Week 1 Day 5 -- Communion


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DAY 5 – COMMUNION / LORD’S SUPPER (Acts 2:42-47)
(See also: Matt. 26:26–29; Mark 14:22–25; Luke 22:14–23)
23 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; 24 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.” 25 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.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.

     The second of the two symbols is Holy Communion or more commonly called, the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper is a special act of worship that represents a wonderful spiritual truth for believers.
     The word communion is significant and biblical, found in 1 Cor. 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?
     In observing this memorial, we actually see three aspects of our own salvation, Biblically defined as Justification, Sanctification, and Glorification.
     We see justification, or the fact that we have been forgiven of our sins by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Jesus stated “This is My Body” and “This is My Blood”. By the atoning death, we have been made right with God, by the forgiveness of our sins. As a result, we “proclaim His death” every time we observe the Lord’s Supper.
     Secondly, “as often as we eat and drink” the Lord’s Supper, we see our sanctification, or God’s setting us apart to be dedicated to the work of service. That is why we are called to examine ourselves prior to partaking. Every time that we eat the bread and drink the cup, we should be seeking to be more like Christ than we were the previous time.
     Thirdly, we are to observe the Lord’s Supper “until He comes.” Jesus promised that He would not eat or drink of it, until the kingdom of God comes (Luke 22:16, 18). We are looking forward eating with Christ “the Marriage Supper of the Lamb” in our glorified, sinless and perfect bodies in heaven someday (Rev. 19:9). That is glorification.
     In the Lord’s Supper we remember we were saved (Justification), that we are being saved (Sanctification) and that we someday will be ultimately saved (Glorification).
Who Should Take the Lord’s Supper?
     Communion is for believers who are walking rightly with the Lord. This does not mean a person must be sinless to partake (none of us can achieve that in this lifetime), but communion gives the Christian the incentive to confess and forsake all sins in preparation to take the Lord’s Supper. Baptism is a one-time symbol of our salvation. Communion is a repeated symbol of our need for forgiveness. Christians are already baptized before they participate in communion.
“Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.”        (1 Cor. 11:27)
How Do I Prepare Myself for the Lord’s Supper?
     1. By self-examination
“But let a man examine himself and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” 
                                                                               (1 Cor. 11:28)
     2. By discerning the seriousness of the occasion
“For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.           (1 Cor. 11:29)
     3. By recommitting our lives
“For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.”                                                           (1 Cor. 11:30-31)
     4. By being restored with relationships with other believers
“Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse. For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it...Therefore when you come together in one place it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper...Therefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.”                                  (1 Cor. 11:17-18, 20, 33)
When and How Often Do We Observe the Lord’s Supper?
     Jesus never said when or how often believers should observe the Lord’s Supper. Our church observes it about every two months.


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