Do We Have to Use Bread and Wine to Take Communion?

Do we have to use bread and wine to take communion. That is one of the questions will be answering on today's edition of core Christianity why this is Bill Meyer along with Pastor Israel Sanchez and this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day. We'd love to hear from you can call this right now with your question.

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You can also post your question on our Facebook, Instagram or twitter accounts and you can email us anytime at questions at core, Christianity.com first up today let's go to a voicemail from one of her listers named Al. It will hold in and said that he had seen it. He had seen Jesus walking with his pastor and I was just wondering I know Jesus is talking to his disciples. He said that was needful for him to leave because if he did believe the Holy Spirit would be able to come from just wondering if Jesus is here on earth could Jesus be on earth, and the Holy Spirit be here also.

Thank you.

Now thank you for that question and for followed by I do remember that call that received. I think this individual was saying that he had this dream of this vision of Jesus walking with his pastor and I address. I don't I don't think that what he was saying was he he literally saw Jesus in the flesh walking with his passenger actually right you are referring to Jesus's upper room discourse. In John 13 to 17 work where he said I'm leaving I'm going away. He's talking his disciples, but I'm going to send the Holy Spirit to you. This is what we find in John 14 beginning in verse 15 Jesus said if you love me you will keep my commandments and I will ask the father and he will give you another helper to be with you forever, even the spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you insight. Jesus makes it absolutely clear there as he is preparing his disciples for his departure recently got I'm leaving I'm not at my bodily presence with you here anymore, but the good news is when I ascended to heaven.

I'm going to send the Holy Spirit in the spirit of God fills every single person who is a believer who is a Christian, God's Spirit lives in us. Isn't that amazing, wonderful news and so that's that's the reality that we experience that were waiting for Jesus to return.

That's at the second coming is all about. So right now during this period of time we experience the presence of Jesus through the spirit of Christ to fills every believer sent to the church on the church on the day of Pentecost in and still with us. Jesus says it's up to the very end user to be with you and so we have that comfort and appreciate your question, I always nice to have people following up with with other callers and so may the Lord bless you. I love it when our listeners listen closely to some of the other questions as altitude and then said, you know, I'm a little confused about that. So I think it's great. If you are confused about something you hear on the air. Feel free to come follow up with a drill. He'd love to clarify things for you. This is core Christianity and if you recently started reading the Bible for the very first time, you may have found that some Bible reading plans can be a little bit complicated, or maybe even seem overwhelming while here at core Christianity. We've developed a special Bible reading plan just for you. Yes, the Bible replan is a free resource over our website core, Christianity.com and wanted to think of this one. If you've never read through the Bible before not built a sort of consistent habit of reading the Scriptures in your own life.

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Maybe you're confused about something with the theology or Christian doctrine. Or maybe you're just wondering how your faith intersects with today's culture and all the things that are going on in our world. We would love to hear from you. Your questions are welcome at 833-843-2673. That's 833 the court. We also receive emails here at core Christianity and got this one from Julius Julia says when the pandemic started. I saw a lot of people begin to watch church virtually and then some of them try to take communion at home with things other than bread and wine, a popular Christian rapper even recently tweeted about doing this. Something about this doesn't sit right with me doesn't matter what things we use when we take communion hey Julius, thank you for for that question. And there have been a lot of discussions about this recent is as you said just with the pandemic and people being at home maybe watching virtual service worship service that kind of thing.

I know that a lot of lectures are beneficial to the front end of the very beginning of the pandemic, when really know churches were were meeting was it okay to take communion.

The Lord's supper individually on our own. That was it was a big question that people had my position as a pastor as a minister the gospel is that we should be taking communion with bread and wine like Jesus instituted Ms. Lapsley clear in the Gospels and it's something that we do together that is not on our own, not in isolation but with the gathered body of Christ. This is II think something that's clear in places like first Corinthians in first Corinthians chapter 10 listen what the apostle Paul said there in verse 14, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak is to sensible people judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing that we bless is it not a participation in the blood of Christ, the bread that we break is not a participation in the body of Christ because there is one bread, we who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. In other words the Lord's supper this meal. This this sacrament, if you will given by the Lord Jesus to his disciples to his church. In one sense signifies the unity we have as a body of Christ, the togetherness, the oneness we who are many, are one loaf if you will, as we partake of the bread together and see you don't get that when you're on your own separated from the rest of the body of Christ affect Paul as an extended discussion about the Lord's supper in first Corinthians chapters 10 and 11 eat he says to the Corinthians, and in chapter 11 verse 17 in the following instructions. I do not commend you. Because when you come together.

It is not for the better but for the worse is you guys are coming together, but is not to take the Lord's supper. You guys are are are sinning against one another. You're not recognizing the needy among you, and so Paul has no problem calling out essentially something that a church was doing the Corinthian church in particular that wasn't right related to the Lord's supper and so we have to realize that this is this is a holy sacrament given by Jesus to the church. We want to take that seriously, and we want to we want to follow the Lord to worship the Lord as his word says now. Why does Jesus instituted the Lord's supper with wine and if you ever thought about that mean obviously wine throughout the Gospels. In one sense, is a picture of the blood of Jesus Christ in particular and in the gospel of John blood the sacrificial death of Jesus. It's also the drink of God's kingdom if you will, way back in. In Isaiah in Isaiah chapter 25 the prophet Isaiah's is this wonderful vision of God conquering death. This picture of the kingdom of God and he says in verse six, Isaiah 25 or six on this mountain, the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples, a feast of rich food, a feast of well aged wine of rich food, full of marrow of aged wine well refinement, which this is the drink of celebration. Think about what Jesus did and in John chapter 2, by turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana of Galilee celebration of the Lord's supper really is remembering the death of Jesus Christ were celebrating his victory over death.

It's it's tasting if you will, the kingdom of God here in now in this unique way together as the church gathered together and so there's there's more that I could say there, and I recognize it, but there's a lot of difference of opinion here, but but I think we have to stick to what the Scripture saying and ultimately a brothers and sisters when you take worship seriously in first Corinthians chapter 11 again with regard to the Lord supper pulses.

This is why many of you are sick and weak and some have even died because the way you take the Lord's supper is your coming faithless leader not taking this seriously with interest at a common meal. This is a holy ordinance given to us by Jesus Christ himself, that signifies his work for us and it's a way in which we get to participate in that work experience it by receiving it by faith and so really great question and appreciate that one. Feel free to follow-up if you'd like. God bless your listing to core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez see if you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life. You can hop on the phone right now will be taking calls for the next 10 minutes or so at 833-843-2673.

That's 833. The core let's go to David in St. Louis, Missouri David, what's your question for Israel are monitored more of a concern. I know sometimes you pray or our listeners by my particularly very strange situation. My long story short, my mother and my mother-in-law gave my wife and her sister to Amanda growing up. Basically it is what it sounds like it is basically to have his way with them about the age of 10 to about 18 or 20 is where my wife left arm. We my wife has pretty much been blessed enough to have gotten saved has pretty much been revealed through the whole situation but my wife's sister unfortunately was used as a baby machine so she has three children by the man and the most of the children are with the family of faith in Texas. So basically if you do have time just for prayer. All we've almost reached sister a few times, but basically, long story short, the devil has a huge stronghold on the arm that part of the family so David man what what a heartbreaking situation. I'm I'm grateful to hear that there's there's been some healing in your life's life. She's with the Lord and walking with him and definitely right. It sounds like there needs to be more healing and and also certainly prayer and so let me let me pray for your wife and for her sister and just invite all those who are listening right now to pray father God we come to you, Lord, we pray for these women who have experienced this abuse. Lord, we pray, Jesus, for your gracious and tender hand to comfort, to heal, to give safety Lord to deliver Lord these kinds of things would we know that there's there's such serious damage that can be done.

Lord and that there's a lot of help. That needs to be had and so we pray Lord that you would give help that you would surround special my brothers sister-in-law with people who can encourage or help her to be safe, Lord God, and also help to guide her in. In this time.

So Lord, we we look to you. We do pray for justice.

We pray for healing in Jesus name, amen I David I'm I just and just thousand horrible situation. I think you one resource. We oftentimes recommend is an eight net grace.org grace stands for godly response to abuse in a Christian environment and they have some excellent resources. Even some recommendations on terms of of counseling and and support groups that can be sought out for things like abuse, sexual abuse, and so were always plugging the work that they do and I think there there a great resource for survivors of abuse and then I just think fleeing to Jesus, we know how seriously Jesus Christ takes this how serious he takes it, wouldn't one of his little ones is taken advantage of.

I think the words of our Lord in Matthew chapter 18 in verse five he says whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin were to stumble, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea now and in this situation. Of course we don't think that your wife or her sister send in any way there. There the victims and were the victims of abuse. And Jesus is the great avenger of those victims and so we run to him. We flee to him and I pray that the Lord continues to grant just healing and restoration to your wife blesses your marriage and that he gives you guys wisdom as you seek to to care for and administer to her sister and so thank you for forgiving us a call will continue to be praying for you guys. David and I may the Lord be with you man your situations like that.

It just breaks your heart doesn't. You is core Christianity and by with. I was just an essay to something billet but the church has to take really serious.

It's important for the church to have these kinds of conversations and of that that organization I mentioned grace. They'll even come in and provide training for entire churches they can our church some years ago in one of the things it that you find is when you begin having this discussion you bring begin bringing in people who know about abuse in the church but you realize it's it's a lot more prevalent than than you thought it was an there's a lot of wounded people who need help who need care who need to be encouraged with the truth of the gospel, but also oftentimes just need need to have extra professional help in terms of navigating through these things and and getting the care that they need and set something that's a resource of the church can really be for those who are struggling and I hope that I David and his family get that from the church that their part of your listing to core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez. Let's go to Ben who is calling in from Jefferson city, Missouri then what your question for Israel to set a question about the Bible reading it like the beginning of the Bible talks about the permanent and it just confuse me about, like when I think of a permanent sound like a big basically I get older, not just wondered if you can explain what that all men in a talk about the water was so on to explain it to me.

Yeah, I think you get looking at the early trap is there is a particular verse then that year that you're looking at their in Genesis 1 know I'm actually don't have the Bible verse that was just talk about the permanent and all that. I just wonder what it what really meant. I guess like a Gomer yeah yeah there are different ways in which is been interpreted that there is a means of seeing the sort of pictures where more people so depicted as a dome zone in Genesis chapter 1 verse six, God said, let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.

And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so.

And God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second days of God created essentially the sky and so you me that could be in in in earlier.

It talks about this this expanse, it could be this sort of canopy there and that's what some people is that he is the sort of this canopy holding back the waters prior to the flood that you have later in the book of Genesis. But this is a very unique situation that we have here at the very beginning of creation and so I think one would look at it would be sort of like a like a like a canopy or a dome if you will. And then of course you have basically the floodgates open a little bit later with the with the flood in particular and in you get a little bit of this discussion in Genesis chapter 2 as well.

In verse five when no Bush of the field was yet in the land, and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land and there was no man to work the ground and the mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground so again you have the sort of unique situation there in the early days of creation were you have the sort of canopy over the earth and the earth been watered by this mist that comes up from the ground and is up yet and yet I think it's how we we would picture it. I think that's his that's with the with the text of Scripture says, and hopefully that helps to clarify a little bit for you then appreciate that you're digging into Genesis. God bless a man thanks much for your call for being one of our regular listeners here core Christianity, just a reminder we have that free Bible reading plan to start your new year off right it's it's wonderful. It'll help you go through the Bible a little bit of the time about 10 minutes a day is very comprehensive. Would love to have you download that for free. Just go to core Christianity.com/reading plan to find it again. Core, Christianity.com/reading plan will go back to the phones Misty is on the line from Fort Wayne, Indiana Misty what your question for atrial question about the lawn across that and you know what they do.

I was wondering if that was a no for their stand telling murder because Jesus knew at that time needed to be crucified for his purpose.

So I was wondering exactly what he meant by that.

Yeah.

Likewise, Jesus saying forgive them if they're instrumental in his death, which is leading to you know is is atonement for sin. As I was resting great yeah yeah Ellie that's a good question Misty so you look at the Gospels. Places like Luke chapter 23 when Jesus is being crucified him to start in verse 32 does to other others who were criminals were led away to be put to death with him and when they came to the place that is called the school. There they crucified him, and the criminals and one on his right and the other on his left and Jesus said, father forgive them for they know not what they do and they cast lots to divide his garments and the people stood by watching and they said the rulers scoffed at him, saying he saved others, let him save himself if he is the Christ the son of God, his chosen one.

Now we have to differentiate between them. It's very clear that these people are sitting in in what they're doing their crucifying the blameless, pure, spotless son of God and their casting lots anything about that there there just sort of gambling there casting lots for his garments as he's being murdered. Yet we see the compassion of Jesus praying for their forgiveness. It in one sense making an appeal to the father saying they don't fully even understand what it is that they're doing their blind by their own sin.

Now he can pray for this, because he's merciful because he's a good because he's again making this this appeal and yet at the same time God is using their sinful actions to accomplish his sovereign purposes. This is something that we see actually later Misty it's it's kinda cool how this works out in the book of acts in acts chapter 4, the disciples are praying for boldness and they talk about this this very scene when Jesus is being crucified in verse 27 as part of their praise is truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel to do what ever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place, and now Lord look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness numbers are printed for local father. Everything happened according to your purposes.

According to your predestined plan. Even the things that happen to your son Jesus at the hands of the religious rulers and Pontius Pilate in the crowds and its absolutely, absolutely. Just amazing how it one since you have God's sovereign purposes. His sovereign hand ordaining orchestrating the thinking at these people are still responsible and the people there who crucified Jesus the people for whom Jesus is praying they were responsible for their sinful deeds for their sinful actions, and yet God is working through them. Jesus is providing for their forgiveness that the perfect sacrifice of atonement. So that's why he's praying that we can hold those two things together. It's not a contradiction that Jesus has here praying for them and it's not that their actions were pleasing to God in the sense that God was pleased with their with their murderous hearts.

Nobody use their sinful deeds to bring about redemption for others, even redemption for them. Thanks for listening to core Christianity request your copy of today's special offer. Visit us at core, Christianity.com and click on offers in the menu bar or call us at 1-833-843-2673. That's 833 when you contact us. Please let us know how you been encouraged by this program and be sure to join us next time. As we explore the truth of God's word together