HOLY COMMUNION

WHAT IS COMMUNION AND WHY IS IT CELEBRATED?

So, first. We must look back on the days of Christ and his disciples.
So, the account of the institution of this ordinance is given in Matthew 26:26-29, Mark
14:22-25, Luke 22:19 Luke 22:20, and 1 Corinthians 11:24-26. It is not mentioned by
John the Baptist.
The Lord's Supper is also called "the Lord's table" (1 Corinthians 10:21), "communion,"
"cup of blessing" (1 Corinthians 10:16), and "breaking of bread" (Acts 2:42). In the early
Church it was called also "eucharist," or giving of thanks (Matthew 26:27).
The elements used to represent Christ's body and blood are bread and wine. The kind of
bread, whether leavened or unleavened, is not specified. Christ used unleavened bread
simply because it was at that moment on the paschal table. Wine, and no other liquid, is
to be used (Matthew 26:26-29).
It was designed:
1. To commemorate the death of Christ: "This do in remembrance of me."
2. To signify, seal, and apply to believers all the benefits of the new covenant. In this
ordinance Christ ratifies his promises to his people, and they on their part solemnly
consecrate themselves to him and to his entire service.
4. To indicate and to promote the communion of believers with Christ.
5. To represent the mutual communion of believers with each other.
This "feeding" on Christ, however, takes place not in the Lord's Supper alone, but
whenever faith in him is exercised.
ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF COMMUNION
Communion was instated by Jesus Himself. The story is recounted in Matthew, Mark, and
Luke. Jesus uttered those words at the last meal He shared with His disciples before His
death. It was the Passover, a time during which the Jews commemorated their escape
from slavery in Egypt, and it was an important meal.

The twelve disciples were gathered with Jesus, and it was a somber time, though the
disciples didn’t quite understand why. He foretold His death, and His betrayal by Judas.
However, He had also foretold that His death would be “a ransom for many” (Mark
10:45). In this ritual of breaking the bread and taking the cup, Jesus was reminding His
disciples of what He was about to do.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF COMMUNION?
Jesus told us why we celebrate communion when He instated it. He said, “Do this… in
remembrance of me” (1 Corinthian 11:25).
When we take communion, we are remembering Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. The bread
and wine are tangible, visible reminders of Christ’s love. Rather than simply saying
“remember,” Jesus gave us a reminder. Just as we depend on food and drink to live
physically, we can only live spiritually through Christ.
This time of remembrance was initiated by Jesus just before His death. Because we tend
to be forgetful people, in the Old Testament, believers were called to remember the
faithfulness of God through various memorials. In the New Testament, this is the way
Jesus wanted us to remember His love and forgiveness of our sins
(1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
Communion is a time of just that: communing. It is a chance to bring ourselves before
the Lord and partake in the life He has given us through His death and resurrection.
Communion is also a time to be in community with fellow believers, past and present. As
an ordinance that has stretched from the original disciples to twenty-first century
believers and is celebrated all over the world, it brings us together as the body of Christ.
We should also take the time to examine ourselves to ensure that our relationship with
Christ is authentic and genuine. Not only recalling the inauguration of our relationship
with Christ, but also seeking to discover if there is any unconfessed sin impeding our
current fellowship with God (1 John 1:6–9).
Paradoxically, the Lord’s Supper is not only a reminder of his brutal death, but it is also a
celebration of the incredibly generous grace of God and the invaluable privilege of being
forgiven.
WHO CAN TAKE THE HOLY COMMUNION ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE?
The Bible’s teaching on the Lord’s Supper is found in 1 Corinthians 11:17–34 and
promotes participation for believers who are walking in fellowship with the Lord. All those
who have personal faith in Jesus Christ are worthy to partake of the Lord’s Supper.
Biblically, there are two types of people who should not take communion: the
unregenerate and the unrepentant. Communion should not be open to those who are not
born again or those who are living in known, unconfessed sin.
Biblically, communion should not be limited to a particular church or denomination. It’s
the Lord’s Table, not any one church’s table. What’s important is that the participants
are born-again believers walking in fellowship with their Lord and with each other.
Communion is a time of remembrance (Luke 22:19) and a time of reflection. Before
partaking of communion, each believer should personally examine his or her heart and
motives (1 Corinthians 11:28).
The word communion is related to union. Communion is the result of a union with Christ,
the sharing of common thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Sharing in the death and
burial of the Son of God is a foundational part of salvation (Romans 6:3–5), and that
death is symbolized in the ordinance of communion. If a person has no union with Christ,
the act of taking communion has no significance (John 1:12; Romans 10:9–10). A person
who has not been spiritually regenerated has no means by which to commune with God
(Ephesians 2:3; Colossians 1:21). Therefore, an unbeliever taking communion is
practicing hypocrisy, and it may place that person in danger of God’s judgment.
According to the Bible, those who take communion must be humble, born again, free of
unconfessed sin, and living in obedience to God. Any person who has believed in or
trusted the Lord Jesus Christ alone for his or her salvation.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD THE LORD’S SUPPER/COMMUNION BE OBSERVED?
The Bible nowhere instructs us how often we should take communion. 1st Corinthians
11:23–26 records the following instructions for communion:
The bread that Jesus broke represents His body that was broken on the cross for us. The
cup represents the blood He shed on our behalf, sealing a covenant between Him and
us. Each time we observe the ordinance of communion, we are not only remembering
what He did for us, but we are “showing” it as well to all who watch and all who
participate. Communion is a beautiful picture of what happened at the cross, what it
means, and how it impacts our lives as believers.
It would seem that, since we take the Lord’s Supper to remember Christ’s death, we
should take it fairly often. Some churches have a monthly Lord’s Supper service; others
do it bi-monthly; others weekly. Since the Bible does not give us specific instruction as to
frequency, there is some latitude in how often a church should observe the Lord’s
Supper. It should be often enough to renew focus on Christ, without being so often that it
becomes routine. In any case, it’s not the frequency that matters but the heart attitude
of those who participate.
We believe that it is a good thing for believers to celebrate not only "at church" or in the"
church building" but also in homes and appropriate places all around the city. In Acts
2:42-47, we read that believers met on a regular basis in their homes to celebrate
communion. We can celebrate regularly and often. We should partake with reverence,
love, and a deep sense of gratitude for the Lord Jesus, who was willing to die on the cross
to take upon Himself our sins.

WHO CAN SERVE THE HOLY COMMUNION?

Biblically speaking, anyone can serve or facilitate communion. Strategically, we think
that the group leader or apprentice would be the one to serve. It is a great opportunity to
demonstrate servant leadership in the same way that Jesus served His disciples.
However, there may be other members who are equally able to lead and serve in this
celebration. It is at the leader's discernment and discretion.

IS THERE A “BEST” TIME TO SERVE COMMUNION IN THE SMALL GROUP?

We believe that it is important to get to know one another fairly well, first. This could be
done within the first six months of your group. But again, you may desire to celebrate
sooner than this at a mealtime together or even after your bible study session.

HOW CAN WE SERVE THE HOLY COMMUNION?

There are many ways to serve communion. The Bible does not dictate a certain method.
Feel free to be creative. You could celebrate communion after a meal together as often
modeled by the early church (Matthew 26:26-29; Acts 2:42-46; 1 Corinthians 11:20-26).
You could make this the centerpiece of your time together or you could partake in it
before or after you complete a study and discussion time.
HOW TO DO HOLY COMMUNION?
*First examine Ourselves (1 Corinthians 11:28)
*Honor the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:29) Give thanks.
*Partake the bread and wine
*Sing songs of praise and exaltation or you can end it with a prayer.
Again, there are many ways to serve communion and the Bible does not indicate a
certain method. The important thing to remember is that this is a time of worship and
celebration. It's a time of remembrance and reflection. Enjoy it and you will see you and
your group members grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ.

CELLGROUP
-A group of people that meets to study the Bible.
CONCEPT OF CELLGROUP
The cell group is a form of church organization that is used in some Christian churches.
Cell groups are generally intended to teach the Bible and personalize Christian
fellowship. They are always used in cell churches, where they are usually referred to as
such as Bible study groups. They are known by a variety of other names, including
growth groups, connect groups, care groups, life groups, fellowship groups, small groups
and home groups.
The term cell group is derived from biology: the cell is the basic unit of life in a body. In a
metaphorical sense, just as a body is made up of many cells that give it life, the cell
church is made of cell groups that give it life.

Now we can formulate 3 basic questions:

1 What is the purpose of the cell group?
2 What is a properly functioning cell group look like?
3 What are the leader’s special role and responsibility?

So, what exactly is a cell group? How can we distinguish a true cell group from all the
other small groups and programs within a church? What’s the biblical base for the
following distinction?

Spiritual Growth
The cell helps people to grow in Christ. Cells are not simply social gathering that focus on
fellowship and refreshments. No, cells must transform people for them to be effective.
We can see this in Acts 9:31 where the house church members were spiritually
strengthened and encouraged through the Holy Spirit.
The cell group places you in a protected context with other Christians so that you can
learn from them and give to them (Ephesians 4:11-13).

Community
Intimacy –Most agree that cells must remain small. With more than 15 adults, cells lose
their intimacy and reason for existence. We must keep cells small, so that everyone has
a chance to share and communicate. Scripture teaches that the image of the church as
family is the primary one (1 Timothy 3:15) and cells must remain small to make sure
everyone can share and communicate as an intimate family.

Penetration Evangelism
Cells must have a purpose beyond themselves. Cells are for others and must remain
open to non-Christians. Small groups normally meet outside the church building to reach
people where they work and live.
At the heart of the cell strategy is evangelistic penetration. I believe the church building
is best suited for celebration, coaching, training, congregational ministry, and network
activity. However, it’s best for the cell to remain in the community, whether that means
the home, the factory, the university, a restaurant, or wherever else.
The New Testament believers primarily met in house churches that were part of the life
and community where they lived (the first inscriptions of the church’s own buildings
were found nearly two centuries after Christ’s death).

Multiplication
Cells are born to multiply. The DNA of the cell is to give birth to a daughter cell. Yet, in
reality, the goal isn’t multiplication. The goal is to make disciples who make disciples. A
disciple must first be formed in the cell environment before multiplication takes place.
Someone said, “Healthy cells give birth to new cells.” I agree. For this reason, churches
need to focus on training and coaching for cell multiplication to happen. Reproduction
happened continually in the New Testament as house churches multiplied throughout
the Roman empire (e.g., Acts 2:46-47).

Regularity
In the cell church, the cell is the church, just like the weekly celebration. The early
church was a house church movement which gathered for celebration (sometimes daily
but normally occasionally). Since churches primarily met in house churches, when Paul
talks about the churches gathering on the first day of the week, he was referring to the
regular weekly house church meetings (1 Corinthians 16:2).
When cells meet monthly or “once in a while,” while maintaining a weekly Sunday
celebration service, the church is making a loud priority statement that says: “Our small
groups are just one ministry in the church—not the very life of our church.”
Many have criticized the weekly aspect of cell ministry. Why not meet once in a while or
every other week. However, Jim Egli and Dwight Marble’s 2011 book, Small Groups, Big
Impact, confirms the importance of weekly meetings. The authors surveyed over 3000
small group leaders in 21 countries using a survey instrument and interviews to discover
the right things that groups should do to be effective fishers of men. One of the factors
was the need for small groups to meet weekly. They wanted to know whether it makes a
difference how often a small group meets. The research revealed that it makes a
tremendous difference. Groups that meet weekly experience dramatically more health
and growth than groups that meet every other week. The authors write,
Cell group: Groups of people who meet weekly outside the church building for the
purpose of evangelism, community, and spiritual growth with the goal of making
disciples who make disciples, which results in multiplication.
WHY WE DO CELLGROUPS?
We do cell groups regularly outside the Church with the purpose of GROWTH,
EVANGELISM, COMMUNITY LIFE, DISCIPLESHIP and MULTIPLICATION. Cell group is not just
a happy place, but more so a community that aims to bring people closer to Jesus and
leads many to a Bible-based life.

HOLY COMMUNION AND CELLGROUP

Unity in a cell creates a more intimate growth in the Lord. Believers must seek unity in
all essentials (1 Corinthians 1:10) and the Holy Communion marks us all in unity in the
Body of Christ. Unity ought to be a distinctive mark among Christians (Philippians 2:1-2)