Title: “Communion of Saints through the Lord’s Supper”
Contents
Fellowship of saints through the Lord's Supper
1 Corinthians 10:14-22
2009.10.4
world communion week
“Oh, by the grace of God”
Today is World Communion Sunday. The Reformer Martin Luther called the Eucharist the Reformation of Baptism. Because we repeat the grace of baptism that we receive only once in our lifetime through the sacrament, and we remember JX's suffering and salvation.
The sacrament is called “Communion” in English. The word is based on the Greek word “koinonia.” “Koinoia” means “communion, fellowship”. The Lord's Supper is fellowship. There is fellowship of saints through the Lord's Supper.
1. The fellowship of the saints through the Lord's Supper means spiritual communion with God.
On the night Jesus was arrested, he took bread, blessed it, broke it, gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take, eat, this is my body.” And he took the cup, gave thanks and gave it to them, saying, “Drink of this, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the sinners.” Matthew 26:26,27,28)
The Lord has clearly commanded us to partake of the sacrament. And he commanded us to remembrance the Lord by partaking of the sacrament (Luke 22:19). This is to make our spiritual communion with God more intimate by remembering and commemorating the Lord. That's right. The Eucharist is a spiritual communion with God. The Eucharist is also a break with idols.
And he said, “The sacrifices of the Gentiles are to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to be communers with demons. You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, and you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons” (1 Corinthians 10:20-21). Because those who eat and drink things sacrificed to idols are demon sacrificers and have fellowship with demons. However, we believe that those who participate in the Lord's Supper are those who sacrifice to God and have fellowship with God.
Pastor George Muller (1805-1898), a man of God, said the following while teaching the importance of spiritual communion with God. “Are you intimate with God from the heart?” Can you confidently say, ‘God is truly to be loved’? If you can't say that, I urge you to do the following: First, love God, know His good will, praise Him, and pray that doing good to the Lord will make it a pleasure to do good to those whom He loves. So, become intimate with God.
Spiritual communion with God through the Eucharist is a communion of love and union.
Because God is love. And because God demonstrated his love for us by dying for us while we were still sinners. (1 John 4:8; Romans 5:8) Therefore, those who do not love do not know God. just being human. Such a person cannot have spiritual communion with God. However, we believe that those who love God, praise God, and obey God's will will not only glorify God through spiritual fellowship with God, but will also receive God's love, praise, and reward.
This is Revelation 3:20. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock, and I will eat with him, and he with me.”
Eating with the Lord is a glorious grace. Through the Lord's Supper, we have a spiritual communion with the Lord. This spiritual communion is the communion of the new covenant, the communion of life-giving love.
2. The fellowship of the saints through the Lord's Supper means organic communion with the saints.
Baptism and the Lord's Supper mean different things. If we were to hear the difference between baptism and the Lord's Supper, we would say that baptism is personal and communion is communal. As the meaning of baptism is primarily the same as that of baptism, it must be a communion with God through Christ who died to sin and lives to righteousness. However, the Lord's Supper means organic communion with each other as well as communion with God. It is the words of 1 Green 10:17. “There is one loaf, and many are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.”
The meaning of these words is that since the bread we share through the Eucharist is one and we all partake of the one bread, we should strengthen our organic relationship and organic communion as members of one body. Unfortunately, the Corinthian church did not become one through the sacrament, but rather caused division. The rule misunderstood the sacrament of 'AGAPE MEAL', the love feast of fellowship, which was customary at the time. Agape wheat was a party of love where each person brought as much food as they could bring to the church and shared it with them. The problem, however, is that the original intention of the love feast to promote the fellowship of the saints was lost, and discrimination between the rich and the poor created divisions among themselves. That is why the Apostle Paul emphasized that the Lord's Supper should be distinguished from the Love Supper, that it should be solemnly proceeded with repentant faith in remembrance of Christ's atoning death, and that we should have intimate fellowship with the saints in Christ.
Hearing this, the elder thought for a moment. In fact, he had only made one mistake in the money transaction, and he reflected on it that he would be condemned for ignoring him and not dealing with him like that. After that, he said he never shared the sacrament apart from the church member he didn't get along with.
Organic communion with the saints through the Eucharist is a communion of reconciliation and harmony. Because God is peace. And because, when we were enemies, God reconciled us to God through the death of his Son, and he gave us the ministry of reconciliation (Romans 5:10; 2 Corinthians 5:18). is just a person who does not know God. Such a person has nothing to do with grace through the death of the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. However, those who achieve not only reconciliation with God but also with people are called children of God (Matthew 5:9), and believe that they will enjoy the blessings of heaven overflowing with righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans). 14:17)
This is Romans 12:15,18. “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep... Do everything possible on your past to live in peace with everybody.” (Do everything possible on your past to live in peace with everybody.)
Reconciliation with everyone is a peaceful grace. Through the Lord's Supper, we have not only a spiritual communion with God, but an organic communion with all people. This organic communion is also a communion of harmony in which peace is exchanged as a communion of the new covenant.
The Eucharist (eucharist) is not only a communion, but also a 'joy' and a 'thank you'. Those who partake of the Lord's Supper have joy and thanksgiving.
Dear brothers and sisters, please rejoice and give thanks for the spiritual communion with God through the Lord's Supper. And may you rejoice and appreciate the organic communion with all people. I pray in the name of the Lord that the grace of the Lord's Supper may be more abundant on the world church and all the saints. Amen!
“Only for the Glory of God”