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WHY COMMUNION?
Communion is a way for believers to remember the sacrifice that Jesus made for them. It was started by Jesus during the last supper with his disciples.
The Last Supper
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Prior to Judas Iscariot’s betrayal of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus gathered His disciples to celebrate the Passover. It didn’t take long for the disciples to learn that there was another reason for their gathering. Matthew 26:26–29 says, “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.' " What the disciples thought was going to be a celebration turned into a sombre prediction of the death of their master and leader.
Early Church Communion
After the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, the early church obeyed the words of Jesus and practised the ordinance of communion, the eating of bread (symbolizing His body) and the drinking of wine (symbolizing His blood).
Can anyone take Communion?
Communion is for born-again Christians. Paul gives a warning to those who might approach communion flippantly or dishonourably: “Whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. So then, 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” (1 Corinthians 11:26–29).
Conclusion
The practice of communion is one of two commands in the church. Communion is a time for reflection, not only on an individual’s sin and need for forgiveness, but on the grace and love that Christ exhibited on the cross (John 3:16).
- Gotquestions.org
