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THE TRUE MEANING OF COMMUNION - CAN I HAVE COMMUNION IN MY
HOME?
WHAT IS COMMUNION?
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.
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
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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
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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
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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)
You can contact me using the
form below. This is not a debate forum. If you have any serious questions or
comments, feel free to contact me.
God Bless You
Dan Douglass
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