Margaret Koch Supporter

Lance, You are never alone. The Holy Spirit is with you always. He has promised to never leave nor forsake you. So I believe it is ok to have communion without another believer present.
Margaret

January 16 2015 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report

seemon natarajan Supporter

Communion - the very word is explained in 1 Corinthians 10:16

"The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? "
'Communion' doesn't mean 'community' it is communion with the one bread Jesus Christ. 
You can partake of the holy communion by yourself.

October 24 2017 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Galen Smith Supporter Retired from Multnomah Bible College and Biblical Seminary

There is no explicit command in Scripture that communion should require a community, though the very word "communion" is related to the word "community." For this reason I believe that communion is best done in community with other believers in Christ. Part of the symbolism of taking the elements is the display of our oneness with Christ. If you are in vital union with Christ, and if the others in your local church are also in union with Christ, then you are connected to each other as well, all being various members of that local manifestation of Christ's body. Corporate communion seems the most natural way to practice it.

There are some believers, however, who may be isolated by circumstances from meeting with other believers. I do not think that the Lord is upset with them if they cannot come together with other believers to celebrate communion. If our motive is to be obedient to the command, "Do this in remembrance of me," I cannot imagine that God is not pleased at our desire to take communion, even if we are shut in and unable to do so with other believers.

January 26 2015 • 2 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Ken Cook Supporter

The word commune means to talk. So I think its important to talk to Jesus and allow him to talk to you, so it doesn't matter if you're alone or with someone. Commune with God as much as possible. You're also remembering what the body and blood of Christ has done for the whole human race! Jesus doesn't want us to only remember him when we take communion. Start each day by communicating with Jesus!

September 29 2018 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Vick Ehis Supporter

I believe Holy Communion should be taken only in Church with other believers. It should not be taken at home. The word "Communion" means fellowship. Fellowship with who? With other believers! In considering the question of whether communion should be taken at home, we need to ask how the disciples and the early church understood Jesus' statement "Do this in remembrance of me". Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper with the twelve disciples. That very first Communion was done collectively in a group meeting; the twelve disciples represented the entire New Testament Church. Thereafter, the early Church observed the Lord's Supper or Communion as a group in the Church. I am not aware of any mention of Communion being done by individuals at home in the New Testament. We are to follow the example laid down for us by the Apostles and the early Church in the New Testament. We just can't start making our own rules. 

In 1 Corinthians 11:33, Paul, speaking about the Communion, says to the Corinthian believers: "When you come together to eat [the Communion meal], wait for each other." This verse confirms that Communion is done with other believers in the Church, not at home. Notice that Paul says "when you come together". Communion involves a "coming together" or a "gathering together" in the Church. In this verse, Paul tells the Corinthian believers to wait for one another during a communion service so that everyone can eat together in church. He didn't want a situation where some people who were hungry would finish all the communion bread and wine before the arrival of others. So, in verse 33, he tells them to wait for one another so that they could all take the Communion meal together in church.

In verse 34 (1 Corinthians 11:34), Paul tells the Corinthians that if they are hungry, they should first eat at home before they come to Church for Communion. He didn't want people to come to Church hungry and then eat more than their fair share of bread and drink at the Communion, thereby leaving other believers without any communion bread/drink. This passage of scriptures shows that Communion was done in the Church. It was not done at home. Otherwise, why would Paul tell the Corinthians to eat their regular meal at home before they gather in Church for Communion? If it was okay to take Communion at home, Paul would have simply told each believer at Corinth to take his or her own Communion at home. There would have been no need to tell them to eat at home before coming to Church for Communion.

In my view, the teaching that Communion can be taken at home is unbiblical. It's just like saying that Water Baptism can be done individually at home. Like water baptism, communion is a Church Sacrament. It is NOT an individual thing to be done at home. May our eyes be open to grasp sound biblical teaching. 

I hope this helps.

July 15 2020 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report