Communion/Eucharist/Lord's Supper?

[AveMaria]

I've been wondering - those of you who have or attend a Home Church, how do you do communion? What does it mean to you, within the context of a Home Church?

(Hope it's clear that I'm merely curious, I hope my questions don't sound harsh or anything, I can't think of a better way of phrasing them).

 

[GaelSong]

I spent many years outside the church and it was communion that got me back to church. The eucherist is very important to me.


Apart from that I still wouldn't be a regular at church.

 

[Bevlina]

I have Holy Communion at home. We are permitted to gather togather and have a small piece of bread and a sip of drink and do it with a clear conscience. One can do it on their own as well. Remember, the Holy Spirit teaches us and directs us.

 

[Ave Maria]

I have Holy Communion at home. We are permitted to gather togather and have a small piece of bread and a sip of drink and do it with a clear conscience. One can do it on their own as well. Remember, the Holy Spirit teaches us and directs us.

Hmm, but do you have to use a specific kind of bread or drink? I mean, I don't often have grape druice or wine around and I usually only keep wheat bread here. In all honesty, I don't think God cares. The whole point is to remember what He did for us.

 

[Bevlina]

I don't drink wine Holly, and if I am led to take Communion by the Holy Spirit, I generally just have a little piece of bread. As far as drink goes, water is as good as any.
Ad it is true, the main focus is to remember what He did for us. To always Remember Him and His amazing Sacrifice.
But, I am very rarely led by the Holy Spirit to take Communion. If I do, I spend the time before in reflection on my Spiritual self and whatever sins I have inadvertently committed.
Walking with the Holy Spirit is an amazing walk! We are not bound by tradition in any way, manner or form. He soon lets us know what has displeased Our Father in Heaven.
The taking of Communion is no light matter. Paul outlined the taking of Communion in 1 Corinthians 27-30.
Too many today just go along with the tradition of taking Communion . That is why I always allow the Holy Spirit to lead me to taking it.
We are constantly in Communion with Jesus, so I don't believe it really matters a great deal unless we are directly led to do so.

 

[Silent Enigma]

In our home church we share some bread and wine every week as part of our gathering.

 

[Bevlina]

Tha's beautiful Enigma! Actually, that would be the manner in which the Original Christians took Communion.

 

[Diane_Windsor]

AveMaria,

In the home church I visited a few years ago we took communion in a normal fashion-much like at a Baptist service. We read the specific institution passages from the Bible, prayed, gave thanks, etc., and took communion. Me and my friend refused on the basis that we had not confessed our sins unto the Lord. A few years later my Christian sorirty did the same thing-although I'm not sure if we read from Scripture. I didn't partake in that communion either.

I have also done communion on my own with just me and God-I use saltine crackers or bread and grape juice and try to follow a formal liturgy. Communion is very important to me-it serves as a reminder of what Jesus did for me.

BTW, I LOVE your avatar! Monty Python is the best!

DW

 

[New_Wineskin]

I've been wondering - those of you who have or attend a Home Church, how do you do communion? What does it mean to you, within the context of a Home Church?

(Hope it's clear that I'm merely curious, I hope my questions don't sound harsh or anything, I can't think of a better way of phrasing them).

When I was in a home church , I didn't even think about it . Once or twice a year , my friends brought it up . It meant to me the same as in any other environment .

 

[ZiSunka]

Since I don't believe that a priest or preacher has to bless the communion or that it transubstiantiates when certain prayers are said over it by certain people, having communion outside a church building is not a problem.

In fact, I have heard from missionary friends that the most powerful communion they ever had was saltines and grape koolaid in a secret clearing in a jumgle where the Believers gathered because they would be persecuted for having communion or even church out in the open in town.

The home Bible study I attended years ago was a lot like "church." We had hymn singing, then prayer, then Bible study then sometimes communion followed by fellowship. We did communion in rememberance of Christ, as he commanded, not because we desired to receive something from it, but because we had already received so much from Him and were so grateful.

 

[Ave Maria]

I don't drink wine Holly, and if I am led to take Communion by the Holy Spirit, I generally just have a little piece of bread. As far as drink goes, water is as good as any.
Ad it is true, the main focus is to remember what He did for us. To always Remember Him and His amazing Sacrifice.
But, I am very rarely led by the Holy Spirit to take Communion. If I do, I spend the time before in reflection on my Spiritual self and whatever sins I have inadvertently committed.
Walking with the Holy Spirit is an amazing walk! We are not bound by tradition in any way, manner or form. He soon lets us know what has displeased Our Father in Heaven.
The taking of Communion is no light matter. Paul outlined the taking of Communion in 1 Corinthians 27-30.
Too many today just go along with the tradition of taking Communion . That is why I always allow the Holy Spirit to lead me to taking it.
We are constantly in Communion with Jesus, so I don't believe it really matters a great deal unless we are directly led to do so.

Ah Ok! And that is understandable. Personally, I am now looking into the Roman Catholic Church and I have yet to do much personal study on the Eucharist but I am aware of their basic beliefs on it. I have been talking with a guy from Christian Forums about Catholicism and needless to say, I am becoming more and more convinced every day. I think that Communion or the Eucharist has always been important (symbolically) to me but I am going to do more study and see if I am missing out on something. Anyway, I hope I didn't hijack the thread!

I took communion at home once and I think I used grape juice and bread or a cracker or something.

 

[33ad]

When my wife and I left our previous church, nobody, not even a deacon, bothered to come and see us to discuss our Spiritual problems.

So we were unchurched for two years. I did some google-ing, and found out about "Home Church". Well, we decided that even though we were just two, we would have communion at our home church. We used wholewheat unsalted crackers for bread, and grape juice for the 'wine.' We were very sincere, and would prepare ourselves spiritually before partaking. I would read the scripture passages and say a blessing over each item.
If we were wrong in doing this, God 'winked' at it, and we DID receive a blessing.

After a further search for a spiritual home, I am happy to say we are now very deeply devout Eastern Orthodox, and we commune after confession at least twice a month. The Eucharist has so much more meaning for us now.

If there were ever a time of persecution, and we could not go to church any more, I firmly believe God would understand if we partook of the sacements on our own. Of course, I believe what our church now teaches that only priests can offer the Eucharist, but when there are exceptional circumstances, God has an answer for us.

I do not judge any one who takes communion on their own if they are sincere and right with God. He is after all the one who will Judge us on the day of Judgement. And God does not look on the outward appearance, but on the heart!

God bless

Kolya

 

[Bevlina]

Exactly 33, God looks on the heart.

 

[ZiSunka]

When my wife and I left our previous church, nobody, not even a deacon, bothered to come and see us to discuss our Spiritual problems.

Too many churches are afraid to face their issues, so they are embarassed and scared to ask why people are leaving. If churches really loved people, they would at least call every person or family who stopped coming to find out why. I was a full member of a church for 3 years and was very active, and when I left last summer, they never so much as called to see if I was okay. It was like, well, you're gone and we feel rejected by that so we aren't even going to acknowledge you exist anymore. We were even taken off the mailing list so we didn't get the church newsletter anymore. I continue to be sad about it.

Why don't churches care less about numbers and more about people?

 

[loribee59]

Why don't churches care less about numbers and more about people?

but that's just IT. that's ALL they care about: NUMBERS. it's to impress. how sad that they fall into the world's system and try to get the most people to squeeze into the building just for the sake of it. I'm sure their motives were that they saved the lost, but were the lost TRULY saved, and are just pew fillers? (that's another debate, another time! LOL)

if a church had been TRULY honest, and caring, then there would be a reason to go back, but it's SO rare nowadays for a church to go after their members to find out why. I have a feeling that when I left my WOF church over 5 years ago, they knew why I left, but they didn't have the GUTS to face the issues. Sad to say, the WOF church is still going, but it's awfully small, after so much bragging for years from my former pastors that they will have THOUSANDS of people filling their church.

 

[ZiSunka]

Sad to say, the WOF church is still going, but it's awfully small, after so much bragging for years from my former pastors that they will have THOUSANDS of people filling their church.

God hates it when we brag, especially when we brag about the things he does and take credit for them.

 

[33ad]

God hates it when we brag, especially when we brag about the things he does and take credit for them.

We've gotten slightly off the topic here, but THAT was just One of the issues I had with my former church. They loved to brag about World Membership, Rising Tithe income, etc. That's a "Form of religion, denying the power thereof".

God bless

Kolya

 

[Bevlina]

OK. We are not here to talk about, nor to run down any Church. We are here because we have Home Churches, or, we are presently Unchurched.
There are some things happening in the world of churches today I disapprove of myself, but, let's keep focus here OK?

 

[ZiSunka]

OK. We are not here to talk about, nor to run down any Church. We are here because we have Home Churches, or, we are presently Unchurched.
There are some things happening in the world of churches today I disapprove of myself, but, let's keep focus here OK?

I don't want to run down churches either. We are merely talking about some of the problems people have had with traditional churches that led them to become unchurched.

 

[Bevlina]

That could call for a new thread couldn't it Lamb?