When I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you ….. —Exodus 12:13
Thank God for the blood! When the death angel saw the blood applied to the door posts of the Israelites in Egypt, he passed over. When we stand before the judgment seat of God, and He sees the blood of His son, we are also saved from eternal death.
There is power in the blood of Jesus to save from the deepest pit of sin. When a person is addicted to the power of the flesh and it seems there is no possible way for him to live holy, do not forget that the blood of Jesus can make the vilest sinner clean. Although Jesus died almost 2000 years ago, the blood has lost none of its power.
This quarter, we conclude our study of the ordinances with the subject of the Lord’s supper. In the Old Testament, animals were sacrificed for the atonement of sin. “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4). Christ offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice and through the shedding of His blood there is power to live free from sin. I remember many a time being moved to tears while sitting in a communion service as I reflected upon the great sacrifice of Jesus. His love is great and He paid the ultimate price for our salvation.
Our world puts much emphasis on Christmas and many celebrate the birth of Christ during that season. It is noteworthy that Christ was not born in December nor did He instruct us to celebrate His birth. Jesus did instruct His people to remember His death through the observance of the Lord’s supper. While there is no set time of year that the Bible prescribes, there is something special about local congregations having communion around the week of Resurrection Sunday.
The traditions and symbolisms are important in the observance of the Lord’s supper. I know many people do not like to share the cup of communion and would rather have an individual cup from which to drink. I have never known someone to get sick because of drinking from a common cup during communion. I have drunk with groups of people where many diseases were prevalent and I did not suffer because of it.
Juice from grapes was used in the Bible during the Lord’s supper. While that is best in symbolism, I have been in places where no grapes were available. Rather than not have the ceremony, we used various liquids. In one place we mixed a dark colored soda with a local juice. I believe God honored that observance.
It is a wonderful blessing to partake and share in the suffering of our Lord. “Lord, we fellowship thy passion….”
Michael W. Smith
April 2015
