Communion is also a reminder of God’s love and grace. Communion is a solemn reenactment of the last supper, or the Lord's Supper. The only qualification for us to partake in communion is for us to have an ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ.
Jesus instituted communion at His last Passover meal with the disciples (Matthew 26:17-30; Mark 14:12-26; Luke 22:7-23). Unlike water baptism, he tells us to repeat this tradition often until He comes again. We take communion on the first Sunday of the month. However, it’s not the frequency or even the place that matters. What matters is that we remember what Jesus has done for us by partaking of communion whenever we can. “For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.” (1Co 11:23-29)
Communion reminds us of four significant truths.
1. It is a remembrance of Christ suffering and death for our sin that brought our salvation. The elements of the bread and the wine were representative of Jesus’ body and blood that He willingly sacrificed on the cross so that we might be saved from God’s wrath and an eternity in hell.
2. It is a bond of fellowship with Christ and all believers as His church. The first Communion was a very intimate time with Jesus and his disciples. He was telling them what was about to happen in the giving of his life for them. These men had been together for about 3 ½ years and they were close to each other and to Jesus. This was bonding moment.
When we have communion together, we are standing together as a church, as brother and sisters in Christ, in unity of faith. We may differences in life and difference in opinion, but Christ is our common denominator. That’s a bond that the Bible says “the gates of hell cannot prevail against” (Matthew 16:18).
3. It is a proclamation of the grace of God. By partaking of communion, we demonstrate to others what Jesus has done in our lives. We are identifying ourselves with Christ and declaring his work on the cross as our means of salvation and eternal life.
4. It is prophetic of Christ's soon return. For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.” (1 Cor. 11:26)
Partaking of communion also displays our faith not only in his death and resurrection, but also in His return to claim His bride, the Church.
“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)
Communion is a time of remembering what Christ has done for us in his crucifixion and resurrection from the dead. It’s a time of remembering that although we have differences, we share the bond of Christ. It’s also a time of recommitment and dedication as we await His soon return.
We can’t forget…
…what Jesus taught us by example
…His sacrifice that made eternal life in heaven possible
…the commitment we made to live for Him
…to demonstrate to others what Jesus has done for us
…to obey scripture
Do you remember…
…when you committed your life to Christ?
…when you served Him whole heartedly?
…when you used to tell your friends about how Jesus changed your life?
…when you used to invite friends to youth or an activity?
Today is an opportunity for you to have total recall!
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