HOLY COMMUNION SCRIPTURES.

“The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?” ( 1 Corinthians 10:16)

“Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.” (1 Corinthians 10:21)

 “When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper.”
(1 Corinthians 11:20)

In Acts 2:42 "it says the new believers “persisted in the teachings of the apostles
and community, breaking bread and praying”.


“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: 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.’ ” (1 Corinthians 11:23-24)

 “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.”(1 Corinthians 11:25)

 “And He took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of Me.’ ”
(Luke 22:19)

John 6:48-51 (KJV) 48 I am that bread of life. 49Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may   eat thereof, and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat   of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give   is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

JOHN 6:53-59 (KJV) 53Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except   ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 54Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 57As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. 58This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. 59These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.

 Rev. 12:11 says, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”

 “And He took the cup, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them: and they all drank of it.” (Mark 14:23)

“For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till He come.” (1 Corinthians 11:26)

 “Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all.” (Isaiah 65:8)

“And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom.’ ” (Matthew 26:27-29)

Isaiah 53:5, “But He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be made whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.”

1 Peter 2:24, “He personally carried our sins in His body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live what is right. By His wounds, you are healed.”

Heb 9:12 "Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption".

Heb 9:14 "how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God"?

THE PURPOSE OF HOLY COMMUNION.

Today, when we partake of the bread, we are declaring that Jesus’ health and divine life flows in our mortal bodies. And when we partake of the cup, we are declaring that we are forgiven and have been made righteous. Jesus’ blood gives us right standing before God, and we can go boldly into God’s presence (Hebrews 4:16). When we pray, we can be sure that God hears us. Our Lord Jesus Christ instituted holy communion for various purposes. We will now  investigate and see what the Bible says:

1. IT IS A MEMORIAL ACT........

Which means you partake and remember that Jesus’ body was broken for you. And while drinking his blood remember that Christ allowed His blood to be shed so that our sins could be washed away.

We think about what Jesus did for us, how He died for our sins, that is why we should be respectful while the communion is going on. This is not a time to be calculating credits, worrying about what we are going to cook, or planning what we will be doing the rest of the day. We put our concentration on Christ Jesus only.

Remember that our Lord Jesus Christ said, "do this often in rembrance of me". We therefore commemorate the death of Jesus on the cross - Mt 26:28.

His death make the new covenant possible - Hebrews 9:16. His blood was shed for the remission of sins - Ep 1:7. As the Passover was a memorial commemorating Israel's deliverance from Egypt through the blood of the lambs on the door post, so the Lord's Supper is a memorial of our Lord's death who makes our deliverance from the bondage of sin & death possible.

We are to remember the high cost of our salvation. Wherein it free to you and I, it cost Jesus dearly, his body and his blood. He paid it all with his very life.

In Psalms 34:20, it says that, "no bones of Jesus Christ would be broken. And it was fulfilled when the soldier came to break His legs and found him already dead".

Yet Jesus said, this is my body, which is broken for you. We are to remember His body was broken in many ways. His back was broken by the whip. They broke his bow with the crown of thorns. They broke His cheeks when they ripped his bread from His face.

They brake his hands when they drove the nails through them. His side was broken when they thrust the spear into His side.

We must never forget that the body of Jesus Christ was broken on the cross for you and I.

2. IT IS ACT OF PROCLAMATION (a public and official announcement of a matter of great importance)........

Apostle Paul says "you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes " (I Cor.11:26). We proclaim our faith in the Lord's death 1Co 11:26 and we also proclaim our faith in the Lord's return - 1Co 11:26. Every time we gather at the Lord’s table, we are preaching a sermon that Christ is the Saviour of the world through His death on the cross.

Notice also that when we come to the Lord’s table, we are testifying that one-day we will be caught up together in the air by the Lord. We proclaim that the Christ who was born at Bethlehem, the Christ who was crucified on the cross, the Christ who arose from the grave, the Christ who we fellowship with today; this Christ is coming again.

That His death was indeed for our sins. For it is to be done "till He comes". If we don't partake it means we are not proclaiming his death & we have nothing to do with  his coming.

3. IT IS ACT OF COMMUNION (kononia - fellowship, joint participation, sharing in common)..........

Everytime we partake we fellowship and share in common the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. A fellowship or sharing in the blood of Christ - 1Co 10:16. The New Testament speaks of our sharing with Jesus in several ways.

We share in his crucifixion (Galatians 2:20; Colossians 2:20), death (Romans 6:4), resurrection (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 2:13; 3:1) and life (Galatians 2:20). Our lives are in him, and he is in us. The Lord’s Supper pictures this spiritual reality.

We continue to participate in his death and in the new covenant because we participate in his life. Paul wrote, “Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16). In the Lord’s Supper, we show that we share in Jesus Christ. We commune with him. We are united in him.

As we partake, we commune with the blood of Christ. We are reinforcing his blessings in our lives through partaking in the blood of Christ - cf. 1Jn 1:7,9. As we partake, we commune with the body of Christ.

4. IT IS AN ACT OF DEMONSTRATING OUR LOVE TO GOD IN RESPONSE TO WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR US.....

We are expressing our Love for Jesus, for it is a way we can say to Jesus, we love you, we remember what you did for us. And then, the Lord’s supper is also a reminder of the love that Jesus’ sacrifice expressed. In the 15th chapter of John’s gospel, Jesus said, “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” Well, that is what Jesus did for us on the cross. As someone put it, “It was not the nails that held Him to the cross. It was His love for you and me.”

5. IT IS AN ACT OF DEMONSTRATING OUR FAITH TO THE FINISHED WORK OF JESUS.

6. IT IS AN ACT OF RECEIVING DEVINE LIFE TO YOUR MORTAL BODY.....

I Cor.11:30. NOTICE WHAT THE LORD SAID IN, 1 Cor 11:28 to 30, "That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep". Then, Jesus says in John 6, “Unless you eat this bread and drink this cup you have no life in you.”  The BREAD reminds us that Jesus’ body was broken for our health; spiritual, physical and mental. The bread of communion symbolizes the body of Jesus that was broken for us through His sufferings.

Partaking of communion should also remind us of the thirty-nine stripes on His back by which we were healed. Isa 53:5 "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed".

7. IT IS AN ACT OF POSITIONING OURSELVES  FOR COVENANT BLESSINGS.

8. IT IS AN ACT OF  OBEYING THE LORD. We are doing this to obey Jesus Christ our Lord (I Cor.11:24 & 25).

10. IT IS AN ACT OF THANKSGIVING.......

Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 11:24;  Luke 17:11-19. It is significant that Jesus gave thanks when he took the bread and the cup.

Our thanks, however, are based upon the completed work of Jesus Christ for us. We have been made whole and therefore are grateful. The Lord's Supper speaks graphically of the good news of salvation, the forgiveness from sin, for which we give thanks.

9.  IT IS AN ACT OF TESTIFYING THAT WE ARE ALIVE IN HIM......

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life. (John 6:54). Jesus will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:54). the one who feeds on me will live because of me (John 6:57).

10. IT IS AN ACT THAT AWAKENS OUR SPIRITUAL EYES & UNDERSTANDING.....

Luke 24:13-3230 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. And they said to one another, "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?"

11. IT IS AN ACT THAT REMINDS US OF THE COST OF REDEMPTION......

It is impossible to put a value on the blood of Jesus. It is the price that was paid for the redemption of the whole human race. The Apostle Peter, in his epistle, stated that silver and gold could never compare to the "precious blood of Christ".

1Pe 1:18-19 "For as much as ye know that ye were not redeemed (ransomed) with corruptible (perishable, corruptible) things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation (aimless conduct) received by tradition (Law) from your fathers; 19 But with the precious (valuable, costly) blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot".

12. ITS AN ACT OF SHOWING / DEMONSTRATING WHAT CHRIST'S DEATH MEANS TO US.

He took bread and, when He had broken it, said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance 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, in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”

At the cross, God took all of our sicknesses and diseases and put them on Jesus’ originally perfect and healthy body, so that we can walk in divine health. The Bible says by His stripes, we are healed.

Isaiah 53:5, “But He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be made whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.”

1 Peter 2:24, “He personally carried our sins in His body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live what is right. By His wounds, you are healed.”

13. ITS SN ACT OF TESTIFYING THAT WE ARE IN CHRIST & CHRIST IS IN US....

John 6:53....." Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so, the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever."

14. ITS AN ACT OF EXPECTATION.
For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till he come. When we come to the Lord’s table, we are testifying that one-day we will be caught up together in the air by the Lord. But as we come to the Lord’s table today, we can still be joyous in the midst of a troubled world for Jesus one day will take us out this world to a better place in heaven.

15. IT IS AN ACT OF TESTIFYING.....

The Feast of the Passover lamb is described in the Old Testament. The Passover festival had to remind the Israelites about that night when God smote the firstborn of the Egyptians, but passed over the houses of the Israelites because the blood of Passover lambs was on the doorposts, the night when God led His people out of Egypt.

Moses told the people that when they celebrated Passover and their children asked them: "What does this ritual mean?" they should tell them that "it is the sacrifice of Passover to honour the Lord, because He passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt" (Exodus 12:14-16; 26-27). The church celebrates Holy Communion to testify about the saving power of the "Passover Lamb" of God (Jesus).

16. IT IS AN ACT WHERE WE COMMUNICATE....

We cannot be secret believers. We are members of the church of the Lord. We celebrate Holy Communion together with other believers - we eat and drink together. We confess, at the Holy Communion, what we confess with our lips every Sunday: I believe in the Holy catholic church; the communion of saints. But we communicate with Jesus too.

We know, although we cannot see Him, that he is at the head of the table. We eat the bread and drink the wine as symbols that we are united to the Head of the church, Jesus. In our hearts we say to Him: Lord, we belong to you.

HOW DO WE PARTAKE IN THE ACT OF HOLY COMMUNION IN AN UNWORTHY MANNER?

1 Corinthians 11:26-27 "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord".

IN OTHER WORDS IT HAS TO BE DONE WITH REVERENCE / RESPECT...... The KJV says "worthily", which some have misunderstood. It is an adverb, describing how we take it, not whether we are worthy (none are truly worthy). We recognize his grace applied to our unworthiness; when we faithfully examine ourselves in light of this unworthiness, we are not condemned, but forgiven.

• To let our minds wander  with our own things while partaking.
• Not knowing why we’re breaking the bread  & drinking the blood.
• Just copying others because we don’t want to be left out.
• Eating & drinking because we are craving it.
• Not being aware that the bread represents the body of Christ that was ‘broken’ for us.

• Not esteeming what the price of redemption cost.

THE EFFECT OF HOLY COMMUNION.

1. After joining yourself with Jesus Christ it's illegal for you to continue living under any bandage of evil, it can be poverty, sickness & stagnation.
2. The bible says believers in the book of Acts gathered daily for prayer & breaking of bread & the Lord added to their church daily. Which means whenever we partake in holy communion, something (materially or spiritually)  is divinely added into our lives by the Lord.
3. The Lord Jesus Christ appeared to His disciples when they were partaking in holy communion. Which means whenever we partake the Lord manifest himself in our lives in any area where we need Him to manifest His grace & work out things on our behalf.
4. The Lord said the reason why, some are weak & sleep, it's because they were not partaking. Which means healing flows from the body & the blood of our Lord to our lives.
5. Partaking in holy communion bring supernatural breakthroughs & deliverance in our lives, lets look in the old testament in the book of Judges 6:11 AMP “Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak (terebinth) at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Fleabite, and his son GIDEON was beating wheat IN THE WINE PRESS to hide it from the Midianites” . Notice that the wheat here symbolise the bread which is the body & the wine press symbolise the wine which is the blood. When the two come together total breakthrough, healing, deliverance is garanteed.
6. Through joining ourselves with the body of Jesus Christ we can nolonger be a curse according to Galatians 3:13 "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree". Therefore if He was cursed on our behalf it means we can not be a curse, no matter how much the enemy can love to curse us it can not be our portion.
7. In joining ourselves with Christ Jesus through communion we receive:

• His life...
1 John 3:16 " We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us".
• His righteousness (right standing with God)...
2 Corinthians 5:21 "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God".
• 100 % health.....
Isaiah 53:4 "HE HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES AND CARRIED AWAY OUR DISEASES".
• His richies....
2 Corinthians 8:9 "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although he was rich, he became poor for your sakes, so that you by his poverty could become rich".

HOW DO WE PARTAKE IN THE ACT OF HOLY COMMUNION

Remember that holy communion is about recognising the gift that God has given you. If there are any sin/grudge issues you should confess them, set then break bread with a clear conscience.

Also remember holy communion is not a ritual, there is no prescribed bread or special drink required. In the Last Supper, Jesus used whatever He had at the table—bread commonly eaten at supper, and whatever they were drinking.

1. Take bread....... Mark 14:22 "And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.”

HE SAYS CLEARLY: 'THIS IS MY BODY' AND 'THIS IS MY BLOOD'. AND JESUS DOES NOT LIE. HE DOES NOT SAY TO HIS DISCIPLES THAT HE GIVES THEM A PIECE OF BREAD THAT IS MEANT TO BE A SYMBOLD FOR HIS BODY ETC.
 
• "Thank You, Father, for the gift of Your Son Jesus Christ, who is my Lord & saviour. By the stripes that fell on His back, my body is healed from the crown of my head to the sole of my feet. Every cell, every organ, every function of my body is healed, restored, and renewed. In Jesus’ name, I believe and I receive"............... [Eat the bread.]


2. Take the cup....... Mark 14:23-24 (ESV) "And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. 24 And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many".

Its a promise of God to redeem His people, not by our power, but by His power. It is His blood that saves us. Not our efforts or work.

• "Lord Jesus Christ, thank You for Your precious blood. Your sin-free, disease-free, poverty-free life is in Your blood. And Your shed blood has removed every sin from my life. Through Your blood, I am forgiven of all my sins—past, present and future—and made completely righteous. Today, I celebrate and partake of the inheritance of the beloved sons & daughters of God, which is life in abundance, healing, forgiveness and unlimited provision. Thank You Lord Jesus, for loving me. Amen". [Drink the wine.]

THE SECRETS OF HOLY COMMUNION
WHAT IS HOLY COMMUNION ?

1 Cor. 11:23 - 31, "For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 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." In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. 

Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment".

Holy communion is an act of faith that is used in the remembrance of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was first instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ on the night in which He was betrayed. Communion is an act of faith on our part that we have become partakers of Christ and draw our life from His death and resurrection. It reminds us of the covenant that was made with the blood of Jesus. 

The word communion in Greek is 'kononia' which literally means a common sharing, a partnership, a fellowship. The bible says in 1 Corinthians 10:16 “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?”  The Bread which we all jointly partake of, is it not the communion (common sharing) of the body of Christ & the Cup represents the covenant (contract) that we jointly have with God. The bread represents Jesus’ body that was scourged and broken before and during His crucifixion, and the cup represents His shed blood.

We can therefore conclude that during communion we join ourselves / commune / fellowship / commonly share with our Lord Jesus Christ His devine life. The Lord’s Supper is a reminder of what Jesus did in the past, a symbol of our present relationship with him, and a promise of what he will do in the future.

Communion is not an obligation, but a celebration.
Communion celebrates the Gospel OF JESUS CHRIST.
Jesus was broken for us so that we can be fixed by Him. Celebrating communion marks the story of Jesus, how He gave Himself completely to give us a better life, a new start, and a fresh relationship with God (1 Pt3:18).

There are two items are used in the Holy Communion—the bread which represents Jesus’ body that was scourged and broken before and during His crucifixion, and the cup which represents His shed blood.

When Jesus walked on earth, He was vibrant, and His body was full of life and health. He was never sick. At the cross, God also took all our sicknesses and diseases and put them on Jesus’ originally perfect and healthy body, so that we can walk in divine health. 

That is why the Bible says by His stripes, we are healed (Isaiah 53:5, 1 Peter 2:24). In Lk 22:20, Jesus tells us that the cup is the “new covenant in My blood”, and the apostle Paul tells us that the blood of Jesus brings forgiveness of sins (Col 1:14, Eph1:7).