At the Lords table: sacrament or sacraments?

I have one fairly simple question that has been raised by Burroughs' writing. This isn't a great propositional truth, nor is it a deep philosophical thought. It is merely my statement that have been challenged to think about the prospect that the elements of the Lord's table may be distinct of themselves, separate, and still the essence of what the ordinance as a whole stands for. Now perhaps the fault lies with my own misunderstanding.
Burroughs speaks much of partaking of all of the sacraments. On page 233 he posits the idea that one could be allowed the bread and disallowed the wine. (Or, perhaps vice verse?) Is it possible to separate the two? For the wine, being the blood of Christ, by which there is remission of sins, cleanses me, and the bread, the body of Christ, becomes my righteousness. What is one without the other. At this point my thoughts become scattered and jumbled. I will think upon this more and perhaps set down another formal thought, but for now, am I on to something, or guilty of misunderstanding or perhaps over criticizing?

Am i confused, thelogically mistaken or both?

Reading through on the Lord's offering in Burroughs, discussing it with friends, and also just hearing it preached from the pulpit. I think i am at some points completely in agreement, and others i find myself standing alone. I love how Burroughs talks through the section on examine ourselves, how he can only go as far to keep himself clean. But im getting bogged down in theology of how grace, as it pertains to edification, is related to communion or even how that same grace correlates with the Christian life, or even biblical examples of it. I understand that all i do that is good before God is the power of God being used through me, and inso it is "not i, but Christ". So i suppose the question that would help me in understanding would be, where in the scripture can we find progressive edification and where does it relate to communion?

Love in Reform

Let a couple of observations serve as introduction. First, the practice of how we “do church” needs to reform; a more biblically faithful approach must be taken. Second, doing that will necessarily require thought and may prove intensely difficult.

Employing necessary changes (those prescribed by God’s Word) into the local church will require wisdom and patience, stretching one’s mental and emotional fortitude. Those terms may seem slightly harsh at first (to be frank, they still do to me at times), but I’m not convinced they are. I can envision the “theologian” leaving his training and entering a church ready to change that church into his new perceived (or conceived) ideal. Without the aforementioned qualities (wisdom and patience and the like), this situation will hardly turn out directly edifying or glorifying. If the “reformer” does not have the prudence and patience to introduce the more biblical practices at an opportune time in an opportune way, then people (the essence of the body) will be hurt and the church will be further wounded rather than healed. I realize that sometimes a scold is necessary, but I realize this is necessary sometimes. Rebuke for persistent, blatant sin is a biblical concept, but corporately gathering and interacting unbiblically perhaps fueled by nothing more than tradition and lack of information is hardly persistent, blatant (presumptuous) sin.

The point is this: when introducing reforms, truths new or unknown to the local church, into the local church, care must be taken. Yes, truth is important. Doctrine is invaluable. Orthodoxy should irresistibly lead to orthopraxy. But we are to be known as Christ’s by our love. Our interactions with each other, the ways in which we encourage and admonish, speak to who we are. They lead our world in how they perceive our God. I believe they lead those within the church as well. If we cannot work to help the church while encouraging and edifying it also, we should take the time to rethink our own motives and relationships (including with God). God loves His church. We must seek to help her become more like Him, but we must do so humbly, lovingly, and wisely.

I hope everyone in this class is in agreement on this point, and I anticipate you are. But I write this because it has been on my mind as I have attempted to correlate the teachings of this class, the practice of different churches, and the commands of Jesus Christ.

Simplicity or Self-discipline

As Christians, we all to often see the need to know God better. We want to pray more, we want to study the Scriptures more, and we want to meditate on God's Word more. But despite our somewhat recognition of our need we do nothing to change the lack of devotion that we have for God. Instead, we complain that our schedules are too busy and that if we just had a few more extra minutes throughout the day, that we would be able to spend personal time with God daily. We even ask people to pray for our busy schedule that we might somehow lead a simpler life so that we can spend more time with God. Though this seems good and our motives, in fact, may be good, we have become deceived. This problem of not spending time in devotion to know God better is NOT a situational or circumstantial problem, but rather a problem of the heart. Our hearts are deceitful and wicked and we must recognize where we have gone astray. So if a person desires to have more devotion in knowing God in his life, he must not pray and ask for different circumstances, but rather pray for self-discipline to spend time with God during his day. Is this easy? Absolutely not, but it is absolutely necessary. We, as Christians, must not ignore our proud, selfish hearts that have deceived us, but instead, we must pray to God and beg Him for mercy and humility and the strength to live a disciplined life where we can devote portions of our day to know God better through His Word. Our only hope of change is not changing our circumstances, but in God alone. Let us humbly seek His face.

Repentance and Restoration to the Means of Grace!

I feel and believe that the modern evangelical movement is moving further away from believing that God can strengthen and edify us as His people by created means (Sacraments). "Despite its internal differences, the modern evangelical movement is united in its quest for a higher and purer direct experience of the Christ of faith. It is not, however engaged in a more profound search for a more biblical understanding of God's communion with His people through the signs and seals of the covenant." -R. Scott Clark
Clark goes on further to say we are denying ourselves of Christ's benefits. "American evangelicalism is a pietist, experiential religion that is too busy with cell-groups meeting to be troubled with the Lord's Supper at the same time, we have functionally excommunicated ourselves and, to borrow Calvin's language, robbed ourselves of Christ's benefits." So if the Protestant Evangelical religion is going to get back on track there will have to be repentance for our unbelief that God can use created means for strengthen or edifying us as His people.
http://www.the-highway.com/supper_clark.html

True Passion for Sanctifying God's Name

In today's reading, Burroughs presents what is perhaps a rather novel thought for many Christians today. His description of confronting the wicked when they come to holy communion seems a far cry from the inclusiveness and man-centeredness of much of American evangelicalism. I was much impressed by his reverent zeal for the sanctification of God's name.

Today we can have a tendency to be too individualistic, self-centered, and man-fearing. We typically avoid confrontation like the plague and concern ourselves solely with our own spirituality and religious experience. The problem with this attitude is that it lacks concern for both the spiritual state of others and the sanctification of God's name. There are more important things at stake than our comfort and individuality. Mankind's spiritual state before God and the hallowing of God's name are both more important than our looking clean, neat, and pretty in our spotless garments, unblemished by the often dirty business of administering caring rebuke and showing steadfast zeal for God's honor.

Christianity is not an easy religion. Christ calls us to deny ourselves and to take up our cross, following him. We are not to save our lives, but to lose them for Christ's sake. Both of these orders call for extraordinary commitment and power. And it is only through Christ working through us that we can ever have the requisite power to live this way.
May God give us such a desire for the sanctification of his name that we would be willing to do what is necessary for him to be honored in all things.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yb9DF16Fx8k This is everything Zach was talking about Doc. Some will think it is funny but we are not creative, we are theives. I don't know how making fun of the mega Churches and pore theological preachers are going to get them to repent and turn to the correct teachings of God by doing this. Thanks Zack, you made me go looking for the theives and I found some.