Communions

"The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?" 1 Corinthians 10:16

Bible References

1. 2 Corinthians 5:21 2. Luke 22: 7-23 3. Matthew 26: 26 4. John 6: 35 5. Matthew 26: 28 6. Leviticus 17: 11 7. Hebrews 10:1-18

8.1 Corinthians 11:24

9. Corinthians 11:28 10. 1 Corinthians 11:26 11.1 Corinthians 10:16-17

1. What is its purpose and meaning ? 2. Why should I take communion ? 3. Why should I not take communion ?

What is its purpose and meaning ?

The word communion comes from the Latin word for fellowship, sharing and mutual participation. This perfectly sums up what communion is all about, brothers and sisters coming together as a family in order to celebrate the sacrifice that Christ made for those that believe in him. (1) The first communion took place the night before Jesus was to be crucified, The disciples and Jesus sat down together for a meal. In this meal the had bread and wine. It is these two simple and everyday items is what Jesus used to let the disciples know what he was about to do for them, and for all who will believe in and love him. (2) So what is the importance with the bread and the wine ?

4 Reasons Why Communion is to be taken 1. Jesus tells us to , and to do it remembering him :

...and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. (8)

Who should and should not take communion

2. It gives us a chance to examine ourselves :

Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. (9)

Should - Those who love Jesus - Those who are humble -Those who realize that they do not deserve to be saved

3. By taking communion we are openly proclaiming Christ's sacrifice for us :

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lords death until he comes. (10)

1.

The Bread Firstly the broken bread represents what happened to Jesus for us, he was broken , his body destroyed. (3) In the eating of the bread it is showing that he was broken for our benefit. The bread also is a reflection on what Jesus told us about himself (4), everything else we have and do in our life will never really satisfy us , we are always wanting some else. When we give our life to Jesus and commit to following him, only then are we truly and eternally satisfied. The Wine The wine symbolizes the blood of Jesus, the blood that was poured out during his crucifixion.(5) God has always required sacrifice in order to temporarily forgive the sins of his people (6) In the sacrifice of Jesus and the spilling of his blood , we (if we repent and believe in him) can be forever forgiven by God. (7)

Should not - Those that do not care for Jesus -Those that think that they deserve to take communion - Those who do not understand what taking communion is about.

4. It unites us as a Church family :

The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. (11)

Why the session meeting ? In many of our churches before we can take communion we must first meet with the session, a group of elders and the minister. This frightens many people but they are only there to ask you for your testimony , and then to welcome you into the church.

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