A Reformed Perspective on Fencing the Lord’s Supper

In this episode, Pastors Chris Gordon and Dan Borvan discuss the biblical practice of fencing the Lord’s Supper. They explore why the church has historically protected communion, and how this practice serves to protect both the Supper itself and those who would partake of it. The discussion covers the different views on communion—closed, close, and open—and the biblical and historical arguments for each. They also address the challenges of practicing fencing in a modern culture of individualism, and the potential spiritual dangers of a slow drift away from biblical standards.00:00:00 - Introduction00:01:30 - Fencing the Lord’s Supper00:02:45 - Who should come to the Lord's Table?00:04:00 - Why fence the table, but not the worship service?00:04:15 - A look at 1 Corinthians 1100:05:30 - The Supper is for those in Christ00:08:00 - Standards for taking the Supper00:11:00 - The three views on communion00:11:08 - Closed communion00:14:45 - Old Protestant practice00:16:00 - Close communion00:17:50 - The danger of "open" communion00:18:50 - Study the Word and church history00:21:50 - Higher standards in the early church00:23:00 - Rugged individualism vs. authority00:23:20 - Open communion and culture00:26:50 - The problem with church hoppers00:27:45 - Jesus will pull His lampstand00:29:30 - "Don't judge my heart"00:30:00 - The cause of disarray in the church00:31:25 - Protecting people from judgment00:32:30 - Erring on the side of "open"00:37:10 - The spiritual nature of koinonia00:39:00 - Who does the fencing?00:40:00 - Elders distributing the Supper00:42:50 - Who should come?

#fencingthetable #lordsupper #communion #churchhistory #1corinthians11 #christianliving #reformedtheology #biblicalstandardsABOUNDING GRACE RADIO:❤️ DONATE: https://agradio.org/donate🔗 Website: https://agradio.org📩 Newsletter: https://agradio.org/newsletter 👤 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aboundingraceradioministry📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aboundinggraceradio✖️ X: ⁠https://x.com/agradio1⁠Pastor Chris GordonRadio Host & TeacherRev. Christopher Gordon was ordained to the Ministry of the Word in October 2004. Rev. Gordon is a native of Central California, and prior to answering God’s call into the ministry, he was a high school Bible teacher in the central Californian valley. Rev. Gordon, having a love for Reformed theology, pursued further theological studies and received his Master of Divinity degree from Westminster Seminary in Escondido, CA. He pastored at the Lynden United Reformed Church from April 2004 to July 2012, and is presently Preaching Pastor at the Escondido United Reformed Church.x: @agradio1Pastor Chris GordonPastor Dan BorvanCohost & TeacherRev. Dr. Daniel Borvan is pastor of preaching ministry at Christ Reformed Church. Daniel earned his Master of Divinity degree from Westminster Seminary California in 2011. As a student at Westminster Seminary he learned that all study of Scripture, theology, and church history is put into practice in the worship and work of the church. The goal is to glorify Christ by serving His church. At Westminster Seminary he also earned a Master of Arts degree in Historical Theology. His thesis paper was on Faustus Socinus.Daniel is chairman of the Heidelberg Reformation Association. Some of his published articles are on the Heidelblog website. Daniel was installed as pastor of preaching ministry at Christ Reformed Church, September 29, 2023, having served four years at Grace Torrance United Reformed Church in Torrance, California as minister of Word and sacrament. Daniel is married to Marcy and they have two daughters and a son.