HOLY, HOLY, HOLY COMMUNION

In this hour of history, it is God’s desire that we go deep into the depths of understanding of the Communion table, the significance of Communion to our growth into the stature of Christ, and of the power resident in Communion for the warfare of the hour! For many, Communion is something that we have become very familiar with and do occasionally at church to remember Christ. It is good to remember Christ, however, God’s intention in Communion is surpassing and beyond this level of thinking and attitude.

On the path of maturity toward sonship, the expected end intentioned by God is full union with Christ. This goal is achieved through quality time spent in the Lord’s Presence, but also in the taking of Communion—feeding on Him as our sustenance.

Throughout our Five Smooth Stones Series, we have spoken much about The Altar, revealing the understanding of the significance of its place in all things pertaining to Christ. We are continuing in that vein as we go mining into the depths of understanding of Communion!

In the Old Testament, the golden Altar of incense  was located in the Holy place before the veil that separated it from the Holy of Holies—where the Ark of the Covenant and God resided. The golden Altar in the New Testament, seen in Heaven, is shown to be located seemingly directly before the throne of God the Father (Rev. 8:3). In the Old Testament, the horns on the golden Altar were to be anointed with the blood of the sin offering representing Christ the Lamb of God—the Son of God slain for the salvation of Mankind (Ex.30:10). The Altar is therefore held in very high esteem by the Father and all of Heaven.

God desires that we as the Body of Christ also hold this Altar of sacrifice in high esteem, as it represents the Body of our Lord—His Blood and His flesh sacrificed for us, and therefore His Lordship and providence over our lives. In Communion and in worshipping at the Altar, we get to partake of Him and feed on His Presence.

The Altar is deemed Holy in its representation of the Sacrificial offering of Jesus; it is a representation of the Cross where the Fire of God burns continually.  In Isaiah 6:6-7, When Isaiah saw the Throne of God he cried out, “Holy, Holy Holy.” The coal that touch Isaiah’s lips was taken from the Altar positioned before the Throne—this coal had the capacity to cleanse from sin and iniquity as only Christ could, showing that this Altar represented Christ!

“Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.” Isaiah 6:6-7  

Paul unpacks the aspect of the holiness of the Communion table in 1 Corinthian 10:16-18 when he admonishes the people for eating of the table in an unworthy manner. He differentiates between the eating of things sacrificed on the altar of idolatry from partaking of the Body of Christ.

“Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf. Consider the people of Israel:  are not those who eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?”

Participation in the sacrifices offered to a demon god is to participate in its altar. To eat of the sacrificial Communion of Christ is to participate in His Altar! The word Communion in Greek is koinonia and means participation, to partake, or (social) intercourse, or benefaction. At the altar, we actively participate in and partake of the one we are worshipping, whether it is the altar of idols or the Altar of the Lord. Paul continues in verses 21-22:

“You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons. Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy?”

God has said in scripture that He is a jealous God. It is therefore important that we esteem the communion table as Holy, as He does—as it represents His Beloved Son!

THE VEIL THAT WAS RENT

In the Old Testament, the veil in the Temple divided the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies where the Presence of God resided. If the high priest went beyond the veil with sin, they would die in the Presence. Jesus’ flesh is the Veil that was torn apart to open the door for man to be reconciled to God, invited to stand boldly before His Throne where the Altar sits.

“Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split...” Matthew 27:51

“Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh…”  Hebrews 10:19-20

We are invited to participate in the bread of His flesh—the door that opened for us into the Throne Room. As we feed on Him through partaking of Communion, we are being conformed in union with Him and are being transformed into His image.

“Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.” John 6:54-57 (By Me KJV)

The Presence of a Holy God in Communion, represented also in the Ark of the Covenant and in the New Blood Covenant is dangerous to sin. Judgment occurred when Uzzah touched the Ark and died. When the Ark of His Presence was then taken into unholy territory, plagues broke out, and people became sick and died. It is the same as taking communion and then lying in the Presence, as Ananias and Saphira did and died.  Maybe we have been lacking an understanding of Communion and are in need great revelation!

Paul again addresses the issue of Communion:   “Now, on this next matter, I wish I could commend you, but I cannot because when you meet together as a church family it is doing more harm than good!  First of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part, I believe it. For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you. Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not the Lord’s supper you eat (NIV). … So then, 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.

“Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the Body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.” 1Corinthians 11:17-21, 26-32

This is a scripture that is sometimes played down, explained away, or treated way too casually. But the words are clear: we are weakened, can become sick, and some can even die when we eat and are casual about sin. This passage emphasizes the danger of idolatry in our lives, in all its forms, while taking communion.

THE COMMUNION TABLE IS PARTAKING IN THE HIGHEST FORM OF WORSHIP!  By faith, we are feasting on Yahweh God! We Are feasting ON CREATOR GOD—THE HOLY ONE! Now we can understand why there is such a solemn warning about eating in an unworthy manner!

Are we not discerning the Lord’s Body as Holy? Have we not given the Communion table the Holy reverential awe it deserves? Are we not being discerning regarding ourselves and being slack about our walk with God? Could this be why so many in the Church are weak and sick? I am not talking about condemnation and of course, not all sickness is because of this. I am talking about the law of judgment on sin that functions irrespective of persons—but God says in the New Testament judgment begins first at the house of God!

We have not been forgiven so that we can go and continue to sin, we are forgiven so that we can SIN NO MORE! There is no cheap grace here, but there is always forgiveness available through repentance—that is the grace of God—there is forgiveness when we fall! We have been given Grace to choose God’s, Will, His Word, and His Way.

All forms of sin, error, and strange doctrines have been seeping into the Church, and God is giving loud warnings to His people as He is about to draw close to humanity. He is concerned for His people as He loves us so much! This is very serious! Hebrews 10:28 supports this.

“Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge His people.”

Cheap Grace is to insult the Spirit of Grace! Jesus was tortured on a Cross for Sin…He is grieved by sloppy Christianity! I believe God wants us to begin to view Communion in a new way for the last days!

Transformed in Communion

The word Communion also means benefaction, which means that there is a benefit conferred upon the one who partakes. So Communion is not simply a ritual of remembrance it is much more than that…something is being conferred upon the partaker and that something is Christ! As we feed, we are becoming!

When we feed on His Word, His Body, and His Blood we are being transformed into His image. As we partake of the Lord in Communion, we are becoming Him, conformed in and by the Presence that is embedded in the Communion. You are or become what you eat!

God has been giving dreams, and visions to many of his leaders such as Lou Engle and Dean Briggs, of an end-time Communion Blood Revival. They have been receiving revelations of the explosive power in Communion initiated at the Cross when Jesus was crucified. The Father’s power was released at the death of God the Son when the earth shook, the rocks were split, and the graves were opened! This explosive power resident in Communion, in the Communion Revival, will release the victory Christ won on the Cross over the enemy and remove the grave clothes from His people as they are raised in resurrection Glory to union with Him.

When intimate communion is combined with the Communion of the Lord’s body and His blood, the dunamis Fire on the Altar of Christ’s Life is released in us and through us. Our faith and worship at the altar connect us to the Altar of Communion in Heaven where we access His Power and His Fire. When we eat and drink with honor, with clean hands and pure hearts cleansed by the Blood through repentance, as Dean Briggs shared, the explosive dunamis power released at the Cross is reenacted and continues to be released.

The Lord is now Highlighting the Communion table to the Armies of God as it is where we will find, strength, power, protection, and confidence in authority.