Saturday, April 20, 2013

Jesus Christ is life


I am at an interesting point in my life. I have now read the Bible through several times. Had you asked me a few years ago if I was learning a lot of new concepts as I read the Bible I would have exclaimed that most of it was new to me. Don’t misunderstand what I am about to say by thinking that I am saying the Bible has gotten old for me.

I am at a point where I am not really learning many new concepts as I read the Bible.  For the most part when I read I am reminded of and challenged by familiar truths. As I read I am making connections that I have never made before, but generally those connections are just deepening a truth I already know.

Tonight something wonderful happened! As I was digging in the Scriptures, I learned something I did not know. The most incredible thing was that it is something so glaringly obvious. I am excited to share this great spoil.

Jesus is life.

John 14:6I am…the life
John 11:25I am…the life
John 1:4In him was life
John 5:26so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
John 6:35I am the bread of life
Colossians 3:4Christ…is our life
Acts 3:15the Prince of life

Knowing that Jesus is life Himself has already brought wonderful light to two familiar passages. It has radically changed my concept of what eternal life is. Eternal life is not some substance or material that God delivers to us, but rather to have Christ is to have eternal life because He is life! Then, once I am in Christ, Christ is in me, and He who is life is my life and lives in me.

1 John 5:12
He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

Galatians 2:20
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Lord's Supper

I'm thankful that there is liberty in this subject because much of it is preference and each church is autonomous; if you belong to a church that does things differently, please don't allow what I am about to say to cause problems. Here are some particulars I have about the Lord's Supper.


It should always be administered in the setting of the local church.
Only believers walking with God should participate (one way to make sure while not policing is only invite members of the church and have it on an off night when you don't normally have service).
The Bible never says that wine is one of the elements.
Jesus did it with His disciples the week of the Jewish Passover, so one way of doing it is once a year on the Tuesday night before Jesus was crucified and resurrected.
Since the Supper was instituted during the Jewish feasts of Unleavened Bread and Passover, the bread they used was unleavened; we too use unleavened bread which may better commemorate the sinless body of Christ.
It is the Lord's Supper, not breakfast, so we do it in the evening.
Jesus said to do it in memory of Him so it is vital to meditate on the blood He shed and His body that was broken for us when He sacrificed Himself on the cross.
It should be a somber moment of self-examination.
No Christian should ever be surprised that he is partaking of the Lord's Supper.
Lord's Supper is as important as baptism; if a Christian chooses to not participate in the Lord's Supper then there is a serious problem in their life, and church discipline may be in order. Choosing not to partake should be dealt with as a serious thing.
As with all things we do in our walk with God, the Lord's Supper should never become just some ritual.