SEOUL, South Korea — Pastor Rick Warren says believers often miss the connection between partaking of the Lord’s Supper and Christ’s commission.
Closing out what he described as a historic global gathering of Christians on the final evening of the World Evangelical Alliance’s General Assembly at SaRang Church, Warren delved into the scriptures to guide churchgoers and delegates in understanding the significance of communion and how it’s linked to God’s assignment for their lives.
“Our communion feeds and fuels our commission. Our worship feeds and empowers our witness,” Warren said, reflecting on the strength and comfort derived from the gathering of Christians in worship and communion before going out individually to the four corners of the world to share the Good News.
“Communion — also called the Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist — is one of the most sacred practices in the Christian faith,” added the world-renowned evangelist and author of The Purpose Driven Life. “It was instituted by Jesus Christ on the night before His crucifixion, when He took bread and wine, gave thanks, and shared them with His disciples, saying, ‘Do this in remembrance of Me’” (Luke 22:19).
Before listing the seven purposes of communion, Warren homed in on a grave warning about participation found in 1 Corinthians 11:27-29, which says:
“So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.”
Coming together to take communion isn’t merely a “simple ritual,” Warren said. It has “deep spiritual meaning and serves several important purposes in the life of a believer and the Church.”
1. We re-examine our lives
“God’s Word tells us that we shouldn’t just start in the communion right off the bat. It says we should examine ourselves first,” Warren said, pointing to 2 Corinthians 13:5, Lamentations 3:40, 1 Corinthians 11:28 and Psalms 139:23-24.
“And so, the first step long before we take communion is to check our hearts and to check our minds and to check our emotions. Psalm 139 says, ‘Search me, God, and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts. See if there’d be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way of everlasting.’”
“I hope that will be your prayer.”
2. We repent of our sins
Reflecting on several verses about sin, including 1 Corinthians 11:26-29, 1 John 1:9 and Psalm 51:1-3, Warren said one of his favorite verses is Proverbs 28:13, which says, ‘If you hide your sins, you cover your sins, you will not prosper. If you confess them, you get a second chance.”
3. We remember Christ’s sacrifice
The Lord’s Supper is a “memory tool” to remember Jesus’ crucifixion on the cross 2,000 years ago for our sins.
The bread and cup remind us of what Jesus did for us nearly 2,000 years ago, he said. On the Cross, He canceled our debt (Colossians 2:14) and bore our sins (1 Peter 2:24).
“He did this so we could stop living for sin and start living right, and through His wounds we are healed.”
4. We receive Christ’s forgiveness
When believers ask for and receive Christ’s forgiveness, He puts their sins out of sight, out of reach and out of mind, Warren explained, citing verses Isaiah 38:17, Micah 7:19 and Isaiah 43:25.
“He puts it behind His back. He can’t see it. It is out of sight. But not only are your forgiven sins out of sight, they’re out of reach. […] He takes my sins that have been forgiven, that have been paid for on the Cross, and He throws them in the deepest part of the oceans. And by the way, then He puts up a no fishing sign.
“And then Isaiah 43 tells us they’re out of mind. God says, ‘I will wipe away your sins because of who I am and I’ll forgive your sins, remembering them no more.’”
5. Recognize our unity in Christ’s Body
Reading from 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, Galatians 3:26-28 and Romans 12:4-5, Warren said Christians are to use communion “to recognize our unity in the Body of Christ.”
It’s called communion for a reason, he asserted. “It’s a picture of my relationship to you, of our connection to each other in the Body of Christ. It helps us realize we’re not alone; we belong to each other.”
6. We recommit to our mission
“Our communion is our fuel for our commission,” Warren added, pointing to Mark 16:15, which commands Christians to “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.”
“The table that draws us in is going to send us out. I think it’s great that we’re being sent out with communion. It draws us together, saying, ‘Hey, we’re all in the same family. We’re all in the same Body. We have different functions. […] We all matter in the body of Christ,’” he assured.
7. We reaffirm Christ will return
“The seventh thing that God gave us communion for is to reaffirm that Christ will return,” (1 Corinthians 11:26) Warren said of its purpose of renewal, recommissioning and refocusing one’s attention on the day to come.
“We look within, we look back at the Cross, we look up to the Father, we look around the needs of the world, but we look forward to the coming King. This is not the end of the story. And when you get tired, when you get discouraged and you think things aren’t going as well in your ministry as they ought to go, read the last chapter of Revelation. We win.”
Communion, Warren reiterated, is a moment of reflection and repentance of one’s own sins, receiving forgiveness, and recommitting to God’s mission for one’s life and, in so doing, sharing the Gospel along the way.
“What does communion do? He asked. “It prepares us to be sent out.”
While Christians throughout the centuries have cried out for Christ’s return, pleading and asking the question: when? Warren said the answer is simple and it’s found in Matthew 24:14.
“It’s real simple. Get out and start witnessing because the moment that the last person steps across the line that the Lord knows is going to be saved, we’re out of here.”
The World Evangelical Alliance General Assembly concluded on the evening of Oct. 30 following four days of panel discussions and workshops on issues affecting Evangelicalism and the task of fulfilling the Great Commission by 2033, the 2,000th anniversary of Jesus’ Resurrection.
During the assembly, the Rev. Botrus Mansour of Nazareth was installed as the new secretary general of the WEA, ending a year-and-a-half vacancy in the top position. As a former lawyer, Mansour has held various leadership positions across church and educational bodies in the Holy Land, including co-chairman of the Lausanne Initiative for Reconciliation Israel-Palestine.
