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What Does the Bible Say About..When to Take The Lord's Supper?

I need the scripture stating as to when we are to take communion.

Answer

When Jesus established the Lord’s Supper he only put one time element on it. “This do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.” (1 Corinthians 11:25) This doesn’t specify how often “as often” is. Based on this alone it is possible that one could take communion as often as daily or as rarely as once a year. (The Jehovah’s Witnesses say that since this was instituted on Passover, “as often” means every Passover. No more, no less.)

Acts 20:6-7 says, “And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days. And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.” The argument from this is that Paul waited a week until the church assembled to take communion, which was on the first day of the week. Since there is a first day of every week, then it is assumed that the church in Troy took communion weekly on Sunday. Add to that 1 Corinthians 16:2 (calling for collecting money for the church treasury on the first day of the week), and it would appear that several congregations took communion weekly. (Assuming, of course, that the gathering “to break bread” was the Lord’s Supper and not just a common meal.)

Anyone who puts limits on how often to partake of the Lord’s Supper is going outside what the Bible says. Personally, I like weekly participation. Considering that it is a memorial of Jesus it seems to me that annually or even quarterly is not often enough. However, I don’t insist that weekly is biblically mandated. If someone wanted to do it daily, I would have no problem with that. I would have no objection to a congregation offering it as often as they assembled and leaving it up to the individual whether to participate or not. Some of my more conservative brethren (and it is hard to be more conservative than me) argue from 1 Corinthians that if anybody participates then all must. That, however, is unenforceable.

So the answer to your question is, there is no scripture stating when we are to take communion. Please see also What Does the Bible Say About..The Lord's Supper? for my answer about whether it should be at night or during the day.