COMMUNION!                DFO 337B                  3/75

         1. WHAT IS COMMUNION? Well, it has a number of meanings. One reason why I like to use one piece of bread & break it is because it says that Jesus did. It says that He took it & He blessed it, gave thanks & "brake it".
         2. "THE LORD JESUS THE SAME NIGHT IN WHICH HE WAS BETRAYED TOOK BREAD. And when He had given thanks, He brake it & said, Take, eat, this is My body which was broken for you."--1Cor.11:23,24. I think we miss part of the meaning when we don't take a whole loaf & break it before the congregation.
         3. THE IDEA WAS THAT IT WAS ONE PIECE, HIS BODY THAT WAS BROKEN, & now part of it is going to become a PART of EACH of us. In other words, we're all becoming part of the ONE. It's a little picture or illustration the Lord wanted to try to impress on us, a childish little skit of this bread which is just one piece & how it's going to be many pieces & each piece a part of each one of you.
         4. NOW BEFORE YOU TAKE THE BREAD, LET ME ASK YOU THIS, a very little question & yet perhaps why you should observe Communion more often in your own fellowship.
         5. WHAT WAS NECESSARY FOR OUR SALVATION? The only thing literally part of Christ that was necessary for our Salvation according to His Word was what? He says what particularly cleanses us from all sin?--The BLOOD!--1Jn.1:7.
         6. IF THE BLOOD WAS ALL THAT WAS NECESSARY FOR OUR SALVATION, THEN WHY THE BREAD or the BODY? The WINE symbolises the BLOOD, doesn't it? Then why the BODY?
         7. FOR ONE THING, IT IS A DEMONSTRATION OF UNITY. But He goes on later in this passage to say that because some of you are NOT doing this, many of you are SICK!--1Cor.11:29-30.
         8. HIS BODY WAS BROKEN FOR US FOR THE HEALING OF OUR BODIES. His BLOOD was shed for the salvation of our SPIRITS, but there is salvation both for the BODY & for the SPIRIT, praise God? HEALING is right here in the COMMUNION!
         9. I LIKE TO CALL IT COMMUNION BECAUSE IT'S A COMMUNE, a community, an illustration of the sharing. So here we are, we are demonstrating. I have literally been healed instantly during Communion upon partaking of the BREAD by faith claiming His HEALING!
         10. THE BREAD DOESN'T HEAL YOU ANY MORE THAN THE WINE SAVES YOUR SOUL, but it's manifesting your FAITH, it's a WITNESS. What is Communion? Like baptism or anything else, it's a witness to others that you believe what His Word says.
         11. IT SHOWS WE ARE PARTAKING OF THE BENEFITS OF CHRIST. Even as His BLOOD shed for us can save our SOULS, so His BODY broken for us can save our BODIES. (Passes plate of broken bread.)
         12. EACH ONE PLEASE TAKE & RETAIN YOUR PORTION until all have been served & then we'll partake together, I think that illustrates it even more, together. Amen?
         13. IF YOU'VE BEEN SICK & YOU NEED HEALING, TAKE IT BY FAITH & IT'S THERE FOR YOU! "Take, eat, this is MY body which is broken for YOU. This do in remembrance of Me."
         14. NOW IF YOU'RE TAKING IT FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE BODY, what's wrong with chewing it? What's wrong with SWALLOWING it, EATING it like you would FOOD? HE said, "Take, EAT, this is My body," right? It's for YOU, & what good is it going to do you if you don't ABSORB it?
         15. SO JUST AS YOU ARE NOW ABSORBING IT, YOU ARE ALL BECOMING PART OF THE ONE loaf, so you are also one in the Lord & becoming part of His body. You now have in you the life of a YOUNG MAN, the life of CHRIST manifest in YOUR mortal body!
         16. "AND AFTER THE SAME MANNER ALSO HE TOOK THE CUP, when He had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in My blood"--Hallelujah! TYJ!--"This do ye as oft as ye drink it in remembrance of Me. For as often as ye eat this bread & drink this cup ye do show the Lord's death till He come."--1Cor.11:25,26.
         17. WHAT ARE WE ALSO DOING IN THIS?--Not only doing things which are to benefit ourselves but also as a witness unto others.
         18. WE'RE SHOWING WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT, that even as we partake of the BREAD, Christ has strength & health for your BODY, even as we partake of the WINE, He has Salvation for the SOUL! That's why I like to use wine, because even the SPIRIT of the wine is symbolic of the SPIRIT OF GOD, the stimulating Spirit of the Lord.
         19. YOU NOTICE HE DIDN'T PASS IT TO HIS ELDER. He didn't pass it to Peter or John or somebody else to do it, but He performed the little ceremony HIMSELF. HE was the pastor of His little twelve-man flock, & HE gave thanks.
         20. THE WAY JESUS DID IT WAS SO SIMPLE: A nice loaf of bread you can break apart like He did, probably one of those little round Palestinian loaves like they still use.--But you don't need Palestinian bread--even a bun or a roll will do! But He did it all HIMSELF, & HE gave thanks & HE prayed & HE passed it on.
         21. SO WE THANK THEE, LORD, FOR THIS CUP WHICH SYMBOLISES THY DEATH ON THE CROSS. Your body was broken many times before You ever got to the cross, Lord, with those thorns & with those whips & lashes, broken many times for us.
         22. YOU SUFFERED SUCH AGONY FOR US, agony of YOUR flesh to relieve OUR bodies, to give US health for OUR bodies. But You finally got to the cross, Lord, & You shed Your BLOOD unto the DEATH that WE might LIVE, Your BLOOD for our SALVATION.
         23. WE THANK YOU, LORD, THAT YOUR BLOOD CLEANSES US FROM ALL SIN.--Past sin, Lord, sin NOW & sin HEREAFTER--ALL sin, by faith. We thank You Lord that this symbolises Thy blood, & we receive it now even as we drink this wine, so we believe or "pisteuo" or drink in by faith Thy Salvation in Thy blood as an illustration, Lord, of what we have done to be saved.
         24. ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE DOING IS TO CONSTANTLY REMIND OURSELVES WHAT JESUS HAS DONE FOR US & to constantly be a witness of it to OTHERS who watch such a ceremony, to remind THEM of what Jesus has done for US. "For as often as ye eat this bread & drink this cup ye do SHOW the Lord's death till He come." You are TESTIFYING that He died for you & SHOWING His death till He come. Praise God!
         25. "WHEREFORE WHOSOEVER SHALL EAT OF THIS BREAD & DRINK OF THIS CUP OF THE LORD UNWORTHILY SHALL BE GUILTY OF THE BODY & BLOOD of the Lord!" Now what is the ONLY thing you can do to be UNWORTHY? Is ANYBODY perfect? Well if he's talking about worthiness by being perfect or perfection or SINLESS PERFECTION, then we've ALL drunk unworthily!--No!--How is the ONLY way that we are worthy of Salvation? By FAITH! It is GRACE, right?
         26. IN OTHER WORDS, WHAT HE'S SAYING IS IF YOU'RE NOT REALLY SAVED, if you have NOT accepted Jesus Christ as your Saviour & you really DON'T have faith in His body & His blood & you go to church & you take Communion, you are LYING! You are making an open confession of faith that is NOT so, & you are a damnable hypocrite & a liar & testifying something that has NOT happened, that you have NOT done. You have NOT received Jesus Christ as your Saviour, but you're PRETENDING to!
         27. HE SAYS YOU'RE DRINKING DAMNATION TO YOURSELF IN "NOT DISCERNING THE LORD'S BODY".--In other words, not understanding what you're doing, not knowing what you're doing, not really discerning what is happening.
         28. "AND FOR THIS CAUSE MANY ARE WEAK & SICKLY among you & many sleep." Now I know a lot of CHRISTIANS who are SAVED, who know that the WINE means SALVATION, but they've been taking the BREAD for years without knowing it means healing. And because they've had no faith in it and no faith in healing they have eaten to themselves damnation (judgement) and are WEAK and SICKLY and have DIED without faith in the Lord's HEALING!
         29. SO WHATEVER YOU DO, KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING when you do it! DON'T drink the WINE unless you know you're SAVED, DON'T eat the bread unless you believe in the Lord's HEALING, that He is able to heal the BODY as well as save the SOUL, or you may drink to yourself DAMNATION or judging chastisement & eat to yourself DEATH, believe it or not!
         30. SO IT'S A SERIOUS THING, BUT IT'S A BEAUTIFUL PRECIOUS LITTLE ILLUSTRATION which the Lord gives us, & I think we should do it more often. "As OFT as ye do it, ye do it in remembrance of Me," He said.--And what else? "You do SHOW the Lord's death".
         31. IN OTHER WORDS, IT'S SHOWING YOU LOVE HIM, you APPRECIATE what He's done for you, you're doing it in REMEMBRANCE & THANKS for what He has done for your body & your spirit, & you're also WITNESSING to OTHERS what He has done for you at the same time.
         32. JESUS DIDN'T SAY JUST HOW OFTEN YOU HAD TO HAVE COMMUNION. He said just as OFTEN as you WOULD you're remembering Him & you're a witness for Him. So I'd say do it as often as you feel LED, amen? Do it as often as convenient & when you're with a group that you feel might NEED that little witness & that little lesson as well as need to be reminded themselves of what the Lord's done for them. You can make it a lesson on SALVATION, a lesson on THANKSGIVING, a lesson on HEALING, a lesson on UNITY & a lesson on WITNESSING.
         33. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE ELABORATE, IT CAN BE VERY SIMPLE--use whatever you have. I've heard about people in concentration camps who had to use bread & water or bread & coffee.
         34. IT HELPS BY GETTING OUR HEARTS TOGETHER IN UNITY to show that we're together & we believe as one. We love the Lord & we're trying to work together for the best of His Kingdom, are we not?--Not in competition with each other, but yoked TOGETHER in LOVE, pulling the load TOGETHER.
         35. WHY DON'T YOU TRY A LITTLE REAL COMMUNION IN YOUR HOME TONIGHT? It's a good time to renew FELLOWSHIP, confess SINS, make things RIGHT, thank Him for His SALVATION, obtain HEALING, bring UNITY & WITNESS to ALL His goodness to us ALL!--Amen? God will BLESS you as you DO what He COMMANDED!--Amen?