Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
When I was a very young child, we would visit my aunt who lived in another town. She always took me to church with her. At the service, they passed around crackers and members would break off a piece of cracker and solemly put it into their mouths. Then they passed around cups of grape juice which members solemly drank. Everyone was very quiet and serious. They called this "The Lord's Supper" and said they were partaking of the body of Jesus by eating that piece of cracker and the blood of Jesus by drinking that grape juice. I watched them but didn't understand.
I was baptized in water when I was 15. At the church services they passed around crackers as the body of Jesus and grape juice as the blood of Jesus. I was always so uncomfortable. I didn't know how I was supposed to act. But I just watched the people and did what they did. But it meant nothing and did nothing at all to change me in any way. It just made me uncomfortable and slightly confused as to purpose.
Then when I was 37, I was truly born again and had the Spirit of God. The church I was attending at the time passed crackers and grape juice and called it the body and blood of Jesus. I always dreaded this. I didn't know how I was supposed to "examine myself" (I Cor. 11) before partaking of the cracker and grape juice. So I just did what everyone else did and took these. But I had no idea how this pertained in any way to the body and blood of Jesus. And when I took these I was not changed in any way.
Later God showed me the real body and blood of Jesus is THE WORD OF GOD. When I hear a Word from the Spirit of God and consider that which I have heard and make changes as needed, I am eating the body of Jesus and drinking the blood of Jesus. In this there is real power. Through this change took place in me.
I also saw that when I read the Bible and examine myself with scripture, I am eating the body of Jesus and drinking the blood of Jesus. Again real change took place.
After seeing these things, I no longer ate crackers nor drank grape juice when it was represented as The Lord's Supper.
I would think some of you reading this had the same type of problem I have talked about.
When you consider the Word of God, the Bible and various scriptures as the body and blood of Jesus it makes sense. And we then understand what the real "communion" is with the Word. And we can examine ourselves by these scriptures as we read them. We can do all the things spoken of in I Cor. 11. And when we handle these scriptures properly we have real food and real drink in us and we grow stronger in the Lord.
I Cor. 11 ... For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 24And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 26For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come. 27Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 31For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.