Dear All,

A friend of mine, who isn't a Christian asked me this question last two weeks. In his words "Amaka, why do most Christians eat bread and drink wine in most churches especially on Sundays?" Well, I smiled and gave him this response;

The practice of eating unleavened piece of bread and drinking a sip of wine is called Communion. This has been practiced for thousands of years.

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This might sound strange to a lot of people, but the unleavened bread symbolises the Body of Christ while the wine as a symbol for His Blood. Now, the question is, why do Christians take part in the eating of His Body and drinking His Blood?

Christians observe Communion because the Lord told us to and we are to obey His commands

1 Corinthians 11:24

and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me."

We all know, Jesus lived an exemplary life while He was on earth. He started this practice of taking the Communion and instructed His followers to do same. By doing this, we remember that He died on the cross for our sin which required a lot of sacrifice.

Jesus is the "bread of life" This simply means that we're nourished by Him, we survive because of Him and He satisfies our souls.

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For most Christians, observing Communion gives us the opportunity to examine ourselves.

1 Corinthians 11:28

That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup.

The Communion gives us the flow of divine health & we openly declare we are forgiven and have been made right with Christ.

Taking Communion doesn't make anyone a Christian. This is not a way to get saved or get to heaven. God actually frowns and warns us about taking Communion without considering what it means and why we are doing it

1 Corinthians 11:26-27

For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord's death until he comes again.
27 So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.

Taking the Communion is not a ritual that anyone can mindlessly perform, but it's to intentionally set aside time to remember what Jesus has done and why He did it.

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Communion is a celebration. When we take & celebrate Communion, it marks the story of Jesus. How He gave Himself completely to give us a better life, and a fresh relationship with God.

1 Peter 3:8

Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.

Are you missing out? If you are not regularly exposing yourself to the Lord's Supper, then you are missing out on so many important blessings. The blessing of remembering eternity, the blessing of our dependence on Christ in every area of life and the regular examination of whether we are truly devoted to the savior.

Benefits of Taking the Communion

As a believer , you wouldn't want to miss out on these blessings;

1 The Blood cleanses our hearts and conscience of evil works

Hebrews 9:14

Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.

2 Obedience to our Lord and Master Christ Jesus
(1 Corinthians 11:24)

3 Eternal life in Christ Jesus

John 6:54

But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day.

4 Healing - Wholeness in body, mind, Soul and Spirit .

5 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in Him

John 6:56

Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.

Preparation for taking the holy communion

St. Paul, the apostle gives instructions on preparing for and taking communion. He starts out by explaining that Communion is a scared event and that it should not be considered as a causal event

1 Corinthians 11-22

17 In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good.
18 In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it.
19 No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. 20 So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat,
21 for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk.
22 Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!

Here are few steps to take before partaking in this glorious event;

1 Understanding Communion: We need to understand the whole essence of partaking in the first place. The Holy Communion is not called "Holy" because of our righteousness in keeping God's instruction.

It's called Holy on the account of God's sinless and incorruptible nature. He is worthy and perfect cure for our sins, the account of His death, burial and resurrection.

The holy Communion should not be approached immorally by anyone who desire to partake of it. But, God would not cast away anyone who comes to Him for help.

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2 Examining Your heart: 1 Corinthians gives a little more insight into what our attitude should be during Communion. St Paul encouragesus not to partake in the Lord's Supper unworthy.

Unworthiness here represents the manner, method or attitude in which the person partakes of the Communion. When preparing to partake in the Lord's Supper we need to confess our sin to the Lord. Take time before the Communion service and examine our lives to make sure there is nothing hindering our fellowship with God.

Partaking with thanksgiving: Partaking in the Lord's Supper also means partaking with thanksgiving. Jesus thanked God for the elements they were about to receive.

While, the Holy Communion is a serious time of personal reflection, it should also be a time of great joy and thanks to God.

Each time, we partake in this event, it's an opportunity to thank and appreciate Christ for the things He has done, the sacrifices He made for you and I to be saved. We thank Him for everything and for things He will still do.

Personal Testimony

I have always been a strong believer of the Lord's Supper. Whenever, I feel sick, I don't miss taking the Communion. It has worked over the years for me and serve as my heavenly medicine.

At first, when I was just a "Sunday goer" it was just like a ritual for me, then I began to put more value on it and I have never been disappointed.

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In conclusion,

Before you partake, remember that the Communion is not a ritual to be observed, but a blessing to be received.

Reference: newspring

Thank you for reading