THE MYTH OF COMMUNION CONTINUED.

Wednesday 18 December

In yesterday’s devotion, we covered the fact that Communion was a form of rebranded Passover and not biblical in any way shape or form. We also briefly discussed the reasons as to why communion was never taken and why it is therefore an unnecessary practice in the Body of Christ today.

We touched on the topic of the ‘breaking of bread’ and how we eat the body and blood of Jesus today also.

We need to elaborate on these two points and look at the key scriptures to be able to give a full and comprehensive explanation of this subject.

In Acts 2:42 we see the ‘breaking of bread’ as part of the fellowship of the saints. The sharing of a meal together in this way was called a love feast. When you look at the Greek word ‘agape’ which is sacrificial, self-giving love, one of the meanings is love feast!

What makes this significant is that this was predominantly the way the early church would celebrate new believers that had recently received Christ.

In 1 Corinthians 11:23-31 the Apostle Paul is speaking about having supper together and a lot of ministers have used this verse for Communion or Passover of which it is neither. The context here is it was an ‘evening meal’ and not Communion or Passover.

Paul mentions not ‘eating or drinking in an unworthy manner’ in reference to not leaving enough food for others. The damnation or judgement that you eat or drink to yourself is in relation to ‘when one member suffers we all suffer’. ‘Not discerning the Lord’s body’ meant not caring for the sick brethren, while personally not recognising the life of God that was in them.

In Luke 22 Jesus essentially said to them ‘this is the last time we will take Passover together until that day in my Father’s kingdom.’ He said this at the last supper they had together which was after their Passover meal as was customary for the Jews. In other words, Jesus was saying we won’t continue this practice after the resurrection because it will be spiritual reality not physical act anymore.

After Jesus rose from the dead, it was no more a practice for them.

He taught it to them to do in the Spirit in the future. What indication do we have in other revelation of the scriptures that this is accurate?

During the 40 days after Jesus resurrection they didn’t do it. In the book of Acts they didn’t do it. In the epistles, they didn’t do it. As I mentioned earlier their new feast was the love feast.

This means when Jesus said we will not do this again until that day in my Fathers kingdom, what he was saying was it will no longer be a physical thing it will now be a spiritual thing in my Fathers kingdom.

In 1 Corinthians 5:7, the Apostle Paul says that Christ is our Passover. The Passover is now a person. His name is Jesus. Even if communion existed, the ritual and elements have been surpassed by the real.

So How do we partake of Him today? It’s not with bread and grape juice. Even with Passover that has all been superseded. We partake of ‘the divine nature’ when we teach the word. Think about it. When you receive the teaching of the Word, you are eating His body and drinking His blood.

So today as we fellowship in the Word of God we are eating and drinking in the Spirit. I think we’ve covered it. As always, do your own study and let the word confirm the word.

APPLICATION

Do your own personal study on the differences between Passover, the Last Supper, the breaking of bread and the love feasts of the New Testament.