partakers of the bread

1st Cor 11:23-24”For I have received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you that the lord Jesus on the night he was betrayed took bread and when he had given thanks he broke it and said this is my body which is for you do this in remembrance of me.”

Isn’t it amazing to know that we are part of the body of Christ? Yes this is true that we are the body, the church and Christ is the head of the body.

That is why we partake of the table of bread (Holy Communion) at the last supper Jesus said   “this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” Luke 22:19

Jesus was introducing us to a new family where he is the head and we are the body. He says that I am the bread which came from heaven. Now Jesus has been distributed to us and when we partake of the Holy Communion we appropriate unto ourselves that we are members of this body, the body of Christ.

I want to tell you that if you are a believer you are part of the body of Christ and scripture has qualified you to partake of the table of bread. It’s your right since Jesus has been commended to you by the virtue of his death on a cross and so today you and I are partakers of the bread.

As you partake of the holy Communion its just a remembrance of Jesus and what he went though in order that we are now the partakers of his body. Holy Communion is therefore a lightener to that which is yours for the taking, Christ Himself. He is your daily bread and so daily you should be partaking of him. It’s his pleasure that everyday you partake of him. He says “he who eats of me will never hunger and he who drinks of me will never thirst.”

taking the bread and the cup in unworthy manner.

Controversy has brewed up over the years over this issue. When is one qualified or disqualified of partaking of the Holy Communion. We have over time build walls around people and whenever its time to take holy Communion we have gone forth in a condemnation spree and requiring people to examine themselves to check whether hey have any sins before they can partake of the holy Communion. Today we want to establish some truths.

“Whoever therefore eats the bread or drinks of the cup of the lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and the blood of the lord. Let a person examine himself, then and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” 1^st Cor 11:28-29

Paul establishes the seriousness of the practice of the Lord’s Supper. The church in Corinth were faced with diverse controversies among which concerned the issue of the the lords supper. When this congregation convened, they convened to eat a normal meal a normal feast and so unethical that the weak could miss out on the meal.

Paul is calling the Corinthians to examine themselves as to why they re partaking of the meal. They are brought to attention that they are partaking of the body of Christ.

The Lord supper is not just any other meal as the Corinthians had inculcated in them. They were fellow shipping in the body of Christ. Jesus has been given for us as our means of redemption and salvation. When we partake of the holy communion we should discern that it’s for our being made whole, it’s for our healing and restoration. Not partaking the Holy Communion in a worthy manner does not meaning partaking of the elements with sin in you. The elements are a symbol that by the virtue of Jesus’ death on the cross we got our redemption forgiveness and restoration. It’s for your being made whole.

partaking of the elements in an unworthy manner is therefore not discerning the body of Christ    and whoever does so invites judgment unto himself . Scholars have written numerous views concerning this text to insinuate that Paul is urging people to confess their sins before partaking of the holy communion.

the truth however is that this text has nothing to do with confessing their sins. Paul is urging the Corinthians to discern the body of Christ in a worthy manner, failure to which they incur a judgment, perception. The word judgement here implies forming an opinion after assessing the evidence available to ones sight.

Paul therefore says that failure to discern the body of chriist in a worthy manner makes them have an unfair opinion about what Christ has accomplished for them. They fail to discern that Christ has fully represented them.He then directs them to what they experience at the moment , some of them are sick, weak and dying. This is because they dont discern that the body of Christ was offered for their healing and restoration.

with this truth firmly established in our faculties its high time we discern christ and his body. Its high time we discern that he was offered up that we may be made whole.

Christ's body was offered for you, Do not disqualify yourself from this table prepared for you.Do you have some sin that you think should keep you far from this table, recognize that his sacrifice was to cleanse even you the worst of sinners to become clean(1st John 2:2)