Text: Matthew 26:26-29 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.
27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
29 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.
The word NEW means; in a new way. The new way is spiritual.
COMMUNION
(LITERAL OR SPIRITUAL?)
Let's look at the traditional view of what is called communion. Let's see what the word communion really means. We will look at the scripture that this ritual is based on. We will also take a look at when this tradition began.
The word communion means, fellowship, association, community, communion, joint participation, intercourse.
Strongs # 2842 is used for the word communion and fellowship.
a) The share which one has in anything, participation
b) Intercourse, fellowship, intimacy
1) The right hand as a sign and pledge of fellowship (in fulfilling the apostolic office)
c) A gift jointly contributed, a collection, a contribution, as exhibiting an embodiment and proof of fellowship.
Now we will look at the scripture that the communion ritual is based on.
Luke 22:15 And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:
16For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. Jesus eats the Passover with us in the spirit. We are saved by his blood. We partook of his blood when we got saved.
When we worship together, we are partaking (eating) of his body
17And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:
18For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.
The Kingdom of God came at the cross. The kingdom is here.
19And 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.
20Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.
For us to really understand what was taking place here , we have to look at the whole setting of scripture. A look at verse 15 tells us that they were eating the PASSOVER. We must ask ourselves, are we supposed to observe Passover in this age or is there a spiritual application for us today.
Let's take a look at some scriptures on the subject.
Hebrews 10:1For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers' thereunto perfect.
Hebrews 10:9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first that he may establish the second.
10By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
1 Corinthians 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.
It is evident that the old (Mosaic Law) was taken away. This includes the Passover. Today Jesus is our Passover.
10By the which (his will) will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE COMMUNION RITUAL
Did the sacrament of communion originate in pagan worship? Yes
Did the early church practice this ritual? No
Was the bread and wine a part of the Passover celebration? If so, should we continue to observe the Passover feast?. The Passover now is a spiritual practice,
Rom. 12:5 So we, [being] many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
1Cr 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?
1Cr 12:12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also [is] Christ.
1Cr 12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
Col 2:17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body [is] of Christ.
New testament application of old testament Feasts
Passover, (unleavened bread) 1Corin.5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.
Pentecost, Acts2:1-4 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Ingathering,(a feast of thanksgiving) 1 Thess.5:18 In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1Tim.2:1
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men.
Heb.13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
What about the communion ritual?
The communion ritual that is observed in most Christian churches today was not practiced in the Christian religion until the fourth century. This ritual was borrowed from the old religion of Rome. That religion was Grecian thinking. It was Pagan worship.
Most Christians have been taught that Jesus instituted a new Ritual that is to be observed in our churches today.
As in the sixth chapter of John when Jesus said you have to eat his flesh and drink his blood, he had a spiritual meaning in mind. Just as in the rest of the Passover there is a spiritual meaning to the bread and the wine of the last supper.
If you research this subject, you will find that Christians in the first centuries practiced the Lords Supper.
Research will show that the term LORDS SUPPER carried a different meaning than it does today. Today the words Lords supper means the communion ritual. In the early church the words Lords supper meant fellowship dinner. It was almost the same as what we call a POT LUCK dinner.
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