It was established in the previous article, Send Judah First: Victory or Defeat?, that the Peace/Fellowship offering was eaten by the offerer and the priest. It was comparable to our culture in hosting a Thanksgiving holiday dinner. The host would invite family and friends and all would dine and enjoy fellowship around the table.
Jesus is Emmanuel, “God with us”, in the New Testament. He is the incarnation of the God of the Old Testament that said wherever and whenever a burnt offering (in conjunction with a peace offering) is offered where His name is recorded He would come to the people and bless them: Exodus 20:24, “An altar of earth you shall make for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I record My name I will come to you, and I will bless you.”
The only two New Testament references that approximate to “in every place where I record My name” are:
- Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
- Matthew 28:20, “. . . I am with you always [individually and collectively], even unto the end of the world.”
Bear in mind that Jesus that was the incarnation of Jehovah that spoke in the Old Testament. Given that God is the same today, yesterday, and forevermore the peace offering of the New Testament would precipitate His blessings wherever and whenever it is offered.
The ONLY eating ritual in the New Testament that equates to worship is the Holy Communion. Whereas the Old Testament patriots only ate the flesh of sacrificial animals, we eat the flesh of the sacrificial Lamb of God and drink His blood symbolized by grape juice. Some churches use Kosher wine.
John 6:53-56
- Then Jesus said to them, “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.
- Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
- For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.
- He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.
Note that in the Old Testament it was forbidden to consume blood according to Leviticus 17:10-12:
- ‘And whatever man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell among you, who eats any blood, I will set My face against that person who eats blood, and will cut him off from among his people.
- For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’
- Therefore I said to the children of Israel, ‘No one among you shall eat blood, nor shall any stranger who dwells among you eat blood.’
Whereas the blood of sacrificial animals and all life-forms was contaminated by Adam’s sin, the blood on the Jesus [the sacrificial Lamb Of God] was not contaminated by sin: it was pure. Therefore, His blood gave spiritual life and could therefore be drank by those that believe Him to be the Lamb Of God that takes away the sin of the world.
The book of 1 Corinthians 10:16 denotes Holy Communion: “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?”
The word, “communion” is translated from the Greek word, koinonia (koy-nohn-ee’-ah). The Greek word is also used in 1 John 1:1-6 and the translation is “fellowship”:
- That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life —
- the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us —
- that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
- And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.
- Fellowship with Him and One Another. This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
- If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
Therefore, the Communion Table is not only to celebrate Jesus as our Passover, it is equated to and is superior to the Fellowship Offering of the Old Testament. The reason is that Jesus is the actual Lamb of God whereas in the Old Testament was an earthly mammal. Neither is Communion designated for a particular day but could be taken at will: “as often as you do it, you do it in remembrance of me”
Note that the author of the book of Hebrews, generally presumed to be Apostle Paul, qualified Jesus’ blood as “the blood of the everlasting covenant”: Hebrews 13:20. Whereas the blood covenants of the Old Testament were dependent on sacrificial animals and were good throughout generations, the covenant based on Jesus’ blood is everlasting: eternal.
According to the book of Leviticus 7:16, the Peace Offering could be for a vow or voluntary:
Leviticus 7:15-17
- ‘The flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offering for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day it is offered. He shall not leave any of it until morning.
- But if the sacrifice of his offering is a vow or a voluntary offering, it shall be eaten the same day that he offers his sacrifice; but on the next day the remainder of it also may be eaten;
In Leviticus 19:5, God said, “ye shall offer it at your own will”. Jesus said of the Communion in 1 Corinthians 11:26, “For as often as . . .”
Therefore, when we eat the bread and drink the fruit of the vine we take personal ownerships of Jesus as our personal sacrificial Lamb, Redeemer, and our Peace/Fellowship Offering and thus, accepting God’s Grace for making Jesus the Supreme offering to Him. And, because Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us, we have the same and even greater expectations in taking Holy Communion than what the Hebrews had when God said in Exodus 20:24, “. . . I will come to you, and I will bless you” when and where they offered the Peace/Fellowship offering.
The Power of Holy Communion
The power of Holy Communion is in 1 Corinthians 11:23-30 (especially vs. 30)
- For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;
- and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
- In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant [promises and provisions] in My blood [which is why Apostle Paul referred to it as ““The cup of blessing” in 1 Corinthians 10:16]. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
- For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.
- Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner [going through the motions without being sincere about serving the Lord] will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
- But let a man examine himself [of any unconfessed sin], and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
- For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner [going through the motions without being sincere about serving the Lord] eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.
- For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.
The operative word in verse 29 is, “unworthy”, which is someone who is not circumspect in living by Biblical principles based on the teachings of Jesus Christ. In other words, it’s one that’s got the talk (publicly) but not the walk (privately). For such a person, participating in Holy Communion can bring on consequences as mentioned in vs. 30: physical weakness, sickness, and death.
It must be noted that this verse makes neither a direct nor an indirect implication that death from a terminal illness is expressly linked to taking Holy Communion unworthily. The FACT is that the same Bible that says by His stripes we are healed in Isaiah 53:5 and by whose stripes we were healed in 1 Peter 2:24 also says in Hebrews 9:27 that it is appointed to men to die. Thus, we don’t judge a reason for one’s death.
Verse 30 also implies that death could be the effect of illness that might otherwise be healed if Holy Communion was taken worthily, i. e., with a sincere heart to serve the Lord. This could be supported by James 5:14-15; “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.” Taking Holy Communion during and illness DOES NOT negate calling for the elders according to James 5.
Let’s briefly consider the texts in Hebrews 9:27 (appointed to men to die) and James 5:15 (the Lord will raise him up) in light of what Jesus said regarding Lazarus’ sickness in John 11:4, “. . . This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Lazarus died and laid in a tomb for four days. But, in answer to Jesus praying, the Sovereign Almighty God resurrected him and God was glorified!
The point is that we can NEVER presume upon God by quoting/reading a passage from the Bible and categorizing it as a “promise” and thereby predict what God is going to do. We have to let the Holy Ghost guide us in prayer, which He will do if we allow Him. (Recognizing the voice of the Holy Ghost comes by spending time in prayer, reading the Bible, and meditating on what’s read. He has a way to make each one of us know His voice.)
Doctors prescribe medicines to take per given instructions to get well. Patients take the prescriptions with the expectation of being well again. I likewise encourage people to follow the instructions as prescribed on the medicine and take Communion at the same time with expectation of being healed, whether by medical science or a miracle from God.
Note a Biblical instance in which King Hezekiah was healed by medicine after he prayed and God told Rabbi Isaiah he would be healed:
2 Kings 20:4-7
- And it happened, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying,
- “Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord.
- And I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for My own sake, and for the sake of My servant David.”‘”
- Then Isaiah said, “take a lump of figs.” So they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.
Taking medicine DOES NOT imply not having faith in God. Hezekiah prayed because of his faith in God, but he was healed by medicine and it happens today. Therefore, DO NOT omit prescribed medicines to take Holy Communion. Go to a doctor, obey the doctor, receive prayer and be anointed with oil, and take Holy Communion: all Biblical. Simple logic is that medicine won’t be needed when healing occurs.
The story behind the lesson about Holy Communion . . .
I will preface it by saying as I did in other texts that I have never actually heard God [the Holy Ghost/Spirit] speak audibly. But, He speaks in my spirit-being in ways that it’s almost audible.
I remember it happening one night while I was washing a few dishes in the kitchen sink. All He said was, “Remember the Lord’s body and His blood”. To honor what He said, when I finished the chore I read everything in the Bible on the subject. But, the text in Luke 22:19-20 stuck with me, especially vs. 20: “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.”
I further demonstrated that I honored the Holy Ghost speaking to me by stopping at a market on my way from work specifically to buy a bottle of grape juice and unsalted crackers. Subsequent to that, while in private devotions at home, He spoke to me again and said, “when its as though the dEVIL has tripped you and you have fallen face down in the mud and he is attempting to suffocate you. remember the Lord’s body and His blood.”
Maybe two weeks later I received an airline ticket to travel to another state to be a speaker for three days on evangelism in a week long conference. My history of preaching on street corners, in public parks, downtown settings, and on a flat-bed truck was the basis of me receiving the invitation.
A few days prior to my departure date I began to become progressively ill by the day. But, there was something that seem amiss about it besides the pain, which made me wonder if it was an attack of the dEVIL to prevent me from taking the trip. After two or three days of getting progressively worse, I decided to go to my doctor to get a complete physical. I knew that I would receive the result of the blood work and other test in two to three days.
I went to the doctor but DID NOT tell him the symptoms I was experiencing. My thinking was that if I had violated my health the test would show it. Or, if it was an attack of the dEVIL I thought that the test would show nothing. After the examination, I left the doctor’s office in pain, very sick. This was a Monday or Tuesday as I recall.
The results of all of the tests were negative. I was then convinced that I was under an attack of the dEVIL.
That coming Friday or Saturday about 1:00 AM, I was lying in bed in so much pain that I could hardly bear it. I called the emergency room in one of the nearby highly rated hospitals and told a staff member my symptoms. The last word to me was to get there, they were waiting for me.
Upon getting out of the bed to get dressed, the instant my feet hit the floor the Holy Spirit spoke to my spirit and said once again, “remember the Lord’s body and His blood”. I finally made my way to to the kitchen and got the grape juice from the refrigerator and opened a packet of crackers to take Holy Communion.
I was in too much pain to go through the ceremonial prayers and Bible readings like Christian churches typically do on first Sundays. I simply held the cracker and thanked God for His Son whose body was the veil that was pierced so that the blood could flow and also quoted Isaiah 53:5: “. . . He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” I broke the cracker and ate it.
Prior to drinking the grape juice I remember saying, Father Your Son that cannot lie said that this cup is the new Covenant in His blood, which means every provision that His suffering, death, and resurrection provided for me is in this cup, which means every promise You made for believing in Him is also in this cup. I am now a partaker of the cup, which contains my healing. I drank the little glass of juice. I continued to stand there afterward just meditating on the sequence of sufferings that preceded our Blessed Lord’s death.
I believed that God would heal me as He did times previously but I experienced something unexpectedly in this episode. It was a very slight sensation that started at the top of my head. It was comparable to walking into a strand of a spider’s web with my forehead; barely detectable.
The sensation went horizontally through and slowly down my body barely detectable on the surface of my skin. I thought of a vertical MRI. I didn’t know what to make of sensation. But, I paid particular attention to it when it was at about waist level. I actually spoke out like talking to myself and said, “I am not imagining this, it’s happening!” I also took special notice to see if the sensation would remain perfectly horizontal as it proceeded down both legs, which it did and out through both feet.
All I know is, as God is my witness in heaven, when I stepped from that spot I was completely healed. It is very unlikely that I would ever experience that sensation again because the Holy Spirit used it to teach me about the power of Holy Communion, which is a lesson that I will never forget. When sharing this testimony I never suggest to people some sensation they would experience. The experience was to teach and validate a lesson. I have subsequently heard other corroborative testimonies of healings that occurred by taking communion.
MEMO: 2 Peter 1:3 says, “. . . His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue . . .” Thus, we have knowledge of the New Covenant giving us everything that pertains to every aspect of our physical lives (education, health, business and finances, and etc.) and spiritual lives (perfecting holiness in the fear of God). Consequently, when anything is amiss we can fight it by taking Holy Communion.
Note Romans 8:2, “. . . the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” The following is paraphrased by playing on the proposition, “of”, which in the verse denotes origin and purpose: “. . . The law from the Spirit for [earthly and Spiritual] life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law from sin and [consequential] death. Holy Communion is the ultimate leverage against the effect of the law of sin, i. e., the works of the dEVIL.
Conclusion
When taking Holy Communion privately at home or corporately we must always remember that it is Jesus’ blood of the new covenant and that God is a covenant keeper. The power of Holy Communion CANNOT be underestimated. There could be dire consequences for taking it insincerely: physical weakness, sickness, and death. However, given that it is equated to the Hebrews’ peace/fellowship offering in Judges 20:26 and 1 Chronicles 21:26-27 in which God brought deliverances, He would do the same for us today if our lives exemplify followers of Jesus Christ. – AMEN!
