Proclaiming the Lord's Death
The death of Jesus Christ was and is the greatest act of love in the history of creation. There is nothing anyone could ever do that would come close to His love expressed by the sacrifice of Himself for our sins. He was totally innocent. We were totally guilty. Yet, He freely gave Himself for all people, so we might have life, abundant and eternal. That is something that needs to be shared well in all the earth for all to hear and understand. That is precisely why Jesus had the Passover meal with His disciples before His death. At the end of the meal, Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper. He gave them bread to eat and wine to drink to be a symbol of His body and blood that would be given to establish the New Covenant in His blood. He explained it well. (I Corinthians 11:26) Jesus instructed them and us to have the Lord's Supper as a way of proclaiming His death until He comes back to the earth again. That is what has been done for 2,000 years, and it will continue until we see Jesus coming back to reign. We need to remember this and proclaim the death and resurrection of Jesus well.
The Lord's Supper is a tangible way of remembering the death of Jesus. We actually hold the bread, which represents His broken body given for us. We drink the juice, and we know it symbolizes His perfect blood shed as the payment for our sins. We remember His death solemnly as we partake, making sure we have confessed our sins, and we are right with Him. That way, we are clean to take the Lord's Supper, and we are prepared for Him to return at any moment. When unbelievers are with us, they do not eat and drink, but they see the gospel being acted out. They hear the message of salvation by the blood of Jesus. It makes an impression on their heart, so they can put their trust in the One who loves them most. They are also reminded that Jesus is alive and one day will return, so they need to trust Him before it is eternally too late to make that decision. I pray we will all cherish our times to receive the Lord's Supper and use it to proclaim His death until He comes.
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Tomorrow, I intend to read I Corinthians 12-14.