| HOW TO RECEIVE THE COMMUNION MEAL Perry Stone I AM REVEALED B. Childress Jun 17 2012 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. (I Corinthians 11:28) WALKING WITH GOD IN the new covenant should keep our vertical relationship with God in line with the Word, and our horizontal relationship with men in line with God’s Word. When a vertical line and horizontal line intersect, they form a cross. All of mankind’s redemption, deliverance, and healing form at the cross of Christ. When receiving the Communion meal that represents the blood and body of Christ, I believe there is an important four- part process that we should initiate before we receive the meal and then follow at the conclusion of the meal. LOOK INWARD Prior to receiving Communion, believers should look inward into their hearts and spirits. This inward self-examination is to ensure that we have no hidden or known sin in our lives. The Bible says, “But let a man examine himself.” The Greek word for examine means, “to reach a result from an inquiry.” A self-examination is like placing an MRI or a spiritual X-ray into your mind and spirit. After all, it is what comes out of a man’s mouth (from his heart) that defiles a person (Mark 7:18-23). If your heart senses a feeling of guilt, then immediately repent and ask God for forgiveness and cleansing. This action will keep you humble before God as well as pure in mind and spirit. As a result, you will live a healthier and fuller life. LOOK OUTWARD After looking inward, then look outward. Has strife, misunderstanding, or disagreement created a rift between you and a family member, friend, or fellow believer? Discern your relationship with others around you. Life is not perfect, and at times people will disagree. The Bible teaches that, if we have aught against a fellow believer, our gift (offerings) will not be blessed until we first go to our brother or sister in Christ and make restitution (amends):
there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother; and then come and offer thy gift. (Matthew 5:23-24) LOOK UPWARD As believers eat the bread and drink from the cup, they should meditate upon the finished redemptive work of Christ, recognizing that He suffered on our behalf and that through His death and resurrection we can enjoy a threefold atonement. We can be made whole in our spirit, soul, and body. As we look upward to our High Priest, Jesus Christ, we should meditate upon the goodness of God and His mercy toward us. LOOK ONWARD Live every day with the expectance that you will fulfill your God-given assignments and live out all of your days. Seize the promise of Psalm 91:16: “With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.” One of the great faith ministers was Smith Wigglesworth. In his earlier days, Smith was healed, and he emphasized the healing gifts during his long ministry. Even in his time, he received the revelation of daily Communion. Smith lived to be eighty-seven years of age and passed away quietly while in a church service. This is the way to go! Live out your assigned days, and, when you are ready to go, fall asleep on Earth and wake up in heaven! SEVEN IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS FOR COMMUNION Let’s discuss the actual procedure for the Communion service. The location The location can be anywhere in your home where you can spend a few moments of quality time with the Lord. I have a home office, and at other times I receive Communion at a small table in our kitchen area. It is important to have an atmosphere and time in which there is not a lot of noise or distraction. After all, you are approaching the High Priest in the heavenly temple! The bread I suggest you purchase a box of Jewish Passover bread, called matzo bread, from a local store. If this is not possible, then use unsalted crackers. If you can purchase some that were made without leaven, this is the best. However, if this is not possible, then use bread that is available. Remember that once the bread is blessed, God recognizes what you are doing. The fruit of the vine I personally believe it is best to use pure grape juice. This can be purchased in any local grocery store. Many prefer the red grape juice as a picture of the blood of Christ. Again, it is when the juice is blessed that it becomes more than simply grape juice. The cup While any cup can be used, I prefer to have a special silver cup set aside just for the Communion meal. Silver cups can be purchased at various stores. Keep the cup in a special place, and use it just for the Communion meal. Jewish sources can provide these cups for purchase. Our ministry also has a portable kit that can be purchased while they are available. The time to receive In the time of the tabernacle and temples, a lamb was offered in the morning and in the evening (Exodus 29:38-39). These were called the morning and evening sacrifices. The morning is typically when a person begins the activities or the work of the day, while evening is when he or she prepares to rest at night. The altar of the Lord had lamb’s blood sprinkled in the morning and in the evening. I believe it is best to receive Communion in the morning, before we begin our day and become too busy. Also, what we entertain on our mind the first thing in the morning often sets the pattern for the entire day. The prayer If you are receiving Communion first thing in the morning, clear your mind and heart of all distractions and fully concentrate upon the wonderful graces of God. Pour the fruit of the vine into the cup, take a piece of bread in your hand, and, with your own words of prayer, bless the bread and the cup. Thank God for sending Christ to redeem you. If you are in need of healing, begin to quote the promise, “With the stripes of Jesus I am healed.” In prayer, tell the Lord that you believe the blood of Christ was shed for your atonement, including your physical healing. Believe, as you receive Communion, that the life of Christ is working in your body, driving out every sickness, disease, and weakness that is hindering your life. Remember that this is not a magical formula, but a sacred moment between you and your heavenly Father. If a person does not receive Communion every day, they should do so at least once a week. Do not allow this act to become a religious ritual where you lose the meaning. The time of worship It is good to spend a few moments in worship after receiving Communion. Perhaps you enjoy singing a song to the Lord. During a Jewish Passover, there are special psalms that are designated to be sung. The Bible tells us that, after the Last Supper, Christ and the disciples sang a hymn:
my Father’s kingdom. And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. (Matthew 26:29-30) LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24, NKJV). To sing from your heart to the Lord, you do not need musical accompaniment or the church choir. Paul wrote:
hymns and spiritual songs. Singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:18-19) Spiritual songs are birthed by the Holy Spirit as you are in His presence. These are songs that come forth from your own spirit when worshiping in God’s presence. While encouraging you to worship, I am reminded of the woman from Lebanon who asked Christ to heal her sick daughter. Christ let her know that she was a Gentile and that He was sent to minister to those in Israel. She then began to worship (Matthew 15:21-28). Christ cannot ignore a person’s sincere worship. He was moved with compassion and sent His word and healed the daughter. She was made whole that very hour (verse 28). This simple process can become a part of your daily life’s routine, and it can create an important window of time for you to spend with the Lord. It can also be a great physical, mental, and spiritual blessing to you. CONCLUDING THOUGHTS After many years of full-time ministry, I have discovered an important key to receiving from the Lord. All truth must be processed through the intellect, where we reason and weigh the evidence that we receive:
affliction: for thy word hath quickened me. (Psalm 119:49-50) intellectually motivated. At other times, you are uplifted and blessed. There are occasions when the Word of God pierces into your soul like a sword and discerns your thoughts and the intents of your heart (Hebrews 4:12). Then there are those times when the message you are hearing or the book you are reading seems to come alive in your spirit. You know when this happens because the information becomes revelation as the eyes of your understanding are opened (Ephesians 1:18). The truth seems to jump from the pages, and suddenly you can sense inwardly a strong witness that God will move on your behalf. The spiritual truth you have read must become more than a book in your hands for this message to impact your life. It must quicken your heart and spirit. When the written or spoken Word of God becomes alive and energized in your heart, that is called a rhema word. The word rhema is one of the Greek words translated in the New Testament as “Word of God.” Two examples where the word rhema is translated as Word of God are:
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word [rhema] of God. (Ephesians 6:17) Once the Word of God moves from intellectual reasoning to a quickened, living word in your spirit, then faith will enter your spirit! You are able to believe what God has spoken and respond to His Word in faith. This has personally happened to me on several occasions. I recall praying for several months for direction in my ministry. During a special service in Ohio, the Holy Spirit quickened my spirit to act on my faith and, in obedience, the Lord would meet the needs of our ministry. I acted in faith, and He met the needs. I want to emphasize again that the concept of Communion is biblical and should be practiced whether or not a person is physically sick. If you attend a church where Communion is offered, then by all means receive the Blessed Sacrament. Examine your relationship with God and with man, and repent before both if necessary. In Judaism, a distinction is made between sins committed against God and sins committed against a fellow man. This is clear from the Old Testament sacrifices. One offering was known as a sin offering, and another was marked as a guilt offering. The sin offering was a sacrifice made when one sinned against the Word of God. However, the guilt offering was made as a form of restitution when a person sinned against a fellow man. The guilty person not only went before God for forgiveness, but he also went before the person against whom he had sinned. This is why Jesus said:
there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. (Matthew 5:23-24) Just as Jesus would say, “Again I say unto you” (Matthew 19:24), I wish to remind you that one of the greatest roadblocks to healing is unforgiveness and strife. You will never receive your complete healing if you allow strife and contention to rule your life. Both my father and I have seen people receive wonderful answers to prayer after they began confessing their faults and forgiving those who have mistreated them (James 5:16). In conclusion, I am emphasizing inner cleansing through repentance because I do not want to see this powerful covenant of healing through the Lord’s Supper become null and void due to a hidden sin or attitude that is not confessed and forsaken. I also wish to say again that this is not magic, nor is it medicine. Each person must judge this teaching in his or her own spirit and act accordingly. Whether we receive Communion daily, weekly, or monthly, we must do it in a spirit of understanding and faith. None of us have a guarantee of life tomorrow. But I believe it is biblical that we can live out our appointed days and then depart in peace. The Meal That Heals gives you the biblical revelation that God has established to help you do just that. Source: THE MEAL THAT HEALS, by Perry Stone, Copyright 2008, Charisma House. |
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