Unveiling the Christian truth neglected in many circles
Many in the practice of their faith neglect to see this salvation in a broader aspect of their freedom from the pain’s of death and the eternal fire of hell. We soon become very comfortable with the idea of our status of being justified through our faith in Jesus Christ and our hearing becomes dull in listening to the voice of the Spirit. Here is where the ultimate danger hides. The Christian community becomes dull of hearing and begins to create a mirage of their own, instead of the truth of their calling. Fantasy replaces the true Christian ethics and many are dreamers in the body of Christ who dream their own fantasies instead of adhering to God’s truth. One of them is the reality of the communion taken in the Church. This being a commandment from the Lord is totally taken very lightly by us, yet to Him who established its truth by His life it remains very much serious.
As discussed last Thursday night God is seeking those who would worship Him in Spirit and in truth. We spoke very intently about the necessity of true worship, which meant to be without hypocrisy in our approach to God and His ultimate sacrifice for us. We said that the physical places of worship no longer defines the measure of our acceptance by Him, but the condition of our hearts before Him is the important factor. The fact that our God is Spirit, and that He is watching us in the spirit realm must have brought in us a sense of awe and healthy fear. Yet I know many are still to grasp the reality of this Awesome God. Apostle Paul having received a deep revelation of Christ’s being had a very serious plea with the Church of Corinth in regards to the way they were approaching Christ’s sacrificial death and its remembrance through the ordinance of the observance of the Holy communion.
Unfortunately to many of us this very serious act of acknowledgement of the Lords sacrificial death has become a ritualistic ordinary thing in the Church. Many in the gathering of the Saints walk away from this Holy Commandment of our Lord not discerning The Body of our Lord, and to this ignorance they bring judgment on themselves. Here is the sad reality amongst us today, that many of us have adopted the traditions of the Church instead of the reality of the scriptures for themselves. They total ignore the fact that in their salvation remains a great truth. This truth is that our faith in Christ Jesus the Messiah of Israel is not a casual matter.
This confession means where you and I will spend our eternity. As in the book of Acts chapter 2:24 speak that death has pains involved with it and Christ’s atoning death freed Him from its agonies, so then we too according to Romans 8:11 through faith in Him are freed from the judgment of eternal death. This is what many stay ignorant about in their hearts.
Just like the carnal Corinthian Church many amongst us are very much dull to the reality of this great truth.
That is exactly why Paul in his first letter to the Corinthian Church had to address this ignorant behavior of the believers towards this important matter.
Before examining this important matter, I would like to touch another issue equally important which is inscribed in the 12th and 13th verses of Paul’s letter to the Roman believers. There Paul says the following
“ Therefore, brethren , we are debtors-not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.
For *if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit ( Meaning By the Holy Spirit who lives in us) you put to death the deeds of the body , you will live”
Here again Paul stress the importance of keeping our faith in complete fear of the Lord through a carful life of sincere obedience of a life lived in the Spirit.
Now let us go back and talk about the understanding of the letter of Apostle Paulto the Church of Corinth in regards to their understanding of the body of Christ and the table of communion.
In the 11th chapter of 1st Corinthians starting from the 17th verse Paul is expressing his grief in regards to the acts of the carnal Christians in Corinth and their disrespect of the body of Christ and their conduct at the supper they were sharing.
They did not care for one another’s lives and their licentious behavior was evident even when they were coming to gather as a body. They did not acknowledge one another as the body of Christ and their careless behavior defiled their position before the Lord. They came drunk to take part of the Lord’s Supper and did not give heed to the conditions of their behavior in the presence of other believers. And their lack of care for one another.
All they saw was the merciful hand of Jesus reaching to save them from their guilt, but neglected to recognize that the same merciful Lord has now become the judge or the discerner of sin in their lives. It was as though His death was only a partial redemption for sins. Paul standing very tall in all of this rebukes their arrogance of ignorant behavior. He places the emphasis of this commandment on purity and holiness and he sets standard where it belongs by telling them how they should observe this everlasting altar of their memorial in remembrance of what Christ has done for them.
First and foremost he rebuked their indifference in this matter, and then he reminds them of the presence of the Holy Spirit among them as the acting judge in their midst. A judge who condemns unconfessed sin and The pronouncer of verdicts on their rebellion.
Paul starting the 27th verse of 1st Corinthians 11 says it in this way… “ Whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner 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.
For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world. Therefore , my brethren when you come together to eat wait for one another. But if anyone one is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment.” Wow can you see how careless attitude towards another Christian w could bring about?
Church’s problem is beyond what we read naturally. It sometimes can go much deeper in the attitudes of our hearts towards other believer, and that can constitutes judgment on us.
This is not the matter of our worthiness or unworthiness in taking the physical cup or the bread, since by faith in Christ you and I are pronounced worthy. So if we trust in Jesus we are worthy to take part in communion in Church setting, but it is our lack of acknowledging our sins towards God and men that brings Judgment upon us believers. Also it is wrong to deny yourself from the table, because the table is only an outward sign of the inwards presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This is a very wrong doctrine that some say, oh I am not worthy because of my sin. No that is a completely wrong understanding of this passage of the scripture Church.
In being a true beleiver who possess the Holy Spirit and live amongst the Church people we are already in the communion with Him in His body of believers.
You see if you are saved and hoping to escape the 2nd death by trusting in Christ you and I are already in the communion and fellowship of His Body The Church.
It is our conduct towards men and God that brings judgment upon us. Not taking the bread or the wine. The act is only performed to remind us of the existance of this truth.
Observe the Lord’s example, He gave Judas Iscariot His betrayer the cup to drink from and the bread to eat. But through this The Lord showed him and us His love even to the perishing. So let us come today to this table not to follow just a ritual, but with a true heart of confession. No matter what our act would be here today in taking part of this memorial, let us remember the attitude of our hearts is what is weighted by Him.
The Blood of
His
Therefore let us come to this part of the scripture in a new and living way. Let us be enlightened by the truth that says…. Confession and forsaking of our sins and of our faults will be the sufficient judgment pronounced by us to avoid God’s judicial act of righteousness on our behalf. Let us make a decision today to forgive all those whom we have kept them captive in our hearts and let us release the prisoners from our hearts to receive healing and wholeness in our walks with Christ.
Unforgiveness being the greatest hidden sin hinders many of us from complete blessings that we all can receive from the Lord. The Bible says if we retain another man’s sins, our sin too will not be atoned by Him at the end.
Let us from the heart release all men as our Lord did on the cross, so that the Lord’s abundant blessing will fall on us all. Amen?
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