TRUE COMMUNION By Charles Weller

(1 Corinthians 10:16) 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?

The bread we break and partake of IS communion with Christ. The bread we break and partake of IS communion with the rest of the body of Christ We have fellowship with one another as we walk in the Light as He is in the Light. Our fellowship of light and life is Christ. Our fellowship is in the breaking, the sowing, the giving of the bread, which we are. Cast upon the waters (Rev.17:15) are we. Cast upon the sea, the masses of humanity that we might give them liberty.

What is the "communion of the body of Christ"? Fellowship is not the same as communion. When the brethren, who are the body of Christ, come together to a church service or just to have fellowship, this is not communion. Communion occurs when the saints gather and share the living ascended Lord, and by that we mean how He has been working and manifesting in them.

The word "communion" means to share something in common intimately. A normal religious church service is a personal affair. The saint is in the service and worships individually with others. It is a personal blessing. The preacher preaches and the saint is blessed personally. The service ends. Communion is not that church service. Communion creates, builds, establishes and enhances the manifestation of Christ through intimate involvement with each other.

The communion of the body of Christ in the standard communion service, is the sharing together of the people's experience in the literal eating of bread, which is a symbol of the body of Christ. The real truth of that symbolic and lifeless communion service is the spiritual counterpart. That counterpart begins with each person partaking of the Christ in each other (eating the bread). For we are His body. The walls saints build about themselves to protect themselves from pain, relationships etc. are torn. down when true communion occurs.

True communion is the manifestation of love with unconditional acceptance of another member of the body of Christ without regard to one's own personal protection. True communion is vulnerability. The natural body is open to infection as an example, let's say a cold. It wears the whole body down. The defense system (immune system) deals with the invader, but the body continues to function. Such is the body of Christ. It continues to love, hung on a cross, pierced by thorns, speared by a javelin die body continues to offer itself up as a pleasing sacrifice acceptable to God.

The "communion of the body of Christ" is the interaction of the saints in each others' lives. The normal denominational church is an insulated affair being personal in nature but very few people are open about their lives to others. If it is a smaller church where there is a personal knowing of each other, there is a tendency to know each other after the adamic nature. Either of these is not "communion of the body of Christ". Real communion shows acceptance of others as they are with the intent to openly reveal how the trials of life arc causing the members to manifest more of Christ. It is Christ in you sharing with the Christ in me so that both of us may enlarge the revelation of Him in us. Most churches do not have that going on. Lets start it!

chrales Excerpts from DISCERNING THE LORD'S BODY