SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY: Mark 14:22-25
22 And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. 23 And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. 24 And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. 25 Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.
MORE LESSON: John 6:53-58
53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. 58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
Monday, 22 September
Memory Verse: The Spirit can make life. Sheer muscle and willpower don't make anything happen. Every word I've spoken to you is a Spirit-word, and so it is life-making. John 6:63 (MSG)
God, being a Covenant-keeping God, has made provision of covenant meals to strengthen us as we commit to the Covenant of life in Christ Jesus. Covenant meals include: the word of God and the Holy Communion.
The written word of God contains the terms and conditions of His covenant; the spoken word releases the Spirit that sustains the covenant. We can go further and farther on the strength of God's word, following the principles of the Kingdom: righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Jesus made it clear that feeding on His word is feeding on the Spirit and Life. To annul death and its manifestations (sicknesses, disease, poverty, sorrow), we must grow our word bank, which is our life bank.
Jesus introduced Himself as the 'bread of life', and gave this bread to us to commemorate His sufferings, partake of His death and resurrection, and participate in the “victory march” against the prince of this world and the agents of darkness. Yet again Our Lord Jesus shows us a mystery in John 6:53 that eating His flesh and drinking His blood typified by the communion bread and wine indicates having faith in Jesus, His work of salvation on the Cross of Calvary, living for Him, while obtaining spiritual nourishment from Him alongside the hope of eternal life. The covenant meal goes beyond a ceremonial ritual in remembrance of Christ. When we eat, we go beyond eating with spirits (as spiritualists glory in) to eating life-giving spirit; for the life of a being is in its blood.
Life is transactional, i.e. it runs based on a system of exchange. Working/striving for the word is working for eternal life. Simon Peter said, the disciples had decided not to depart from the One that has the words of eternal life (John 6:68). Some individuals live to work for daily earthly bread, while the call of God is for “transactions” for the souls of men, fishing them out of sin of the world system and translating them into the Kingdom of God. At that level, the disciple asked God in the Lord’s prayer, to give them access to their daily bread. while contending for the things that pertain to life by feeding on God's word, meditating on it, declaring it, and partaking in the Holy Communion in faith. The Covenant meals of the Word of God and the Holy Communion bring life to us. We can eat to the point that we become so full of life, and that life swallows up.
Prayer/Action
* Thank God for His Word, His body and His blood which He has given to us.
* Receive grace to be a partaker of the covenant meals continually.
* Ask for mercy in any area you have fallen short of upholding covenants with God.
TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: Every word ever spoken to me contrary to God's plan over my life begins to catch fire now, in the powerful name of Jesus.
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