Origins of the Body and Blood
Jesus, God’s mind and will came to earth to restore eternal life to mankind. Adam had lost the presence of God’s Holy Spirit and that loss continued with Adams children even today. Those who do not have the body and blood of Jesus remain dead.Except those who receive the body and blood are given the ability to have eternal life in,by and through Jesus. This process of acquiring and living in eternal life is called Holy Communion.
starts with Jesus
When Jesus was on earth, at the last supper, he was there in the flesh, and took bread and said ” this is my body, and it became his body. Jesus could make that change happen because Jesus is the will of almighty God. Besides Jesus had demonstrated his ability to change ordinary things onto the extraorfinary. Similarly, Jesus demonstrated his ability to multiply food from a little of ordinary food and feed five thousand men in one day. Hence Jesus definately has the power to do what is necessary so that his body and blood can be given to many throughout the world, in a single day as Holy Communion.
Likewise, at the last supper Jesus took the cup of wine and said this is my blood, and it became his blood. and they received what is called today Holy Communion.Thus, the practice of receivong Christ’s body and blood began with Jesus at the last supper. And this Divine gift from God did not end there.
Power given to the apostles
Next, for our benefit, Jesus gave the disciples, the power to do the same. When he said ” do this often”. Hence, because of the importance of God’s gift for our eternal life, that power and authority was perpetuated from generation to generation as the Apostles imposed hands on ordination of a new generation. Ordination gives an abundance of God’s Holy Spirit and endows the ordained with the same power and authority as was given to the Apostles. As a result that power and authority now resides in a select few.
,Holy Communion, The body and blood, a gift from God
Thus, we believe in the reality if Jesus in heaven. The almighty one, Jesus, wants his disciples to have eternal life. Jesus, provided a way for present day disciples, to receive God’s of Holy Communion, so that the spirit of each individual disciple can be fed with real spiritual food and drink.
The real thing
Real spiritual food often received keeps the disciple connected to Jesus. Otherwise, the disciple starves to death spiritually. Unfortunately those who do not believe have chosen to self separate from intimate union with Jesus, As a result, unbelievers will be self condemned by their lack of belief and isolation from Jesus that unbelief brings.
Christ’s body and blood is a true good gift from God. The reality of this gift is priceless as it is the only way to have eyernal life. Anything else only leads to continued separation from God.
The deception of evil practices
Communion, and Holy Communion is not some abstract religious term, but an expression of the reality of our intimate union with Jesus. As a rule, the word communion means to be united with. Thus, communion is a term which expresses a realtionship between a believer and something else. What the believer is united with depends on the faith and understandin of the believer.
Some who call themselves Christians. Do not believe in HOLY Communion. They are taught that in order to be united with Jesus, all a disciple must do is give their heart to Jesus. Such sounds good but is totally wrong. Here is a point that needs to be understood. Form the very beginning satan deceived mankind by telling some truth but not the whole truth.
The whole truth
The partial truth is that it is possible and desirable for a disciple to voluntarily give their heart to Jesus. A person can invite all they want but nothing will happen. No where in scripture does it say that Jesus will come and enter your being as a response to being invited in. It just will not happen.
There is a better and more effective way to intimately unite with Jesus. A way that Jesus said would happen which is not based on the hopes of men but on the words of Jesus. That eay is by Holy Communion, the receiving of Christ’s body and blood.
God’s Desires
In addition Jesus wants the whole being, the heart, mind, soul, and strength of the person to love God. The heart alone, fails God’s standards of performance. If that is not bad enough, Jesus never said that God wants only the heart.
The a greater whole truth that evil does not want mankind to know. Jesus said that a person must eat his body and drink his blood. As a resuly, then and only then, does Jesus enter into person. Likewise, Jesus taught that when a person reciebes the body and blood of Jesus, that person is then part of the body of Jesus. Accordingly, being inside Jesus a much better state than saying that you heart belongs to Jesus.
Early history
of the body and blood of Jesus as Holy Communion.
From the first century onward, the body and blood of Jesus was celebrated at the divine ” wedding” feast. The early christians received christ’s body and blood regularly at their love feasts. As a result of Jesus commanding to do this often, they celebrated Christ’s body and blood as Holy Communion whenever they met.
The command of Jesus
The words of Jesus are a most important guide as to the practice of receiving Holy Communion, the body and blood of Jesus. Christ commanded that unless a person eats his body AND drinks his blood they do not have life in them. In other words, to have life in you, you must eat Christ’s body AND drink Christ’s blood.
Christ’s words are most important in three aspects. First, Jesus used the word eats my body. Thus implying tbat his body must be consumed regularly and frequently. Second, there is the word AND between the body and the blood. Meaning that both parts are joined together and must be received together or no life giving benefit happens. And thirdly, Jesus said that unless you eat and drink you do not have life in you. Thus, it is that both eating and drinking the real thing, gives you life. The life giving Body and Blood of Jesus, as Holy Communion brings with it intomate union with Jesus.
First Century Practice
Thus, it was perfectly clear to the first century disciples, that it was necessary to actually eat Christ’s body and drink Christ’s blood. There belief was so rock solid, that no substitutions were allowed and no equivocation permitted.
An often overlooked fact.
Now, here is an important fact that many who dusmiss the reality of Christ’s body and blood often overlook. A the last supper, Jesus, the all powerful God, was there in the flesh, before his trial and crucifixion. Then Jesus took the un-levened Passover bread, and said ” this is my body” and the bread became his body. And likewise Jesus took the cup of passover wine and said ” this is my blood” and the cup of wine became Christ’s blood.
Thus, Christ gave his body and blood before his death on the cross. Above all, Jesus said that his blood will be shed for many for the forgiveness of sin. And no where is scripture does it say that what Christ did this as once and done thing. Most impotrantly, Jesus said that it would be shed for many.
Body and blood before christ’s death
Thus it can be seen that the Cross and Christ blood sacrifice plays no part in the Holy Communion.
Then Jesus commanded his disciples to do this and remember Jesus. Hence forth we do what Jesus commanded. We take the bread and it becomes Christ’s body. We also take the cup of wine and it becomes Christ’s blood. Now, today Jesus is in heaven as spirit, with God the Father who is also spirit.
The fundamental truth
It is a fundemtal truth that jesus can multiple his body and blood and give it to his disciples as food and drink without being recrucified. For at the first love feast Christ was not crucified, As he have his disciples his body and blood, as he stood befire them in the flesh
The power to do the same
Afterwird, Jesus gave his disciples the power to do what he had just done at the last supper. And the disciples passed that power and authority on to countless generations of priests/ministers. Accordingly That power and authority remains in full force and validity even today.
Above all, we today do as Christ do and commanded us to do. Thus, the people are able to reveive the real body and blood of Jesus, and have an intimate encounter with God in Holy Communion.
The beginnings of deception
Things continued reasonably well untill the rise of monasticism. However, monasticism introduced a concept that harsh treatment of body was necessary to be spiritual and saintly. The simplicity of God’s grace was tossed aside and spirituality, through works of self denial and hard living was pushed. Those who practiced monastic living deemed themselves superior to those who accepted God’s grace. Works of piety replace the indwelling Holy Spirit. The presence of Jesus was replaced by “being free from the world”. They cloistered and kept the temptations if the world at a distance. Although Jesus said go out into the world and make converts.
Man’s way is incorrect.
Overtime, the people who liked the monastic life, dominated the church organization and believed that monks, nuns, and priests were saintly than ordinary believers. And this single fact has a lot to do with how the body and blood of Jesus is treated gorm then on. Over time, the error of monasticism functionally divided the body of Christ into two parts, one called religious and the other called laity.
The point of change.
Some time prior to the 14 or 15th century. Clositerd people slowly drifted away from the traditions and teachings of Jesus and began to follow their own thoughts and logical beliefs. Monasticism took hold and began to choak out the Holy Spirit of God.
The wrong path
The monastics ny living a harsh life tried to proive their holiness and fidelity to God. Grace was no longer grace. Hence, the monastic way of life became the desired way of “earning” sainthood. The value of Christ’s body and blood was diminished onfavor of constant prayer and meditation. Various rituals of prayer were invented and the risary was birthed. They assumed that various monastic practices produced holiness. And as a resuly the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit was brushed aside.
Growth of celebacy.Fall of the body and blood of Jesus
Monastic living almost mandates celebacy. This gave rise to an army of “religious” monks, nuns, and priests who saught sainthood through their life style. The unity of the body of Christ was assumed to be divided into two parts, one laity and the other religious. Those who chose the religious life were self considered to be saintly.
Error is a wrong assumption
Beyond that assumption, is the fact that the first command given to Adam and Eve, was to be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth. Celebacy wouks to undermine God’s desire and will, as the earth is not yet full. Celebacy is a most selfish decision. To do it God’s way, takes a lot of love to have choldren, raise and instruct children, and see that they live long and righteous lives.
Ritual replaced reality
In a similar way. Monastic living is based on praying the same prayers over and over. Such is contrary to the teachings of Christ. For Jesus said” do not multiply words like the heathen do, but pray simply like this” and the Our Father was spoken. Jesus ended his teaching at the last words of this prayer and said mo more on the subject.
The Decreed Trent.
If the errors of monasticism were not bad enough, the “religious” of that day held a counsel at Trent. This counsel officially decreed based on there own wisdom, authority, and teachings, that Christ is 100% contained in the bread of communion. This gave rise to the practic of giving the bread alone to the laity, and keeping wine and bread for the religious.
Commanding error
Withholding if the blood from the people, the laity, is a most arrogant act based on the self pride of monasticism. This single decision continues even today in some churches. And more over, condemns many to Hell, because they do not have lufe in them. Those who do not understand scripture, and do not practice what scripture demands are lost. As Jesus specifically taught that unless a person eat Christ’s body AND drink his blood, they fo not have life.
No life without both
This fact has great significance for today. For, it is the union of body and blood together that gives life. Seprrated from each other they become ineffective. For a body must have also blood to be truly alive. Jesus knew this and that is why AND describes tge union of body and blood.
The dry mass
In the middle ages,the concept of the religious being better and more saintly that the laity ultimately gave rise to the horribly corrupt practice of the dry mass(liturgy). This is a worship service on which the body and blood of Jesus was not offered or received by the laity. Such is the practice in many denominations and churches even today. Some have a “world communion sunday” or a single good friday feast. None of these fulfill Christ’s command of often.
The depths of darkness
Even worse some only feed the people the hot air of preaching. Such out of spiritual arrogance force the people on a spiritual starvation diet. And these out if unbelief refuse to come close to God, and receive real spiritual food and drink of Holy Communion regularly. For the most part, it is the real body and blood if Jesus which gives life.
In addition to, those who can not see Jesus, or recognize the body of Christ, are like blind guides which lead the blind into deeper pits of darkness. It is sad that so many refuse to see, what all should see.
A light for all to see
Jesus taught that he would be raised up for the healing of the nations. And we take the body and blood of jesus, raise it up and say ” this is Jesus”. This is how all can look upon Jesus and be made whole.
We got the power
Jesus gave us the power and authority to receive the real body and blood of Jesus and deliver it to the faithful. Hence there is great joy and gladness every time we celebrate the presence of Jesus. There is strength and grace on doing things right according to the commands of Jesus. In summary. The real body and bloid of Jesus separates our first century faith from other branches of christianity.
Body and blood, The results of our faith
Jesus gives his body and blood to us for a very specific and necessary reason. This reason is something that evil does not want people to understand. Jesus taught that by receiving the real body and blood, Jesus is in us and we are in Jesus. The body and blood of Jesus is not as simple of a concep as it may seem,
In addition, being in Jesus explains how a disciple can get into heaven un harmed.
Passing throught the fire
The flaming sword of Adam’s judgement which seperates people form God has never been extinguished. Thus scripture teaches tgat all must pass through the fire. And the things which do not merit heaven will be burnt up. But thise who are in Jesus will pass through unharmed.
Also the angels which guard the way to God have never been told to stand down.
Gift from heaven
Here us a most important concept. Jesus who came from heaven can go back and forth to heaven. Jesus can pass through the wall of fire with out being hurt and can pass by the angels who guard access to God. Jesus can do what humans can not do on their own.
This leads to to a fact that evil wants to keep from people. There is only one way for a human to get past the fire and nit be stopped by the angels who guard thevway to God. And that way is to be IN JESUS.
The fire proof covering
Jesus is our “fire proof suit”, and the way to God. Christ is the door by which is opened to us if we are in Jesus. We are in Jesus only through Holy Communion. being in Jesus makes salvation easey. Truly Holy Communion is the union with the Holy one Jesus. AMEN