HOLY COMMUNION OR THE LORD’S SUPPER

By Ben Berto

“Take, eat; This is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” Then He took the cup of blessing and “gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.’” “’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.” (Matthew 26: 28-28; 1 Corinthians 11: 24-26; 10: 16)

The Seventh-day Adventists celebrate this occasion like many other Christian Churches and anybody can join. It is an open communion. To us, this ordinance reveals something about both Christ’s mission and the participant’s experience. We believe…”The Lord’s Supper is a participation in the emblems of the body and blood of Jesus as an expression of faith in Him, our Lord and Saviour.  In this experience of communion, Christ is present to meet and strengthen His people. As we partake, we joyfully proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes again. Preparation for the Supper includes self-examination, repentance and confession. The Master ordained the service of foot washing to signify renewed cleansing, to express a willingness to serve one another in Christ-like humility, and to unite our hearts in love. The Communion service is open to all believing Christians”. FUNDAMENTAL BELIEFS, 15.

The Communion ordinance means four things for us. 1. A memorial of Christ’s humiliation in His life of service for all sinners like us. 2. A type of higher cleansing: the foot washing did more than just clean feet. It represented a higher purification—a cleansing of the heart. 3. A fellowship of forgiveness. The attitude of forgiveness among the participants indicates that this cleansing the service symbolizes has become effective. Only as we forgive can we experience God’s forgiveness. (Matt. 6: !4-15) 4. A fellowship with Christ and believers. This foot washing service demonstrates Christ’s love for His followers “to the end” (John 13: 1)

Now what about the Lord’s Supper itself? It is supposed to be a joyful season, not a time for sorrow. What do we experience from it?  1. Commemoration of the deliverance from sin. As the Passover commemorated Israel’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt, the Lord’s Supper commemorates deliverance from spiritual Egypt, the bondage of sin. 2. Corporate Communion with Christ. In a world filled with strife and divisiveness, our corporate participation in these celebrations to the unity and stability of the church, demonstrating true communion with Christ and one another. 3. Anticipation of the Second Advent. “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes”. (1 Cor. 11: 26) The Communion service spans the interim between Calvary and the Second Advent. It links the Cross and the Kingdom. 

So, if you come to our communion service, you are free to participate.

Now, let’s jump to the aftermath of the Second Advent with Brenda Walsh in her article, A World Without Sin. Look at Revelation 21: 4 NKJV, “There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” “Can you imagine what it would be like to live in a world without sin? Think for a moment just how awesome that would be! No one would be doing anything wrong, so there would be no dangers to avoid, no evil to fear. You would never have to say, “I’m sorry” because you yelled in anger or lost your temper at those you loved the most. Nor would you experience the horrible feelings of shame and guilt.  There would be no more pain or suffering. No disappointments. No more tears. It would be safe for children to go anywhere, anytime without fear of being kidnapped or murdered. That’s right, there would be no death when living without sin. Can you imagine living in a world like that? Well, it not just a dream, because that’s exactly what heaven will be like. Oh, how glorious that will be! And you won’t have to wait long, because Jesus is coming soon!  Make sure you are ready and your heart is fully surrendered to Jesus!  Ask God to forgive each sin you’ve been hanging on to, and then fully surrender to Him. There’s no sin, no matter how pleasurable, that’s worth missing out on heaven. Our Lord and Saviour loves you so much that He can’t imagine heaven without you.

My friends, do you know what God has in store for the saved in heaven? They will be pleasant surprises. The Apostle Paul said in  1 Corinthians 2: 9 , NKJV, However, as it is written:“ What no eye has seen,  what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”^[b]— the things God has prepared for those who love him— Amen.

To contact us: Our website is www.abundantlifeadventist.ca. Worship with us every Saturday Sabbath, the seventh day of the week. Genesis 2: 2, 3, Exodus 20: 8-10, Isaiah 58: 13, 14; Isaiah 66: 22, 23; Matthew 5: 17-19; Revelation 22: 14, John 14: 1-3, Rev. 6:6-12, Romans 8: 35-39