How to Receive Communion

When a believer partakes of the Lord's Supper, he should do so with full understanding of its significance. Communion, to many people, has become only a religious observance. It has a much deeper meaning than that.

The communion table is an emblem of Jesus' sacrifice for us. Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the 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 (Matthew 26:26-28).

Primarily, the Church has centered its attention on the wine as an emblem of Jesus' blood that was shed for sin. We take the emblem of blood and say, "Thank God, we are delivered from sin," and that is true! Praise God for it! But the blood is only half of Communion. The bread is an emblem of Jesus' body that was broken for us. The emblem for

His body is just as important as the emblem for His blood.

According to Isaiah 53:4-5, Jesus' sacrifice covered every area of man's existence. He bore spiritual torment for our sins, mental distress for our worry, care, and fear as well as physical pain for our sickness and disease. The stripes He bore were for our healing. With His stripes we are healed. God gave everything He had to redeem mankind from the curse. For us to receive only part of His sacrifice is an insult to Him.

When we receive Communion, we are receiving His body and His blood. Every time

we partake, we should examine ourselves closely according to 1 Corinthians 11:28-29. 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. There is much more involved in receiving Communion than most Christians realize.

God instituted the Lord's Supper for a reason.

When you receive it, you should be ready to partake of everything Jesus' sacrifice provided—salvation, peace of mind, healing, total prosperity. In the past, we have missed the full meaning of Communion by not completely judging ourselves when we partake of it. We

have been ready to receive His blood and quick to judge ourselves where sin is concerned. We judge ourselves of sin and repent of it. But what about His body? It was

broken for us. It was bruised for us. The stripes laid on Jesus' back were for our healing. At Communion, we should judge ourselves where

sickness is concerned as well. Jesus purchased our healing at Calvary just as He purchased our salvation. With this in mind, we say, "Lord, it's not right that I should suffer from sickness and disease. I judge it now as being from Satan,

and I reject it. I refuse to receive it any longer. I partake of the sacrifice of Your body, and I receive the healing that You provided in Jesus'

Name."

When you partake of Communion, make a point of judging yourself to the fullest extent.

Don't just receive it halfway. Accept everything Jesus' sacrifice provided. If you don't examine yourself—if you receive Communion just as a

religious exercise—you will be eating and drinking unworthily, not discerning the Lord's body. Paul wrote, For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep (1 Corinthians 11:30).

When the first Passover was instituted, God

instructed Moses to kill a lamb, to spread its blood over the door, and then roast the lamb

and eat all of it. Any that remained was to be burned away. That sacrificial lamb was completely consumed! Jesus, as the Lamb of God, was the supreme sacrifice under the Abrahamic Covenant. When you partake of His sacrifice, do not take only part of it. Take it all! Consume it completely! When you receive mthe Lord's Supper, do so like the children of Israel. Exodus 12:11 says, And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord's passover. The children of Israel were ready to go. They ate in faith. They were ready to receive their deliverance before they ate!

No matter what you may be faced with—sin, sickness, drugs, a weight problem, worry, strife, old habits—you can be delivered through properly receiving the Lord's Supper.

The body and blood of Jesus covered every area of your existence. By discerning His body and judging yourself before Him, you can receive

your deliverance. Place yourself before God and receive Communion as the children of Israel did—ready to receive your deliverance!

You do not have to wait until you go to church to receive Communion. Receive it at home. Get up an hour earlier in the morning

every now and then. Take the time to put yourself before God over the communion table. It will be time well spent. I guarantee it!

Praise God!

Scripture Reference to Use: 1 Corinthians 11:23-24; Matthew 26:26-28; Luke 22:19-20

Proclamation Before the Breaking of the Bread:

"Father God, in the Name of Jesus, we recognize that we have a covenant with You—a covenant that was ratified by the shed blood of Jesus at Calvary.

"Because of the fact that Jesus' body was broken for us, that His blood was shed in our behalf, we acknowledge that He bore sin, sickness, disease, sorrow, grief, fear, torment, unforgiveness, strife, and lack for us. Through His substitutionary sacrifice, we have complete redemption, total deliverance from the works of Satan.

"As new creations in Christ Jesus, we realize our freedom has been bought and paid for. We are forgiven. We are redeemed. And we give thanks for it all, in Jesus' Name."

Break the Bread and Distribute It Judge and Examine Yourself in the Light of God's Word

"Father, in the Name of Jesus, we examine our own hearts, we judge ourselves according to the authority of Your Word.

"In areas where we have missed the mark (strife, unforgiveness, jealousy, envy, hatred, covetousness, fear, worry, unbelief, etc.), we take Jesus as our Advocate and High Priest.

We ask forgiveness according to the Word of God (1 John 1:9). Your Word says You are faithful and just to forgive us when we confess our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

"Therefore, we do not eat of the bread nor drink of the cup unworthily, but we rightly discern the Lord's body. We receive Communion together now as the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. We are free from the works of Satan—spirit, soul, and body." Then say this: 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.

Partake of the Bread Together

Then say this: 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 this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

Partake of the Cup Together

Now Join Hands Together and Make This Confession

"Father, we give You thanks for all You have provided for us in Christ Jesus. We confess this day we are the blessed of the Lord. This covenant we entered into at the new birth is a covenant filled with the exceeding great and

precious promises of God, and we are partakers of those promises now!

"We are healed. We are redeemed. We are delivered from the authority of darkness. We are translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son. We are the head and not the tail. We are above only and not beneath. We come behind in no good thing. All that we set our hands to prospers, and we praise You, Father, for the newness of life we now enjoy, in Jesus' Name,

Amen."

Prayer for Salvation and Baptism in the Holy Spirit

Heavenly Father, I come to You in the Name of Jesus. Your Word says, "Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Acts 2:21). I am calling on You. I pray and ask Jesus to come into my heart and be Lord over my life, according to Romans 10:9-10— "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. " I do that now. I confess that Jesus is Lord, and I believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead.

I am now reborn! I am a Christian—a child of Almighty God! I am saved! You also said in Your Word, "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: HOW MUCH MORE shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" (Luke 11:13).

I'm also asking You to fill me with the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, rise up within me as I praise God. I fully expect to speak with other tongues as You give me utterance (Acts 2:4).

Begin to praise God for filling you with the Holy Spirit. Speak those words and syllables you receive—not in your own language, but the language given to you by the Holy Spirit. You have to use your own voice. God will not force you to speak. Worship and praise Him in your heavenly language—in other tongues.

Continue with the blessing God has given you and pray in tongues each day.

You are a born-again, Spirit-filled believer. You'll never be the same!Find a good Word of God preaching church, and become a part of a church family who will love and care for you as you love and care for them.

We need to be connected to each other. It increases our strength in God. It's God's plan for us.

About the Author

For more than 32 years, Kenneth Copeland has led countless believers on a journey to maturity in the principles of faith, love, healing, prosperity, redemption and righteousness. Through the Believers Voice of Victory broadcast—one of the top five Neilsen-rated inspirational programs—and BVOV Magazine, he has brought revelation knowledge on the truths of God's Word. He has taught Christians everywhere that they can conquer the problems and challenges life brings through faith in God's Word.

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