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By Mrs. Robert Hammond

 

 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. 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.     I Corinthians 11:23-26

 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.   Hebrews 9:14-17

            Communion is an ordinance of the church; a memorial set up by the Lord Himself.  Almost every other version I looked at for I Corinthians 11:26 said that we PROCLAIM the Lord’s death when we take communion. I looked this up in the dictionary. It means to make a public, legal declaration. We declare that Christ has died. I used to shudder when I was a child during mass when the priest would say “we proclaim His death until He comes.” I didn’t know it was a direct quote from the Bible. It sounds creepy to a child who is unaware of the importance of the proclamation.

            And let me tell you, this proclamation is very important! For, in the book of Hebrews we read that without this death, the will and testament is of no effect! The writer of the will must die before the beneficiaries can lay claim to the inheritance. Christ, the Word made flesh is the will of God – the testament is embodied in Him. He is the writer and the written. And He died. Glory to God.

            When you partake of the communion elements, it is to be with utmost reverence, for you are remembering, celebrating, and most importantly, declaring His vicarious death. When you declare this you are telling yourself, the Lord, the devil and whoever else may be listening that the will is NOW in effect.  All the promises of God are yours  legally. And communion is a way to take those promises by faith.

            That is why it is important that when you are going through a faith test that you partake of the elements of communion frequently.  Make sure you are right with Him and with your brothers and sisters in the Lord.  And look at those elements as the representatives of Christ’s body and blood.

            It is best to have scripture with you when you take the elements and to read out loud (if you can) the promises that you are standing on: healing, provision, household salvation, etc.  Maybe you need the Judge to avenge you of your adversary. Take the scripture and read it as a lawyer would read the last will and testament of a wealthy relative (you can’t get any more wealthy than the earth and its fullness,  gates of pearl, walls of jasper and streets of gold).

            After you finish reading the promises that you are taking (or standing in faith for), read the two scripture passages out loud that appear at the beginning of this article. Tell the Lord, yourself, and the devil, that the testator has died, therefore you are taking the promise. It is at the communion table that you state your case and you take the promise by faith.

            When we take of the communion elements it should be on purpose. Purposely remembering the Lord’s death and declaring with authority that it is so. Purposely reminding ourselves of the promises of God.

            Another reason that this is so important is that it reminds us of the extent that our Creator went to so that we could experience the promises of God in our life. In John’s third epistle, he said, “beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health even as thy soul prospereth.”

            I have mentioned before that when I take communion at home by myself, I will read through the entire passion, in more than one of the gospels. This can take an hour or more at times. To really meditate on what He did. And then to proclaim it.  To hold up in the court of heaven the promises that I need and to take them by faith.  I am still learning this. Learning to walk it out and truly believe. And this is what has helped me the most; what I am sharing with you.

             In the mind of God, we are everything the word says we are. We just have to walk it out by faith. Yesterday, in Sunday school, we talked about Gideon. He was hiding out from the Midianites, threshing wheat in the winepress when the Lord appeared to him and called him a mighty man of valor. He wasn’t (he was hiding in the barn), but that is what the Lord called him. And at the end of the story, guess what? That is precisely what he had become. 

            It is the same with us. We were in bondage to the world and the world system. We were not serving the Lord, and the devil came and stole everything.  Then the Lord came to us. He died for us and He called us. He called us loved by God (John 3:16).  He called us forgiven (I John 2:12).  He called us righteous (II Corinthians 5:21).  He called us holy (I Peter 2:9). He called us healed (I Peter 2:24).  He called us rich (II Corinthians 8:9).

            We may not be living right now in all of the above. But that is what the Lord has said about us, and the next time you take communion, remember what the Lord has said about you and yours and announce it, proclaim it as you proclaim the death of the testator of the will, proclaim what is yours…because of His death…until He comes. Amen.