I've been studying the Lord's supper. I felt I needed a refreshment course so that I would not be ritualistic, cold, and calloused when partaking of the bread and wine.
This morning while I was holding the piece of bread in my hand and following a you tube pastor
, he made the statement, "You are holding his body" and an immediate flashing image crossed my mind of a whip hitting his back and ripping out a small piece of the flesh off of his back ... and there I was holding that piece of flesh in my hands. It was a sobering moment as I contemplated that small piece of bread between my fingers and the image I had just seen.
Later in the day when I got a chance to go into a deeper study of the Lord's supper, I was listening to Bill Johnson talk about his flesh and how we need to properly discern it. I remembered my sobering moments from this morning and listened at how he said people take it for granted ... not considering the value and cost Jesus paid for us to take this in remembrance of him for our own good , salvation, and healing. Just as it clicked within my heart concerning this seriousness, a lightning bolt flashed across the sky and the thunder was sharp and clear, rattling for what seemed a long time. And it seemed to me it was as if our Father was showing his displeasure for when we haphazardly partake of the Lord supper ... not treating it with honor and respect because of the price that Jesus paid for us.
I will never see the Lord supper the same again.
sj