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THE PLACE WHERE JESUS CHRIST IS LORD
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THE LORD'S SUPPER
HOLY COMMUNION
Bible Study
written by
Pastor Janice L. Williams
BIBLE STUDY FOR
JUNE 24th - JULY 1st, 2009
UPDATES: FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 2021 & FRIDAY, 8/5/2022
SCRIPTURES PRINTED IN RED ARE WORDS SPOKEN BY JESUS.
WE BELIEVE that water baptism and The Lord's Supper are two ordinances of the church to be observed until the time of Christ's return. They are not a means of salvation but are channels of God's sanctifying grace and blessing to the faithful in Christ Jesus.
FOR THIS BIBLE STUDY, WE WILL BE DISCUSSING THE CHURCH ORDINANCE OF THE LORD'S SUPPER, ALSO REFERRED TO AS
HOLY COMMUNION
or
EUCHARIST.
I Corinthians 11:23 thru 32 NKJV
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WHY DO CHRISTIANS OBSERVE HOLY COMMUNION?
LET'S EXAMINE THE FOLLOWING SCRIPTURES FOR MORE UNDERSTANDING.
John 6:53,54 (NKJV) * Jesus said, 53/ “Most assuredly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54/ “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
The statement “EAT THE FLESH OF THE SON OF MAN,” is symbolic of getting the Word of God on the inside of us; Getting it inside of our mind and heart and spirit, by hearing it preached and taught and by diligently studying it. JESUS CHRIST IS THE WORD OF GOD.
When we say a prayer for salvation to ask Jesus to come into our heart and be our Lord and Savior, we are submitting ourselves to the lordship of God’s Word. JESUS CHRIST THE LORD, is THE WORD OF GOD. John 1:1 NKJV states, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” ( I John 5:7 NKJV - For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.) Then in John 1:14 (NKJV) we read, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”
Jesus Christ, the Word of God, or God’s Word,
is the spiritual Bread of Life that we need to eat everyday for spiritual growth. Jesus stated in Matthew 4:4 (NKJV) “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Also in John 6:35 He said, “I am the Bread of Life,” and in John 6:51 Jesus said, “I am the Living Bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”
When Jesus told us to "DRINK HIS BLOOD" (John 6:53,54), He was in essence, telling us to take His eternal sinless life inside of us, and allow His pure and holy life to live through us by obeying the instructions in the Bible/God’s Word. Blood is symbolic of life. The sinless blood, or life of Jesus, was exchanged on the cross at Calvary for our sin filled blood, or lives. Leviticus 17:11(NKJV) states, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the alter to make atonement for your souls;for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul. Romans 5:11 (KJV) tells us, “we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement ( in Christian belief the atonement is the reconciliation between God and people brought about by the sacrificial shed blood [life], death, and resurrection of JESUS CHRIST).
When we receive Holy communion, we honor Jesus, as we remember the sacrifice He made for us by going to the cross to offer His sinless life, or blood, to God our Heavenly Father, in exchange for forgiveness of our sinful lives. Our sins were forgiven and crucified, by the hanging of His body and the shedding of His blood on the cross. II Corinthians 5:21 NKJV states, “For He [God] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
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Jesus’ death and resurrection reconciles the human race to God. It enables us to come back into right relationship and fellowship with our God, our Heavenly Father. This priviledge was lost to the whole human race through the sin of failure to obey God’s instructions, or GOD'S WORD, by the first man Adam in the garden of Eden.
WE CHRISTIANS OBSERVE HOLY COMMUNION BECAUSE JESUS TOLD US TO DO SO IN REMEMBERANCE OF HIM [please see *I Corinthians 11: 24-25 NKJV* above].
In observing Holy Communion we are remembering Jesus and all that He has done for us in His life, death and resurrection.
About Holy Communion (Updated, Good Friday, April 2, 2021)
There is no set time for taking Holy Communion. Traditionally, many Christian Churches take it the first Sunday of every month. Some churches take it every week, while some Christian Families/Households, take Holy Communion together every night at dinner time. There are no set numbers of times or dates that a person may take Holy Communion. It is a Holy interaction solely between you and God. The requiements for taking Holy Communion are:
A Short Prayer for Holy Communion
Dear Heavenly Father, In Jesus name I come as humbly as I know how, to Your throne of grace, to repent and ask for Your forgiveness for any sins I've committed in words, thoughts, or deeds. Anything in me displeasing to You, please cleanse me from it. I praise You and thank You for being in my life. Thank You for all You have done for me, past, present and future. In Jesus' almighty, all powerful, Holy name I pray and give thanks. Amen
For partaking of Holy Communion:
BE SURE TO CHECK BACK WITH US
WEDNESDAY JULY 1st-8th, 2009
FOR OUR NEXT WEEKLY BIBLE STUDY
JESUS LOVES YOU!!!
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