Question about Communion

Dear Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Does communion have special powers? Or can it? Is it supposed to, even sometimes? I have heard a preacher say that it does, and I have heard testimonies of healing and deliverance from people who have taken it, even if multiple times.

Personally, I believe that communion empowers and encourages us spiritually, at least sometimes, because I have experienced such. A quick Google search says that it can and does, but I do not want to fall into spiritual superstition.

I thank you in advance for your input.

Blessings, even material, in Christ unto You All,
Brother Brian

One explanation of why we celebrate Communion.

We celebrate communion to remember and give thanks for Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross1234. Communion is a celebration of the gospel, the good news that Jesus died for us and rose again to give us a new life and a fresh relationship with God24. The bread and wine are symbols of Jesus’ body and blood given for us134. Communion is a sacrament that strengthens and encourages us as we follow Jesus3.

Learn more:

The act of celebrating Communion itself has no "special" power. We celebrate Communion because Jesus instructed us to in remembrance of Him, His Gospel, and His sacrifice on the cross. Any occurrence that may happen does so because of the Holy Spirit, not the act of celebrating Communion.

There is also a "warning" concerning the celebration of Communion by unbelievers as revealed in 1 Corinthians, Chapter 11:

24And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

25After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

26For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

27Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

28But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

29For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

30For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

Not according to Scripture. It is a Remembrance Feast.

Communion is an ordinance instituted by Jesus while eating the Seder meal of Passover week.

Meaning it constituted of fresh matza and the "love" cup of wine of the 4 cups used for this ceremonial meal.

The line of the cup is most telling....it's the line from an engagement party a groom would tell the bride.

It's a reminder that Jesus is coming back for us (his bride) and that we need to be as a church a "Proverbs 31" type wife.

As far as the cautions and prohibitions....
Common does not mix with holy and not suffer catastrophe as a result.
I've never not seen consequences from common people (unbelievers) touching, handling, viewing things that belong to God without dire consequences.

Considering that our hearts today contain the mercy throne of Christ....it's bad ju-ju to mess with such things. But some people are stupid like that and win Darwin awards for poor choices.

God's Kingdom citizens are not those with neon signs....nor is it those who warm a pew....but I really wouldn't mess with pew warmers. (Higher concentrations of God's Chosen)

There are tares in the wheat field and sometimes an odd wheat stalk in tare fields. (Just saying)

At least 4 things should be considered concerning Communion:
1. It is an act of obedience...this do
2. It is an act of remembrance...in remembrance of me
3. It is an act of proclamation...we shew His death until He comes
4. It is an act of communion...is this not the communion of the blood? of the body?

There are some restrictions on who should participate and who should not receive Communion, and people should investigate what these are.

I consider breaking bread with Leven bread an unworthy act because you are saying the Lord was sinful. Leven represents sin.

And you might....
But we also have to remember that being a Christian is more than specific food and drink....because food and drink are earthly things.
These are mere symbols of the reality. Not the reality itself. Those on the outside who only see the food or the drink might be hungry or thirsty for what we are eating and drinking or the comradery we share while eating and drinking. These things are attractive to many people that they might wish to participate in with only a verbal acknowledgement instead of a real worship and the sole reason why we do these things.

And so...
Where in your group fresh unleavened bread might be needed....
I really don't care myself....I'm good with a box of matzo crackers from Kroger/Albertsons and Welch's.

So long as they ain't making me take the SOP I'm gold. (Dipping the bread in juice)

It’s a warning to believers for taking communion wrong

It’s purpose is here why we take it

“and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.


For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭11:24-26‬ ‭KJV‬‬

theres real meaning there if we accept why we do it and what it represents.

thisnoart os not for unbelievers it’s a direction and wanting to the church

“Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. ( unbelievers are going to be in chrich taking communion it’s an exhortation to make sure we aren’t walking in sin without repentance considering his great sacrifice for us of his body and blood )?

For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭11:27-30‬ ‭KJV‬‬

I’d say if we just look at what Paul’s teaching here it starts becoming an important matter of doctrine but as always if we just reject what he’s saying it’s not going to help

Sometimes it helps with a different version more modern language

“In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

So then,( written to the church who were not discerning the purpose of it ) 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. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.

For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭11:25-30‬ ‭NIV‬‬


we’re looking for our behavior and need repentance

.
● John 6:53 . . 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.

When Jesus' flesh and blood are correctly consumed, the life obtained is
eternal life.

● John 6:54 . . He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life.

* The grammatical tense of John 6:54 is present tense rather than future;
indicating that when people correctly consume Jesus' flesh and blood, they
obtain eternal life immediately-- no delay and no waiting period.

Eternal life is a very important element of New Testament Christianity,
because people with it are immune to prosecution.

● John 5:24 . . I tell you the truth; whoever hears my word, and believes
Him who sent me, has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has
crossed over from death to life.

Whereas people without eternal life are in grave danger of prosecution
because they are literally quite christless.

● 1John 5:9-13 . .We accept human testimony, but God's testimony carries
more weight because it is the testimony of God, which He has given about
His son. . . . And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and
this life is in His son. Whoever has the Son has the life; whoever who does
not have the life, does not have God's son.
_

Things like communion and baptism are based upon our hearing and believing this truth of the gospel

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

and that he was buried,

and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15:3-4‬ ‭KJV‬‬

if I believe this is true then communion becomes a concept of my new faith that was taught by the apostles to the church

“For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you,

That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. ( why we do it )

After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. ( remembering his suffering and sacrifice for our sins )

For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.”( it’s a way to partake in his death for our sins and should be observed until he returns )
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭11:23-26‬ ‭KJV‬‬

It has real tangible effects on believers even thier health if we don’t take this seriously as of it’s a reflection and partaking of his death which is a real serious matter to God we need to repent when we have done something wrong look honestly and soberly at our own actions before we partake if we find thing we need to deal with them between the lord and ourselves remembering the reason he died is for those sins of ours

“Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭11:27-31‬ ‭KJV‬‬

baptism also is a part of our new faith when we believe he died for our sins was buried and rose up again in the same way communion is

“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭6:3-6‬ ‭KJV‬‬

we speak so much of believing but then often when we hear what’s in the scriptures we explain why it isn’t that way . I’m not saying you just in general people do this a lot

communion is really explained well in that place and other places d seems to me just my own opinion as always is the case with me , it seems as if it’s a fundamental and basic part of foundational Christian faith

But some of our problem today is no one talks about any of this stuff on a productive way or just shares the Bible from a pulpit and says “ look how Paul explains communion let’s learn and consider what he taught the church “ or look what Jesus is saying here about communion let’s consider what he’s saying and bekieve”

I feel like if Christian’s went to basics taught in scripture And began to learn and believe as of it was the right and true things to believe and practice the church would explode with spiritual victory and deliverance and power but there’s little patience for learning what’s taught by Jesus and oauo and Peter and them

weve learned better already than they can teach us I suppose

.
● John 6:54 . . He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life.

● John 6:48-51 . . I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the
wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven,
that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down
from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.

Eternal Life and Immortality are not the same, i.e. they aren't two different
terms for one and the same thing,

Immortality pertains to perpetual youth, whereas Eternal Life pertains to
perpetual sentience.

Due to the forbidden fruit incident; our natural body is vulnerable to old age,
while our natural sentience is vulnerable to the hand of God. (Rom 5:12-21
& Matt 10:28)
_

why do many Roman Catholic churches refuse to allow the laity to drink the wine?

while i was working in Germany i attended mass several times - the part of the country i was in has very few protestant churches. every time, in various chapels of various orders, i received the bread but not the cup.

does anyone know the history of this? is it because of the warning in scripture about drinking damage?

Evidently they had good discernment of having such a great sinner in their midst. I'm surprised you got a wafer.
I was raised Catholic and when I was young we were only offered bread. Over time wine was offered. How long ago was it? If it was after Covid I think that might be the answer.

Definitely do not... treat it as some occultic superstitious event.

The idea of communion is to 'commune', i.e., communicate, but with Whom? With our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a time to remember what He did for us by His death on the cross, for which the bread and wine are symbols for. And it is a time to work out problems with Him in prayer and talking with Him.

Commune doesn't mean solely to just communicate. More along lines of "fellowship" or "tabernacling" (not a real word but created for purposes of this discussion)

Once upon a time families would have "picnic" style parties at the Tabernacle and later the Temple. (Part of the Law) and in this meal there would include wine or beer (whichever they preferred) as this was to be a celebratory meal. The focus was on celebrating together with God and man and others. Working, celebrating, being at complete peace with each other.

There exists a somewhat hidden theme in scriptures that stretches from Old Testament through the New Testament.
It's a 4-3 or 3-4 but couched often as 7. And where often 7 is often explained as divine completeness it stands for more.
4....the 4 corners of the earth of mankind.
3....the fullness of God in the Trinity
Both 3+4 = 7 or the "Tabernacling" of God and mankind together.

This thematic reference is NOT so apparent and understood as you need Hebrew language classes to view it. We usually just do English. But as a Scripture Researcher showed me...it's possible to see it in English but it is so hidden it will go unnoticed by most.

But that's communion...."Tabernacling" with each other and God as a huge family.

.
● 1Cor 10:16 . .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 Greek word translated "communion" basically pertains to partnership.
The same word is commonly translated "fellowship" e.g. 1John 1:3-7.

Casual visitors no doubt view the conventional Christian communion service
as a cannibalistic ritual. But it's supposed be interpreted in concert with Rom
5:12-21, Rom 6:3, Rom 6:6, and Col 3:3 wherein is explained that folks
united with Christ have been made joint principals with him in his crucifixion
in a manner similar to how folks united with Adam were made joint
principals with him in the forbidden fruit incident.

Christianity is a lethal religion. It quite effectively, by means of a rather
unusual administrative process that I don't quite understand, participates
Christ's followers with himself on the cross, viz: their entire natural
existence has been satisfactorily judged, condemned, and sent to death row
with Christ when he was crucified.

FAQ: Doesn't the Bible view human sacrifice as an abomination?

REPLY: The laws of God are not applied ex post facto, i.e. they are not
retroactive (Deut 5:2-4, Rom 4:15, Rom 5:13 & Gal 3:17) That being the
case then Jesus' crucifixion was exempt because he was officially designated
and scheduled to donate himself as an atonement many years prior to any
of God's codified laws prohibiting human sacrifice. (1Pet 1:18-20 & Rev 13:8)
_

Communion is an act with which to remember Jesus and the sacrifice He made for us so that we might have life in Him. It is usually done in fellowship with other Believers.

There are no special powers involved, and priests can't turn the bread and wine into the literal body and blood of Christ. It's something to do in remembrance of our Savior.

Yeah, it can kill you if you eat it without examining yourself.

Communion is an affirmation of belief in the death of Jesus for the sins of the world and His eventual return to resurrect the redeemed to glory and the wicked to judgment. A person who professes to believe this takes communion with a community of others who also claim to believe it. So when we look around at everyone taking communion we should see brothers and sisters, children of ther Father we profess to love. But he who loves God also loves those begotten of God.

So what about those taking communion, claiming the mercy and grace of God for themselves, but refusing to extend grace and mercy to others in the room against whom they are holding a grudge? They are failing to discern the body of Christ in the gathering and are eating and drinking unworthily. Unforgiveness and bitterness are toxins that do physical damage. Add to that the leaven of hypocrisy, and the debilitating effects of unforgiveness are magnified. That is why some are sick and some have died. before their time. That is why Jesus advised that when we are taking an offering to God and remember some offense between ourselves and a sibling, we should go to that person and try our best to be reconciled with them before giving our offering to God.

The bread and wine are photographs of the relationships that should attain between us and God and us and the body of Jesus, the fellowship of believers. When I show my wife's photo and say "This is my wife", I don't believe the photo itself is my wife, It reveals something about her to others. The bread and wine reveal something about the spirit and flesh of Jesus. They are not literally Jesus' spirit and flesh.

You are correct. Christ broke UNLEAVENED bread to represent His sinless body. And they shall eat the flesh [of the Passover lamb] in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. (Exod 12:8).

And it should be bread, not crackers. Likewise in no description of the Lord's Supper do we see the word "wine" (which is generally fermented wine). It is always "the cup" and should contain unfermented grape juice to represent the sinless blood of Christ. In fact Passover is also called "the feast of unleavened bread" since leaven always represents sin and corruption in the Bible.