
COMMUNION : A MEDIUM, NOT A SYMBOL!
At the Communion Table, when you eat the bread (flesh) and drink the cup (blood), you are not partaking of a symbol, but of the actual Flesh and Blood of Jesus Christ.
Sadly, some people make the mistake of thinking that the Communion is just ordinary bread and drink; nothing can be farther from the truth! Before it is blessed, it is ordinary bread and drink; but it ceases to be so the moment it is sanctified. After it has been blessed, it then becomes the actual Blood and Flesh of Jesus Christ Himself indeed. Isn’t this truly a mystery?
Take particular note of the fact that John 6:53 did not say, ‘except you partake of a symbol of my body and blood!’ No! Rather, it says: Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. So, as long as you see the Communion as a symbol, it profits you nothing.
The Communion is a medium, not a symbol. What is the difference?
A symbol, defined by Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, is an “image, object, etc that suggests or refers to something else; an emblem… a mark or sign with a particular meaning.”
A medium on the other hand (as defined by the same source) is a “substance in which something is transmitted; means by which something is expressed or communicated.”
In essence, as a symbol, the bread and drink taken at Communion are representative of the actual Body and Blood of Jesus Christ; but as a medium, the bread and drink taken at Communion are the actual substances transmitting the very life of Jesus Christ Himself to those who partake of it. Can you see the difference?
This explains why Jesus emphatically said: …
Except ye eat of the flesh (not a symbol, but the actual thing), ye have no life in you (John 6:53)!
Having been sanctified, the bread and drink at the Communion Table are transformed into the actual Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. It is a mystery indeed!
The process of the Communion transmitting life into man’s system can be likened to the way mosquitoes bite a man and deposit malarial parasites into his system. However, unlike the negative effect associated with mosquitoes’ bites, the Communion for the believer is laden with eternal benefits. We shall be examining some of them shortly.
Partake Worthily!
It is very important for me to clearly state at this point, however, that it can be very deadly to partake of the Communion unworthily! This explains why the scriptures command everyone to examine himself/herself before partaking of it. First Corinthians 11:27-30 says:
“Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.”
This spiritual ‘drug’, the Communion, which makes for life, health and strength when taken worthily, can also cause weakness, sickness and untimely death if taken unworthily.
“How then does one become worthy to partake of the Communion,” I can hear you ask? This is a very crucial question.
Primarily, it is by becoming born again. The Communion Table is to be served to and enjoyed by only those who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, ke who have accepted Him as Lord and personal Saviour.
Before the Lord’s Table is served, either in Church is or in homes, it is usually safer and advisable to give opportunity for salvation, in case there is anyone who is not yet born again, so that such a person will not heap condemnation upon himself/herself.
Also, any known sin should be confessed and forgiveness sought and received from God.
Secondly, to partake of the Lord’s Table worthily, faith is required! The benefits inherent in the Communion deliver results to you according to your faith! Jesus himself speaking in Matthew 9:29 said:
“.., According to your faith be it unto you.”
So, your faith must be in place. Remember, faith is essentially of the heart! Without faith, nothing gets transmitted to you, even if you partake of the Communion. You have access only by faith (Romans 5:2)!
It is equally important for you to always examine your heart and ensure that faith is present, before you partake of the Communion, so that it does not become mere religion with no life to offer you. Don’t forget:
“… For whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” Romans 14: 23(b)
Take note of this: one of the reasons why the early Church was accorded such a dimension of triumph was because they broke bread, not just in the temple, as was mentioned earlier, but from house to house.
For God to unleash on the Body of Christ (the Church Universal), the former and the latter rain in the same month as prophesied in scriptures (Joel 2:23), the Body of Christ today must be ready to go beyond what the early Church did, as it pertains to the Communion!
So, the early Church partook of the Communion by breaking bread both in the temple and from house to house. To experience a greater level of glory than they did, the present day Church cannot afford to limit the breaking of bread in Communion only to the temple (Church); it should be done from house to house and at home.
Presently, in our own ministry, Communion Services are held in Church on specific Sundays of the month, as well as from house to house at the Satellite Fellowships. In addition, I personally often partake of the Communion at home! I can tell you this: the effect has been amazingly fantastic!
As you also begin to partake of the Lord’s Table (not unworthily, but worthily), in Church, from house to house and at home, may you begin to experience a greater dimension of the manifestation of the power and the glory of the Lord in your life, than you ever imagined !..
This text is an extract from the book “THE POWER OF THE COMMUNION TABLE” written by Faith A. Oyedepo.
We invite you to read the following article “COMMUNION FOR UNDERSTANDING“.
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