The Great Leveller

Years ago, I mean YEARS ago ( like forty or more!) I read something as I was seeking for God about the reason that the Romans had such a  deep pathological fear of Christianity.

 The book brought out it WASN'T because they were Monotheistic, The Jews had lived among the Romans for sometime and were very well received (in fact, there REMAINS a huge Jewish population in Italy to this very day!) There were also many Zoroastrians among the army and upper classes ( A Monotheistic faith that began and spread from Persia, They worshipped one  deity named Ahura Mazda).

 They were very well received in Rome as well.

 It wasn't because the Christians worshipped with fervor bordering on the  ecstatic, There were MANY such religions scattered all around the empire. Some far more demonstrative than the Christians and THEY were well received in Rome.

 It wasn't the music. Many Cults had music, no there was ONE SIMPLE THING that plunged the Romans into absolute utter panic. Something THEY HAD to stamp out!!!!!

 What was this aspect of the Christian Faith that so traumatized the Romans that they unleashed all the forces at their disposal to find and destroy every man woman boy and girl who had accepted the Christian Faith?

 It was .................................................................................................................................................

 THE LORD'S SUPPER!

 You see the Lord's supper was something that threatened to destroy the entire Roman Social Order! In Rome the lines in society were VERY deeply drawn. BUT at the Table of the Lord THOSE LINES VANISHED!!!!!

 Slaves actually ate with their masters! Women with men, Jew with Gentile, Rich with Poor and more than that at THE LORDS TABLE they called each other BROTHER and SISTER!

 Imagine the horror Nero must have felt when he learned TWO things... ONE , that at the Lords table in Christian gatherings some of the Slave Owners actually SERVED THEIR SLAVES, EMBRACED THEM AND CALLED THEM "BROTHER" !!!!! It threatened EVERYTHING! But even worse than that was the realization that Nero had that THIS FAITH , THIS PRACTICE was in HIS OWN HOUSEHOLD!!!!!

 Imagine the fear in Nero as he sat at banquet and wondered about the man playing the harp as they ate ...."ARE YOU ONE OF THEM????" or as he looked across the table at those who dined with him wondering "ARE YOU ONE OF THEM"??????!!!!!

 As Paul so wonderfully tells us that there was a SPECIAL greeting to the church from they that were of CAESARS HOUSEHOLD!  THEY wanted everyone to know ...."WE'RE HERE!"

 Recently I have noticed a great revival among Apostolics as to this wonderful Table of the Lord! I had come to a place where I actually believed that it would become COMMON if we did it more  than ONCE a year! (We always took the Lord's supper at our Watch Night Service right as the clock struck twelve).

 I forgot that growing up in false religion WE took the Lords supper the way we perceived it and *I* took it virtually DAILY and it NEVER NEVER NEVER was COMMON to me! It actually was the most holy part of my day, starting off the school day NOT with donuts and coffee but FIRST taking the time to not only REMEMBER that Jesus had given his body and blood for me but that I actually COMMEMORATED that EACH DAY!

 I pray we see a great revival of this marvellous table of the Lord! More and more til he come! It is "THE GREAT LEVELLER" that speaks this great truth of the Spirit THAT IN CHRIST THERE IS NEITHER JEW OR GENTILE, MALE OR FEMALE, BOND OR FREE! No at THIS table WE ARE THE SONS OF GOD!

 As the song says "JESUS HAS A TABLE SPREAD WHERE THE SAINTS OF GOD ARE FED HE INVITES HIS CHOSEN PEOPLE.....COME AND DINE!!!!!"