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Meditation - The importance of the Holy Communion
"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." (1 Corinthians 11:27)
The Holy Communion is a celebration of Christ's full, perfect and sufficient sacrifice offered once and for all for the whole world. It is an effective sign by which God gives grace through faith as we commemorate the death and resuurrection of Christ and respond to God's initiative in a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. We are therefore mindful of the fact that Christ is not just a historical figure, but is with us in the power of the resurrection.
We believe in an actual spiritual presence of the Lord at His Table, that is why it is deemed to be Holy. We cannot and should not come to this Table in an unworthy manner, but in sober reflection and self-examination. The bread and wine of this sacrament are therefore symbols of the presence of Christ - "Do this in rememberance of me."
The efficacy of this sacrament should not be conceived in any merely mechanical way. God works through His Spirit in a mysterious way beyond human comprehension, but invites a full and free human response of faith and commitment. The Christian church has attached a number of meanings to Holy Communion:
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To commemorate Christ's death: "Do this in rememberance of me' (1 Corinthians 11:24)
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To signify, seal and apply to believers all the benefits of the new Covenant. In this ordinance, Christ confirms His promises to His people, and we on our part solemnly consecrate ourselves to Him and to His entire service. (Matthew 26:27-28)
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To be a badge of our Christian profession (Acts 2:42; 20:7)
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To indicate and to promote the communion of believers with Christ. (John 6:51-58)
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To represent the mutual communion of believers with each other as they share the meal together. (Adapted from Easton's Bible Dictionary). We are in a sense, united and made one through the Lord's Supper. It is the one common ritual that Christians of all denominations, all over the world observe.
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Holy Communion is one of the ways that we come together to celebrate our adoption into God's family.
July Meditation - Exemplary Leadership
'The Lord said to Moses, "Go ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile."' (Exodus 17:5)
When confronted with crisis, the leader must always rise above the situation and draw his people behind him. The Christian leader must always depend on God for direction. If you want to know the questions, talk to people. If you want to know the answers, talk to God. You can only lead successfully when you have heard from him. Leadership is often the loneliest place on earth, because you see things before others do; sometimes they never do!
But that is what you signed up to do. The leader must always be on top of the situation, rather than trying to fit in with the people you are suppose to lead. That is where you will find water pouring from the rock, and supernatural resources in places you never dreamed they would be.
As a leader, you cannot take others where you are not willing to go yourself. For instance, how can you teach faith, if you never take risks in obedience to the Lord? How can you lead in his house, if you are failing in yours? How can you teach sowing and reapong, if you cannot point to your own harvests? You have to go first!
Leadership is like driving a bus. Some will get on and others will get off, but you keep driving. Drive when business is up, and drive when it is down. Drive when you have got excess, and you drive when you can barely make ends meet. Drive when they all like you, and drive when they want to run you out of town. In other words, drive until you can say like Paul, "I have finished my course." (2 Timothy 4:7). that is leadership.
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(Read by Max McLean. Provided by The Listener's Audio Bible.)
