Jeremiah
32:27 -
"Behold, I am the LORD, the God of
all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?"
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~ THE TRUE MEANING OF COMMUNION ~
The first communion happened after dinner with the disciples. Jesus broke the bread (tore it in half - simulating his body being broken for us) and passed it around. It was not the little mini crackers or Styrofoam wafers that resemble "poker chips" that are substituted in some churches today, it was just bread. (I’ll explain the reason for that later) Similarly, Jesus had a cup full of wine (no it was not grape juice) and he passed it around and everyone drank from the same cup. Jesus did not make one of the disciples dress in a flowing robe or even a fine suit as he passed out little thimbles full of grape juice from a golden tray. (No, the wine was not weaker than present day wine and it was not 2 parts water to 1 part wine) The wine represented the new covenant in Jesus’ blood. (To better understand the new covenant, read my article called: "The Good News" 1 Corinthians 11:25 - In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." (Let me point out that in the scripture above, Jesus did not imply that any eloquent words needed to be spoken at all or that this had to be a ritual) Let me translate this verse into modern day English. What Jesus said was: "Whenever you drink wine, think of me." Preachers and most of the "religious" folks just hate it that Jesus chose wine to symbolize his blood and they make a million excuses to justify and cover up this horrible mistake on Jesus` part! (It was grape juice, it was watered down, wine was weaker then etc...etc...) The truth is, Jesus chose wine for a reason. In those days, and before then, wine was synonymous with "joy". (For obvious reasons) Except for scriptures that condemn drinking too freely, wine is usually praised, not condemned throughout the bible. It only makes sense that Jesus would chose something that everyone related with joy and celebration, to relate to himself and the wonderful sacrifice he was about to make for all of us. It is also no wonder that he chose bread to symbolize his body. We need bread to sustain our physical bodies and we need Christ to sustain our spiritual bodies. His body sustains our life and his blood represents the new covenant. Read The Good News if you want to know what the new covenant is and just how happy you should be about it. As with most of the teachings of Jesus, he made them quite strait forward and simple for us to understand, however, when man or Satan gets involved, things always get more complicated than they really are. So, let’s quit treating communion like a funeral. After all "HE HAS RISEN!" Cheer up! 1 Corinthians 11:26 - For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. So according to scripture, are we to only proclaim the Lords death until he comes once a year? Or once a month? What do you read out of this scripture? Paul said: "As often as you eat this bread and drink the cup". Translated into modern day English, it means: "every time". It means we are always to proclaim the lords death and to keep in mind the sacrifice that he gave every time we sit down to the dinner table. As we sustain our bodies with the basics of life (food and drink), we are to sustain our souls by remembering him each and every time we take bread or drink wine. (Or whatever is set before us at the table. Not just what was popular in 33 AD.) This does not have to be a formal ordeal. You can remember Jesus and the covenant personally every time you partake. It does not have to be with a crowd, or headed by some religious Guru every time. (God knows and sees) Just remember, the scriptures were meant for you personally. They were not meant to be performed solely as a group with some elite person as the head. Most people figure by virtue of the name communion itself, that it has to be performed with a large group. However, one dictionary definition is: communion >noun 1 the sharing of intimate thoughts and feelings. Who do you share these intimate thoughts and feeling with? A group? Or with Christ? I think this is a no brainer. Don't misinterpret me , I'm not saying that we shouldn't have communion in the church or as a large crowd, I'm saying that it is not reserved for the church atmosphere only. Let's not get so wrapped up in making it a ritual, that we forget the reason we're doing it. Getting together as a large group and showing reverence and respect to the Lord is never wrong. However, when we limit it to a formal ordeal with some elite person as the head and debate over silly things such as: (actual statements from people) "You have to chew the bread" or "you have to put the little cracker under your tongue and let it dissolve completely" or "you can not use real bread because a crumb might fall to the floor" then we have completely missed the point. I'll also point out that there is only one head of the Christian church and his name is Jesus. SHALL WE TOAST? Most of our social functions or ceremonies usually involve "Making a Toast". If the first communion was not the origin of this, it should have been. After all, when we toast someone, we raise our glasses, say something in recognition and praise to the person and then we drink. I believe Jesus intended it to be that simple. I'm not suggesting for a moment that we do it in a humorous or ridiculous manner, but in a manor that gives a king the respect he deserves. Making statements such as "Yo, here's to you big guy" would not be very respectful. (or well received) Jesus (and the Father) had little respect for the church of those days, with all their rules and rituals. It's my best guess that he has not changed. I find it unlikely that he has much respect for a great deal of modern day churches where the formality out weighs the love. And little respect for churches where there are strict rules that the head of the church, (Christ) never imposed. Psalms 104:15 - And wine which makes man's heart glad, So that he may make his face glisten with oil, And food which sustains man's heart.For more information about wine and drinking, visit "The Truth about Drinking" I almost forgot! The reason for the Styrofoam wafers during communion. Some time ago, the religious heads of a certain church had a debate. The big question was, "What would happen if a crumb from the bread fell on the floor and a dog ate it?" Would the dog be saved? Thus, the Styrofoam chips! Silly but true! (Cross my heart) God Bless You Dan Douglass ~ GIVE ONLY WHAT YOU CAN COMFORTABLY AFFORD ~
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Last Updated
06/07/2010 |
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Originally, Jesus did not intend communion
to be as formal and stiff necked as it is today. Man is responsible for
making it that way, not Christ. When Jesus wanted us to learn something, he
spoke so that even a child could understand. If it was not yet time for us
to know certain things, he spoke in parables.
