Order of Service
- Praise and Worship: Led by Worship Team.
- Offertory Consecration: Elder ThangkhosiamTonsing
- Sermon and The Holy Communion: Pastor Biakson
- Praise and Worship: Led by Worship Team.
- Benediction:Elder H. Zabiak
The tenets of today’s sermon
Where Churches pray, so do the presence of God prevail. He said, "Call unto me, and I will hear your prayers." Prayers can be done at all times –even while driving, and in the office. It is a weapon against the temptations of sin. It helps us to be good and righteous in all spheres at all times. For example, prayers help in providing us the ability to deliberate on the choices of food, on the relationship between man and woman, on the tenability of the differing and prevailing dominant philosophies which swept across the world, etc. It is thus a fundamental element of a Christian life.
Holy Communion Service
What is a communion? In Greek, communion is written as koinonía; Hagiakoinonia means Holy communion or Holy Community. In the Bible, it says, "I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks to participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf" (1 Corinthians 10:15-17). It also says that "Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter! For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me” (I Corinthians 11:22-25).
In Latin, communion is written as communio, which mean "fellowship, mutual participation, or sharing." It is also associated with "togetherness," "oneness," and in "union" with Christ. Koinonia envisages the need for communication with each other which entails deeply the ethics of sharing of both joy and sorrow. It is essentially intimate in nature and fraternal in its outlook which presents an internal coherency and likeness in the relationship between the people of God.
Jesus became the communicating link between allied Churches and his precious blood, shared. A question to be addressed is this: What constitutes the foundation of our communion? EBC? YPA? Is it through any organization, or of any denomination? We are nothing but a communion in Christ's blood. Our identity must not be based on worldly specificities such as our family background, language, or race/ethnicities, but through the blood of Jesus Christ only. Secondly, there is the significance of sharing the body of Christ to all Churches. The conglomeration of churches constitutes a unity in the body of Christ. For instance, the eye cannot look down upon the hands solely on account of their different functionalities. We have one membership which is through Christ alone. Let us examine ourselves whether we built any rapport with our Church members particularly during the services. Similarly, the symbolism of having tea fellowship with our honored guests is not because we need to satisfy our physical hunger. Rather it is aimed at building a more intense relationship with them, and to know about them better who are after all our brothers and sisters in Christ. It is imperative that we build relationship among ourselves, i.e. the Church going members, and certainly not being divisive under the pretext of any categorical stigmatization. It is essential that apart from individuals' cooperation, the awareness and cooperation between different organs of the Church must be maintained. The fact that Jesus divided the bread into smaller pieces for the other disciples during the last supper exemplified that we are all united in the Body of Christ. Why, then, have the works of Christians become ineffective? Because we contribute without valuing the act per se, and that we fail to appreciate the good deeds of others. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that we should sanctify our life in tune with the life of Jesus, which then would be 'consumable and digestible' for outsiders to lead the same.
Don Everts, a Minister of Outreach at Bonhomme Presbyterian Church in Chesterfield, Missouri, differentiated the types of Christians prevailing in the Christian world in his book, "Go and Do: Becoming a Missional Christian." According to him, it comprises of the Sane Christian, the Successful Christian, the Happy Christian, and the Missional Christian. Firstly, the Sane Christian saw the world as a threat which could jeopardize its godly ascetism. Therefore they choose to remain alleviated and become physically apart from the sinful world. This is not a complete Christian life. Secondly, the Successful Christian favors and earnestly pursues material prosperity. These Christians compete against non-Christian others, and also among fellow Christians and fellow Churches. They are driven by the desire to accumulate more success and more wealth. According to these people, it is a mark of progress for being a Christian, which is often reflected in their provoking testimonies. This is not the aim and purpose of leading a Christian life. Thirdly, the Happy Christian stressed on receiving more than serving. They only want to be recipients of benefits, be it spiritual blessings or material accumulation, thereby lacking the membership-commitment to any particular Church which are the hallmarks of a growing Christian community. Lastly, and most importantly, there are the Missional Christians who visualized themselves as having being coronate for carrying out the Gospel of Jesus. They see the purpose of their life and thereby the mandate of their missions in Christ exclusively important. They are mission-minded who tried and actually did all deeds for the Glory of God without any compromise.
We should all try to be Missional Christians who constantly work for the Glory of God in all spheres of our life and in all places we may be. The Holy Communion has, and must, continue to inculcate the spirit of Missional Christians in all of us.
