Why take communion?

Read > Luke 22:7-20

He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then He broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is My body, which is given for you. Do this to remember Me” (v. 19).

Recently I was the guest speaker for the worship service in a church on Communion Sunday. When the pastor asked me to oversee the taking of Communion, I did it the way my home church does it. The pastor later told me that it was not the “usual way” they did it. He also said, however, that it was good for the congregation to experience another way of celebrating Communion.

Regardless of how it’s celebrated, Communion, also known as the Lord’s Supper, is a remembrance feast started by Jesus. Some 3,456 years before He held the first feast, God commanded the Jews to observe the Passover meal to remind them how the blood of a lamb had protected them from certain death (Exodus 12:1-14, 13:14-16). Hours before He went to the cross, Jesus observed the Passover meal with His disciples and made it the Lord’s Supper (Luke 22:13-20).

Just like the Passover meal, Communion fulfils four important functions:

·         It is commemorative. It points back to the cross where Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God, was sacrificed to save us from our sins and eternal death (vv. 19-20).

·         It is instructive. It provides an opportunity to teach our children about Jesus. I believe that God intends for young ones to be part of the Lord’s Supper. It gives parents the opportunity to tell them more about what the Lord has done (Exodus 12:24-27; 13:14).

·         It is evangelistic. It reminds us that every time we eat the bread and drink from the cup, we are publicly announcing the Lord’s death (1 Cor. 11:26).

·         It is predictive. It reminds us that Jesus is coming back again (v. 26).

Communion is vital for believers in Jesus. Take it often! – K. T. Sim

More >

·         Exodus 12:3-14

·         John 1:29

·         1 Cor. 11:23-26

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What is the significance of the Communion elements to you? How can God use the Lord’s Supper to help you and your family grow spiritually?