—MO March 30, 1975 NO.337B—DFO

Copyrighted September, 1975 by The Children of God

P.O. Box 31, London WC2E 7LX, England or GPO Box 3141‚ San Juan, Puerto Rico 00936

1. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU DO THIS VERY MUCH anywhere or if you ever have Communion, but I would like to read a little Scripture or two and have a little bread and wine Communion as we inaugurate you into your new jobs.

2. "NOW I PRAY YOU BRETHREN THAT YOU REMEMBER ME IN ALL THINGS AND KEEP THE ORDINANCES as I delivered them to you." What are the ordinances? Well, they're all his admonitions and orders and everything he tried to have you do. One of them was what was said about Communion at the Last Supper. "As often as ye do this, this do in remembrance of Me."

3. WHAT IS COMMUNION? Well it has a number of meanings. One reason why I like to use one piece of bread and break it is because it says that Jesus did. It says that He took it and He blessed it, gave thanks, and "brake it."

4. "THE LORD JESUS THE SAME NIGHT IN WHICH HE WAS BETRAYED TOOK BREAD. And when He had given thanks, He brake it and said, Take, eat, this is My body which was broken for you." I think we miss part of the meaning when we don't take a whole loaf and break it before the congregation.

5. THE IDEA WAS THAT IT WAS ONE PIECE, HIS BODY THAT WAS BROKEN, and 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 and how it's going to be many pieces and each piece a part of each one of you.

6. SO THAT NOW YOU ARE ALL PART OF THE SAME AS WE EACH TAKE A PART. Just like because you've each taken part of me you're all a part of me and therefore you're all one body, amen? So He gave thanks and then He brake it.

7. SO WE THANK YOU LORD FOR THIS BREAD THAT SYMBOLISES THY BODY BROKEN FOR US. You said, "Take, eat‚ for this is My body which is broken for you." He said‚ "This do in remembrance of Me." So we remember You as we do it, Lord. We remember that Your body was broken for us and we thank You for it, in Jesus' name.

8. NOW BEFORE YOU TAKE THE BREAD, LET ME ASK YOU THIS‚ a very little question and yet perhaps why you should observe Communion more often in your own fellowship:

9. 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!

10. IF THE BLOOD WAS ALL THAT'S NECESSARY FOR SALVATION, THEN WHY THE BREAD or the body? The wine symbolises the blood, doesn't it? Then why the body? Well if you read all my letters somewhere way back there I'm sure I put it in.

11. ONE THING, IT IS A DEMONSTRATION OF UNITY. But He goes on later in this passage to say because some of you are not doing this many of you are sick!

12. 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 body and for the spirit‚ praise God? Healing is right here in the Communion in observing this holy Eucharist or whatever you like to call it, it's right here!

13. I LIKE TO CALL IT COMMUNION because it's a commune, 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!

14. THE BREAD DOESN'T HEAL 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.

15. IT'S SIMPLY SHOWING THE MANIFESTATION OF YOUR FAITH in His Word and what He has said, and therefore it is illustrating even to your children and our babes and everybody else that we believe it.

16. THIS IS JESUS' BODY BROKEN FOR US, whether you believe in transubstantiation or whatever your doctrine may be. I just say what His Word says and exactly what it means I don't know, except I do know the body was broken for us, and if we eat of it by faith we are healed by faith.

17. 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. It's there, Beloved. I don't have time to preach you the whole thing now, but it's all in the rest of the passage if you would like to read it. We'll pass this on to you to pass around if you would. (Passes plate of broken bread.) Praise the Lord.

18. EACH ONE PLEASE TAKE AND RETAIN YOUR PORTION until all have been served and then we'll partake together, I think that illustrates it even more‚ together. Amen?

19. IF YOU'VE BEEN SICK AND YOU NEED HEALING, TAKE IT BY FAITH AND IT'S THERE for you! "Take, eat, this is My body which is broken for you. This do in remembrance of Me." Thank You Lord! Amen‚ Lord. Dedicate and sanctify by Thy word of prayer.

20. 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? I've heard that some people have kept it on their tongue for so long and it didn't even dissolve. But He said, "Take, eat, this My body," right? It's for you, and what good is it going to do you if you don't absorb it?

21. 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 and 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!

22. "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! Thank You Jesus!—"This do ye as oft as ye drink in remembrance of Me. For as often as ye eat of this bread and drink this cup ye do show the Lord's death till He come."

23. WHAT ARE WE ALSO DOING IN THIS? Not only doing things which are to benefit ourselves but also as a witness unto others.

24. WE'RE SHOWING WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT, that even as we partake of the bread‚ Christ has strength and health for your body; even as we partake of the wine‚ He has salvation for the soul! That's why I don't like to use grape juice by itself, because even the spirit of the wine is symbolic of the Spirit of God, the stimulating Spirit of the Lord, and so it is with the wine.

25. HE SAYS, "AFTER THE SAME MANNER ALSO HE TOOK THE CUP." Well, if He did it in the same manner‚ He must have thanked the Lord. "And when He had supped saying, This cup is the new testament in My blood. This do ye as oft as ye drink it in remembrance of Me." So shall we thank the Lord.

26. 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‚ and He gave thanks.

27. I HAVE SO OFTEN SEEN IN THESE BIG CHURCHES, they bring it out, it's already broken up and they've got all these little glasses of grape juice already poured and all these ushers buzzing around and everything.

28. WHEREAS, 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, and He gave thanks and He prayed and He passed it on.

29. 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 and with those whips and lashes, many times broken for us.

30. 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, and You shed Your blood unto the death that we might live, your blood for our salvation. So we thank Thee O Lord for this. We thank Thee for Thy blood shed for us on Calvary.

31. WE THANK YOU LORD THAT YOUR BLOOD CLEANSES US FROM ALL SIN. Past sin, Lord, sin now and sin hereafter--all sin‚ by faith. We thank You Lord that this symbolises Thy blood, and 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.

32. MAKE IT A WITNESS AND A TESTIMONY to these here‚ Lord, and help them to pass on to others this simple childlike ceremony, Lord, showing what healing and salvation are like and how we get it. Thank You Jesus! In Jesus' name, Amen. Praise the Lord!

33. ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE DOING TO CONSTANTLY REMIND OURSELVES WHAT JESUS HAS DONE for us and 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 and drink this cup ye do show the Lord's death till He come. "You are testifying that He died for you and showing His death till He come. Praise God!

34. "WHEREFORE WHOSOEVER SHALL EAT OF THIS BREAD AND DRINK THIS CUP OF THE LORD UNWORTHILY SHALL BE GUILTY OF THE BODY AND BLOOD of the Lord!" Now what is the only thing you can do to be unworthy? Is anybody perfect? Is there anybody here that never sins, never makes a mistake, never does anything wrong? 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?

35. IN OTHER WORDS, WHAT HE'S SAYING IS IF YOU'RE NOT REALLY SAVED, if you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Saviour and you really don't have faith in His body and His blood and you go to church and you take Communion, you are lying! You are making an open confession of faith that is not so, and you are a damnable hypocrite and 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!

36. THERE ARE LOTS OF PEOPLE WHO GO TO CHURCH AND PRETEND TO RECEIVE JESUS Christ. But it's only because they want to be in good standing in the community and they're a big shot businessman or they're important people‚ and of course they've got to be well respected in the church as well. So they take Communion and they're not even saved and they're lying, and you know what God says?

37. 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.

38. "AND FOR THIS CAUSE MANY ARE WEAK AND SICKLY among you and many sleep." Now also 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 (judgment) and are weak and sickly and have died without faith in the Lord's healing!

39. "FOR IF WE JUDGE OURSELVES, WE SHOULD NOT BE JUDGED. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord‚ that we should not be condemned with the world."

40. 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 and eat to yourself death, believe it or not!

41. NOW YOU MAY SAY, "THAT'S AN EXTREME DOCTRINE I never heard before!" But I've believed that for a long time and preached it for years, but this is probably the first Communion you ever had with me.

42. SO IT'S A SERIOUS THING, BUT IT'S A BEAUTIFUL PRECIOUS LITTLE ILLUSTRATION which the Lord gives us, and 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."

43. IN OTHER WORDS, IT'S SHOWING YOU LOVE HIM, you appreciate what He's done for you, you're doing it in remembrance and thanks for what He has done for your body and your spirit, and you're also witnessing to others what He has done for you at the same time.

44. IT IS BOTH A THANKSGIVING AND A WITNESS, right? Praise the Lord? Praise God! It's a good day for it: If we were going to have a special ceremony I guess Easter was as good a day as any, the day of His resurrection, thank God!

45. DON'T EVER FORGET THE RESURRECTION WHEN WE'RE SPEAKING OF THE DEATH. The death was for a resurrection, and if it hadn't been for the resurrection, all the rest of it would have meant nothing. "For if Christ be not risen, then we are of all men most miserable." But thank God He is risen! Praise God?

46. WELL THERE'S A LOT IN THIS GOOD BOOK. I wish I had time to sit down and read it all with you—we'd really enjoy it! And I hope you do with your disciples and your babes and your followers in your Colonies, and that you minister to them the good Word of God as much as possible.

47. THEY'VE GOT THE LETTERS AND THEY ARE PRETTY EASY TO UNDERSTAND‚ you don't really have to explain them very much. But you might have to sit down with them once in a while and read them the Bible just like I have with you today and try to make it clear and easy to understand. They can read the Letters anytime themselves, but they might need help with the Bible.

48. SO IT'S NICE TO HAVE A LITTLE BIBLE STUDY TOGETHER once in a while, read it aloud, and this particular observation gives you an opportunity to do that. Some churches do it every Sunday, some churches do it every month, some churches do it once a year.

49. JESUS DIDN'T SAY JUST HOW OFTEN YOU HAD TO HAVE COMMUNION, He said just as often as you would you're remembering Him and 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 and when you're with a group that you feel might need that little witness and 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 and a lesson on witnessing.

50. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE ANYPLACE SPECIAL, but it's a beautiful little ceremony and I think we should do it more often to witness the Lord's death for us and the breaking of His body for our healing and our health and to show that we appreciate it.

51. 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 and water or bread and coffee.

52. I THINK WE HAVE REALLY ACCOMPLISHED SOMETHING, don't you. Getting our hearts together in unity to show that we're together and we believe as one.

53. WE LOVE THE LORD AND 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.

54. I'D RATHER HAVE SEVERAL HORSES THAN ONE and I'm tired of trying to pull some of this load alone! Of course, you've always been helping‚ all of you, but now you have a greater responsibility, and I want to give you a greater share of the load because I think now you're bigger and older and stronger and able to pull it, praise God?

55. LORD, WE'VE PARTAKEN OF THE BREAD AND KNOW THAT YOU'RE ABLE TO HEAL by Thy power, by Thy healing. Strengthen each body and give Thy healing for each one that needs it in any way. In Jesus' Name. Bless them as they go, Lord, and keep them safely on their journeys. Give them strength‚ Lord, and keep them safely in Thy care.

56. WE THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR CHILDREN, LORD. Bless them as they go about telling the world what You have done for them, Lord, and what You're going to do. Inspire them to catch the vision of the great things You have in store for us because we are going to obey You Lord.

57. WE'RE GOING TO GET OUT INTO ALL THE WORLD AND PREACH THE GOSPEL TO EVERY CREATURE! Thank You Jesus! In Jesus' name, Hallelujah! Amen. So Lord, there's already been enough said at this particular time, so we join together by faith in the very prayer that You Yourself taught us to pray as we part:

58. OUR FATHER WHICH ART IN HEAVEN, Hallowed be Thy Name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory, for ever and ever!

59. THE LORD BLESS AND KEEP THEE, the Lord make His face to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee and give thee peace, in Jesus' name. Thank You Lord!

60. GO WITH THEM LORD. THAT'S THE BEST THAT WE CAN POSSIBLY DESIRE is that You go with them every step of the way and they go with You every step of the way. We know You're going to mightily use them, Lord!

61. WE'RE GOING TO HEAR GREAT THINGS that are going to be happening of how You're going to mightily burst the bonds that bound us and set us free to do the work Thou hast for us to do! In Jesus' name! Thank You Lord! God bless you! Amen.

62. WHY DON'T YOU TRY A LITTLE REAL COMMUNION IN YOUR COLONY TONIGHT? It's a good time to renew fellowship, confess sins, make things right, thank Him for His salvation‚ obtain healing, bring unity and witness to all His goodness to us all!—Amen? God will bless you as you do what He commanded!—Amen?

63. "AFTER THAT HE POURETH WATER INTO A BASIN AND BEGAN TO WASH THE DISCIPLES' FEET... Know ye what I have done to you?... Ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example that ye should do as I have done.

64. "THE SERVANT IS NOT GREATER THAN HIS LORD... If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them!... As I have loved you, also love one another. By this shall all men know that you are My disciples!"—1Cor.1 and John 13.

NOTES

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family