Remember Jesus

A video montage of Jesus Christ. Scriptures: Luke 22:19, John 6:55-56, John 6:54, 1 Corinthians 11:25, 1 Corinthians 10:16.

After watching this video, it should be obvious how Jesus wanted to be remembered. He doesnt say how often we should "remember him", but I feel that this distinguishes the difference between gathering together in his name for fellowship, prayer, hymns and learning versus attending a church service which should be centered around worship.

When a teacher of law asked Jesus which commandment was most important. Jesus replied in Matthew 22:37-38: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment."

This undescores the importance of worship in Christ's church and the fullness of it.

As followers of Jesus, a church service should remember Christ (as he asked to be remembered) everytime because Jesus Christ is the head of the church.

Symbolic Act or Real Presence?

So now comes this issue of whether Holy Communion is a symbolic act or one with the real presence of Christ. Jesus tells us.

In John 6:53-56, Jesus says "I tell you the truth, 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 real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.

Some Christian denominations believe that Jesus was talking in parables here and they believe that Jesus's teachings are the flesh and blood. They point out John 6:35 when Jesus says: "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty."

However, Apostle Paul gives us the insight that Holy Communion has the real presence of Christ and ridicules the members in the Corinth church with the following scriptures:

1 Corinthians 10:16: Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?

1 Corinthians 11:27-30: Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.

If Holy Communion was just a symbolic act with no real presence, why does Paul indicate the seriousness of eating the bread and drinking from the cup when he says we should examine ourselves before doing so? And would partaking in a symbolic act cast judgment on oneself if it was purely symbolic? Paul says only if we do so without recognizing the body of the Lord and says that is why many of the members of the Corinth Church are weak and sick.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Jesus Christ
• Eucharist
• Last Supper
• Apostle Paul
• Holy Communion
• John 3:16
• John 6:54-56
• 1 Corinthians 11:25
• Honk if you love Jesus

[OneBodyInChrist]

If you still have questions about Holy Communion, please click on "More Info" for this video above.