This Sunday at church I highlighted Communion and Baptism. Both are considered ordinances of the Church. I want to focus on communion and some practical application for those who want to put this into practice. I started by admitting that communion is somewhat of a mystery to me and that I have heard many different angles of what it m
eans and why we do it. Like so many other things, I have discovered that if I am just obedient to do something that the details become clear as I act.
First of all, we know that the Bible compares the relationship that Jesus has with the church to the relationship that is shared between a husband and a wife. Ephesian 5 is a very strong example:
30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. 31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and thetwo shall become one flesh.” 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church
In the marriage relationship communion with one another is important on every level. Women have a very strong desire for emotional connection. It is as strong as the man’s desire for physical connection. Both have to be committed to understanding one
another and a wise man learns how to please his wife just as a wise woman learns how to please her husband. If they care about the relationship they will sacrifice time to learn about these things. The bible tells us that mature men need to teach the young men and mature women need to teach young women. For this discussion, I am going to point out some things about men since in our relationship with Jesus as the bride of Christ, approach him as a bridegroom, particularly in communion.
When it comes to physical intimacy between a husband and a wife, men like events. We like to know in advance when we are going to be partaking and some of the details of the encounter. A wise wife would on occasion maybe tell her husband in the morning
what kind of evening he could expect. This would mean a lot to him. So compare this event with our time of communion with the Lord. Communion should be planned in our lives and preparations made. We should not be in a hurry or haphazard about it. We should commit to regular times of communion because life is busy and if you wait until you have time or are in the mood to meet with the Lord it will not happen much and most likely not until there is a crisis of some kind.
If you do this you will find that it has to become the first priority of your life. I have to set my alarm before I need to be up and I have to make sure I am asleep early enough. This means self-discipline in every area. I do not let television steal my sleep, do not eat late, make sure
I have resolved anger and fear issues before trying to sleep. You can see that there are many opportunities for the flesh to get in the way, not to mention demons and other people. I know this sounds like a lot but again, compare communion to the relationship between a husband and wife, especially after kids come on the scene. If it matters you will make it a priority. many times I have gotten thrown off schedule and had to recommit to regular communion with the Lord.
I confess that I have only been partially successful at this in my life and that it is a constant battle but He is worth it. There have been times when it was going extremely good and then little distractions start to get me off course. The key is to not give up and keep re-committing to the communion table. I feel the act of communion is so much more than we can grasp without revelation from the Lord. I could probably carry on with the topic for days and not scratch the surface. I encourage you to practice this in your life and see what the Lord will reveal to you.
Linda and I shared communion this morning. We had some crackers but no juice in the house so we used coffee. We sat together with no distractions and committed the time to hearing His voice together. After praying and asking the Lord to speak to us He started giving us Bible verses. I looked up the first one and it was on a topic that was very relevant to us. He gave Linda a passage and I looked it up. It was on the same topic. This went on for several minutes and it was obvious to us that the Lord wanted to get a message to us. In this case it was a message of course adjustment and an exhortation of how much he loves us and how much our lives mean to our family and the generations to come. The point was not about the cracker and the coffee; it was about dialing down together and waiting for Him to speak to us. He is excited for us to let Him into our lives and that we showed him honor by preparing a special time and place for Him.
I hope this helps in your quest for a stronger relationship with both your spouse and with Jesus. I know a lot more could be said but this is a blog and not a book, besides I am out of time so feel free to post comments and testimonies of your communion time with the Lord.
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