Communion-New Life

Communion: intimate fellowship and rapport

My children love new clothes. I don’t remember being that enthusiastic about new clothing when I was their age and I find it amusing how happy they are to receive even just new pyjamas. I think they get it from their father. I enjoy planning wardrobe updates as they outgrow certain items of their clothing, anticipating their excitement when I reveal these new items to them. Though my new clothing excitement levels may not match the other three members of my family, purchasing or receiving a new item of clothing does bless my heart too. As we remain in the spirit of Easter, I am reminded that while our Heavenly Father commands us not to worry about physical clothing, trusting fully that He is more than able to provide, He also commands us to put on, new clothing which is the new nature purchased by the high price of Good Friday and delivered to us by Resurrection Day.

Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. ~ Colossians 3:10

“Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.” ~ Ephesians 4:21-24

Imagine walking into your new home, a mansion, after spending years living on the streets. After receiving a tour, you are shown to your bedroom, a large exquisite haven. You scan the room that they say is all yours and your gaze lands on the walk-in closet where the most amazing articles of clothing hang. You look down at what you are wearing and though you knew you were in rags before, all of a sudden, in contrast to the beautiful clothes you now see, your rags seem even more raggedy. If you are anything like me, you would probably rush in to see that the items are the right size, and confirming that they are, you start trying them on immediately. Only afterwards would it click that you should have probably taken a bath or shower before doing that.

Though our story may not be as animated as that. There are some rags-to-riches elements. You see, Jesus paid for us to be brought into the family from the cold and hard streets. His blood washed us clean of our sin and shame and secured a room for us in His Father’s mansion. And, believe it or not, there are new clothes involved. The thing is, God isn’t going to force us to wear them, and for as long as we want, we can spend time in His presence wearing the same stinky rags we walked in with. God’s heart for us remains unchanged and as we spend more time in communion with Him, our desire to change our wardrobe is supposed to match the new life He has given us.

“If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness of sin, we lie and do not practice the truth.” ~ 1 John 1:6

Fellowship speaks to an association with someone who shares the same interest. Good communication brings an understanding of one another’s feelings and ideas which then breeds better communication. Communion is our association with God and our desire to have oneness with Him, sharing fully in His interests. Communion should cultivate a desire to be more like God and walk fully and confidently into everything He has called us to be. Once we commit to allowing communion to transform our wardrobe, we will begin to see transformation in our lives as well.

New associations. One of my favourite quotes says, “Show me your friends and I will tell you who you are.” If friendship with God is our priority, we cannot continue in some of the previous associations we have kept and expect to have true oneness with Him. As we commune with God and keep our eyes fixed on Him, we must be ready to allow some of our former companions to naturally fall away as our interests no longer match up with theirs. This is not to say that we hate those people we once shared ourselves with, no, we simply value our relationship with God more and are taking steps to ensure that He remains our priority.

New thinking. For us to cultivate good communication with God, we will need to upgrade our thinking. Sometimes the Holy Spirit will speak to us about areas of cemented thought patterns we least expect, but if we are willing to raise the bar, we will submit and replace those thoughts with the truth of His Word. The work of taking a chisel to that cement is a collaborative effort between us but it is a truly beautiful and rewarding work.

New character. Having our character flaws pointed out to us isn’t always the most exciting or enjoyable thing. The Bible encourages us in this by reminding us that God corrects us because He loves us. If God doesn’t show us areas of our character that need attention, as He does with all of his children, it means that we are illegitimate and are not His children at all.  If you are in a season of character panel beating, take heart. Your Father loves you and is shaping you into the person He sees and knows you can be. The wonderful thing about character is that it is pliable and the sooner we submit to God’s hand, the less uncomfortable and more rewarding it will be.

Communion, the breaking of His body and the spilling of His blood changed our lives. Communion, and fellowship with Him, should continue to change our lives. I encourage you to make commitments to stay connected with God and as you do, I pray that you will see your life transformed from the inside out becoming a life truly communed with God.