Prayer: Father, I desire to be obedient to Your Word. Your Word compels me to consider the death, burial, and resurrection of Yeshua. May I not be guilty of receiving communion carelessly, thoughtlessly. Amen.
Reading: Isaiah 53 key: vs. 3-6 “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief, One from whom people hide their faces. He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our pains. Yet we esteemed Him stricken, struck by God, and afflicted. But He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities. The chastisement for our shalom was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. We all like sheep have gone astray. Each of us turned to his own way. So Adonai has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” TLV
Attention: In February 2004, I remember vividly sitting in a movie theater in Phoenix, Arizona and watching the newly released The Passion of the Christ by Mel Gibson. If you have never viewed this movie, the depiction of the flogging, whipping, and beating which Yeshua received at the hands of the Roman soldiers was horrifying. Inwardly, I was begging for them to stop, wondering if Yeshua would survive the beating to be able to go to the cross.
What do you think about when receiving communion? Do you think about Isaiah 53? Do you consider that it was your sin and my sin for which Messiah was compelled to go to the cross?
The Apostle Paul instructed the followers of Yeshua in Corinth about act of receiving communion in this manner, “For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you—that the Lord Yeshua, on the night He was betrayed, took matzah ; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you. Do this in memory of Me.” In the same way, He also took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in memory of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes” (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
Many of us have heard this portion of scripture read prior to receiving the bread and the cup. But, how many pastors have taken the opportunity to give their congregation the instruction which precedes and follows this passage? In the preceding verses, Paul instructs us about the importance of unity in the body of Yeshua and in the following scripture he shares insight in which few are instructed. “Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the Lord’s cup in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But a man must examine himself, and then let him eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For the one who eats and drinks without recognizing the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and quite a few have died. For if we were judging ourselves thoroughly, we wouldn’t be coming under judgment. But when we are judged, we are being disciplined by the Lord so that we might not be condemned along with the world” (1 Corinthians 27-32).
Is this critical information to know? I have sat in communion services and observed people participate in communion who had no understanding of what they were doing and a pastor who had no understanding of what he or she was leading the people to do. Are you sick and know not why? You might consider examining how you treat the table of Messiah. Do you participate in communion with the full knowledge of what Yeshua accomplished in going to the cross? Do you fully embrace salvation (forgiveness of sin) which is only available in the name of Yeshua?
Action: I choose to fully respect and reverence the act of Communion at the Lord’s Table.
Yield: I choose to submit to the Lordship of Yeshua.
Engage: I choose to engage in communion at the Lord’s table with full knowledge of Yeshua’s resurrection.
Relationship: I choose to live in obedient intimacy with Adonai.
Prayer: Father, if we have not communion with You in Messiah’s death, burial, and resurrection, we have no part at Your table. I pray that our pastors will embrace full understanding and quit leading people into judgement. Amen.
Memory Verse: 1 Corinthian 11: 27 “Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the Lord’s cup in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.” TLV
Music Video: Jonathan Stockstill & Bethany Music—Communion Song https://youtu.be/oMFgBYaEd3o?si=sZyZygKUxI-RWqhJ
Remember, “Abide in Yeshua, today!”