''And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, Take eat; this is my body. And he took the cup and gave thanks and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins: But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom. And when they had sung a hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.'' (Matt 26:26-30)

''For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat of this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till he come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s Body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.'' (1st Cor 11:23-30)

The conduct and manner we uphold in the taking of the ''Lord’s Supper'' (communion) is a most serious matter. Yet, for many, the emphasis place on communion is very light as there are some who view it as some sort of ''religious ritual'' that is to be done a few times a year or "mechanically’ once a week, rather than in honor and thankfulness of heart to our Lord. Many participate in this most Holy service with a GREAT LACK of ''spiritual wisdom'' and understanding as to what they are truly doing. The Lord’s supper, or more comely known to the church today as ''Communion'', is not a mere matter of simply eating a wafer and sipping upon a cup of juice, but it is a matter of declaring the Lord’s death, burial and resurrection, and of honoring and remember what the Bread and Cup represents.

The blood of unblemished bulls and goats were no longer acceptable to the Lord God, thus he chose a more excellent plan. One that wouldn’t have to be. In the book of 1st Cor, 11th chapter, there is given strict warning to those who partake of the ''Lord’s Supper'' in an unworthy manner as it declares that those who do so, are guilty of the body and blood of the Lord Jesus. The word goes on to say that because of this many are weak, sick and many have even died. Many participate in ''Communion'' with the belief and expectation that they will receive great blessings from the Lord in return while others race up to the altar as a part of a regular ''routine'' of the service. These motives are all wrong and only indicates a lack of discernment as to the TRUE meaning behind the ''Bread'' and the ''Cup''.

We must first understand that to participate in the ''breaking of the bread'' and the ''drinking from the cup'' is not our time to seek what we can receive of the Lord, but a time we should be seeking to GIVE to the Lord. It is a time to honor Him and acknowledge his shed blood and broken body, and for all that he did that we may have LIFE. Yes there is healing and forgiveness in the body and the blood, but how can one receive without first acknowledging the Lord?  When we look at the ''bread'', we see his body. When we ''break the bread'', we are reminded of HIS body which was broken and bruised that ours may be healed. Yet many are still weak, sick and have died, because they don’t ''spiritually'' see nor acknowledge HIM in the breaking and eating of the bread. The same with the cup. When we view the cup and drink of the contents, we are reminded of his blood that was shed for the remission our sins. Yet, many walk away from partaking of the ''Lord’s Supper'' still bound in sin, and still possessing an unrepentant heart, because they’ve not ''spiritually'' seen, nor have acknowledge HIM in the drinking of the cup. It has become to many just a ritual and part of the ''service.'' The word of God clearly states that as often as we eat of the bread and drink of the cup, we are to do this in remembrance of Him. Yet, how many partake of the bread and cup and thoughts are elsewhere? How many truly understand that the bread represents his body and the drink represents his blood? Many KNOW this from the knowledge of the mind, but how many RECEIVE this with the understanding of the Spirit?

The Lord himself says in the book of John: ''Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, eve he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your father did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live forever.'' When we ''eat if His Flesh'' we are in essence receiving and digesting the WORD, since Jesus was the WORD made flesh according to the Gospel of John chapter 1, vs. 14. And IN THIS WORD IS LIFE , but in order to receive this LIFE we must first ACKNOWLEDGE the GIVER OF LIFE.

It should also be understood that the breaking of bread and the drinking of the cup doesn’t necessarily have to be done ONLY when believers come together for fellowship in a ''church'' setting, but can and SHOULD be done individually as well. In my opinion, the partaking of the ''Lord’s Supper'' should be done DAILY by EVERY professing believer as an honor to Him. His shed blood and broken body should be remembered and acknowledge every day of our lives and not just specific times of the year. Before we partake of the Lord’s supper, we should always examine ourselves having a clear, spiritual understanding of the meaning behind the ''Bread'' and the ''Cup.'' Keeping in mind ALWAYS the words of the Lord, 'As often as you eat of this bread and drink of this cup, ''DO THIS IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME.'' ''

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