1 Corinthians 11:23-34
Introduction
Before an NBA game, the team and staff always have a pregame meal. They usually have a feast and the team sits, eats, and fellowships. This pregame meal provides the nutritional value they need in order to wage war on the court against their opponents. When you come to the communion table on Sunday and eat the bread and drink the cup, it gives you the power you need to fight your spiritual opponent. Communion is designed to help you enter the world differently because you enter it with the power from on high.
Many people are not getting the full benefit of following Christ. We are skipping our spiritual meals and missing out on valuable nutrients. We have missed not connecting with the next level of the covenant. We are not coming under His rule and connecting with the spiritual realm, thus missing out on the power of God in our lives.
Most of us are singularly focused on baptism, forgetting that communion is the continuation of baptism. Baptism says I want to follow Christ. Communion is renewing that commitment on a regular basis. When you understand the principle of communion, you know that communion connects you with the person of Christ, the cross of Christ, and the communication of Christ. When you connect with His person, you remember what the cross has accomplished. Then, you are able to proclaim victory in your life and power over sin and Satan because of the cross.
Understanding the principle of communion unlocks the purpose of communion, which provides special connection, special access, and special authority to the spiritual realm. Access to the spiritual realm affords you the spiritual, physical, and relational wellbeing you need to “power up” and be renewed for battle. The more you have communion, the more you take advantage of this extraordinary opportunity to connect and follow Christ, therefore receiving all of the powerful benefits.
Getting Started
- What do you do regularly to recharge yourself spiritually, mentally, and physically?
- Have you ever considered communion as a spiritual recharge? If not, what do you think of communion in light of this message?
Let’s Get Personal
- What comes to mind when you reflect on the person of Christ and what He did on the cross?
- Have you ever experienced special access, authority, or connection when coming under the rule of God through communion? What did that feel like? What scriptures affirmed your renewal in the spirit through communion?
- What is keeping you from the power of the cross? What can the power of communion do to restore your relational connections?
Take the Next Step
- In what ways can you approach communion with a renewed mindset on its importance?
- How can you incorporate communion into your consistent practice if you are not currently receiving the sacrament at church?
- In what ways can you incorporate communal fellowship in your life to remember Christ’s sacrifice?
- Want to go deeper? Take time to look at the following passages: Colossians 2:13-15; I Corinthians 10:16-21; Romans 6:1-11; Colossians 3:13; Luke 22:14-20; John 6:51-58; I Corinthians 5:7
Renew Your Mind
“So Jesus said to them, “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 6:53
