Memorise: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 1st Corinthians 11:24
Read: 1st Corinthians 11:23-29, 23 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:
24 And
when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my
body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
25 After
the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this
cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it,
in remembrance of me.
26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
27 Wherefore
whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord,
unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
Bible in one year: 2nd Samuel 16:17, Proverbs 12:15-28
MESSAGE
There
is one significant and fundamental reason (among other important
reasons) why the Holy Communion (The Lord’s Supper) was inaugurated by
our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Jesus died for us, shedding His
blood to atone for our sins because it is written, “…and without
shedding of blood there is no remission.” (Hebrews 9:22). Consequently,
when Jesus Christ said we should observe the Holy Communion often in
remembrance of Him, but it takes a deep level of wisdom to understand
and remember what He went through for our redemption. One important
thing to note here is that Jesus Christ knew what He would go through to
die for His friends. Having died for us, He surely doesn’t want His
gesture of love to be forgotten by the people He did it for. We
unfortunately often forget the passion of our Lord, which led to His
ignoble death. This is why we do things that, by implication,
necessitate our Lord’s going back to the cross frequently.
“If
they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they
crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open
shame.”
Hebrews 6:6
Most
people backslide because of their loss of memory about the agony of the
death that the Saviour suffered in order to procure salvation for us.
The Bible says:
“If
thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a
good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of
good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.”
1st Timothy 4:6
What should we put ourselves in remembrance of? Paul, the apostle wrote.
“Remember
that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the death
according to my gospel: it is a faithful saying: for if we be dead with
him, we shall also live with him: if we suffer, we shall also reign with
him: if we deny him, he also will deny us.”#
2nd Timothy 2:8. 11-12
In
an ideal situation, communion should be taken as frequently as possible
in order to enable us remember the death of our Lord and the reason for
it. The Bible says we should not be forgetful hearers but doers of the
Word (James 1:25).
When we gather for Holy Communion, everyone is compelled to carry out a
self-examination so that he or she does not eat to damnation according
to our Bible text for today. May the passion, suffering and death of
Jesus Christ avail for us through eternity in Jesus name.
Action Point
Do you remember what Christ went through for you often enough?
