Do you want to learn to feed on Jesus in a new way? To ingest this Bread from the Father to a greater degree than before? I am going to present you with an idea to pray about. What if you start taking communion on a regular basis – as part of your devotional life?
I would like to explore with you some of the vast array of benefits that come with the act of taking communion. This practice is immeasurably more than just a meaningful addendum to a memorable church service. You just may want to start incorporating the cup and bread into your quiet times, once you understand better all that it may mean for you.
For starters, this holy meal has a tremendous amount of transformational power hidden in it, ready to explode into your struggles and practical needs. Here’s how:
The unleavened bread, or cracker, represents Real Manna from Heaven, Manna pulsating with life. “But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die,” Jesus proclaims to us, looking again right into our eyes (Jn. 6:50). He is communicating to us deeply that if we eat it, eternal life literally enters us, in that very moment of intake!
He continues with zeal, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever” (v. 51). Jesus, the Living Manna, infuses the eater with eternity. Each serving of Him is a dose of that which will ultimately make you immortal. The corresponding spiritual reality at work when you partake of the Bread of Communion unleashes explosive power into you, and into your life circumstances.
This is raw power. The power of immortality. Resurrection power. It is exactly the same power that raised Christ from the dead. Available to you. Available to your marriage. Available to your health. Available to your emotional state. Available with very present help – in this moment you are experiencing, right now. Available as you partake of Jesus.
Communion is a prophetic act. As you chew on the bread or cracker, purposefully meditating on your Lord, you are activating heavenly reality on your behalf. The physical action of swallowing and digesting correlates with what you are setting in motion spiritually. You are eating Real Spiritual Food. You are actually feeding on Jesus in real time. His life is entering you, becoming part of you. You are coming alive more than you ever have before.
As you drink the grape juice, you are imbibing the virtue that is in His blood. This is why Old Testament law proclaimed, foreshadowing Jesus, “Life is in the blood” (Lev. 17:11). The amount of power in this act is actually quite stunning when you flow in the Spirit of revelation as you carry it out (Eph. 1: 17).
This dynamite released into your spirit will also have direct implications for whatever adversity you are facing today. You will experience change, especially over the long haul, as you commit yourself to making a lifestyle out of nourishing your inner being this way.
You may reflect on this, thinking, “I have taken communion for years. I have always been blessed by it. But why did I not experience the full extent of what you are describing?”
Here is something to consider, in answer to that question. 1 Co. 11:29 uses the phrase, “discerning the Lord’s body.” To discern means to perceive or recognize. This requires the use of your spiritual senses. Just like our physical body, our spirit can see, hear, touch, feel. Holy Spirit invites us to exercise these senses in discerning Jesus’ body, as we participate in His meal. We need to tune in with keen focus, practicing our spiritual perception. We need to lock eyes with Him as He feeds us Himself. We need to lean closer to pick up even the slightest murmurs of His heart. There is rhema, revelation for us, in the moment He gives us the Manna and we swallow Heaven. The more we discern and connect with the spiritual reality involved in communion, the more we benefit from it.
Remember the reference in Hebrews to our spiritual senses? As the Amplified Bible expresses it, our “senses and…faculties are trained by practice to discriminate and distinguish…” (Heb 5:14, AMP, italics mine). As you invest parts of your day to intentionally engage with the realities of the Spirit of God, you are practicing each and every time. Each time you practice, you advance in His training process. To the degree that you are willing to invest in practicing, your progress in being able to discern the spiritual realm will directly correlate to your investment.
Receiving the full benefits of communion happens when you discern the Lord’s body. In other words, when you are fully leaning into the Reality of feeding on Him. Fully engrossed in eating spiritual food and drinking spiritual drink. Fully tuned into the sacred power packed into each element of communion, and into the transaction of receiving that power into and through your being. This requires practice.
Feed on Him. Drink Him in. Repeat.
At the same time, engage. Listen. Watch. Lean in. Perceive. There is SO much to take in! The enticing question He poses, “What do you see?” whispers invitingly to your heart that there are immeasurable treasures in this meal He is offering you…waiting for your discovery (Jer. 1:11).
Hungry for more? So am I! This post will be followed by others further developing these concepts as He beckons us deeper into His heart. A prayer of response for today:
Lord Jesus, thank You for teaching me the vital importance of discerning Your body when I take communion. I ask for Your Spirit of revelation poured out into me as I partake of Your Manna and drink deeply of the life that is in Your blood. Open my inner eyes and increase the sensitivity of my heart to the realm of Your Spirit. Capture my gaze. Help me to lean in to that which is eternal. Guide me in steps towards daily growth in the training of my spiritual senses. Please also make this clear to me -- are You leading me to take communion more often?
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