OUR ONLY CEREMONY!--FAMILY COMMUNION!        DFO1386        Compiled 1/83
--What we believe & practice re: "The Lord's Supper"!
--What is "unworthily" & "discerning His Body"?

       1. I NEVER WAS TOO CEREMONIAL & WE'VE DISPENSED WITH JUST ABOUT EVERY CEREMONY, EXCEPT COMMUNION.--That's about the only one the Lord seemed to signify we ought to remember, so I've tried to retain it! It is really one of the few little ceremonies that Jesus ever went through.--A simple illustration, a little illustrated message, an audio-visual picture to help you remember what He did for us.
       2. "The Lord Jesus the same night in which He was betrayed took bread: And when He had given thanks, He brake it, & said, Take, eat: this is My body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me." (1Co.11:23,24) I think we miss part of the meaning when we don't take a whole loaf & break it before all.
       3. The idea was that it was ONE piece, His Body that was broken, & now part of it is going to become a part of each of us. In other words, we're all becoming part of the one. It's a little picture or illustration the Lord wanted to try to impress on us, a childish little skit of this bread which is just one piece & how it's going to be many pieces & each piece a part of each one of you. All of us take part of this one loaf & thereby we all are one flesh in Christ Jesus. It's a demonstration of unity.
       4. Now what was necessary for our salvation? The only literal part of Christ that was necessary for our salvation, that particularly cleanses us from all sin, was what?--The blood! And if the blood is all that's necessary for salvation, then why the bread or the body? His body was broken for us for the healing of our bodies. He says that because some of you are not doing this, many of you are sick! His blood was shed for the salvation of our spirits, but there is salvation both for the body & for the spirit! So the bread is particularly symbolic of healing. His body suffered stripes, wounds, beatings, pain & agony so that through this He could also atone for our sicknesses: "By His stripes we are healed!" (Isa.53:5)
       5. OF COURSE, THE BREAD DOESN'T HEAL ANY MORE THAN THE WINE SAVES YOUR SOUL, but it's a manifestation of your faith, it's a witness. It's simply showing your faith in His Word & what He has said, & therefore it is illustrating even to your children & our babes & everybody else that you believe it.
       6. If we were ONLY commemorating SALVATION, then all we would need would be what?--The WINE! That's all! All it took to save our souls was the blood. But to save our bodies it took His body. So this little ceremony is celebrating the salvation of the entire man.--Not only the salvation of your spirit through Jesus' blood, but the salvation of your body through Jesus' body.
       7. So we thank You, Lord, for this little illustration here today of our ONENESS, not only in the spirit, but also in the flesh, TYJ!--And of Thy healing & Thy salvation. You saved the whole man, Lord, not just half-a-man, not only the spirit nor just the body, but You saved both body & spirit, which make a whole saved SOUL! Thank You for it, Lord. PTL! TYJ! TYL!
       8. So as we partake together, if you're sick or something's wrong with you, claim it by FAITH for the Lord to heal you. When you partake of the bread, it shows you have faith that His body was broken for your health, so claim it by faith when you partake, amen?--In Jesus' name, amen!--And if there are any absentees or sick folks who can't be in your meeting, maybe they're sick in bed or something, be sure you send them the elements so they can partake too.
       9. "AND AFTER THE SAME MANNER ALSO HE TOOK THE CUP, when He had supped, saying, This cup is the New Testament in My blood".--Hallelujah! TYJ! "This do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me. For as often as ye eat this bread, & drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till He come." (1Co.11:25,26)
       10. WHY do we do this?--Not only in remembrance of Him, to remember ourselves what He did for us, but also to show the Lord's death to others! It is a testimony, it is a witness to others of what Jesus did for us. So communion is important!
       11. So we thank Thee, Lord, for this cup which symbolises Thy death on the cross. You shed Your blood unto the death that we might live!--Your blood for our salvation. So we thank Thee, O Lord, for this. We thank Thee for Thy blood shed for us on Calvary.
       12. We thank You, Lord, that Your blood cleanses us from ALL sin.--Past sin, Lord, sin now & sin hereafter--all sin, by faith. We thank You, Lord, that this symbolises Thy blood, & we receive it now. Even as we drink this wine, so we believe or "pisteuo" or drink in by faith Thy salvation in Thy blood as an illustration, Lord, of what we have done to be saved: Received You, Jesus! PTL!
       13. "WHEREFORE WHOSOEVER SHALL EAT THIS BREAD, & DRINK THIS CUP OF THE LORD, UNWORTHILY, shall be guilty of the body & blood of the Lord." (1Co.11:27) Now, what does it mean, unworthily? If it means undeserving, did we really deserve the death of Christ? Did you earn or work for it or deserve it by your own merit, your own goodness, your own righteousness? Is anybody worthy of it? Can anybody be worthy of it?--NEVER!
       14. So how could you be worthy or unworthy? You're worthy only through SALVATION, having experienced salvation yourself! You're unworthy to preach the Gospel & you're unworthy to testify that you are saved if you have never received Jesus Christ! You are not worthy of preaching the Gospel if you yourself are not a Christian!
       15. So don't dare partake of these elements if you're not SAVED, if you yourself are not a Christian! If you have not partaken of Christ, neither His body nor His blood in salvation, you are lying! "But let a man examine himself, & so let him eat of that bread, & drink of that cup." (1Co.11:28) How? He knows he's doing it worthily through Christ's worth because he knows he's saved, he knows he has spiritually drunk of the blood of Jesus & eaten of the body of Christ in salvation.
       16. "For he that eateth & drinketh UNWORTHILY (in an unsaved condition), eateth & drinketh DAMNATION to himself, not discerning the Lord's body." (1Co.11:27) If any unsaved sinners are partaking of the Holy Eucharist at any church in the World today & going to the altar & partaking of the wafer or the blood who are not saved, they are drinking to themselves damnation!
       17. They are PRETENDING to be saved when they are NOT! They are pretending to be believers, they are pretending to be saved. They are pretending to have partaken & received Christ when they have not, & it's even the greater damnation to them for lying. "For this cause many are weak & sickly among you, & many sleep (die!)." (1Co.11:30)--Of course, if they are not pretending but are simply going through the motions of communion somewhat ignorantly, yet nevertheless as unto the Lord, as many Catholics do, the Lord understands & is merciful. "For the Lord looketh on the heart!" (ISam.16:7) (See No.180:20,21)
       18. God can judge both the CHRISTIAN & the NON-CHRISTIAN for partaking in a way that is not right. It's obvious that if any unsaved partakes of it & is lying thereby, he's a false witness & the Lord is going to judge him accordingly.--Also, I know a lot of Christians who have not discerned the Lord's body: They don't understand what the body means, that by His stripes we are healed, & they don't realise that as they partake of His body they can claim healing for their body.
       19. So whatever you do, KNOW what you're doing when you do it! Don't drink the wine unless you know you're saved, & don't eat the bread unless you believe in the Lord's healing, that He is able to heal the body as well as save the soul, or you may drink to yourself damnation or judging chastisement & eat to yourself death, believe it or not!
       20. "FOR IF WE WOULD JUDGE OURSELVES, WE SHOULD NOT BE JUDGED. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the World." (1Co.11:31,32) So therefore we are to judge ourselves in both these respects: Have you received both blood & body? First of all, are you really a Christian? Have you received Jesus Christ, are you saved? Then you're worthy to partake of the wine.--Then,
       21. Do you also believe that Jesus SUFFERED for you, not only for your sins, but for your body, for your sicknesses, for your healing? If so, if you discern this, you can claim healing even as you partake of the bread. Even as you are eating this morsel of bread, so you can claim the miraculous power of God's healing through partaking of the body of Christ. Hallelujah!
       22. So it's a serious thing!--And it's a beautiful precious little illustration which the Lord gives us, & I think we should do it more often. It's showing you love Him, you appreciate what He's done for you, you're doing it in remembrance & thanks for what He has done for your body & your spirit, & you're also witnessing to others of what He has done for you at the same time.
       23. So I hope you're having communion frequently! He said, "As oft as ye do it, ye do it in remembrance of Me." So the oftener you do it, the oftener you're being a testimony & doing it as a remembrance of Him. Of course, here in our Selah Home we can't very well be a testimony to others outside, but we can be a testimony to each other of our faith in the Lord, PTL?
       24. So we thank You, Lord, for this simple little ceremony that symbolises Thy whole message to the whole World, the whole Christ for the whole man--body, soul & spirit! This is our message Lord, all wrapped up in two little elements--bread & wine--body & spirit. Christ for our healing, Christ for our salvation! That's the message You gave us, Lord. PYJ! TYL!-- In Jesus' name, amen!--Happy Communion!

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family