Communion

by R. Lindsay, Hamilton, Scotland | Category: Christian Problems In Today's World | Jan 1982

Every thoughtful Christian knows the need to maintain fellowship with the Lord. Christian living is no easy experience. There are many pressures. The world, the flesh and the devil - those three enemies of our faith - exert their influence on us. They sap our spiritual vitality, reduce the effectiveness of our witness and rob us of our ability, and, indeed, our willingness, to resist temptation. The lessons of Christian experience and the clear teaching of Scripture confirm that the only way by which we can safeguard ourselves is to maintain a life of continual communion. It is only as we walk in fellowship with God that we can overcome. The lack of an adequate degree of communion with the Lord constitutes the greatest defect in the spiritual lives of many of God's children, and is thus a prime cause of much of our spiritual weakness.

It was no part of God's purpose in creation that man should be in any degree separate from Him. Man was created to be in union with His Maker. As we read the account of Adam and Eve prior to the Fall we cannot fail to recognize that a prime feature of the bliss of Eden was "the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden" (Gen. 3:8) and the communion between Creator and creature which then took place. The Fall, however, changed all this. Sin broke the relationship between God and man. Separation from God replaced union with Him; estrangement appeared where previously there was communion. The joy which Adam had previously taken in fellowship with God was lost, and as man's nature was now sinful, desire for communion with God was absent. Only in view of the Redeemer's atoning death on Calvary could there be the possibility of true communion with the Lord.

Some Scriptural Examples

Even the most cursory reading of Scripture makes it clear that, without exception, men who have been spiritually notable have known the value of communion with God. They have heard His voice, entered into His thoughts, and in some cases, been privileged to share the secrets of far-reaching divine purpose.

Almost at the dawn of human history there was Enoch. How much can be read into the simple statement, twice repeated, that "Enoch walked with God" (Gen. 5:22, 24). A life devoted to the service of God, a mind seeking after Him, a spirit so yielded to his Lord that the hours were passed

in intimate communion with the Almighty - all this was true of Enoch. In the picture gallery of men of faith in Hebrews 11, Enoch is given the divine accolade that he was "well - pleasing unto God".

Then there was Abraham, a "mighty prince" among his contemporaries, but described by the Lord as "My friend" (Isaiah 41:8; see James 2:23). With the exception of the time he spent in Egypt, wherever Abraham pitched his tent he spent many hours in intimate communion with Jehovah. Of course, communion involves two-way communication, and it is with Abraham we find an early example of this. Time after time, God spoke clearly to this man who lived so closely to Him, revealing His purposes and giving instruction as to Abraham's conduct. The closeness of the relationship was highlighted by the Lord's decision to reveal to His friend His intention to destroy Sodom in judgement. Can we not recognize something of the thoughts of God as He mused, "Shall I hide from Abraham that which I do?" (Gen. 18:17).

Many other Old Testament men of God, such as Moses, David and Daniel also knew the experience of fellowship with the Almighty, and the enrichment this experience brought to their lives and witness. The New Testament, too, is not short of the records of men, the hallmark of whose lives was the place given over to communion with their heavenly Father.

In this, as in all other matters, the supreme example is provided by the earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Unlike us, there was in Him no sin by which communion could be hindered. Nevertheless, we marvel, do we not, as we consider the degree to which He maintained constant, intimate communion with the Father. Neither the pressures of life, nor the distractions of circumstances were allowed to come between Christ and His God. He always made time for prayer, in which He could hear His Father's voice. On that night when, His disciples having gone to their homes, "Jesus went unto the Mount of Olives", (John 8:1), was He not finding time, when others were asleep, for the all-important communion? The words of Isaiah, written centuries before His birth, give a precious insight into the value placed on such times by the Son of God on earth.

He wakeneth morning by morning, He wakeneth mine ear to hear as they that are taught. The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away backward".

The Need for Communion

For the believer, communion with the Lord is both conducive to and dependent on the maintenance of a good spiritual condition. The Christian whose heart is not in tune with God will have no desire to spend time alone with Him. Love to God and to the Lord Jesus is the only motivation which will make us value the opportunity of fellowship with Him, and where that

love is weak our times of communion will be perfunctory, perhaps even absent. Is not this one reason why the apostle John warns against the intrusion of the world and its things into the believer's life?

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him (1 John 2:15).

In His Upper Room ministry, the Lord Jesus taught the disciples that successful Christian living is inevitably linked with the maintenance of communion with Him. The example of the vine and its branches (John 15:1-7) is clear. Only as the branch is in living contact with the vine can the sap flow and fruitbearing take place. So also, it is only as the disciple remains in living communion with Christ that his life will be fruitful. On the other hand, if we allow Satan to hinder or destroy our communion, we may be like the branch which is cut off and burned. Of course, our eternal security is not in danger. What the Saviour was warning against is the danger that our value in the service of God will be nullified. We have all known times - have we not - when we have been careless in our communion, and, in consequence, our service has lacked power. May we never let matters slide so far that the Lord has to discard us altogether from His service!

Communion with both the Father and the Son is the birthright of every believer. The will of God is that our lives should be enriched by our continual experience of it. It provides our only source of spiritual growth, and of true peace of mind (Phil. 4:6,7). From it we can draw strength for effective witness, and it is only through communion with God we can rightly learn His will for our lives.

Hindrances to communion

Anything which comes between the disciple and his Lord will act as a barrier to communion. We have already seen that the influence of worldliness is a major hindrance to fellowship with God. It is all too easy for us to fall prey to the honeyed attractions the world can offer. They are ever present. Yet we must remember that, almost inevitably, association with the world will seriously reduce our desire to commune with God. Scripture contains many examples of men and women who made shipwreck of their spiritual lives because they compromised their separation from the world.

Unconfessed sin, too, will hamper communion. David experienced this, as a result of his adulterous liaison with Bathsheba. Only when he repented and confessed his sin were the channels of communication with the Lord reopened, and the joy of his salvation restored (Psalm 51:12).

A particularly solemn example is found in the church of God in Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22). The routines of the service of God were being followed. To the onlooker, nothing seemed amiss. But their service was only formal,

because their hearts were out of touch with the Lord. Thankfully, there was for them the possibility of restoration. It lay in the willingness of individual saints to open up their hearts once more to the Lord.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear My voice

and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me,

is a word spoken to the believer.

Appointments with God.

Communion with God, with all its implicit blessings, involves the setting apart of time when we can be alone with Him. For the Christian, prayer and reading of the Word are indispensable parts of daily life. In prayer we speak to God, and through His Word God speaks to us. It is as we meditate on the Scriptures we hear His voice, and discover His will. In communion, the emphasis must lie on what God is saying to us, rather than on what we would say to Him.

Every man who has ever known the fulness of divine blessing has given himself over to communion with God. Regular, unhurried times apart with Him have characterized their lives, and all other demands on their time have been made subordinate of this. Nothing is allowed to interfere with the time they have set apart to be alone with God. Today, with the pressures and pace of twentieth century life to contend with, we too must follow the same discipline. Our lives must be so organized that we have regular, recognized times set apart daily for prayer, reading and meditation. For successful Christian living, there is no other way.

The Outcome

If we spend time with God, we cannot but be changed by the experience. His holiness will be reflected in our lives; His joy and peace will fill our hearts. After Moses had spent forty days in the mount, alone with God, "the skin of his face shone by reason of his speaking with Him" (Exodus 34:29). As one writer has aptly commented,

God does not manifest His glory to the spiritual tourist, but to the one who comes up to Him on the mount. The reflected glory on Moses' face was not produced by a snapshot, but by a time exposure.

May we too know the secret of communion with our Lord, and thus grow more like Him.

R. Lindsay, Hamilton, Scotland | Jan 1982
Christian Problems In Today's World