Earlier in this thread, J Edwards writes, "I have visited hundreds of Churches and NEVER been examined once before the sacraments, not once." Sounds like open communion to me. Or did the elders of each of these hundreds of Churches personally know of your confession of Jesus Christ?
As most individuals here know Speratus (and you have been previously advised) I was an evangelist for many years and thus yes the pastors and many of the congregations knew me .... thus this was not open communion, but close Communion.
I have totally forgotten being previously advised of your status as a well known evangelist. Would the communing of Joe Anonymous Pewsitter at these hundreds of churches be close communion as well or should I ask him?
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J_Edwards said:
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Speratus Assumes,
I assume Paul was examined by the elders in the churches he started and the churches he visited. Please show me where Paul communed at churches that permitted those who caused divisions and offenses to commune.
YOU ASSUME, this is the problem... Speratus, are you saying this was the case with EVERY individual in EVERY church without exception that Paul ever visited? Are you implying that EVERY Church had such division and problems that Paul implies the Lord's Table should just have been thrown out? If this was the case just where did Paul ever have Communion? (PS: Paul did not physically stop anyone from communing in 1 Cor 11, but rather instructed them that the communion of "some" was incorrect and instructed them otherwise ....).
Now I provided BIBLICAL proof in my last post. Will you please address the Scripture and stop "assuming"? As usual we desire Scripture, not Speratmess.
I have no problem in assuming that the churches which continued stedfast in the Apostle's doctrine and the breaking of bread practiced closed communion. After all, the apostle Paul had told the church in Corinth not to eat the Lord's Supper when they were come together because of divisions. So, yes, there were churches at which Paul could not receive communion because they practiced open communion. But there were also churches that continued stedfast in the Apostle's doctrine where Paul did receive the Lord's Supper. He was a welcome guest, not because he was a well known evangelist, but because he abided in the doctrine of Christ.
