This past Sunday, I did a short teaching on one of my favorite scriptures concerning communion. It comes from a verse I discovered many years ago.
In Revelations 2:1-4, the Bible says.
To the angel of the church of Ephesus write,
These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have left your first love.”
It appears that Jesus is pleased with this church as they are doing many things correctly. They labor in the Lord, have patience, and don’t associate with those who are evil. Through all of this, they didn’t even become weary. Yet, Jesus says He has one thing against them. They have left their first love.
Many years ago, I did a word study on the phrase, first love, and found one of the meanings to be love feast.
This scripture refers to the Lord’s Supper or Communion, which God calls a love feast.
You may recall in the book of Acts 2:42, the Bible says, And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and prayers.
The Amplified Bible says it like this.
And they steadfastly persevered, devoting themselves constantly to the instruction and fellowship of the apostles, to the breaking of bread [including the Lord’s Supper] and prayers.
Each day, every single day, they gathered together to take Communion. To eat of the Lord’s Supper. This is the meal the Bible refers to as a Love Feast. Not only did they celebrate what was accomplished for them at the cross. They also celebrated the love that brought Jesus to earth in the first place.
John 3:16 says, For God so loved the world…that He gave His only begotten Son.
It was the love of God that brought Jesus to the earth. The love of God caused Jesus to go about doing good and healing all. That same love carried him to and through the torment of the cross, into a grave, through hell, and caused him to rise again, full of power.
This is part of what we must remember as we partake of the Lord’s Supper. Yes, we do not forget that he took our sickness and gave us his wholeness. He took our sins and gave us his righteousness. Of course, we remember those things. But we must also remember and celebrate the love that held him on that cross.
As the book of Revelations reminds us, we cannot allow this feast of love to diminish or slip away. We must be careful to remember to feast with the Lord often. Perhaps you cannot do that daily, but I imagine you could find time to have a love feast with the Lord more often than you do now.
Many take communion quickly at a monthly church service. That’s a great place to start. However, as you press into God, include the love feast and partake of the body and blood of Jesus Christ in your times with the Lord.
As you do, remember, God calls it a love feast. That would be like having an intimate dinner with someone you love. A time of intimacy and loving each other as you feast on the food set before you. That is what takes place when you partake of communion – if you allow it to be that. May the Lord’s Supper take on a new meaning to you from this day forth. I know it has for me.
