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In the history of the Church no subject has been more fruitful
of controversy than the Lord's Supper. Questions that have been debated over are should mixed or unmixed wine be served; whether
leavened or unleavened bread should be broken, or who should be admitted to the feast, and how often it should be prepared.
One denomination claims the bread and wine literally is transformed into the actual body and blood of Christ. Listen beloved
we can stand in the garage and inhale as much gasoline as we like and we would no more be a car than eating a tiny wafer with
a teaspoon of juice make us Christ like. We ARE who we ARE and nothing can be added too or taken away from our reality. Some
take this "supper" every Sunday morning. Some take it once a month, while others take it four times a year. These questions
have been settled differently in every denomination. Truly "all we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to
his own way." (Isaiah 53:6.). Let us who are of the day search the scriptures and see what it has to say on this subject.
When Jesus spoke these words, This do in remembrance of me (Luke
22:19) he did not intend to establish an institution for perpetual observance when he ate the Passover with his disciples.
Although the words, Do this in remembrance of me, do not occur in Matthew, Mark, or John, one would be forgiven for thinking
it did. The term the Lord's Supper is used only in 1 Corinthians 11:20. The practice is also known as Communion (from 1 Corinthians
10:16), the Lord's Table (from 1 Corinthians 10:21). The expression breaking of bread is usually associated with communion.
Some have concluded that "breaking bread" refers to the ordinance of the bread and wine. Acts 2:42 tells us, "And they continued
steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship [koinonia] and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." Nothing is said
about wafers and grape juice. It is fellowship, eating a meal, and prayers. "Breaking Bread" was a common term to indicate
eating a meal: Acts 2:46, 20:7, 27:34, 35, and Matthew 26:26. The Lord's Supper is also known as the Love Feast 2 Pet. 2:13;
Jude 12.
The Love Feast is a re-enactment of our Lord's Supper with His
disciples on the evening before the crucifixion. The Greek word for "supper" is diepnon the verb form is dipneo. In
every case, this refers to a festive meal, not a small quantity of wafers and a little of the fruit juice in a tiny cup, but
a large bountiful meal. Deipnon is translated "feast" in Matthew 23:6, Mark 12:39, Luke 20:46. Examine Mark 6:21 (Herod's
supper), Luke 14:12-24 (the great supper), John 12:2 (Mary and Martha's supper for Jesus), and Luke 17:7-8 (the supper of
meat) and you will find in all these passages that deipnon refers to a filling "steak and potatoes" meal, never to a symbolic
commemorative occasion. The beautiful climax of the love feast is the communion of the brethren. It is the high point of the
service because it is the partaking of his life and love in Spirit.
The word "communion" itself implies a union in heart and life
among those who engage together in love and spirit. Communion comes from the Greek word #2842 koinonia koy-nohn-ee'-ah from
2844; partnership, i.e. (literally) participation, or (social) intercourse, or (pecuniary) benefaction :--( to) communicate
(-ation), communion, (contri-) distribution, fellowship. Communion" is being linked in union and oneness with others at the
highest level of existence. The Communion Service is not the "Lord's Supper." A little piece of unleavened bread and a sip
of grape juice could hardly be called "the evening meal." The Communion Service, like the other parts of the Love Feast,
is a symbolic ordinance. The purpose of communion is to share in the life of Christ and to fellowship with him as one
body. The Lords Supper is the corporate partaking of each other in love.
Here is what Paul has to say on the Body of Christ and communion,
1 Corinthians 10:16-17 the cup of blessing which we bless is it not the communion (fellowship) of the blood (life) of Christ?
The bread which we break, is it not the communion (participation) of the body of Christ? For WE being MANY are ONE BREAD (loaf),
and ONE BODY; for we all partake of the one bread. Do you see the life of the father flowing when we come to together
in UNITY for fellowship or communion? It is a wonderful unitythe unity of a living organism. Let us read on and hear by the
spirit what the father is revealing to us today. 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 24-27 For just as the body is one and has many members,
and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into
one body--Jews or Greeks, slaves or free--and ALL were made to DRINK of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member
but of many.... But God has so composed the body ... that there may be no discord in the body, but that the members may have
the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. Wow!!!! I get excited every time I read those words of life.
Listen beloved what life can a tiny wafer and a teaspoon of
grape juice impart to you? Absolutely none, these are just dead elements and had no life before you ate it and none after
you are done eating it. Paul is speaking spiritual things to a spiritual people. The Kingdom of God is not meat and drink,
but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Romans 14: 17. Paul made a statement, I have received of the
Lord," he says, "that which I delivered to you." Many read this statement of Paul and walks away thinking he intended the
reader to continually keep eating a wafer and sipping on grape juice. What is to be understood here is that Paul was living
in the time of all the apostles who could give him an eye witness account of the last supper. So the idea of the expression
is that he had received the story of an eye-witness account such as we also possess. Paul made another striking comment in
1 Corinthians 28-29, Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup, he that eateth and
drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation (judgment) to himself, NOT DISCERNING THE LORD'S BODY. Paul here was addressing
the Corinthians of their abuse of the Lord's supper and drunkenness. The rich were being fed first while the poor stand about
and were not and so many were sick and weakly. Paul was simply addressing their behavior in partiality to the BODY of Christ.
The Corinthian church did not see the body of Christ as one, but the rich was held in high esteem and separated from the poor,
hence the reason for Paul comment of not discerning the Lord's Body As ONE.
Paul by the spirit understood communion to be the sharing and
fellowship of the saints in love. The idea of a literal piece of bread is nothing more than a lifeless ritual no different
than any other ritual kept by the church. Our fathers are eating manna (bread and wine) in the wilderness and are dead (spiritually)
but he that eateth of this bread shall live forever. Today many are enjoying the new order of kingdom and of communion (sharing),
partaking of the living bread which came down from heaven that a man may eat thereof and not die. I have had beautiful communion
while feasting and enjoying pizza with the body of Christ, sharing hamburgers at a Bar B Que and some Chinese food at the
Mall. Gone are the days of lifeless traditions of man that makes the word of God of no effect. Communion is the life of God
flowing through us. I have communion every day, wherever I AM is. Where so ever we are and we come together to share and participate
from our true identity which is Christ that my friend is the communion and fellowship of the saints. We have passed
from death to life, from celebrating symbols to the reality of partaking of the life of God. We are the living bread that
came down from heaven and is broken; that a man shall eat and have life in him self. The Body of Christ is one loaf
and every member is slices in particular. It is only as we eat of his flesh (BODY) and drink of his blood (Spirit) that we
assimilate his life in us which we will give for the life of the world (John 6:51).
I trust that you are bless by this word of life, I pray that
as you come together in fellowship partaking of his Body in love you will surely begin to walk in the newness and fullness
of life in Christ Jesus.
Winston & Sarah
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