Does anyone do home Communion?

Didaskalos said:

I dated a Catholic girl in High School and attended mass with her at times.
I do not have to tell you that there will be some who will say we do not need a priest to stand for us in communion or any other ritual of faith. I hope you are not offended if someone brings it up.
Thanks for your contribution and be Blessed in our Lord and Savior Jesus!

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I would certainly not be offended. But I would obviously disagree

Didaskalos said:

We pray and remember the words of Jesus... "whenever two or three are gathered in my name, I am with them..."
So there is that. Of course since Jesus said He would never leave us or forsake us... so you would not need more than one.

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That is a requirement for the Holy Spirit to testify to us. Interestingly I get the Holy Spirit sometimes just by posting on this forum. But as far as communion, I don't think that applies.

Communion is a very important Christian ordinance....

For this cause (not taking communion properly) many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. - 1 Corinthians 11:30

I highly doubt that God makes people ill. Jesus showed us who God is, and he went around healing and making people better. Thought I would put my 2 cents in

Didaskalos said:

Absolutely. Paul tells us what the cause is:
"...not discerning the Lord's body."

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Sounds like it is referring to getting the meaning of the bread and wine correct, doesn't it?

Good topic. I take it at home, alone, but not as frequently as I should. I consider the Bible passages, but also affirm and express my gratitude from the heart for what the Lord has done for us. I got into the practice after reading that Smith Wigglesworth took Communion on the road every day, sometimes more than once.

As for frequency, I don't see any constraints on the practice. Twice in the Communion directions at 1Cor 11, our Lord says to do it "whenever". That word means "as often as", with a strong emphasis on latitude. Thayer has this on the underlying Greek:

The Greek reads οσακις αν, so the additional "soever" emphasis kicks in. "soever" means "At all; in any way." So the passage teaches strongly that the frequency of taking communion is up to us or the Body we are taking it with. And it teaches it twice.

devin553344 said:

Yes I wanted to honor God and so I read the bible and what communion was all about. That's how I decided on the prayer, but I'm totally open to suggestions for improvement

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Is there a reason you do not use the same blessing Our Lord did?

Didaskalos said:

Absolutely. Paul tells us what the cause is:
"...not discerning the Lord's body."

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And in the very next chapter he tells us what the Body is:

1 Cor 12:
14 For the body is not one member, but many. 15 If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. 19 If they were all one member, where would the body be? 20 But now there are many members, but one body. 21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; 23 and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, 24 whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, 25 so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
27 Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.

devin553344 said:

I prayed to God, and was inspired to give myself communion. I could ask for the church to send people, but I don't really want to bother them. People are busy now days and I don't feel it's a problem to give myself communion, it invites the holy spirit into my home.

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That's not a bother--it certainly should not be a bother. Your congregation owes you communion with the Body of Christ.

Dave-W said:

Is there a reason you do not use the same blessing Our Lord did?

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Is there a blessing in the bible spelled out?

devin553344 said:

Is there a blessing in the bible spelled out?

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No - not in the bible; although it is alluded to in several NT passages.

It was very commonly known in the first century. To describe that would be like defining what a wheel is. Everyone knew that.

The Good News: It is still used verbatim in Jewish culture world wide today.

(English translation)

Blessed are You o Lord our God who creates the fruit of the vine. (wine)

Blessed are You o Lord our God who brings forth bread from the earth.

Tree of Life said:

By "public" I do not mean open to all. The Lord's table is only open to believers. But the sacrament is to be administered only by ordained church leadership in the context of public worship.

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That is tradition... a man made decree. While I respect your right to follow that path, there is "nothing" in Scripture that says somebody who is ordained in the church leadership has to do it. There were disciples with him, he told them, "when you do this...." and therefore, if you are his disciple, you can take that as you have the authority. And... that aside.... again, this was a PASSOVER SEDER and the husband is the ORDAINED BY GOD head of his home. Therefore, he has the authority in his walls, as well.

Ken Rank said:

That is tradition... a man made decree. While I respect your right to follow that path, there is "nothing" in Scripture that says somebody who is ordained in the church leadership has to do it. There were disciples with him, he told them, "when you do this...." and therefore, if you are his disciple, you can take that as you have the authority. And... that aside.... again, this was a PASSOVER SEDER and the husband is the ORDAINED BY GOD head of his home. Therefore, he has the authority in his walls, as well.

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I don't think that your logic is bulletproof here. Yes they were disciples, but they were also apostles (ordained leadership). Was Jesus speaking to them in their capacity as disciples or as apostles? If he was speaking to them in their capacity as apostles, then it does not follow that any disciple may administer the Lord's Supper.

Also remember that it was only the ordained leadership in Israel (the Levites) who were able to make sacrifices and administer the OT sacraments. The Passover sacrifices in the OT were to be made in Jerusalem and by the Levites.

Tree of Life said:

I don't think that your logic is bulletproof here. Yes they were disciples, but they were also apostles (ordained leadership). Was Jesus speaking to them in their capacity as disciples or as apostles? If he was speaking to them in their capacity as apostles, then it does not follow that any disciple may administer the Lord's Supper.

Also remember that it was only the ordained leadership in Israel (the Levites) who were able to make sacrifices and administer the OT sacraments. The Passover sacrifices in the OT were to be made in Jerusalem and by the Levites.

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If the criteria for being "leadership" is an apostle, then very few priests or pastors really fit that position. An apostle was basically a church planter... one who went OUT, not one who was in the same building week after week.

"When you do this...." is all we have. Who is he speaking to? Apostles only which means most leadership today isn't in the position to give communion? Or leaders of congregations and homes? The tradition in that day was a family meal... and Yeshua was with his family. If we are part of his family, then when we do this... so it as a memorial unto him.

That is how I see it. Again, if you see it another way, that's fine. I am not trying to convince you to believe as I do... I was simply sharing a point of view.

Ken Rank said:

If the criteria for being "leadership" is an apostle, then very few priests or pastors really fit that position. An apostle was basically a church planter... one who went OUT, not one who was in the same building week after week.

"When you do this...." is all we have. Who is he speaking to? Apostles only which means most leadership today isn't in the position to give communion? Or leaders of congregations and homes? The tradition in that day was a family meal... and Yeshua was with his family. If we are part of his family, then when we do this... so it as a memorial unto him.

That is how I see it. Again, if you see it another way, that's fine. I am not trying to convince you to believe as I do... I was simply sharing a point of view.

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Apostles are much, much more than church planters.

That aside, you don't have to be an Apostle to be apostolic any more than you need to be a Prophet to be prophetic, an Evangelist to evangelize, a Pastor to care for people or a Teacher to teach. Likewise, I don't believe you have to be a leader to remember Jesus' sacrifice or to examine yourself or be lead by one to do so. Plus, the Bible says those who believe are now kings and priests, a royal priesthood.

Didaskalos said:

Do you have a format? Scriptural prayers?
What do you use for the bread and the wine?
Any thoughts or discussion?

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I have taken communion at home for about 30 years, my wife and I doing it daily now, and we have absolutely no ceremony about it. Communion a very straight forward proclamation of truth.

We use ordinary wine, the same bottle we would ordinarily drink, just as Jesus did. We use ordinary bread or crispbread.

People make a big thing of "we do this in remembrance", but then forget the main issue.-
1Cor11v26. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
In essence, communion is a regular proclamation of the death of Jesus as a complete and finished work. It is part of our spiritual warfare.

So as Paul explains, when we take the wine, we say, "We proclaim the death of Jesus".

One additional thing though, after drinking, we also pour some of the wine out on the ground outside the front door, proclaiming as we do so, "Father, we proclaim the redeeming the land!"

The latter came from a prophetic dream the Lord gave me back in 1997, when I was in intercession for the UK.

Tree of Life said:

By "public" I do not mean open to all. The Lord's table is only open to believers. But the sacrament is to be administered only by ordained church leadership in the context of public worship.

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Paul addressed Corinthians to the whole church, not the leaders.-

1Cor1v2To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:

Thus the teaching around communion is for all members to do it, not just leaders.