WEBVTT

NOTE
Podcast: Acts 29 Vancouver
Episode: The Table
Publishing Date: 2019-03-10T06:00:44-07:00
Podcast URL: https://acts29.ca
Episode URL: https://acts29.ca/the-table/

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This whole idea of communion or breaking bread or the Lord's Supper or the table, there are

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different terms used for it.

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I just want to talk about that.

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And we find it in Acts chapter 2, verse 42, where it talks about four things that the

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early church practiced.

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The four things that the early church practiced were the apostles' teaching, as in the teaching.

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Then they practiced fellowship, as in the ability to one another, to care for one another.

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Then they practiced prayers, different kinds of prayers.

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And then they practiced the breaking of bread.

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And so I want to talk about the breaking of bread.

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And the strange thing was that the church rapidly expanded when people practiced these

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four things.

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It was practiced in a very simple setting, and the church rapidly expanded.

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What was the simple setting that this was practiced in?

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It was practiced around an evening meal.

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I wish we could take church back to evening where we could have a meal.

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It was always a simple setting in which the church expanded.

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The more complicated it gets, the more difficult it is to move.

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People meeting of believers around an evening meal, celebrating their new life, inviting

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friends, inviting co-workers, inviting relatives.

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That's how it started.

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And then it got really complicated because from every day that they used to meet, and

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when they say every day, it doesn't mean that they met every day.

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It meant they could meet any time, and they would sit around a meal, and then they would

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go about practicing the thing of prayers, apostolic preaching, fellowship, breaking

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of bread.

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And then at some point after Nero and other Roman emperors began to persecute Christianity,

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and because of the persecution, the people were dispersed to different corners of the

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Roman Empire, it went from an evening meal to the first day of the week.

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And you read that in Acts 20, verse 7 to 11, it talks about how they began to meet

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the first day of the week because they were now scattered.

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They were no longer in Jerusalem.

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That Jewish enclave where it was normal to practice these things.

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Now they were spread to the four corners of the Roman Empire, and so they would meet on

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the first day of the week.

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And whenever communion or breaking of bread or whatever you want to call it was practiced,

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it was always part of a festive meal.

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They used to call it the love feast, as in they would have this table set with food on

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it, it would be a festive meal.

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And during the meal either sometimes before the meal they would break bread, and then

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after the meal they would have the cup.

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That's how it started.

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Every time bread was broken and the cup was taken part of, it was in a festive meal.

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Then at some point it became like a separate section.

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The meal would be the meal, and then it became a separate section.

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And then in the fourth century the strangest thing happened.

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Once Constantine became king, he banned or prohibited meals from being part of the fungal.

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He said you cannot have meals anymore.

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You want to do this communion thing, do it separately, it cannot be part of the meal.

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Till then it was called the Lord's table, the Lord's supper, communion, whatever you

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want to call it.

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It was only in the fourth century that the meal was prohibited, saying you cannot have

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it as part of the meal.

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And then it became a ritual.

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And it became a ritual that was only conducted by the priest.

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So it moved from a community event to a priestly ritual, participated by the congregation at

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a distance in a very somber setting which had to be glum and which contained in it awe

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and dread.

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Because by then John Calvin had introduced this thought that when you come to partake

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of this meal, you have to begin to examine yourself before you've partaken it.

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And with that came awe and dread.

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There was an awe as in, oh shuck, this has to be approached carefully.

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There was a dread as in, oh shuck, we better not partake in this meal because what if we

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have sinned.

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And you can see the slow dismantling of what God had intended.

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What a shame, eh?

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But we have the privilege of recapturing the essence because of what the Word of God says

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and because of the history that has now been written and because we are small enough and

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dumb enough to practice it.

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You have to be simple to practice it.

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Why was the meal so important to the core identity of the early church?

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Why was this meal?

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When I say meal, when we use the word meal, it comes up with this tray on which someone

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serves some sloppy mashed potatoes and maybe some turkey meat.

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But when I talk about the meal, I'm talking about the whole idea of it being a table set

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where we partake of the bread and the cup.

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So when I say meal, that's what I mean.

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What was, why was the meal so important to the core identity of the early church?

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The meal visualized the church as a family gathered around a table which takes us back

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to the simplicity of church in those days.

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And at the, we can, we must never forget that the social structure or DNA of the church

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is that of a household.

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We cannot forget this.

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We didn't come up with this.

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Christ instituted it.

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Doesn't matter how modern we get, how busy we get, how desperately our kids must sleep

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at 7 p.m. otherwise they'll turn out to be murderers.

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This is not true.

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The things we've come up with that make us a certain way and that prevent us from living

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a certain other.

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I was listening to what Jane was singing and one of the things she was singing is,

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Oh God, it is not enough that we know you.

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It is, it is important that we see things the way you see them.

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One of the things Jesus saw about the church right off the bat was the church must be or

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must have the social structure or DNA of a household or of family.

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That is why then Paul goes on to say, treat older women as mothers, treat younger women

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as sisters, treat older men as elder brothers, treat younger men as younger brothers, treat

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older men as fathers, respect the older ones, let there be elders, deacons, pastors,

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deal with it this way, deal with servants this way, deal with pastors this way.

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He had this entire section devoted to how does a household function and in those days

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that was how it functioned.

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So the social structure or DNA of the church is that of a household.

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So that was one reason the meal was so important because the meal visualized the church as a

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family of God.

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If you go to 1st Timothy 3.15, it actually says that the church is a household,

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that the church is a household.

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Secondly, when you gather around a meal, it brought a natural friendship between people.

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It's very hard to sit next to someone for three hours and not talk to them while you're eating.

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Very difficult.

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This isn't new, it's been going on in every culture for ages.

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Very difficult to sit with.

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So the second reason it was so important to the core identity of the early church was

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because it brought a natural friendship into the shape of the meeting.

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Because right now we can sit where we are and not have to worry about anybody else on your right or

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left other than the ones in your pew.

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The third reason was every time they partook of the bread and the cup, they were proclaiming the

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death of Christ.

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So the idea of the bread and the cup allowed them to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ

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at the heart of every meeting.

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At the heart of every meeting, there was this sacrament that they partook in, which was the

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bread and the cup, and that allowed them to talk about what Christ did.

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That the bread represents his body which was broken and was put on a cross for the payment

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of your sins and that his blood was shed so that by his blood, now life was exchanged by life.

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One man was put on the cross so that you may be set free.

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So it was part of every meeting Christ's good news would be proclaimed.

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Fourthly, it began to form people into a good word community.

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As in now that they began to gather together as a people, they would watch out, look out for others.

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There would be poor that would be taken care of.

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There would be ones who did not have food that would be taken care of.

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There would be other people in churches that were hit by famines and earthquakes that would

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be taken care of.

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People would sit with each other and eat and they would find out that our shucks, Betty does not

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have a car this week.

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So while I'm having supper, I say, hey Betty, you can use my car.

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Then you find out that someone else has their mother coming over and that they're at work and

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someone needs to pick the mother up and take care of her.

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So someone goes and picks mother up.

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Then you find out that someone is not well and doesn't have anybody to cook.

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So someone goes and cook food for them.

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It became a good words community.

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It became a benefactor community because now that you were gathered around the table,

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problems became real.

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Where do we get a time to discuss problem?

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In a two hours service where I have only 40 minutes left.

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It is a very deliberate thing, this meal.

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We must recapture these things.

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One of the ways to recapture these things is to continue to build this beautiful thing called

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household.

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It is not some newfangled idea.

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It goes back way, way back into the heart of God.

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It's not a movement.

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Embrace it because when you embrace it, you're embracing a thought or a pattern from the heart

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of God.

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It is not a new church growth movement.

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Fifthly, it was simple and universal.

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It was simple and it was universal.

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Meaning is there a culture that does not eat together?

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The way they eat may differ.

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The way they eat may differ.

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You go to the Middle East and there will be this huge dig tea.

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Dig tea is a Greek word for this huge vessel.

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So there will be this huge vessel and people would sit around it and they would break bread

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and they would dip and eat together.

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So that was in the Middle East.

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You go to Japan and there might be a tea ceremony.

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You come to Vancouver and you might have these funny looking stainless steel things that you're

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supposed to jab things at and put in your mouth.

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I'm talking about a fork and a spoon and a knife.

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The point is at the end of the day, it doesn't matter how you do it.

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It is simple and universal to sit around a table.

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It is the nature of a family and God calls himself a father and he calls the church a family.

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And if we actually just give it lip service, then we're doing God a disservice.

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So the other thing it did, this kind of a gathering where it was a meal, is it broke the clergy lady

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divide where no longer was it some priest in a funny looking collar with a thing on his head

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breaking bread and giving it out to people.

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Now it was people in a home sitting around and breaking bread and talking.

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It destroyed the clergy lady division, which is why it had to be brought back 400 in the

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fourth century because they wanted clergy and lay and that destroyed so many things in the church.

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This communion thing even today in Protestant circles and in Catholic circles,

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what do we say that only the priest or the pastor can distribute it?

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Really?

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What about the common priesthood of believers?

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You see why you should be angry about it because it's dismantling something that Christ built.

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This meal is far more important than we really give it credit for and that is why it was one of

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the four main things that the early church practice and they spread rapidly.

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Use the ingredients that God gives in building his bride

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use the ingredients that God gives in building his bride and it will work.

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Sixthly, it promoted, I hate using this word but you'll understand what I'm trying to say,

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it promoted networking with visitors.

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Now you could invite them for a meal.

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You didn't have to invite people to this building called the church

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and you never know what's happening inside.

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You could invite them home and in the presence of a natural home,

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people would eat and drink, stories would be told and in the process of the story

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because everybody has a story there would be problems and then there would be a savior.

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What a beautiful thing, everybody comes with problems, everybody comes to the story

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and everybody then has the ability and the opportunity to meet someone called Christ

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who is savior between he saved and rescued.

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And this is what they all look like for the first 200 years of the church.

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This is what it looked like and they multiplied around the world and the multiplication.

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Question?

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We cannot create that in a large place like this with two hours where you're not supposed

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to let any crumb hit the floor because this is Holy ground, fun and 10.

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But we can't do it in a house.

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Build them right.

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I say to the leaders of the household, take this to heart, practice this with the kind

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of passion that it must be practiced with, not as a ritual because this thing can become a ritual.

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It had such great meaning.

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It was so intense.

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It was so broad-minded.

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So the breaking of bread is a sacrament.

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It's not a word we use often or I don't know when was the last time you use the word sacrament.

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But the moment you use the word sacrament, it means that it announces divine truth and

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it imparts divine grace.

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The idea of sacrament is if something is a sacrament, it's more than a ritual.

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A ritual will not impart divine grace and a ritual may not be based on divine truth.

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But a sacrament, and there are only two sacraments in Christianity, baptism and communion.

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A sacrament imparts divine grace and it is based on divine truth or it announces divine

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truth, it imparts divine grace.

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And this sacrament was actually instituted in Egypt at the time of Passover.

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And so what does this breaking of bread do for a person?

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One, some churches say that if you haven't received Jesus Christ in your life, you should

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not take part in the bread and cup.

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Here we don't say that because of the simple reason that if you come and you want to partake,

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you can partake.

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But if you understand the meaning, then what you partake in becomes more meaningful.

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Otherwise, it's just a Christian tradition that is meaningless, that you partake.

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So here are some of the things that, this is the grace imparted to us when we partake of it.

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One, it distinguishes you as a people of God, distinguishes you as a people of God.

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Baptism and communion distinguishes you as a people of God.

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When you partake in it, you are saying that this is a practice of the culture of Jesus Christ,

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where we sit together to partake of the bread and the cup of grape juice to say that this is

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his body broken for us, this is the blood that he shed.

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It becomes a cultural mark.

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In Hebrews 11, 28, it says that when the Passover was instituted in Egypt and Israel left Egypt,

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they had this meal and it says that it distinguished them in Hebrews 11, 28,

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as the firstborn of God as compared to the firstborn of Egypt.

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So there's a distinction.

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There's a distinction.

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Wear it proudly, eh?

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Wear it proudly.

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I'm so glad sometimes to go with my Canadian passport and place it on a desk knowing that

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it'll grant me immediate access.

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Where certain other passports are not allowed, the Canadian passport is almost always allowed.

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I think the only passport that is allowed more than Canadian passport is a Japanese one.

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Wear it with pride.

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Wear this thing called breaking a bread as something that is very true to your culture

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if you are part of this culture called the people of Christ.

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So every time you've partaken it,

00:19:58.740 --> 00:20:03.220
secondly, it judges the gods and diseases of Egypt.

00:20:03.220 --> 00:20:13.540
It judges the gods and diseases of Egypt.

00:20:13.540 --> 00:20:15.620
I'm not talking about Egypt as a nation.

00:20:15.620 --> 00:20:18.420
I'm talking about what happened to Egypt in the Old Testament.

00:20:18.420 --> 00:20:20.980
It judges the gods and the diseases of Egypt.

00:20:20.980 --> 00:20:26.820
If you go to Numbers 33 verse 4, it talks about the gods of Egypt being done.

00:20:26.820 --> 00:20:28.980
Let me just go through these scriptures.

00:20:28.980 --> 00:20:30.580
Numbers 33 verse 4.

00:20:41.540 --> 00:20:42.820
Numbers 33 verse 4.

00:20:42.820 --> 00:20:48.580
The Israelites set out from Ramesses on the 15th day of the first month, the day after Passover.

00:20:48.580 --> 00:20:53.940
They marched out boldly in full view of the Egyptians who were burying all their firstborn.

00:20:53.940 --> 00:20:59.140
The Lord had struck down among them, for the Lord had brought judgment upon the Egyptian god.

00:21:00.820 --> 00:21:02.740
How was it judgment upon the Egyptian god?

00:21:02.740 --> 00:21:05.300
I think we've talked about this in a sermon earlier.

00:21:05.300 --> 00:21:05.540
When?

00:21:06.660 --> 00:21:08.420
There were different gods in Egypt.

00:21:08.420 --> 00:21:14.340
There was Ra, sun god.

00:21:14.340 --> 00:21:14.900
What happened?

00:21:15.540 --> 00:21:20.740
A plague hit Egypt where the sun was blotted out.

00:21:24.180 --> 00:21:30.660
There was Isis who was god of cattle.

00:21:32.420 --> 00:21:33.140
What happened?

00:21:34.420 --> 00:21:38.100
Cattle began to die because of one plague.

00:21:38.100 --> 00:21:43.220
There was a Nile which was supposed to be a sacred river.

00:21:43.940 --> 00:21:44.580
What happened?

00:21:45.860 --> 00:21:47.700
That the river turned into blood.

00:21:47.700 --> 00:21:51.940
Every one of those plagues that happened in Egypt was a judgment of the Egyptian god.

00:21:53.380 --> 00:22:02.340
And finally, the ultimate judgment was Pharaoh himself who is supposed to be god to Egypt

00:22:02.340 --> 00:22:03.460
and his firstborn.

00:22:08.180 --> 00:22:09.780
Pharaoh said, I will destroy you.

00:22:10.660 --> 00:22:14.580
Instead, every god of Egypt was judged.

00:22:14.900 --> 00:22:19.700
Another verse is in Exodus 12, 12.

00:22:19.700 --> 00:22:21.220
Exodus 12, 12.

00:22:21.220 --> 00:22:25.860
Exodus 12.

00:22:27.860 --> 00:22:29.940
And here's what it says in Exodus 12, 12.

00:22:29.940 --> 00:22:34.420
On the same night, I will pass through Egypt, strike down every firstborn, both men and animals,

00:22:34.420 --> 00:22:36.660
and I'll bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt.

00:22:36.660 --> 00:22:38.420
Again, the idea of god to Egypt.

00:22:38.420 --> 00:22:40.180
Isaiah 19, 1.

00:22:40.180 --> 00:22:41.860
Isaiah 19, 1.

00:22:41.860 --> 00:22:44.820
Isaiah 19, 1.

00:22:44.820 --> 00:22:50.580
Isaiah 19, 1.

00:22:50.580 --> 00:22:53.940
Isaiah 19, 1.

00:22:53.940 --> 00:22:55.620
An oracle of God concerning Egypt.

00:22:55.620 --> 00:22:58.420
See the Lord right on a swift cloud and his country Egypt.

00:22:58.420 --> 00:23:02.580
The idols of Egypt tremble before him and the heart of Egypt melt within him.

00:23:02.580 --> 00:23:05.940
So why are we talking about the judgment of the gods of Egypt?

00:23:05.940 --> 00:23:08.980
Guys, at the end of the day, when we use the word gods of Egypt,

00:23:08.980 --> 00:23:11.620
Egypt today means any form of bondage.

00:23:11.700 --> 00:23:17.460
Any form of bondage where your backs are spiked open, you are put to hard labor,

00:23:17.460 --> 00:23:23.300
you are supposed to build someone else's pyramid, you die so that someone else prospers.

00:23:23.300 --> 00:23:26.740
The idea of bondage is what we are talking about when we talk about Egypt.

00:23:26.740 --> 00:23:31.860
And one of the things that happens when we partake of this sacrament or this idea of

00:23:31.860 --> 00:23:37.460
the bread and the cup is that every time we practice it, know that this truth and this

00:23:37.460 --> 00:23:43.300
grace is imparted to us, that I now judge the gods of Egypt, the demonic forces,

00:23:43.300 --> 00:23:46.900
the satanic forces, the spiritual forces that are against you.

00:23:46.900 --> 00:23:54.740
Every time you practice this sacrament that I, Christ, ordain, I will judge the satanic

00:23:54.740 --> 00:23:58.180
realm, the spirit realm, the demonic realm that is affecting you.

00:23:58.180 --> 00:24:04.580
And by God, if you haven't seen the demonic realm, I want to trip with you.

00:24:07.460 --> 00:24:17.300
These are evil spirits that destroy people, that cause three-year-olds to be molested and raped.

00:24:20.900 --> 00:24:25.140
That cause wars, that ravage people, that destroy them from the inside,

00:24:25.140 --> 00:24:28.100
that contort their faces, that make them right like serpent.

00:24:29.060 --> 00:24:33.300
I'm telling you this because it is so easy to think that realm does not exist and I'm

00:24:33.300 --> 00:24:37.140
not saying this to you because you may have been aware of it but people will listen to

00:24:37.140 --> 00:24:42.420
this message and that no one thinks that there is no such realm because there is a realm like that

00:24:42.420 --> 00:24:44.260
and there are people here that have dealt with it.

00:24:45.780 --> 00:24:51.780
And God is saying every time you practice this sacrament, I will judge those because when my son

00:24:51.780 --> 00:24:55.060
died on the cross, he dismantled that entire realm.

00:24:59.460 --> 00:25:05.140
So when we practice this, it ain't no ordinary thing man because every time we practice this,

00:25:05.780 --> 00:25:12.100
we are repeating Colossians 2.15 which says that Jesus Christ made a public spectacle of the devil,

00:25:12.100 --> 00:25:16.740
that he disarmed the devil, that he destroyed the realm of the satanic,

00:25:17.380 --> 00:25:23.060
that he will one day crush him completely under our feet, that Jesus Christ the Son of God came

00:25:23.060 --> 00:25:29.060
down to the earth in flesh to destroy the works of the devil, that he has given us authority over all

00:25:29.060 --> 00:25:34.660
the power of the enemy to trample over serpents and scorpions and demons and that no harm by any

00:25:34.660 --> 00:25:41.300
means shall come to me. This is the kind of church that to rise up so that people in bondage can be

00:25:41.300 --> 00:25:54.420
set free. The other thing this sacrament does, we take part of it. What is a sacrament? A sacrament

00:25:54.420 --> 00:26:02.020
of the practice that imparts grace and that announces truth. The other thing that happens when we

00:26:02.020 --> 00:26:11.060
practice the sacrament is that we declare the immunity that is conferred upon us.

00:26:11.060 --> 00:26:20.980
Isaiah 31 verse 5, it says in Isaiah 31 verse 5, this is what the Lord says,

00:26:22.180 --> 00:26:27.460
like birds hovering overhead, the Lord Almighty will shield Jerusalem, he will shield it and deliver

00:26:27.460 --> 00:26:32.420
it, he will pass over it and he will rescue it. It was a scripture that was spoke over at Passover

00:26:32.420 --> 00:26:38.820
that passing, the whole idea of the word Passover is that when the destroyer come,

00:26:39.620 --> 00:26:46.340
he will pass over and you will not be judged. There's an immunity that is conferred to you

00:26:46.340 --> 00:26:51.780
when you partake in it, an immunity that is conferred. Just think of the benefits, hey?

00:26:52.580 --> 00:26:59.140
That aside, it publishes the victory of Christ again and again and again. Guys, Jesus lived

00:26:59.140 --> 00:27:06.020
publicly. He's a recorded historical figure. There's evidence, like ridiculous evidence for it.

00:27:06.020 --> 00:27:13.620
He died publicly. There is recorded historical evidence for that. He rose publicly and he was

00:27:13.620 --> 00:27:20.100
seen by people publicly and that's been recorded too. And so everything Jesus did was recorded

00:27:20.420 --> 00:27:26.580
and so everything Jesus does was done publicly. And so every time we partake of this and may it

00:27:26.580 --> 00:27:30.820
not be hidden within the confines of this church, may you practice it in your homes when you meet

00:27:30.820 --> 00:27:37.940
with visitors and people who come to your homes, may it be declared that Jesus Christ died and rose

00:27:37.940 --> 00:27:44.260
again publicly and we speak of it publicly. We speak of it publicly. To practice this inside the

00:27:44.260 --> 00:27:51.540
church and never express it outside renders it a useless ritual. Not a useless ritual. It renders

00:27:51.540 --> 00:27:58.660
it a ritual. Every time we practice this, what are we saying? We are saying that, Satan, you are judged

00:27:59.460 --> 00:28:05.780
and that Christ rose again and therefore anybody who believes Jesus Christ will rise again.

00:28:05.780 --> 00:28:14.980
If he rose, so will I. I love that song, so will I. If he rose from the dead, so will I.

00:28:22.020 --> 00:28:29.300
Any questions?

00:28:29.300 --> 00:28:34.820
?

00:28:34.820 --> 00:28:41.580
.

00:28:41.580 --> 00:28:42.580
Yeah.

00:28:49.240 --> 00:28:50.240
Which?

00:28:55.820 --> 00:28:58.520
Yeah, in an unworthy manner. So,

00:28:59.100 --> 00:29:01.480
the context of 1 Corinthians 11 is,

00:29:01.480 --> 00:29:07.340
these guys used to come around for this amazing meal that they used to have in the church in Corinth.

00:29:07.580 --> 00:29:12.140
And they would eat together and during the meal, people would take the bread and the cup.

00:29:12.140 --> 00:29:18.540
But then there were some guys who began to divide the church into the rich and the poor.

00:29:18.540 --> 00:29:25.340
And the rich would come and, for the lack of a better word, would eat the KFC and the Baconator and the Big Mac.

00:29:26.740 --> 00:29:36.340
And after eating that, the poor would be given breadsticks and power crown.

00:29:37.340 --> 00:29:44.340
Breadsticks, salad and power crown would be given to the poor.

00:29:44.340 --> 00:29:47.340
And so now Paul is challenging them saying,

00:29:47.340 --> 00:29:50.340
what's wrong with you guys? Is price divided?

00:29:50.340 --> 00:29:53.340
Why is it that when you come together,

00:29:53.340 --> 00:29:59.340
and he uses the word when you come together in verse 18, verse 31 and verse 20,

00:29:59.340 --> 00:30:03.340
verse 18, 20 and 23, he says when you come together, when you come together.

00:30:03.340 --> 00:30:07.340
And the whole idea was, guys, don't you know that you're supposed to come together as a family?

00:30:07.340 --> 00:30:11.340
Why is it that you're dividing yourself? Is price divided?

00:30:11.340 --> 00:30:15.340
And if you continue this way, in discriminating one from the other,

00:30:15.340 --> 00:30:17.340
the poor from the rich, the higher from the lower,

00:30:17.340 --> 00:30:23.340
then know this, that some of you will fall sick, some of you will die.

00:30:24.340 --> 00:30:29.340
And so it was in the context of that that he says, therefore now examine yourself.

00:30:30.340 --> 00:30:31.340
Therefore now examine yourself.

00:30:31.340 --> 00:30:40.340
See how you're doing with your neighbor, whether you're discriminating on the basis of color, caste, creed, religion, rich, poor, strata and society, nationality.

00:30:40.340 --> 00:30:42.340
What basis are you discriminating on?

00:30:42.340 --> 00:30:46.340
Because if you do, then church, be careful, because some of you will be missing next Sunday.

00:30:48.340 --> 00:30:49.340
Crazy, eh?

00:30:55.340 --> 00:30:56.340
Yeah.

00:30:56.340 --> 00:30:57.340
Yeah.

00:30:58.340 --> 00:31:08.340
Because it's been so, we've manufactured something completely different where we say now that examine yourself as big, because there's no sin in you.

00:31:08.340 --> 00:31:13.340
And that puts such fear into a table that is supposed to be full of grace.

00:31:15.340 --> 00:31:20.340
By the way, if I have a problem with you, I'm not supposed to sort it out just before communion,

00:31:20.340 --> 00:31:22.340
because it won't get sorted out before communion.

00:31:22.340 --> 00:31:25.340
It might take five days, because my problem with you is big.

00:31:26.340 --> 00:31:29.340
So you can't go up to someone and say, hey, Betty, I'm really sorry for what I did last night.

00:31:29.340 --> 00:31:30.340
Can you forgive me?

00:31:30.340 --> 00:31:31.340
Or what choice does she have?

00:31:31.340 --> 00:31:32.340
I forgive you.

00:31:32.340 --> 00:31:34.340
But she has to take part in communion too.

00:31:36.340 --> 00:31:38.340
That ain't dealing with it.

00:31:38.340 --> 00:31:39.340
That is...

00:31:42.340 --> 00:31:46.340
The intent of the heart should be, Betty, you and I need to talk about stuff.

00:31:46.340 --> 00:31:47.340
So...

00:31:47.340 --> 00:31:48.340
Then it might take four or five.

00:31:50.340 --> 00:31:52.340
Then if it doesn't get solved, you might have to pay for anything.

00:31:55.340 --> 00:32:04.340
Because the easiest thing to do in Christianity is to sweep dust under, you become excellent.

00:32:04.340 --> 00:32:05.340
So...

00:32:07.340 --> 00:32:11.340
At this table, three things I want to point out and we'll end.

00:32:11.340 --> 00:32:14.340
One is we eat with...

00:32:16.340 --> 00:32:17.340
We eat with them.

00:32:19.340 --> 00:32:20.340
I love this party.

00:32:20.340 --> 00:32:21.340
We eat with them.

00:32:21.340 --> 00:32:25.340
Exodus 24, verse 9 to 11.

00:32:26.340 --> 00:32:29.340
Moses takes part in communion.

00:32:29.340 --> 00:32:32.340
Exodus 24, verse 9 to 11.

00:32:33.340 --> 00:32:37.340
Moses takes 70 others with him.

00:32:37.340 --> 00:32:38.340
They go up mountain.

00:32:39.340 --> 00:32:41.340
And it says that there was...

00:32:41.340 --> 00:32:45.340
Under the feet of God was something like lapis lazuli.

00:32:45.340 --> 00:32:48.340
Some blue kind of a...

00:32:49.340 --> 00:32:51.340
Sense under his feet.

00:32:51.340 --> 00:32:58.340
And it says that these 70, and Moses and Aaron, ate and drank with God.

00:32:58.340 --> 00:32:59.340
They ate and drank.

00:33:01.340 --> 00:33:04.340
God's always had this desire when it comes to this field.

00:33:05.340 --> 00:33:07.340
He's always had this desire.

00:33:07.340 --> 00:33:12.340
And if he has a desire, then know that he fulfills this desire with his presence by the Holy Spirit.

00:33:12.340 --> 00:33:21.340
Every time a household or Acts 29 breaks bread, know that he desires to be amongst us, that he walks amongst the lampstand.

00:33:22.340 --> 00:33:25.340
That he desires to be amongst us and his presence is known.

00:33:25.340 --> 00:33:30.340
We don't recognize this, because if we only have two minutes for this, we get this done.

00:33:30.340 --> 00:33:32.340
Because we've got other more important things to go about.

00:33:32.340 --> 00:33:35.340
But every time we partake of it, we've got to look at history.

00:33:35.340 --> 00:33:36.340
Acts 24.

00:33:36.340 --> 00:33:39.340
He turned up with his presence.

00:33:39.340 --> 00:33:42.340
Luke chapter 24, verse 30 and 31.

00:33:43.340 --> 00:33:44.340
I've longed to eat this...

00:33:44.340 --> 00:33:46.340
Sorry, Luke 24.

00:33:48.340 --> 00:33:49.340
What does it say?

00:33:50.340 --> 00:33:52.340
I've longed to eat this meal with you.

00:33:52.340 --> 00:33:54.340
And he eats in their presence.

00:33:54.340 --> 00:33:55.340
Luke...

00:33:58.340 --> 00:33:59.340
John 21, 12 and 13.

00:33:59.340 --> 00:34:01.340
Jesus was walking at the beach.

00:34:01.340 --> 00:34:03.340
And he says, Hey boys, you got any fish?

00:34:03.340 --> 00:34:05.340
And the boy, they've just got fish.

00:34:05.340 --> 00:34:06.340
They bring it on shore.

00:34:06.340 --> 00:34:09.340
He's already got a fire going and he breaks bread with them.

00:34:10.340 --> 00:34:14.340
Again, in Luke chapter 24 or 25, he's walking down the road to Emmaus.

00:34:14.340 --> 00:34:16.340
And there's two guys who sing.

00:34:16.340 --> 00:34:17.340
Did you hear?

00:34:17.340 --> 00:34:20.340
Jesus has died and they cannot recognize that Jesus is walking with them.

00:34:20.340 --> 00:34:23.340
And he goes with them and they say, can you stay with us?

00:34:23.340 --> 00:34:24.340
Can you stay with us tonight?

00:34:24.340 --> 00:34:25.340
And he says, OK.

00:34:25.340 --> 00:34:29.340
And they settle down in a room and they decide to have dinner.

00:34:29.340 --> 00:34:33.340
And during dinner, he takes the bread and he breaks it and immediately they recognize him.

00:34:33.340 --> 00:34:42.340
This Jesus Christ desires and longs to be in our midst every time this is broken.

00:34:44.340 --> 00:34:51.340
We must take time to recognize his presence and where his presence is.

00:34:53.340 --> 00:34:59.340
There is life, life, death, space, healing, strength.

00:34:59.340 --> 00:35:01.340
All these things are a lead.

00:35:01.340 --> 00:35:03.340
We don't have time.

00:35:05.340 --> 00:35:08.340
I think after every communion, we should sing the song.

00:35:08.340 --> 00:35:10.340
God was here and I did not know it.

00:35:13.340 --> 00:35:17.340
That's what we should sing, but we will not be singing it because we'll be thinking differently.

00:35:18.340 --> 00:35:24.340
Trust his desire and therefore his presence by the Spirit as we gather around the table.

00:35:24.340 --> 00:35:25.340
Trust.

00:35:25.340 --> 00:35:38.340
Recognize his desire to be present amongst his people and trust that because this is a sacrament that imparts grace, that he enjoys being amongst the people who are recognized.

00:35:41.340 --> 00:35:42.340
We've got to take time.

00:35:42.340 --> 00:35:44.340
That's why we won't be doing this.

00:35:44.340 --> 00:35:45.340
I don't want to rush this.

00:35:45.340 --> 00:35:47.340
Every blooming church service we'll practice.

00:35:49.340 --> 00:35:53.340
We'll do it next week when we go down for a meal after the ade.

00:35:54.340 --> 00:35:56.340
While we are eating we'll practice.

00:36:02.340 --> 00:36:04.340
And the emphasis was always when you come together.

00:36:04.340 --> 00:36:06.340
Guys, when you come together.

00:36:06.340 --> 00:36:07.340
Guys, when you come together.

00:36:07.340 --> 00:36:16.340
Because any time you sit around the table to have a meal, you usually want intimacy, companionship and affection around it.

00:36:16.340 --> 00:36:21.340
You know, my dad's place and my mom's place.

00:36:21.340 --> 00:36:28.340
When I used to visit their home, visit my relatives, my dad's place, there would be a bell.

00:36:28.340 --> 00:36:30.340
They'd ring the blooming bell and everybody had to...

00:36:30.340 --> 00:36:34.340
It felt like I was part of the Warncraft family.

00:36:35.340 --> 00:36:38.340
They would ring the bell and everyone had to turn up at the table and sit down.

00:36:38.340 --> 00:36:41.340
And then the head honcho, my uncle would pray.

00:36:41.340 --> 00:36:44.340
Then we would eat and he would have to take stuff first.

00:36:44.340 --> 00:36:47.340
Then there would be a pecking order and you would take the pot.

00:36:47.340 --> 00:36:52.340
And it was so well run, you would think, what an amazing job.

00:36:52.340 --> 00:36:54.340
And then there was my mom's place.

00:36:55.340 --> 00:36:57.340
There would be arguments.

00:36:57.340 --> 00:37:02.340
You were just grateful that there were no parathas flying from one end to the other.

00:37:02.340 --> 00:37:04.340
That people were throwing at each other.

00:37:04.340 --> 00:37:06.340
But it used to be so lively.

00:37:06.340 --> 00:37:10.340
I would look forward to eating at my mom's...

00:37:13.340 --> 00:37:15.340
Dad's, my mom's parents.

00:37:15.340 --> 00:37:21.340
Because they would be crying, they would be laughing, there would be no bell.

00:37:23.340 --> 00:37:25.340
It was so much fun.

00:37:26.340 --> 00:37:27.340
It was real.

00:37:27.340 --> 00:37:30.340
And then there was my dad's place, which was like...

00:37:30.340 --> 00:37:33.340
That's when I decided I'm not going to go join the army.

00:37:33.340 --> 00:37:35.340
Because it must be.

00:37:35.340 --> 00:37:43.340
So the point is, grow in the strong bond of affection, interest and companionship with him.

00:37:43.340 --> 00:37:48.340
And the second thing is, we eat with him, we eat often.

00:37:49.340 --> 00:37:51.340
Eat often.

00:37:51.340 --> 00:37:57.340
As in, he keeps saying that I am the bread of life.

00:37:58.340 --> 00:38:00.340
And people got put off with this.

00:38:00.340 --> 00:38:07.340
When he makes this statement in John 6, verse 48, Jesus almost deliberately puts him off.

00:38:07.340 --> 00:38:11.340
Because he says, if you do not eat my flesh and drink my blood, you cannot be a part of me.

00:38:11.340 --> 00:38:16.340
And guys started feeling back saying, this is like cannibalism.

00:38:16.340 --> 00:38:19.340
What are you suggesting that we eat your flesh and drink the blood?

00:38:19.340 --> 00:38:21.340
That's literally what they thought and what they said.

00:38:21.340 --> 00:38:24.340
And he deliberately said it because what's his intent?

00:38:24.340 --> 00:38:32.340
His intent is, hey guys, sit with me at this table and take off my life.

00:38:32.340 --> 00:38:35.340
And only then will your life be sustained.

00:38:35.340 --> 00:38:37.340
Let's put it this way.

00:38:37.340 --> 00:38:39.340
I've written it this way.

00:38:39.340 --> 00:38:42.340
We eat and drink.

00:38:43.340 --> 00:38:45.340
We eat and drink.

00:38:45.340 --> 00:38:53.340
That is, we take into our life.

00:38:54.340 --> 00:39:10.340
What happened on the cross by faith?

00:39:10.340 --> 00:39:13.340
This is what we do when we partake.

00:39:13.340 --> 00:39:17.340
Guys, every word here is so important.

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We eat and drink.

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If we were practicing the breaking of bread today, we would eat and drink.

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And what would we be doing?

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We would be taking into our lives what happened on the cross.

00:39:34.340 --> 00:39:37.340
And we are taking into our lives what happened on the cross.

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What happened on the cross?

00:39:38.340 --> 00:39:39.340
A man was put to death.

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For what reason?

00:39:40.340 --> 00:39:41.340
So that my sins may be forgiven.

00:39:41.340 --> 00:39:42.340
What happened on the cross?

00:39:42.340 --> 00:39:43.340
A man was put to death.

00:39:43.340 --> 00:39:44.340
For what reason?

00:39:44.340 --> 00:39:46.340
That I may become his father's son.

00:39:46.340 --> 00:39:47.340
What happened on the cross?

00:39:47.340 --> 00:39:48.340
A man was put to death.

00:39:48.340 --> 00:39:49.340
For what reason?

00:39:49.340 --> 00:39:52.340
That he would rise again and so that one day when I believe in him, I would rise again.

00:39:52.340 --> 00:39:53.340
What happened on the cross?

00:39:53.340 --> 00:39:54.340
A man was put to death.

00:39:54.340 --> 00:39:55.340
For what reason?

00:39:55.340 --> 00:39:57.340
His back was striped for my healing.

00:39:57.340 --> 00:39:58.340
What happened on the cross?

00:39:58.340 --> 00:39:59.340
A man was put to death.

00:39:59.340 --> 00:40:02.340
And it goes on and on and on and on and on.

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And therefore, when I eat and drink, I take into my life what happened on the cross.

00:40:08.340 --> 00:40:11.340
But I do it by faith.

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It is one thing to participate in this meal to remember and sit down.

00:40:16.340 --> 00:40:21.340
It is another thing to participate in this meal to remember and rise up in faith.

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Because it is finished.

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Take into our lives what has happened on the cross.

00:40:29.340 --> 00:40:31.340
Eat of my flesh, drink of my blood.

00:40:31.340 --> 00:40:35.340
If you do not eat of my flesh and do not drink of my blood, you cannot be part of my life.

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What is he saying?

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Come guys, sit at this table.

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Trust me to be your life-giving and life-sustaining food and drink.

00:40:42.340 --> 00:40:44.340
Feed of me.

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And one of the ways we feed on God is by feeding on his word.

00:40:54.340 --> 00:40:57.340
To remember and sit down doesn't require faith.

00:40:57.340 --> 00:41:00.340
To remember and rise up is active faith.

00:41:02.340 --> 00:41:04.340
Last one.

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We eat for him.

00:41:06.340 --> 00:41:08.340
Eat for him.

00:41:10.340 --> 00:41:12.340
Eat for him.

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As in the essence of this meal is proclamation, not privacy.

00:41:18.340 --> 00:41:21.340
Proclamation, not privacy.

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That's the essence of it.

00:41:23.340 --> 00:41:25.340
We are not eating this thing.

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Me and my God, we are not eating this thing.

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That's good.

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But this meal is not a meal of God.

00:41:31.340 --> 00:41:33.340
That's good.

00:41:33.340 --> 00:41:35.340
But this meal is not about privacy.

00:41:35.340 --> 00:41:37.340
It's about talk.

00:41:37.340 --> 00:41:39.340
We eat for him.

00:41:39.340 --> 00:41:41.340
The supper proclaimed.

00:41:41.340 --> 00:41:43.340
This meal proclaimed.

00:41:43.340 --> 00:41:47.340
And faith comes by hearing and seeing and tasting.

00:41:47.340 --> 00:41:52.340
This is why it is critical that when we partake in this meal that we declare.

00:41:52.340 --> 00:41:54.340
That we declare.

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Others hear.

00:41:56.340 --> 00:41:58.340
Others hear.

00:41:59.340 --> 00:42:05.340
When you say as I partake in this meal, I trust that what was accomplished on the cross,

00:42:05.340 --> 00:42:10.340
I take it into my life and I trust for the healing of my body and people hear it.

00:42:10.340 --> 00:42:12.340
This supper proclaimed.

00:42:12.340 --> 00:42:18.340
And because it proclaimed, faith comes by hearing, tasting and seeing what is happening.

00:42:19.340 --> 00:42:23.340
Do you see how critical it is to the life of a church?

00:42:23.340 --> 00:42:27.340
Do you see how it is important to practice this not once a month?

00:42:27.340 --> 00:42:29.340
Do you see why it must be practiced?

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Paul puts it this way.

00:42:35.340 --> 00:42:37.340
1 Corinthians 2.2.

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And that's what this breaking of bread is actually.

00:42:39.340 --> 00:42:41.340
Paul says, I did not want to know anything.

00:42:41.340 --> 00:42:43.340
I just wanted to know one thing.

00:42:43.340 --> 00:42:45.340
Who he is and what he did.

00:42:45.340 --> 00:42:47.340
Christ crucified.

00:42:47.340 --> 00:42:49.340
1 Corinthians 2.2.

00:42:49.340 --> 00:42:51.340
Who he is, what he did.

00:42:51.340 --> 00:42:53.340
Christ crucified.

00:42:53.340 --> 00:42:55.340
Who he is, what he did.

00:42:55.340 --> 00:42:57.340
Christ crucified.

00:42:57.340 --> 00:42:59.340
And then in 1 Corinthians 22 he says,

00:42:59.340 --> 00:43:03.340
I realize that this is a message I have to go out with.

00:43:03.340 --> 00:43:07.340
So one, we recognize and then we proclaim.

00:43:07.340 --> 00:43:09.340
We eat for him.

00:43:09.340 --> 00:43:11.340
And what are we proclaiming?

00:43:11.340 --> 00:43:13.340
That which will be a stumbling block to the Jew.

00:43:13.340 --> 00:43:16.340
And what to the Greek?

00:43:16.340 --> 00:43:18.340
Foolishness to the Greek.

00:43:18.340 --> 00:43:22.340
But to those that are called,

00:43:22.340 --> 00:43:26.340
it is the power of God, it's the wisdom of God, it's the salvation of God.

00:43:26.340 --> 00:43:32.340
Every time we practice this, we must eat of this and then go out because we eat for him.

00:43:32.340 --> 00:43:36.340
We eat with him, we eat of him, we eat for him.

00:43:36.340 --> 00:43:42.340
You know, in the Old Testament they used to have this bread called showbread.

00:43:42.340 --> 00:43:44.340
It's in Leviticus 24.

00:43:44.340 --> 00:43:49.340
They would make this bread and they would have 12 loaves put before the Lord in rows.

00:43:49.340 --> 00:43:54.340
And another word for showbread was the bread of presence.

00:43:54.340 --> 00:43:56.340
The bread of presence.

00:43:56.340 --> 00:44:00.340
And the word presence always comes from this word called panim which means face to face.

00:44:00.340 --> 00:44:03.340
As in this bread would remind God.

00:44:03.340 --> 00:44:07.340
And the whole idea of this is as we partake in this, we are reminding God of two things.

00:44:07.340 --> 00:44:12.340
That he is with us and we are with him.

00:44:12.340 --> 00:44:14.340
He now says, you are my portion.

00:44:14.340 --> 00:44:19.340
And we say to him, you are our portion.

00:44:19.340 --> 00:44:24.340
And the priest could go into the sanctuary and partake of this bread.

00:44:24.340 --> 00:44:25.340
Nobody else could eat it.

00:44:25.340 --> 00:44:27.340
Only the priest could go and eat it.

00:44:27.340 --> 00:44:29.340
And when they ate it, they ate it on behalf of the congregation.

00:44:29.340 --> 00:44:31.340
And that's what we're doing.

00:44:31.340 --> 00:44:32.340
We eat of this bread. Why?

00:44:32.340 --> 00:44:39.340
On the behalf of a people that now need to be fed.

00:44:39.340 --> 00:44:47.340
Ryan, can you pull out the last verse of the song, I then shall live.

00:44:47.340 --> 00:44:51.340
I will conclude.

00:44:51.340 --> 00:44:55.340
Next week when we partake in communion, this week if you're meeting as a housekeeper,

00:44:55.340 --> 00:44:59.340
remember the importance of this.

00:44:59.340 --> 00:45:02.340
Ministers of reconciliation we have become.

00:45:02.340 --> 00:45:06.340
We're not ministers who go to the sanctuary, eat it on behalf of the people.

00:45:06.340 --> 00:45:10.340
We are ministers who now eat it and then become ambassadors of reconciliation.

00:45:10.340 --> 00:45:14.340
Ministers of reconciliation.

00:45:14.340 --> 00:45:18.340
Chalun, can you play a beat?

00:45:18.340 --> 00:45:21.340
Quickly, quickly, Moni.

00:45:21.340 --> 00:45:23.340
Sorry, just came.

00:45:23.340 --> 00:45:25.340
Chalun, quick.

00:45:25.340 --> 00:45:26.340
Young man.

00:45:36.340 --> 00:45:51.340
Your kingdom come around and through and in me.

00:45:51.340 --> 00:45:59.340
Your power and glory let them shine through me.

00:45:59.340 --> 00:46:09.340
Your hallowed name, whom may I bear with honor?

00:46:09.340 --> 00:46:17.340
And may your living kingdom come in me.

00:46:17.340 --> 00:46:27.340
The bread of life, whom may I share with honor?

00:46:27.340 --> 00:46:35.340
And may you feed a hungry world through me.

00:46:35.340 --> 00:46:37.340
One last time.

00:46:37.340 --> 00:46:45.340
Your kingdom come around and through and in me.

00:46:45.340 --> 00:46:54.340
Your power and glory let them shine through me.

00:46:54.340 --> 00:47:03.340
Your hallowed name, whom may I bear with honor?

00:47:03.340 --> 00:47:11.340
And may your living kingdom come in me.

00:47:11.340 --> 00:47:21.340
The bread of life, whom may I share with honor?

00:47:21.340 --> 00:47:34.340
And may you feed a hungry world through me.

00:47:34.340 --> 00:47:40.340
Grant this verse to us for your namesake.

00:47:40.340 --> 00:47:42.340
Jesus name. Amen.

00:47:42.340 --> 00:47:44.340
Bless you guys. See you next Sunday.

00:47:44.340 --> 00:47:54.340
If you need prayer, Jeevan, Derek, Joan, Sue will be up here.

00:47:54.340 --> 00:47:58.340
And if you need prayer, feel free to come up.

00:47:58.340 --> 00:48:01.340
And they'll pray for any need you have.

00:48:01.340 --> 00:48:05.340
Thank you guys.

00:48:05.340 --> 00:48:07.340
Say hi to Doug before you go.

00:48:14.340 --> 00:48:16.340
Thank you.