INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNION

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I will never forget the first time I heard the Holy Spirit tell me to “sit at the table”!  My religious brain did not understand that God could meet with me when I was not laying on the floor or kneeling in prayer! I pulled the chair out from my grandmother’s dining room table and sat down with my communion elements and to my wonder and surprise God “sat down” with me! NO, I mean, He “SAT DOWN”! It was as real as this keyboard that I am typing on! He made sure I understood that this was not about “dos” and “don’ts”! It was about a relationship that I had never had! Guess where He loves to meet with us? At the table, and more specifically, at HIS table! 

I am seated at the table with Jesus, and it is not just me watching from the outside or reading about it, I am one of the disciples at the table! He reminds me that He chose me himself to come follow Him, just like every other disciple that He called when He walked the earth. He takes the bread and hands it to me. It’s not just a prayer that is prayed about an historical event that happened 2000 years ago, this is happening now! This is Jesus looking me in the eyes and saying directly to me, “This is my body that is broken for YOU!” “Take and eat! As often as you do this, you proclaim my death until I come! You proclaim the Kingdom with your very life!”

I take the bread and I eat it. He does the same thing with the cup. He passes the cup directly to me and says “This is the New Covenant in my blood! Drink all of it!” I understand that this is the payment for MY sins and the promise that I have personally entered a covenant with HIM for life! I am the recipient of this covenant and receive all the benefits that it brings right now.  I realize that I am just like one of the original 12 that He chose. I am seated at HIS table. I am eating with the Master. I am with the Rabbi and I am in full relationship with him! I’m not just a bystander. I’m not watching a movie or watching an event from the audience. I am actually seated at the table!!!!!

As you read these devotions, I want to encourage you to get your communion elements and “see” yourself with Him in whatever capacity that you want. Some of you may want to see yourself seated at His feet. Some of you may want to see yourself walking with Him down the dusty roads of Jerusalem. Some of you may want to see yourselves at the foot of the cross or standing in front of the empty tomb when He shows up to meet with you just like He did with Mary! Whichever way you decide to come, come to Him, because He longs to be with you and share the secrets of His Word with you. 

Each excerpt of this book can stand alone, and you can read them in any order or combination that you wish! 

This is a look into my personal journey to find God and how communion became the vehicle He used. I pray that this inspires you to find Him on your own and let Him speak to you the way that He longs to. I always have my iPad or my iPhone with me as well as my Bible. I will ask Him the prayers that I have outlined below and then by faith I will begin to type what I “hear” Him say back to me. This takes some practice, and you won't always get it right but if you want to delve into this practice, I encourage you to read "Dialogue with God" by Mark and Patti Virkler. This book changed my life and the way that I communicate with God. I do this every day and it has fed me.

One other thing I like to do is to ask Holy Spirit to teach me and to speak to me. The most powerful thing I ever did was to start journaling my time with the Lord and writing down what I heard Him saying to me. That is where this book came from. As you get the hang of it, try doing this without the book and just simply ask God to speak to you directly. You will be amazed at what happens as you open your heart to hear Him speak