Recently a sister of mine raised this question. I am not going to answer this question based on a denominational understanding because different denominations understand this question differently
What is Communion?
An act in which the body of Christ remembers that Jesus died for their sins and remember his death by partaking in drinking wine and bread. ( 1 Corinthians 11:26)
My Church gives communion only on sundays. Why?
In Acts 20:7, it is said that the disciple broke bread on the first day of the week. So many denominations give communion only on Sundays. There are some Christians who take communion only on Maundy thursday and on Newyear day.
How long should Christians partake in Communion?
Till the coming of Christ. ( 1 Cor 11:26)
Who should take communion?
Every Christian should partake in communion, by examining themselves and by remembering that Jesus did for us. ( 1 Cor 11:28).
Why should we partake in Communion?
Because the Lord commanded the believers to do so. (1 Cor 11:24)
How often should I take communion?
In early Church, the believers took communion everyday when they gathered. (Acts 2:46). Later Christians made it a once a week affair by only taking Communion on Sundays when they gather for worship. In some churches, Communion is given only on the first Sunday of a month. All these are man made practises. There is no rule on how frequent we should take communion. But from what we learn from Christ’s command, we can be sure that we can take communion every day when we gather as the body of Christ.
What are the communion elements that should be eaten?
As we remember the Lord’s death, in early church, one whole bread was broken into small pieces and that was shared and everyone drank from one cup remembering the Lord’s sacrifice. But as time went by, we have started adopting smaller wafers and smaller cups for drinking due to hygiene purposes. The bread and wine is used because these were the common eateries during Christ time in Judea. In some cultures, even chapathy, baked bread and grape juices are used.
When should we start eating communion elements?
As soon as we are baptised into the Church (Body of Christ). In different denominations, Baptism differs. So once a person accepts that he/she is a sinner and accepts Christ as his or her personal saviour and is added to the local church, he or she can start taking communion.
Can I take communion more than once in a day?
Yes. If you attend a church in the morning where communion, you can partake in communion because you remember the Lord’s death. In the evening service in another church on the same day, if communion is served, you can still partake in that communion. But we should examine ourselves and get closer with God.
Some denominations do not allow other denominations to partake in Communion. What about them?
Yes. Some denominations do not allow other denomination people to partake in communion. Such denominations show the"We are holy than you" attitude. For example, the TPM (The Pentecostal Mission - Formerly known as Ceylon Pentecostal mission [CPM]) is one such denomination which does not give communion to Christians from other denominations. But they collect offertory from other denominational Christians. Beware of such groups. They have cultish behaviour.
- Shielded in God's Love
Prason
