Let us fully understand the importance of Holy Communion!
Do not take Holy Communion lightly.
Paul provides additional revelation about Holy Communion as he wrote by The Holy Spirit in 1st Corinthians chapter 11:
23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;
24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My Body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the New Covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.
27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord.
Once we take Holy Communion, we acknowledge and are answerable for the Truth that Jesus gave His body and died for our sins and shed His Blood for our redemption.
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning (recognize rightly) the Lord’s Body.
30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep (died prematurely).
This verse shows us the seriousness, sanctity, and solemnity of The Lord’s Table of Holy Communion. We can no longer claim ignorance! If we partake wrongly, it can be a cause of sickness, weakness, and even premature death.
31 But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.
Holy Communion will either promote Salvation or judgment, depending on whether we take in rightly or wrongly. We are to examine ourselves prior to the taking of Holy Communion.
If we partake in a worthy manner, THE LORD will not have to discipline us. If we fail to judge ourselves, then HE will have to discipline us. As for me, I prefer to judge myself. Even if HE has to discipline us, it is better than to be judged with the world, the ultimate disaster that we need to avoid!
Taking of Holy Communion has three aspects. First, proclamation. Second, remembrance. And third, anticipation.
When we take Holy Communion, we proclaim:
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
We are proclaiming not only to the world, but we are also proclaiming to the unseen world, both Angels, and demons! We have put the demons on notice. We are proclaiming to the whole universe; it is an act of proclamation. We are proclaiming our faith in His atoning death on our behalf as well as our full redemption by His Blood.
The second aspect is remembrance, we look back to His death. This is one of the most important Truths of The Gospel. GOD ordained that we not merely hear this Truth, but we are to hear, proclaim, and partake of this Truth often. This is done by Holy Communion.
A vital proclamation associated with Holy Communion is Baptism. It is an act that associates us with Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. There is no instance where believers bypass baptism in the New Testament. The Red Sea experience was a type and shadow of this proclamation.
The anointing of the sick with oil is another proclamation. The oil typifies The Holy Spirit throughout Scripture. When we are baptized in The Holy Spirit, we proclaim the death of the old man and the resurrection to a new man, filled with The Holy Spirit by a manifested sign. When we anoint the sick with oil, we declare that The Holy Spirit will what the Scripture says He will do: He will quicken, He will give Life, and He will restore health to the body of the sick believer.
The Holy Communion is a declaration of the Love of GOD for us. It reminds us that GOD Loves me, and HE has not forgotten me.
As Jesus spoke in John chapter 3:
16 “For God so Loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have Eternal Life.
17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him.
18 The one who believes in Him is not judged; the one who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
19 And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light; for their deeds were evil.
20 For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light, so that his deeds will not be exposed.
21 But the one who practices the Truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds will be revealed as having been performed in God.”
Properly taking Holy Communion is one way we practice and declare the Truth. By doing this, we come into the Light!