Communion

Be Blessed by Embracing God’s Values and Relating with Him through the Lord’s Feast of Unleavened Bread

TRUTH AND PURPOSE

The second feast immediately after Passover is the feast of Unleavened Bread. Whereas Passover lasts for a day, Unleavened Bread lasts for a week. The feast serves as a reminder of past bondage, and value of leaving it behind.

RELEVANCE

While Unleavened Bread stands for a process of removing leaven from the home, this process in essence acts as a shadow reflecting the reality and value of engaging in an ongoing process of removing revealed sin and contaminating and corrupting influences from our life, purifying our heart—and walk—before God.  In another sense, it also points to the outward sign of water immersion, or baptism; which affirms the inward cleansing work of the Holy Spirit.

In valuing this reality, we have the opportunity to submit our fleshly desires to the LORD.  We then place our faith in the power of the Holy Spirit to help us resist those appealing, but unprofitable temptations.

Paul referred to this process as, sanctification by the Spirit or a “holiness that has its origin in the Spirit and the faithfulness that has its origin in the truth.”  (2 Thessalonians 2:13 JNT) 

By doing so, we trade the harmful influences of the world for the grace of the LORDs dominion, headship, or Lordship.  We also allow the power of His resurrection to become a personal reality, and work a progressive cleansing work in our life.

For this reason, Paul exhorted the disciples to, “abound more and more,” walking through life pleasing God.  “For, this is the will of God, your sanctification.”   (1 Thessalonians 4:1-3 NKJV) 

Therefore, in being alive in the newness of the LORD’s life, we need to understand that, as much as grace and sanctification work together, vibrant communion with God’s Spirit cannot coexist with idols in our heart.  For, idols are images we place greater value upon, than that of our relationship with God.  It, therefore, behooves us to honestly assess our values, and truly discern the things in life that may take on the form of idols. 

REFLECTION, REALITY AND RESPONSE

How do you examine your standing—or health of your relationship with God?

Are there crevices in your heart that the Holy Spirit may be shedding light upon to bring your heart into a greater degree of sanctification, and unity with God? 

REFERENCES

2 Thessalonians 2:13; 4:1-3; James 4; Ephesians 1:15-21

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Unless otherwise specified, all Scripture references are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982, by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scriptures marked JNT taken from the Jewish New Testament. Copyright © 1979 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. Scriptures marked NLT are taken from New Living Translation Holy Bible, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.