Q:   Where is the authority for offering the Lord's supper both on Sunday morning and Sunday evening? I certainly don't want to add to the gospel of Jesus Christ when we're told not to in His word.

A:   To begin, within scripture, "day time" has been divided using three methods. The Hebrews used sunset to sunset; the Greeks used sunrise to sunrise; the Romans used midnight to midnight. The time division used in Acts 20:7 was Roman time, so the divisions were midnight to midnight.

When Jesus instituted the Lord's supper, He said, "I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom," (Matthew 26:29). Acts 20:7 says that the disciples came together on the first day of the week to break bread. This is "that day." Some might assume that this restricts us to daylight hours only. However, the original word translated "day" in Matthew 26:29 is used of the civil day, the span of 24 hours, thus including the night hours.

The question is about authority. We have 3 ways of determining what is authorized in scripture: direct commands or statements, necessary inferences, and approved examples. Sometimes, a command is recorded in the Bible, and an example of Christians executing that command is also recorded. However, concerning when the Lord's supper is to be observed, the only way authority is established is by an example in Acts 20:7, which indicates the first day of the week when the church gathers together.

Authority is either generic or specific. Generic authority includes all of a type, kind, or category. Specific authority excludes all things other than that specified. For example, to the extent the command "go teach the gospel" is specific, it does not authorize me to go teach cooking or auto repair; they're not included in the gospel, which was specified. However, to the extent the command is generic, I can expedite going by foot, by horse, by car, or by plane; they're all authorized by the word "go," even though there's no example of using a car. We have scriptural authority by command or inference for many things of which there is no recorded example.

The same reasoning of generic and specific senses applies to the time for observing the Lord's supper. To the extent "the first day of the week when the church gathers together" is specific, the first day of the month, the first day of Spring, and the second through seventh days of the week are excluded and unauthorized. However, to the extent it is generic; I can observe it early in the day or late in the day. I can eat the bread two minutes after a fellow worshiper eats it or six hours after he does, as long as it is when the church is gathered together on the first day of the week. That 24 hour period and the gathering together sets the boundaries of the time specified by the example in Acts 20:7. Within those limits, we have authority. Serving the Lord's supper to accommodate those arriving to assembly later in the day is understood to be acting expediently within the limits of generic authority.

Another consideration in this question is whether the whole congregation needs to partake at the very same time. In 1 Corinthians 11:33, Paul encourages those in Corinth: "When you come together to eat, wait for one another." This includes looking for and expecting the presence of each other. This admonition is related to the problems which were prevalent in Corinth. In verse 21, Paul explains that one was eating his own supper ahead of others. One was hungry, and another was filled. Apparently, they had turned the communion into a common meal, as he rebukes them in verse 22 saying, "Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink?" and verse 34, "If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home." They were not showing love and respect for each other and certainly not for God. In the contextual verses, the emphasis is on the purpose and manner of the Lord's supper, not the frequency. Verse 33 instructs us to jointly partake of the Lord’s supper but not necessarily all at the same exact moment. Otherwise, if any of our members are absent from our assembly, none of us will be able to partake.

The second serving on Sunday evening has also been criticized because of abuse. There may well be some who willfully miss services on Sunday morning but come to take communion in the evening. The source of this problem is not the second serving itself, but misdirected priorities. Yet, we cannot read the intents of a brother's heart and judge his degree of trust in God. We must recognize there are times when taking the Lord’s supper on Sunday morning is just not possible. Nevertheless, justification for the second serving is not to accommodate people who miss, but because it meets the requirements given in Act 20:7.

Still another objection sometimes comes from thinking if the Lord's supper is offered too frequently, it looses its special character and becomes commonplace. This is a problem of attitude, not of the second serving. Similarly, when the second serving is observed by only some in attendance, others not partaking might not have the same mind frame. This is a problem of reverence, not of the second serving.

Admittedly, others have also studied these questions and arrived at different conclusions. Romans 14:5 tells us: "Let each be fully convinced in his own mind." If a Christian feels it is a violation of biblical principles to take or serve the Lord’s supper a second time on Sunday evenings, then he definitely should not do so for conscience's sake. Likewise, he who feels he should partake should not be expected to violate his conscience, either. Romans 14 deals at length with how we can differ in matters of opinion and still maintain fellowship with a pure conscience. This is certainly not an issue brethren need to divide over, nor is the head covering question of 1 Corinthians 11.

Without doubt, we should not loose where God has bound, but we also must be careful not to bind where God has loosed. Let us all seek God’s wisdom and show brotherly kindness in all things.