Articles From Our Bulletins
Communing
In America, when used as a noun, “commune” has a negative connotation with most folks- though probably not as much so now as previously. In this form it is defined as “a group of people living together and sharing possessions and responsibilities.” Modern examples of communism leave a decidedly bad impression, with good reason. But any form of government, even a representative republic like ours, that operates without the backing morality of Christianity ultimately declines into tyranny, cp. Acts 2:44-45; 4:32,34-35.
But when used as a verb, we view “commune” much more favorably, again, with good reason. Used this way, it means to “share one's intimate thoughts or feelings with (someone or something), especially when the exchange is on a spiritual level; to feel in close spiritual contact with.” Jesus’ prayerful communing with the Father in the Garden on the night of His betrayal well illustrates this usage of the word. His faith and resolve were bolstered sufficiently for Him to willingly go to the cross by His intimate and intense communing with God in prayer.
While we may shun the idea of living in a commune, we innately long to commune with our Creator and our fellow man! As always, God who created us not only understands this need, but also provides for its fulfillment.
The Lord’s Supper, as it is sometimes called (1Corinthians 11:20), is not a morbid remembrance of the horrors of Jesus’ death designed to keep participants in perpetual guilt through its weekly observance. God never requires anything of us that is not in our own best interest. Thus, we need and benefit from partaking of the memorial every first day of the week. How?
By communing with Christ. Partaking of the unleavened bread and fruit of the vine helps to internalize Christ and His sacrifice, “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in Him,” John 6:56. This isn’t macabre ritual; it is being reminded of the love that Jesus had and has for us, the value He placed on us, and the oneness and fellowship that He desires with us. Thus, these representative elements of His body and blood are sustenance for our souls. “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever… Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves,” John 6:51-53. We need this spiritual food to keep us alive, healthy, and growing. To illustrate the importance of this weekly communing with Christ, note how the Corinthian church was suffering from spiritual malnutrition through their abuse of the Supper, “For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep,” 1Corinthians 11:30. They were starving themselves of the spiritual life-sustaining nutrition weekly communing with Christ provides by turning it into a common meal, cf. 1Corinthians 11:20-22. We need the spiritual benefits of the weekly memorializing of Christ’s death to be reminded of His great love and sacrifice for us- how much He values our soul(s). And we also need the spiritual benefits of the weekly reminder and proclamation of His return, which gives us hope, cf. 1Corinthians 11:26. You see, everyone needs to know they are loved, and everyone needs hope. These are provided on a weekly basis by communing with Christ through the Lord’s Supper.
By communing with Brethren. Through properly partaking of the unleavened bread and fruit of the vine, there is a “vertical” communing and fellowship with Christ. Such has many benefits- a few of which are enumerated above. But participation in this memorial to Christ and His sacrifice also has “horizontal” benefits. These are often overlooked, or even deliberately ignored. To highlight of this point, consider the Corinthian church. Its fellowship was fractured, 1Corinthian 1:10, and its members were fleshly-minded, 1Corinthians 3:1. This combination (along with other issues) produced jealousy, strife, and even lawsuits, cf. 1Corinthians 3:3; 6:1-8. As we noted above, Paul connects the dots of their spiritual degradation to their abuses of the Lord’s Supper when he wrote, “For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep,” 1Corinthians 11:30. But what we sometimes fail to note is a part of the prescribed solution. We rightly point out that they needed examine themselves in regard to the manner of their partaking, vv.28-29. And we note that they were told to “judge the body rightly,” v.29. We even show that they were instructed that their common meals should be eaten at home from v.34. However, what we sometimes fail (or neglect) to see is that they were also commanded to “wait for one another,” v.33. Why was it important for the Corinthians to eat the Lord’s Supper together? If it is only a “vertical” communing with Christ by an individual, then there is no reason for this particular prescription. But it isn’t only a communing with Christ- it is also a communing with brethren, and thus includes “horizontal” fellowship with those who are His, cf. 1Corinthians 10:16-17. The Corinthian congregation’s fellowship was fractured, at least in part, because they were denying themselves the unifying benefits of the Lord’s Supper through their abuses of it. That’s why they were told to “wait for one another”! If their negligence in these regards only pertained to communing with Christ, there would have been no need for the instruction requiring that they partake together. Each one could have partaken individually and wherever they chose, as long as they discerned the body, and did so in a worthy manner. The Corinthians needed to properly commune with Christ, but they also needed to properly come together to eat the Lord’s Supper that so they could commune with each other, cp. 1Corintians 11:18-20,33!
God knows and has always known what we need. To be spiritually alive, well, and growing, we need to commune with Christ to be reminded of how much He loves and values us, and to be reminded of the hope we have of being united with Him eternally. But we also need to commune with one another to be reminded that we are not alone- that we have brethren on whom we can depend, and who depend on us, as we traverse this path of life toward heaven. See? We need the benefits of communing with Christ and one-another through the partaking of the Lord’s Supper!
- Commune.pdf (87.71 kB)
