Holy Communion by Esther oluyide
Holy Communion (or The Lord’s Supper or The Lord’s Table or Breaking Bread…) is one of the ordinances instituted and commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus clearly commanded that we break bread and share a cup ‘…in rememberance of Me.’ This should not be taken lightly, ignored or practiced wrongly.
On the eve of His death when Jesus and his disciples met in an upper room to share the Passover meal, “As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, Take, eat; this is my body. Then He took the cup and when He had given thanks He gave it to them and they all drank from it. And He said to them, This is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many. Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God. (Mark 14:22-25). See also Matt 26:26-29; Luke 22:17-20. Paul also mentioned it in 1Cor 11:22-34. Christ followers do not recall the blood on the doorpost and lintels but Christ’s shed blood becoming the ultimate fulfilment of deliverance from sin and death on the cross of Calvary. The Holy Communion was instituted by Christ Himself and this was faithfully carried on by the early church which met daily and broke bread from house to house Acts 2:46. Later it reduced to once a week, Acts 20:7. This ordinance is a memorial to Jesus who lived and died for us. It is a time of communion with Him proclaiming the meaning of his death, a sign of our anticipation of His return, a sacred and comprehensive ordinance exclusively for believers and not one that non-believers can participate in. We must therefore not ignore it but we must observe it meaningfully; its purpose being to confront believers with their sin and renew their fellowship with Christ. We must not take part in it without first confessing our sins to God (not to any man) and we must have respect for God and his people. Our part is to search our hearts and confess any known sins before we partake of the breaking of bread and sharing in the cup with brethren. Each person takes responsibility for him/herself in preparing for communion. We all share in the bread and cup by faith trusting the Holy Spirit to convict any of sin and causing them to repent. We cannot presume to know whether one or other of the brethren has not repented; there is no way we can determine that. It is the work of the Holy Spirit. Also note that it is one bread and one cup. It is a communion of saints with their Lord. We remember Him when we partake of the bread and cup. And we are to do this till He returns. We must find every opportunity to break bread, even where two or three are gathered in His name. It is not something we should neglect nor toss aside for whatever reason. May the Holy Spirit expand these few words in our hearts and set us on the right path. |
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