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2BC BIBLE STUDY NOTES

Minister Tesfaye Tamrie, Superintendent     Doctrine Class     July 24, 2013

Sunday School Motto: “We Owe God Excellence in Expository Teaching, Leadership, and Discipleship!”

Presentation On Communion July 24, 2013

  1. Dictionary Definitions:

    1. Commune – (a) to converse or confer intimately; (b) to partake of the Eucharist.

    2. Commune – (a) any community organized for local interests and self-government; also, its people; (b) the smallest political division governed by a mayor and his council; (c) the people or government of such district.

    3. Communion – (a) having or sharing in common; mutual participation; (b) a mutual sharing of thoughts, feelings, etc; sympathetic intercourse; (c) religious fellowship, as between members of a church or between autonomous churches; (d) a body of Christians having a common faith and discipline; (e) the Eucharist.

    4. Converse – (a) to speak together informally; engage in conversation; (b) to associate; commune; (d) social interchange of thoughts; fellowship.

    5. confer – (a) to grant as a gift or benefit; bestow; (b) to hold a conference; consult together; take counsel [syn. Consult, Give]

  2. Old Testament

    1. Genesis 12:1-3; 7-9; 13:14-18; 15:21; 17:1-19; 18:1-33

    2. Exodus 16:1-22; 17:1-7; 19:1-25; 20:1-26; 24:1-18; 25:1-40; and chapters 26 -34

  3. New Testament: The Four Gospels

    4. In the Four Gospels, the Bible abundantly reveals to us that Jesus constantly, consistently, and intimately communed with His disciples. The Lord “conversed” with His disciples about the kingdom of God: the Lord “engaged in conversation,” “interchanged His thoughts,” and “fellowshipped” with them intimately about the kingdom of God! He disclosed the most marvelous truth, revealed the most sacred thoughts, and communicated the ultimate divine wisdom concerning God’s will for His creation! And our God revealed the ultimate magnificent truth, eternally powerful Revelation in His Son, and the Way to eternal Salvation by faith in Christ Jesus! And His Son demonstrated His Father’s Truth by walking, talking, eating, working, sleeping, sharing and living with us, mere human beings! God demonstrated His Truth in the flesh! Not only He communed, conversed, and conferred with His disciples, but He also communed with the common people (Luke 10:38-41), sinners (Luke 19:1-10), and those who were cast out, marginalized, and condemned by society! (Luke 9:10-17). Beyond that, He demonstrated His Love, Compassion, and Power on the Cross to liberate us from all that binds us to slavery and eternal death! Jesus communed with people and especially with His Disciples in the most profound and intimate ways!

    I could give you several sections/chapters from the Four Gospels as to how Jesus communed with His disciples in very intimate ways as He trained them, ate with them, taught them, fellowshipped with them, and showed them what it means to follow Him, instructed them why they should follow Him, and taught them how to teach others to follow His commands. Let us now examine a few scriptures from the Four Gospels which highlight to us how Communion with God is expressed in Scripture in a much deeper, broader, extensive, and intimate ways!

    Communion With the Twelve Disciples

    1. Matthew 10:1-42: in this text, our Lord “called his twelve apostles and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness” (v. 1). Jesus having communed with His chosen disciples for a period of time, after He had trained them, demonstrated His Power to heal the blind, the lepers, etc, and His Power to cast out demons, etc, to them, He conferred the same authority to them! The Lord granted them the same authority to do what He does! That is a tremendous level of trust and delegation of power! Such level of trust comes after communing with the Master for a period of time! And then, the Master, among many other things, He gave them detailed instructions how, where, and when to use the delegated authority and for what purposes in verses 5 to 42.

    2. Matthew 17:1-13: Peter, James, and John the brother of James experienced heaven itself in this communion with Christ! Hallelujah! Those three disciples of Christ saw what nobody else saw on that mountain! They saw our Lord Jesus Christ being transfigured right before their eyes! They saw Him translated into His heavenly form and communing with Moses and Elijah! “His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.” And the three disciples heard the voice of God from in the midst of the cloud that enveloped them saying, “This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him!” And Peter, instead of just observing, absorbing, receiving, and communing quietly in the heavenly miraculous vision unfolding right before his eyes, he began to run his mouth as if he knows what needs to be said at a rare moment like that! While we are communing with the Lord, we shouldn’t open our mouth like Peter did! Instead, we are commanded to listen to the Lord!

    3. Matthew 26:20-30; Mark 14:12-26; Luke 22:7-20 – The Last Meal and Communion Before the Cross: Jesus shared the last meal with His Disciples on that day. It was one of the most intimate meals He shared just before His Crucifixion! It was their last meal shared in the most sacred and a very intimate circumstance! The Lord gave a command that His disciples share a special meal to commemorate His Communion with us in light of the institution of the New Covenant of Blood! He commanded them to continue the Communion, in this case the symbolically “breaking the bread and drinking the wine” together in remembrance of what the Lord did on the Cross on our behalf – the sacrificial death on the Cross for the Salvation of sinners by faith! We partake in the Communion (sharing the elements) as a sacred commemoration of what the Lord did on the Cross which was passed on to us. As we take the Communion as a congregation, we are really communing with God through the Holy Spirit as we obey the Lord’s command! We affirm our communion with Him until He comes back! We pass the sacred tradition of communing with God as we partake in “the breaking and eating the bread and drinking the wine together – a symbolic representation of the His Body which was crucified on our behalf and His Blood which was poured out for us, for the forgiveness of sin! The Lord said His Death on the Cross on our Behalf is the New Covenant of Blood for the Salvation of sinners who would believe in Him!

    4. John 21: 1-19: Communion with Jesus after His Resurrection! In this text we see Jesus seeking out His Disciples and communing with them in so many intimate and profound ways!

      1. First of all, Jesus didn’t desert His disciples! He didn’t abandon them! He came back looking for them! And then He called out to them!

      2. Second, He showed them “how to find fish!” Without Him, they were helpless! They went back to fishing, but without Him, it was fishing all night without catching any fish! Their labor was in vain! In the morning, they didn’t even have breakfast after spending all night in the sea!

      3. Third, Jesus shows that He is the Compassionate Provider! He not only provided plenty of fish when they followed His direction given from the shore, but He had breakfast cooked and waiting for them early in the morning! Again, they shared a meal! This breakfast is very special: it was the first meal they shared after He was Resurrected! Can you imagine the excitement! The last time they saw Him was hanging from the Cross! Now, here He is alive and eating with them!

      4. Fourth, Our Lord Jesus Christ continued where He left off! He continued to teach His disciples!

            Our understanding of Communion has been very limited to the Communion we normally take once-a-month as a congregation. As the above scriptures make it clear, communion with God is much broader, deeper, and intimate as we continue to walk with the Lord as His disciples through out our lives! If we go before the Lord with a pure heart, with a reverent spirit, and walk with Christ “holy and blameless,” then, every time we pray, praise Him, worship Him, serve Him with integrity, and do good, we are communing with God!

      • We commune with God as we pray!

      • We commune with the Lord as we take time to praise Him, worship Him, and acknowledge Him privately and in public!

      • We commune with God as we study His Word!

      • We commune with God as we meet every 2nd and 4th Thursday for our Doctrine Class and fellowship together and study His Word!

      • We commune with God, our Savior, and the Holy Spirit as we pray, worship, testify, listen to His Word, serve in His Church and advance His Kingdom!

      • We commune with our Lord Jesus Christ as we live our lives “holy and blameless” in this world – among our family and friends, neighbors, coworkers, and in the community as long as we represent Him well in our behavior and good deeds!

            Communing with God is not limited to once-a-month congregational partaking of the Eucharist in obedience to His Word (Matt. 26:20-30; Luke 22:7-20)!

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