1st October 1978DO 781

—Do you have come-union?

—From a Family Communion with Dad!

1. WE'VE DECIDED TO CHOOSE THE FIRST DAY OF THE MONTH as a better day for our monthly Day of Fasting & Prayer, looking forward toward the new rather than backward. We don't need to pray for last month, it's finished, but we need to pray for this coming month.—Amen?

2. IF YOU HAVE UNLEAVENED BREAD, FINE. If not, those white British cream crackers are virtually unleavened bread. That's one reason they're so tasteless & saltless. But I doubt if you really have unleavened bread, because if it were it wouldn't rise.

3. IT DOESN'T MATTER, WE'LL JUST TAKE ANY BREAD if we haven't got the right thing. We're not technically under the Law any more. I've heard of prisoners in concentration camps who used crackers & coffee for communion because it was the only thing they had!

4. I BELIEVE IN ONLY ONE LARGE CUP OF WINE from which we all partake. I believe in one whole loaf, don't tear it up. Bring me the whole cup & the whole loaf. Whatever it is‚ if it's one cracker or a small loaf or bread‚ whatever it is I want it whole, because that's a very important lesson on the matter of communion.

5. THIS IS A SIMPLE TYPE OF THE SO-CALLED LAST SUPPER, the Lord's last supper with His disciples—One of the few little ceremonies that Jesus ever went through, really. He went through one of foot-washing, & some churches believe in washing your feet. However, in that day it was necessary because of the dusty roads & dirty feet & open sandals.

6. IT MADE A VERY GOOD TYPE OF HUMILITY & DAILY CLEANSING. Besides the once-for-all cleansing of salvation, you need the daily cleansing of the Word from daily sin. Some people still believe foot washing is one of the ordinances of the Church.

7. I DON'T MIND IF YOU WANT TO WASH MY FEET, & I'LL BE HAPPY TO WASH YOURS if you need it. Around here we are wearing a lot of sandals & our feet do get dirty! I never really thought it was necessary in this modern day & age, but some people do.

8. SOME OF OUR HOMES HAVE DONE IT, & HAVE GOTTEN A GREAT BLESSING OUT OF IT. So if you'd like to try it some time we can do it. For the moment we're just going to have what's known as Communion or the Lord's Supper. I hope it's not our last! (It was in Malta!)

9. THE LORD SAID, "AS OFTEN AS YE DO THIS, YE DO IT IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME!" Some churches do it once a year, some celebrate it once a month.—The first Sunday of every month usually. It was a part of the religious beliefs of the Church of Christ denomination that it had to be done every Sunday—which is fine, if you want to.

10. HE DOESN'T SAY HOW OFTEN YOU HAVE TO DO IT, but He says, "As oft as ye do it‚ ye do it in remembrance of Me." So whether you remember every Sunday‚ everyday, once a week, once a month, once a year or once a lifetime, you're to do it in remembrance of Him.

11. I GUESS THE CATHOLIC CHURCH COMMEMORATES THE SAME THING EVERY SUNDAY MASS. So they're amongst the once–a-weekers. Of course the priest does it several times a Sunday‚ so he really does it quite often. I guess you'd say the Catholic Church really lives up to this Holy Eucharist more than any other group as far as remembering it every day & several times on Sunday.

12. OF COURSE THEY GOT QUITE OFF THE BEAM FOR A WHILE during the famous French wine famine of the 1200s. They quit allowing the people to drink the wine because they were too short of it & only the priest drank the wine for quite a few hundred years.

13. THE WINE WAS NOT SERVED TO THE COMMUNICANTS, ONLY THE WAFER. Then the priest drank salvation for you. He gave you the body which stands for healing, but then he drank the salvation. Maybe that's why some Catholics aren't saved, I don't know! Or at least maybe why some don't understand salvation—they never got a chance to try it! But we use both & we use it as oft as we feel like it.

14. WE HAVE HAD NO SET TIME OR PLACE. But I have been suggesting that perhaps we should urge the whole worldwide Family to have their day of fasting and prayer on the first day of the month, beginning at sundown of the previous day, as is the Biblical way, & ending at sundown.

15. DAYS IN THE BIBLE LASTED FROM SUNDOWN TO SUNDOWN. That's why in Genesis it says the evening & the morning were the first day, evening & morning second day‚ & so on. So we began our fast yesterday evening at sundown with our time of fellowship & prayer. I think at least once a month we ought to observe communion together, & what better day than on the day than on the day of fasting & prayer, Amen?

16. SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE LIKE THE CATHOLICS IN THE DOCTRINE OF TRANSUBSTANTIATION: —Another nice big theological jaw–breaker meaning that after prayer & the consecration by the priest, it actually does become the very flesh & blood of Jesus Himself.

17. EVEN MARTIN LUTHER BELIEVED THAT, & he stood his ground at one of the Reformation Diets. He just kept quoting the Scripture, "This is My body, broken for you. This is My blood, shed for you."

18. THERE IS ALSO THE DOCTRINE OF CONSUBSTANTIATION, which teaches that though these are only literal elements of bread & wine, that with them you spiritually partake of the body & blood of Christ at the same time. Perhaps that's what we believe.

19. WELL, YOU CAN BELIEVE WHATEVER YOU WANT TO, I don't care if you want to believe it's the actual body of Christ, it's okay with me! This is my interpretation, you don't have to believe it.—But it's believed by many intelligent & thinking theologians:

20. I BELIEVE THAT JESUS INTENDED IT TO MERELY BE A SYMBOL or an emblem, a picture. He was conducting a little illustrated message, a simple illustration‚ an audiovisual picture of something.

21. AS WE PARTAKE OF THIS BREAD HERE IN ONE LOAF WE ARE PICTURE THE BODY OF CHRIST, not actually eating the flesh & blood of Jesus. Otherwise we'd be cannibals! Of course that's what the first guys who heard that sermon in the 6th Chapter of John thought. He said, "Whoso eateth My flesh & drinketh My blood, hath eternal life!" (Jn.6:54.)—Sounds pretty strong!—A very strange doctrine!

22. THIS OF COURSE WAS HORRIFIC TO THE JEWS of His day‚ because it was totally against the Mosaic Law to drink blood or to eat human flesh! They were horrified! Every single person in the whole crowd that He preached to that day left Him, except the 12 disciples!

23. IT EVEN SOUNDS TO ME LIKE PETER MUST HAVE BEEN LOOKING AROUND FOR SOMEPLACE ELSE TO GO, but he couldn't think of any! He said, "To whom shall we go? Thou hast the Words of eternal life!" (Jn.6:68.) He was as good as saying, "Well, we'd go someplace else if we could, but, Lord, we can't think of anyplace else to go! You're the only One that tells us the Truth!"

24. MAYBE THAT'S WHY SOME OF YOU HAVE STUCK WITH ME: I'm pretty hard to take, & some of my doctrines & teachings & practices may be pretty hard to take, but you can't think of anything better to believe or anyplace better to go or anybody better to follow! You can't find anything better, so you'll have to settle for me & the Lord's Word, even though I'm pretty hard to take sometimes.

25. BUT IT'S MY PERSONAL OPINION THE LORD WAS MERELY ILLUSTRATING THE SPIRITUAL with these simple illustrations. Just as I take this bread today, which was one loaf or one body, & we will break it into several pieces, as Jesus' body was broken for us.

26. HIS BODY WAS BROKEN FOR US IN A NUMBER OF WAYS.—The crown of thorns, the beatings, the stripes, the injuries He suffered, the pain He suffered & so on; & through this, as I've brought out before‚ we receive healing. The bread is for the healing of our body. "His body was broken for you", "by His stripes we are healed."

27. IF WE WERE ONLY COMMEMORATING SALVATION‚ THEN ALL WE WOULD NEED WOULD BE WHAT?—THE WINE! That's all! All it took to save our souls was the blood. But to save our bodies it took His body. If this little ceremony were only commemorating salvation, we would only need the cup, right?

28. BUT IT IS CELEBRATING THE SALVATION OF THE ENTIRE MAN.—Not only the salvation of your spirit through Jesus' blood, but the salvation of your body through Jesus' body‚ both of which were given for us. So for this reason Paul says what he does in 1Cor.11. He says‚

29. "FOR I HAVE RECEIVED OF THE LORD THAT WHICH ALSO I DELIVERED UNTO YOU, that 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 is broken for you: This do in remembrance of Me." (Lk.22:19.)

30. WHAT DID HE DO FIRST? HE TOOK THE BREAD & HE GAVE THANKS FOR IT, & then He broke it. Then He gave it to them & told them to do what? Take it & eat it. "My body which is broken for you. This do in remembrance of Me."—In other words, to help you remember.

31. THIS LITTLE ILLUSTRATED SERMON HERE IS TO HELP YOU REMEMBER WHAT JESUS DID FOR YOU. This is why I am personally convinced it's merely a remembrance, not a repetition of the actual act of the killing & crucifying of Christ & a cannibalistic devouring of His actual flesh & an anti-Mosaic–Law drinking of His actual blood!

32. "AFTER THE SAME MANNER ALSO HE TOOK THE CUP, when He had supped, saying‚ This cup is the new testament in My blood." Who drank it first?—Jesus! Nearly all the churches I ever went to they serve the people first & the preacher & the elders last. Whereas Jesus is the One who served or suffered Himself first.

33. "THIS CUP IS THE NEW TESTAMENT IN MY BLOOD: This do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me." This is like an illustration of His blood. It's not actually the blood of Christ, it came out of a bottle of wine from a winery, but we use it as a picture, an illustration. We use it like Jesus' blood, the bread like His body, in remembrance of His body, & in remembrance of His blood.

34. "FOR AS OFTEN AS YE EAT THIS BREAD, & DRINK THIS CUP, YE DO SHOW THE LORD'S DEATH till He come." Why do we do this? Not only in remembrance of Him, to remember ourselves what He did for us, but it's also what? To show the Lord's death to others!—A witness!

35. IT IS A TESTIMONY, IT IS A WITNESS TO OTHERS of what Jesus did for us. It is both to help us & remind us of what He did for us, but also our personal testimony of what He did for us, & a witness to others. So communion is important.

36. "WHEREFORE WHOSOEVER SHALL EAT THIS READ, & DRINK THIS CUP OF THE LORD UNWORTHILY shall be guilty of the body & blood of the Lord." Now how could you drink it unworthily? I used to get scared to death that I was going to drink it unworthily when I went to communion as a kid because I knew I wasn't perfect. I know I'd committed sins. I knew I'd done things wrong, & boy, I sure did a lot of asking the Lord to forgive me lest I'd drink or eat unworthily!

37. WHAT DOES IT MEAN, UNWORTHILY? If you mean in the sense of undeserving, did we really deserve the death of Christ? Did you earn or work for it & deserve it by your own merit, your own goodness, your own righteousness?

38. DID YOU DESERVE HIS DEATH, HIS BODY, HIS BLOOD? Were you ever worthy of it? Is anybody worthy of it? Can anybody be worthy of it? Never! So therefore it couldn't have that meaning, could it?—Because in that sense we are all unworthy & nobody could possibly partake of communion! So what do you suppose he meant, "unworthily"?

39. WHAT ARE WE SHOWING BY THIS COMMUNION?—His death! It is a testimony of what? Of the meaning of Christ's death‚ which is what? His atonement for sin, salvation! It is a testimony of salvation.

40. NONE OF US ARE WORTHY OF SALVATION, but there is one thing you can do. Jesus has done all the rest. He did the dying, the shedding of blood, He even gave you the faith. All you did was to believe & receive Him. This you did for your own sake. What do you do for others? What's the duty of every Christian?—To witness‚ to be a testimony, to preach the Gospel of Jesus' love, right? And how could you do this?—Only through His worthiness, His salvation!

41. HOW COULD YOU BE WORTHY OR UNWORTHY?—ONLY THOUGH SALVATION, having experienced salvation yourself, right? You're unworthy to preach the Gospel, you're unworthy to testify that you are saved, if you have never received Jesus Christ! You are not worthy of preaching the Gospel if you yourself are not a Christian!

42. YOU ARE NOT WORTHY OF WITNESSING CHRIST if you yourself are not even saved, don't even believe in Him, haven't even received Him, don't have salvation. So this is what it's talking about.

43. DON'T DARE PARTAKE OF THESE ELEMENTS IF YOU'RE NOT SAVED‚ if you yourself are not a Christian! If you have not partaken of Christ, neither His body nor His Blood in salvation‚ you are lying!

44. IF THE UNSAVED DARE PARTAKE OF THESE ELEMENTS pretending that they have partaken of the spiritual salvation, they are lying. Therefore they're partaking of it unworthily! Do you understand? So that's what He means. "You shall be guilty of the body & the blood of the Lord." Why are you guilty?—Because you're not saved!

45. ALL OF US WERE GUILTY OF THE BODY & BLOOD OF THE LORD‚ really. We're all guilty of His death, because He suffered for all of our sins. But once having received His salvation we are cleansed from sin, we're no longer guilty.

46. BUT BEING UNSAVED & PRETENDING YOU'RE SAVED, YOU'RE STILL GUILTY!—Even more guilty because you're lying & pretending that you're saved & have Jesus! You're even more guilty than ever because you're a hypocrite, a liar & pretending!—Like some church members!

47. "BUT LET A MAN EXAMINE HIMSELF, and so let him eat of that bread, & drink of that cup." How? He knows he's doing it worthily through Christ's worth because he knows he's saved‚ he knows he has spiritually drunk of the blood of Jesus & eaten of the body of Christ in salvation.

48. OF COURSE THE BREAD IS PARTICULARLY SYMBOLIC OF HEALING. He didn't have to suffer for our sins, He only had to shed His blood & die for our sins. But His body suffered stripes, wounds, beatings, pain & agony so that through this He could also atone for our sicknesses: "By His stripes we are healed!" (Is.53:5.)

49. "FOR HE THAT EATETH & DRINKETH UNWORTHILY (UNSAVED) EATETH & DRINKETH DAMNATION to himself, not discerning the Lord's body." If any unsaved sinners are partaking of the holy Eucharist at any church in the world today & going to the altar & partaking of the wafer or the blood who are not saved, they are drinking to themselves damnation!

50. THEY ARE PRETENDING TO BE SAVED WHEN THEY ARE NOT! They are pretending to be believers, they are pretending to be saved. They are pretending to have partaken & received Christ when they have not, & it's even the greater damnation to them for lying. "For this cause many are weak & sickly among you, & many sleep (die!)."

51. GOD CAN EVEN JUDGE BOTH THE CHRISTIAN & THE UNCHRISTIAN FOR DOING THIS in a way that is not right. It's obvious that if any unsaved partakes of it & is lying thereby, he's a false witness & the Lord is going to judge him accordingly.

52. —ALSO, I KNOW A LOT OF CHRISTIANS WHO HAVE NOT DISCERNED THE LORD'S BODY: They don't understand what the body means, that by His stripes we are healed, that His body suffered for our healing, & who do not claim their healing as a result, & who partake of the bread not even knowing what they're doing. Therefore it doesn't give them any faith for healing. They don't realise that as they partake of His body they can claim healing for their body.

53. SO AS YOU PARTAKE OF THE COMMUNION today‚ beloved, you should remember these things. As you partake of the bread, claim His healing for your body, because it's there for you. Perhaps that's one reason many are sick amongst us‚ even a few have died!

54. ALREADY YOU HAVE PARTAKEN OF HIS BLOOD FOR SALVATION, like the wine. Just remember, as you do so you are testifying of having received the blood of Christ for your spiritual salvation. As you partake of the bread you are testifying that you are receiving the body of Christ for your healing. Now I hope you understand—do you?

55. "FOR IF WE WOULD 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." So therefore we are to judge ourselves in both these respects: Have you received both blood & body?

56. FIRST OF ALL, ARE YOU REALLY A CHRISTIAN? Have you received Jesus Christ, are you saved? Then you're worthy to partake the wine.

57. -THEN, DO YOU ALSO BELIEVE THAT JESUS SUFFERED FOR YOU, not only for your sins but for your body, your sicknesses, for your healing? If so, if you discern this, you can claim healing even as you partake of the bread. Even as you are eating this morsel of bread, so you can claim the miraculous power of God's healing through partaking of the body of Christ. Hallelujah! Praise You Jesus! (Tongues:)

58. "THANK THEE, O GOD, FOR THE TRUTH THAT THOU HAST REVEALED unto this their Father!" Hallelujah! Thank You Jesus! Praise You Lord! Amen! I haven't heard that preached too much, very little!

59. MOST PEOPLE DON'T' UNDERSTAND what it means, & it was never explained to me as a child because I don't think they understood. But now we are going to do it‚ God willing. So we're going to do it as Jesus did. First of all He gave thanks, amen? (Prays: )

60. SO WE THANK YOU, LORD, FOR THIS SIMPLE LITTLE PIECE OF BREAD which pictures & symbolises Thy body broken for us & for our healing, one of our first most physically necessary needs, Lord. You healed many many people who didn't even understand Your salvation—their most evident immediate need was physical healing.

61. THEIR MOST IMMEDIATE NEED WAS A TOUCH TO THEIR BODIES, & You did many miracles & healed their bodies first of all, before they even believed, before they were even saved! Perhaps this is why You put the bread first, knowing that in these physical bodies this is one of our most desperate obvious apparent needs: Healing!

62. AND THEN, OF COURSE, THE BLOOD‚ THE SUPREME NEED, deeper & a little more difficult to understand for some, the salvation of the spirit. This bread standing for the salvations of the body. The blood‚ wine‚ standing for the salvation of the spirit. Thank You for it‚ & thank You for this symbolism, both bread & wine!

63. THANK YOU FOR THIS LITTLE PICTURE THAT WE PORTRAY TODAY in this holy communion with thee & Thy body & Thy blood. In Jesus' name we ask it: Bless it & make it a blessing to everybody here, that everyone may receive some measure of healing through discerning Thy body & partaking thereof healing for their own bodies.

64. EVEN AS ALL OF THESE PIECES WHICH WILL BE BROKEN SHALL COME FROM ONE LOAF, we will all be made part of that one loaf! And thereby, may we too, even as eating of this one loaf, become one, in Jesus' name, amen. TYL! How true in our Family!

65. THIS IS THE TIME THEY USUALLY HAVE MUSIC in church‚ & I was usually the musician. PTL! TYL! We used to sing an old hymn,

"Break thou the Bread of Life, dear Lord for me,

As Thou didst break the loaves beside the sea.

Beyond the Sacred Page (His Body),

I see Thee Lord!

My spirit cries for Thee,

Thou Living Word!"

Please retain your portion till all are served‚ then we'll partake together.

66. THE SONG IS REALLY ABOUT HIM BEING THE BREAD OF LIFE, so it's very appropriate. It shows you how you should really understand the bread being symbolic of His own body, the Body of Christ, sometimes called the Bread of Life. PTL!

67. AMEN, I LIKE TO PARTAKE IT TOGETHER because it's symbolic of our oneness. Now we're all going to become part of one loaf of bread, because we're all going to eat a little bit of that loaf, aren't we? And that loaf is going to become part of all of us, just like Jesus is part of all of us, amen? Thank You Jesus! Amen! We're one!

68. AND I BELIEVE THE LORD INTENDED FOR YOU TO EAT IT, & don't be afraid to chew it! For the Lord said, "Take‚ eat!" He didn't say leave it lying on your tongue until it dissolved, like some saint.

69. "AFTER THE SAME MANNER HE TOOK THE CUP, & when He had supped ..." PTL! Thank You Jesus for Thy blood shed for our salvation. A picture of how each of us have received Christ, His blood shed for our sins. He said, "Drink ye all of it."

70. WELL‚ HE SAID DRINK YE ALL OF IT, so there's no use leaving any. You shouldn't throw it out or throw it back, you ought to finish it. Praise the Lord! Of course He meant all, everyone drink it.

71. NOW WE HAVE SIGNIFIED WE'RE ALL ONE IN BODY, the bread, & one in spirit, the wine. That's why I like to drink from one cup, which is what they did. These Protestant churches that have a bunch of little tiny cups, they never get the point. And they've got the bread all broken up beforehand, so they don't get the point of that either, that you're got to be one body.

72. BOY, THERE'S A HOT ONE FOR OUR FAMILY!: ONE IN THE FLESH, ONE BODY, & ONE IN SPIRIT! Now there's something that never occurred to me before, I often get something new in communion, the fact that in our Family we are one body, all the way!—Sexually as well, really one Bride of Christ, One Wife, One Body! How much more could you be one body than we are, amen? PTL! We're one all the way!

73. I THINK THIS IS A GOOD TIME ALSO IN OUR HOMES, THAT IF WE FEEL SO LED‚ "IF ANYONE HAS OUGHT against his brother" or sister, he needs to make it right‚ or she does. You can have some wonderful prayer meetings on an occasion like this, in which some who have not gotten along with each other make amends & weep on each other's shoulders‚ say you are sorry & forgive & get things all straightened out: Have a real lovin' "Love-in"!—All the way!—Get it straight between you!

74. THERE ARE THREE MAJOR KINDS OF CONFESSION: One is perfectly private just with the Lord alone: If you've only offended the Lord & nobody else in what you have done‚ you only have to confess to the Lord.

75. IF YOU HAVE OFFENDED SOME BODY ELSE & nobody else knows about it but you & them, they're the only one you have to confess to, the Lord & them, to make it right. But if you have sinned before the whole congregation, or quite a few people know about it, then you've got to get up & confess it before everybody! But sometimes things are confessed before everybody! that in needn't be confessed before everybody . In fact, some things even shouldn't have been confessed publicly, & did more damage than good! Anybody want to make any confession? Please don't make it now here before all unless you sinned before all!

76. AMEN, THANK YOU LORD FOR THIS LITTLE OBSERVANCE to show us in a simple illustration the meaning of Thy body, Lord, to discern Thy body, how it was broken & suffered for the healing of our bodies. And the meaning of the Thy blood‚ Lord‚ how it was shed, Thy very life given for our salvation, the salvation of our spirits.

77. YOU HAVE SAVED THE WHOLE MAN, LORD, not just half-a–man, not only the spirit nor just the body, but You are saving both body & spirit, which make a whole saved soul! Thank You for it, Lord, & thank You for this time of fellowship together today.

78. THANK YOU FOR THIS LITTLE ILLUSTRATION HERE TODAY OF OUR ONENESS‚ not only in the spirit but also in the flesh, thank You Jesus!—And of Thy healing & Thy salvation. PTL! TYJ! TYL!

79. AMEN, THANK THEE FOR THE LITTLE WORD DIRECTLY FROM YOU as well, Lord, You gave us through Abrahim, to encourage us, Lord, by the things that Thou hast revealed to us, the Truth that You've given us to show us clearly, to help us understand the bread & wine.

80. THANK YOU JESUS FOR THYSELF, THANK YOU LORD FOR THY PROVISION for every need, as so beautifully pictured here in this little ceremony today. May we understand it, realise it, & having partaken of it, Lord, to assimilate the benefits, even as we did the elements.—In Jesus' name we ask Thee‚ for Thy glory.—As we pray together the prayer, Lord, which You taught Your own disciples to pray: (Prays together the Lords Prayer: )

81. THE LORD BLESS THEE & KEEP THEE, THE LORD MAKE HIS FACE TO SHINE UPON THEE & be gracious unto thee‚ & lift up His countenance upon thee & give thee peace!—In Jesus' name, thank You Lord! Thank You for the love You've given us‚ till we are one, both in spirit & in body, amen! TYJ!—United in spirit & in flesh! Amen!

82. NOW HAVE A GOOD LOVIN' LOVE-IN!—ALL THE WAY!—Amen?—That's real love, both physical & spiritual. Maybe that's why Jesus put the bread first, because sometimes they can't understand spiritual love until first you give them physical love. Neither can stand alone: You can't have the one without the other. You can't very well say you love their spirit but not their flesh! Love me, love my body!—And then I'll believe it!—All the way!

83. I DON'T BELIEVE IN PLATONIC LOVE, purely spiritual, no flesh involved! There is no such thing! If you really love someone, you'll love their body too!—Not only their spirit! You'll want to be together & part of them, to feel their love—don't you?

84. SO THAT LOVE IS GOING TO BE MANIFEST SOMEHOW IN THE FLESH—usually ultimately in sex if it involves those of the opposite sex! It's only natural you should want to go all the way. Thank God, in our Family this is possible‚ as we believe we are not only one in spirit but one in body, both in sex & sacrificial service to others.

85. "WE ARE NOT DIVIDED!—ALL ONE BODY WE!—

One in hope, in doctrine‚ one in charity (love)!

Onward, Christian Soldiers!"

Sing it!—If you can take it! That's strong stuff for some!—Are we really one?—One in body as well as spirit?

86. DO WE HAVE COMPLETE FULL COMMUNION?—Come-union? Common-union? "All things common"? (Ac.2:44.) Communion in the flesh as well as the spirit? How long has it been since you've given your body to someone, a brother or sister—or even a fish?

87. JESUS GAVE HIS BODY EVEN FOR THE UNSAVED!—Have you? Surely you should be will to give yourself at least to each other! Have you been withholding yourself, your flesh, from a brother or sister or a fish?—Or even from your own mate?—Such selfishness is absolutely unscriptural! (See Acts 2:44; 4:32; 1Cor.7:5; Jas.2:15,16, etc.) Love sacrifices the flesh for others!

88. MAYBE YOU NEED TO GET LIBERATED from you selfishness & fears—fear of love, fear of sex, fear of pregnancy, fear of disease, fear of commitment, fear of the future, fear of the unknown, fear of flesh!

89. NOW AT COMMUNION, OUR COMMON UNION, is a good time to ask God to deliver you!—By giving you the victory to give yourself to someone who needs you. Even if you don't like'm you can love'm!—Amen?—Try it!—You'll love it! Let's have real Come-union tonight!—Come together! GBY! ILY! "Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy‚ acceptable unto God‚ which is your reasonable service." (Ro.12:1.)—Amen?

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family