What does the
Lord's Supper mean to the Christian Church today? What does God do for
us in the Lord's Supper? As a Christian, what should I believe about the
Lord's Supper as God's gift to us?
What Christians Believe
Christians have held different beliefs about Christian doctrines
through the centuries. When I began this book, I had personal opinions
on how to worship the Lord. Through the years, the Lord softened my
convictions on issues of doctrine. He has shown me that he uses
different ways and practices to reach his children.
Most Christians hold
convictions of baptism, the Lord's Supper, and distinct worship styles
close to their hearts. Part of the Church practices adult water baptism.
The other part practices infant baptism. What does Jesus believe?
Lord's Supper and Baptism views
The Bible does not
specify whether we should baptize as infants or adults. A good Bible
scholar can prove the case for both adult and infant baptism. It depends
on your viewpoint of the Word of God and personal beliefs. In these last
days, our Redeemer wants his children to stop fighting over unsolvable
issues. He wants us to team up to proclaim the Gospel of Salvation to
our neighbors and people without a Savior.
Christians sometimes say that other denominations don’t have
the right beliefs on the Lord's Supper and Holy Baptism. Perhaps these Christians have a limited view of our
Unlimited and Sovereign Creator.
Our giant God understands the cries of
our hearts. He permits his children to seek him in different ways. Paul
said that only God makes the Kingdom grow, and we should not have
divisions among churches (1 Cor. 3:1–11).
Our Savior wants to
reach into our hard hearts and soften them for his work in the universal
Christian Church. I believe the Lord goes beyond man's limited views
of the sacraments in the Church. We should respect other Christian
beliefs even if we don't agree with them.
Lord's Supper-Given to Us
Most Protestant churches believe that the elements of the
Lord's Super symbolize the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Some
liturgical churches believe that the elements of the bread and wine
contain the real presence of the Lord's body and blood. The Roman
Catholic Church believes that the elements become Christ's body and
blood at the point of offering.[i]
What does Jesus believe?
Jesus broke the bread
and blessed it. He then said to his disciples, “Take it and eat; this
is my body.”
Jesus gave thanks and
gave the cup to them. He said, “Drink from the cup. This is the blood
of the new covenant, which is poured out for the forgiveness of sins”
(Matt. 26:26–28, Mark 14:24–25).
He told them and us to do this in remembrance of him (Luke 22:19,
20). Paul reinforced the Words of Jesus when he wrote about Holy
Communion (1 Cor. 11:23–25).
Our Lord called himself the Bread of Life, which is the true
bread from Heaven. He told us that when we ate the living bread, we
would live forever. Jesus stated that his flesh was true food and his
blood was true drink. Our Lord said that when we do this, he lives in us
and we live in him (John 6:32–58). In a spiritual sense, we grow into
oneness with him.
Words from the Heart of Jesus
Over the last 15 years, the Lord has led me to worship in
different Christian church denominations. I know that the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Spirit make their home in each church. By his grace,
the Lord has given me the gift of sensing his Spirit in different
settings.
Our Savior goes beyond man's thoughts and actions in the
Lord's Supper. Jesus acts through the bread and the wine or fruit of
the vine to expand our spiritual oneness with him. No matter what an
individual believes about the elements of the Eucharist, the Lord is in
them.
Lord's Supper gives us the Body and Blood of Jesus
God honors our belief
whether we understand that the elements symbolize Jesus, or that the
elements are Jesus. Then the Lord does even more than any of us can
comprehend. Jesus works through his body and blood in the Lord's Supper to
draw us into a deeper spiritual unity with him (John 6:56; 17:21). To
many, this seems as an elusive goal, but the Lord does what he desires
through his food for eternal life because he gave his body for the
forgiveness of our sins.
[i] U. S. Catholic Conference, Catechism
of the Catholic Church (Liguori: Liguori Publications, 1994)
Index # 1350.
Text of, Lord's Supper, from
page 269-270 of "Walking Through Revelation With a Common Man"
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