Finding Life in Death
/
Jesus is alive! And we share His life. But just as powerfully, we share in His death.
1 Corinthians 10:16 says:
‘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?’
This is Communion. God help us not to turn this activity into a ritual or simple tradition. Whenever we take communion, we are participating in His shed blood and broken body. The Holy Spirit is there as, when we share communion in His presence, we do one vital thing. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 11:26 that:
‘As often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.’
What does proclaiming the death of Jesus mean? Why do we do this?
We are not just stating a fact. We are confessing a truth. That as we see the bread and drink as his broken body and shed blood, and as we partake in it, we are proclaiming to ourselves and to our enemy that Jesus’s death brings total victory.
’Until he comes’ means that one day, we will live in all the fullness of His Kingdom, free from fear and striving and with no need for faith. Until then we by faith, in the face of trials and challenges, proclaim His victory over our sin, failures, sickness and fear. We participate in and receive His victory.
The Spirit Filled Bible commentary says:
‘Each occasion of partaking is an opportunity to say, proclaim and confess again, ‘I herewith lay hold of all the benefits of Jesus Christ’s full redemption for my life - forgiveness, wholeness, strength, health, sufficiency’.
In the cross is our victory. Jesus instituted this feast to remind us to keep participating in His victory and not to allow the world to lull us into complacency and accept its mediocrity. Of course, communion is not a magic pill. But if we are to live by faith and receive by faith, communion is a key component in excercising that faith and receiving wholeness. Jesus gave it to us, and the Holy Spirit meets us there. Therefore, miracles happen there!
If you have a need, are lacking in some area, long to see the Kingdom come in someone’s life or situation, then proclaim the total victory of His death through communion. Meet the Holy Spirit in this act, intentionally focusing on His death for you. And you don’t have to wait till Sunday! Do it at home, on your own, with family and friends. Jesus is waiting for you to participate in and proclaim His victory.
