Was the Lord’s Supper taken only once a year?

Answer:

The phrase "break bread" is an idiom referring to the partaking of a meal. It can be seen in the Old Testament in Jeremiah 16:7 when Jeremiah predicted that people would stop eating meals because of their deep sorrow. It is also seen in the New Testament in Acts 2:46, "Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart."

The Lord's Supper is a memorial meal that is partaken by the disciples to remember the Lord's death. "For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me." In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes" (I Corinthians 11:23-26). Since it is a "supper" that features the breaking of bread, the same idiom that refers to a common meal can refer to the Lord's Supper. This is seen in I Corinthian 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?"

What your friend is attempting to do is add a third meaning to the phrase "breaking of bread." He is doing this to avoid the clear conclusion that the disciples partook of the Lord's Supper weekly. However, the claim that the phrase "breaking of bread" without mention of the fruit of the vine refers to Christ's resurrection is made without evidence. "And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, 'This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me'" (Luke 22:19). Jesus said the broken bread represents his body that was given for us. That is a reference to his death, not his resurrection. There is no mention of breaking bread to commemorate Jesus' resurrection.

The meal mentioned in Acts 20:7 was taken when the disciples came together. The coming together of disciples is an assembly of the church. "For first of all, when you come together as a church ..." (I Corinthians 11:18). "Therefore if the whole church comes together in one place ..." (I Corinthians 14:23). One of the reasons Paul scolded the Corinthians was because they weren't coming together as a church in the proper manner to partake of the Lord's Supper. "Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord's Supper" (I Corinthians 11:20). There is a hint as to how often the Corinthians came together because Paul also told them to give on every first day of the week (I Corinthians 16:1-2).

For the last two points, see also:

• Should the Lord's Supper be only taken at night?
• How do we know that the Lord's Supper wasn't taken once a year in Troas?
• Why must the Lord's Supper be taken every week?