We believe that the Lord’s Supper is a spiritual act of obedience which is engaged in to commemorate the death of Jesus Christ. This is a symbolic, yet meaningful, event in the life and experience of each individual believer. Though the exact methodology may vary from church to church, still the emphasis and significance of the act must remain clear. There are several purposes for the observance of the Lord’s Supper which we will examine briefly.
First, we take part in Communion to show forth the sacrificial death of Christ.
The Apostle Paul puts it this way in I Cor 11:23-26 speaking to the Corinthian Church, ..... “until He comes.” In verse 24 of this passage, we see that Christ’s body was broken for each and every one of us. We must have a way to individualize this reality in order for it to retain freshness and impact in our lives. A spiritual and mental renewing and sensitivity is produced afresh each time we participate in the “Lord’s Supper”. We are made acutely aware of the atoning power and efficacy of the Blood of the Lamb. In John I:29, John the Baptist said of Jesus, “...Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!”
Our sin individually taken away and removed as far away as the East is from the West-what a liberating and life transforming reality this is intended to be! Tragically, far too often, Christians settle for living in bondage and “staleness” of experience because they have not yet gotten the revelation of the Body and Blood of Christ given for them.
In our endeavor to find the quality and manner of life purchased for us by Christ, we are encouraged to pursue holiness and to press toward the mark of the prize of the heavenly calling of God in Christ Jesus. The Apostle Paul exhorts us to, “Purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you are truly unleavened. For indeed, Christ, our Passover was sacrificed for us”, (I Cor 5:7).
We can and should live in His victory daily, if we can have our senses exercised concerning the spiritual dynamics of approaching the table of the Lord with sensitivity!
Second, we take part in Communion to have a deeper and more meaningful sense of Covenant established in us.
During Old Testament times God made a covenant with Abraham, (Gen 17:7), for the ultimate reconciliation of sinners back unto Himself through the progeny of Abraham. In fact, God said to Abraham, “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed”, (Gen 12:2-3).
A covenant is a formal, binding agreement, promise or pledge made between two parties. The covenant God made with man was for the purpose of man’s salvation and blessing. This covenant required a sacrifice, which means “to give or offer up something of value in exchange for something else.” In Old Testament times it (sacrifice) was considered a religious or ritualistic act belonging to worship in which offering has been made to God of some material object belonging to the offerer.
The sacrifice God required had to be of blood because life is in the blood, indeed it represents life itself. Leviticus 17:11 says, “the life of everything is in the blood,” and that’s why the Lord has commanded that all the blood be poured out on the altar to take away people’s sins. Blood, which is life, takes away sins. The animal sacrifices of the Old Testament Book of Leviticus order were a mere precursor or foreshadow of better things which were to come, whose order was to be ultimately fulfilled in and by Christ, (Mt 5:17). In Hebrews 9 we read, “For if the blood of the bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the Eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot or blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the Living God? For this reason He (Jesus) is the mediator of the new covenant, by means of death (blood), for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance”, (Heb 9:13-15).
The believer should understand, know and appreciate this new and better covenant, and in doing so, apply the grace and blessings contained therein to the fullest!
Third, we partake of the Lord’s table to be able to keep the purpose and victory of Calvary’s cross in right focus.
We all slip and lose our perspective from time to time. Taking the most of our opportunities on a daily basis, thus being able to “redeem the time”, is really contingent on the cultivation and retention of a sensitive spirit. When we lose spiritual sensitivity, our tendency is to drift back into becoming more worldly or earthly “minded.” The Scriptures teach us that we have been “...made alive, who were once dead in those trespasses and sins, and even when we were dead in those trespasses and sins, (He) made us alive together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus”, (Eph 2:1,5-7).
God has seen fit to cause us to be seated in the heavenly places in Christ. What a divine privilege and blessing, but how often do we take that reality lightly? When Jesus said concerning the Lord’s Supper, “This is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me ”, (Lk 22:19), He was instructing the disciples to grasp the eternal importance of that moment, the significance of the bread and wine (i.e. a type of His body and blood) and to carry on this practice in the days to come.
This is precisely why the church partakes of Communion, or the table of the Lord. It quickens our hearts and causes us to tune in to spiritual realities so easily overlooked living in a natural world!
Beloved, let us draw near with a pure heart, and full assurance of faith. Let us also “examine” ourselves, so that our hearts will not condemn us before Him, (I Cor 11:23-34).