At Oasis Christian Church, communion is one of the most important things we do. We believe Christians should obey the Lord's command, "do this in remembrance of Me," every week, following the example set by the Apostles. Communion is the central part of our worship on Sundays.
The communion cups are all filled from the large glass on the communion table. We break a single loaf of bread, as Jesus did, and He told His disciples to do the same. "And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." (Luke 22:19). Paul acknowledged that breaking the loaf was the practice of early Church communion, and explained its significance. "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? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf." (1 Cor 10:16-17). The single loaf represents the one body of Christ offered for the sins of all. It also represents our unity as believers in "the body of Christ." Breaking the loaf as part of the communion symbolizes the broken body of Jesus Christ and our being part of Him and one another. All this symbolism is lost when individual wafers are used.
As the loaf is broken each Sunday in the presence of the congregation, it reminds us that we are the cause of Christ's body being broken. Our sins put Him on the cross. Paul also wrote that each time we do this we "proclaim the Lord's death until He comes." We are preaching the Gospel every time we celebrate communion!
The article below answers most common questions about communion.
What is Communion?
The word "commune" means to have intimate fellowship with someone. When Christians participate in the outward ordinance of "communion," it should be a very personal intimate time of fellowship with the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who allowed Himself to be humiliated, tortured, and killed to purchase our redemption. "For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.' In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me'." (1 Cor 11:23-25).
What is the Historical Significance of Communion?
Jesus explained that the broken loaf of bread symbolized His broken body, having been beaten and crucified. The wine represents His blood, shed for the remission of sins. By partaking of these symbols, we proclaim the Gospel - the crucifixion of Jesus Christ - to the world.
What is the Significance of Communion for Us Today?
Baptism "unto the remission of your sins" (Acts 2:38) represents our initial union with Christ, being baptized into His death and resurrection (Romans 6:1-8). However, communion represents our continued relationship with Christ, and His continual cleansing us from sin as long as we remain in Him. "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? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf." (1 Cor 10:16-17).
The Apostle John makes it clear our cleansing from sin by the blood of Christ is ongoing, not just a one time event. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin" (1 John 1:6-7). The word "purifies" is a present active indicative verb. It indicates a continuous purification process as long as we continue to "walk in the light" - having intimate fellowship with Him. Our continually partaking of the wine and bread "until He comes" is the outward symbol of this continual cleansing from sin.
Is there a Prophetic Significance to Communion?
Jesus was present in person with His followers at the first communion. Today, we celebrate communion without His physical presence. We commune with Him in spirit during the time of His physical absence from us. But, Jesus also included a prophetic promise when He instituted this practice: "While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take and eat; this is my body.' Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered 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. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom'." (Matt 26:26-29).
Does the Bread and Wine Become the Flesh and Blood of Christ?
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that when the priest blesses the elements, they actually become Christ's flesh and blood, and that the recipients are literally eating Christ's flesh. This idea is said to be demanded by the above text. However, while this interpretation is literal, it is spurious. The Bible is not always meant to be taken literally. It frequently contains figures of speech. We should seek to interpret Scripture in the way the original audience would have done so. When Jesus said this to His disciples, He had not yet shed his blood or given His flesh for us. Jesus' literal blood was still flowing in His veins. His literal flesh was sitting there with His disciples. The question we should ask is how the disciples would have understood Jesus' words. Since Jesus was using elements (bread and wine) from the Passover meal, and since all Jews understood them to be symbolic elements, the disciples would have understood Jesus to be speaking symbolically. In other words, the bread and wine represented His flesh and blood. They did not literally become His flesh and blood. Furthermore, the above passage indicates that Jesus will drink of the same wine with us in this celebration in His coming Kingdom. Are we to suppose that Jesus will literally drink His own blood? That is an absurd concept.
Does the Bread and Wine Actually Cleanse us from Sin?
The water of baptism does not itself wash away our sins. God alone takes away our sins as we obey the Gospel. Likewise, the elements of the Communion meal have no mystical power themselves. As John wrote in 1 John 1:6-7, it is the blood of Jesus that continually cleanses us from all sin as we "walk in the light." Communion is a memorial, a time and place when the whole church communes with Christ as a single body. We can commune individually with Him without the use of these elements every day. But, since we are physical creatures, Jesus gave us the physical substance of the bread and wine as aids. He commands us to use these aids in a united communion, the whole local "Body of Christ" together sharing fellowship with the head of the Church - Jesus.
How often should Christians Celebrate Communion?
The observance of Christian Communion is a command directly from Jesus to all His baptized followers. "Do this in remembrance of Me" is not just a suggestion. It is not optional. The Gospels do not record that Jesus specified a particular frequency for this celebration. However, the book of Acts tells us that the early Church "...continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers." (Acts 2:42). The term "breaking of bread" was an early Christian synonym for the communion meal, because a part of the ceremony was the breaking of the loaf symbolizing Christ's broken body. Some Greek manuscripts equate the term "fellowship" (also rendered "communion") with the breaking of the bread. "They devoted themselves to the Apostles' doctrine, and to the communion - the breaking of the loaf, and to the prayers." Later in Acts we find a definite statement regarding the frequency of observance in the Apostolic churches. "Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight" (Acts 20:7 NKJV). The clause, "when the disciples came together to break bread," describes the usual practice of the early Christians each "first day of the week." Paul took this particular occasion to preach. However, the central purpose of the weekly Sunday gathering was the "breaking of bread." This passage emphasizes not only the usual practice - being weekly, but also the central reason for the Sunday gatherings - the celebration of Christ's death through "the breaking of bread."
Our understanding of this is confirmed historically. The earliest description we have of a typical Christian worship service was written by Justin Martyr, who was born just 20 years after John's death. Justin wrote an apologetic treatise to explain the Christian beliefs and practices to the pagan Romans.
"And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons." (Justin Martyr, First Apology, LXVII)
Communion should not be an afterthought. It should be the climactic event to our weekly gathering, as it was to the early churches. Each of us should gather together every Sunday for the purpose of communing with our Savior through the aid of this symbolic ordinance. As the above quote shows, the early Church thought it important to even carry the elements of bread and wine to those who could not attend the weekly gathering, presumably because of illness.
Who Should Participate?
Baptized believers are commanded by Jesus to observe this ordinance. Unbelievers, or those who have not yet been baptized, should not participate. Many churches restrict participation to members of that particular local church, excluding visitors. This is usually called "closed communion." Other churches welcome all baptized believers to join, including visitors. This is typically called "open communion." We believe the Bible does not permit us to discriminate, judge who should or should not participate, or prevent anyone from doing so. However, the Apostle Paul gave the Corinthian church a very stern warning regarding communion. "For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Therefore, 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. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world" (1 Cor 11:26-32). It is clear from this passage that partaking of communion is a very serious matter. That we "examine ourselves" implies that we search our own hearts; that we confess and repent from any sins we may have committed that week. If we are not willing to repent from any sins we may have committed, yet we partake of communion, we are doing so in an "unworthy manner." Paul writes that this will bring God's discipline on us. If we are in rebellion, and we partake of communion, we are bringing our sin into the fellowship of the church with Christ. That is a serious thing indeed, according to the Bible. Weekly communion, if done according to Scripture, is a powerful incentive for holy living throughout the week. Communion helps us to persevere in the Christian Faith until the end. And perseverance to the end of life is essential if we expect to inherit the Kingdom of God (Matt. 24:13, Col. 1:21-23, Hebrews 3:12-14).
As we gather together each Sunday, we should reflect on our walk with the Lord. We should be sure to confess and forsake any sin that we might have committed during that week, so that we can approach the Lord's table in holiness. As we partake of the bread and wine, we should meditate upon the great price Jesus Christ paid on the cross for our salvation. We should meditate upon our present relationship with Him, and how by our remaining in Him we are continually cleansed from all sin. Finally, we should meditate upon the promise that one day we will do this with Him in person in His Kingdom. Then we can thank Him face to face for what He has done for us.
