The music is fast and happy (the definition
of “praise” music today) so that one’s mind does not focus on self examination,
but clapping along.
Communion
is now secondary in worship here; it is “fit in” to the service wherever it can
be fit to accommodate the music and the message. Those who object are
classified as fossils and then ignored.
Why
are we doing this? Consumer Christianity, by definition starts by finding out
what people want, then delivering it to them. It’s fairly clear that people
don’t want guilt; it’s unpleasant and pop psychology says it’s bad for you. So
if you have a portion of your service that causes guilt, you change it. It
keeps guilt from spreading. It keeps people happy.
Why,
then, does the Scripture command that a man should examine himself? The answer
is relatively simple: self-examination reveals the guilt you already have –
and leads therefore to repentance. We are commanded to do this regularly at
communion for the same reason we remove splinters quickly: the pain goes away
faster, and the infection has no chance to spread. Regular self-examination
does the same thing with regard to sin in your spiritual life.
So I
encourage you today: examine yourself. Take the time to see if there is sin
in your life. If there is, repent of it and seek the Lord’s aid in keeping it
away from you – “deliver us from evil.” Then take the Lord’s Supper, knowing
that it was given for you so that you might receive the Lord’s forgiveness.
Forgiveness – whether it was on your spiritual shopping list or not.
