n speaking of it as a communion meal Paul wrote, "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread” (1 Cor. 10:16-17). 

hen Christians partake of the Lord’s Supper, they are reminded that the one Lord established one body, the church, of which He is the head.

esus said, “I will build My church” (Matt. 16:18). Paul declared, “There is one body” (Eph. 4:4), and “He is the head of the body, the church” (Col. 1:18).

he death of Christ, which is memorialized, symbolized and proclaimed in the Lord’s Supper, had as its glorious purpose the uniting of Jews and Gentiles in one body, the church. “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.  And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near” (Eph. 2:14-17). 

ny person, therefore, who defends human names, creeds, disciplines, and doctrines [which cause division among the Lord’s people] obviously does not appreciate the fact that the body of Christ was given on Calvary to unite men in Him. Neither do they appreciate the significance of the bread which memorializes and symbolizes that body.

ow can one who is not in favor of the unity that His death was intended to bring about sincerely proclaim that death in partaking of the Lord’s Supper?

lso, those who properly partake of the Lord’s Supper, with the understanding that they are “one bread and one body,” are encouraged to work together toward fulfilling Jesus’ prayer for the continued unity of His disciples: “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me” (John 17:20,21). They are also encouraged to obey the following injunctions:

“Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Cor. 1:10);

“Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel” (Phil. 1:27).

s a unity meal, the Lord’s Supper is indeed full of meaning to the Christian who has the sincere desire to continue to be united with his brethren in Christ and who labors to that end “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3). He will never so exalt himself as to gauge others by the extent to which he imagines himself to have grown and deny them the privilege of sitting at the Lord’s Table and partaking of the Lord’s Supper. It is His supper, not ours. In view of the fact that the Lord has said, through the apostle, “Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup,” the Christian is to examine no one but himself. For no one is fully what he ought to be: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.... If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:8, 10). Inasmuch as the apostle Paul could say, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:12-14), what present-day Christian can honestly think that he himself has apprehended? &

THE PRIVILEGE OF PRAYER

By Bob Myhan & Eddie Littrell

rayer may defined simply as “the pouring out of one’s heart to God—in praise of His mighty power, in gratitude for His great goodness, or in supplication for His continued mercy and guidance” (1 Sam. 1:15).

he privilege of talking to God, knowing that He hears and will answer, is one of the greatest blessings ever bestowed upon mankind.

he value of prayer cannot be overestimated. “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick” (James 5:13-15). 

he power of prayer is tremendous. “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit” (James 5:16-18).

raying keeps our hearts centered on God. We cannot regularly pray to God without regularly thinking of God. Paul advises: “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us” (Col. 4:2,3); “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6); “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17);.

bviously, the more we understand about this great privilege, the more we can benefit therefrom. Our goal in this work has been to spark an interest in what is probably the most overlooked and least implemented of all spiritual resources. We pray that our efforts will have a much-needed positive effect on the attitudes and actions of saints in the medium of prayer. &