The Conversation of Worship - Response through the Ordinances

Just as the ordinances are part of God speaking to us, so they are part of us responding to God. Through the ordinance of baptism, the new believer publicly confesses Christ as Lord along with his desire to unite with other believers in the local church in following Christ. Through the ordinance of communion, believers privately respond in confession, thankfulness, and praise to God for the sacrifice of Christ in our place. In so doing, we “proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Cor 11:26).

While baptism is a one-time response, communion is an on-going response that is a necessary part of the believer’s Christian walk. The church must stress the importance of the corporate observance of a remembrance of Christ’s death. The frequency or manner in which communion is observed may vary from church to church. A church may choose to observe communion in a special service, or as a part of the regular services. They may choose to observe it as open communion or closed communion. However, the obedience to the command to observe should not vary.