10.31- Jesus intended for His disciples to be a loving family.

 10.31-

 Jesus intended for His disciples to be a loving family.  Families eat together. 

Jesus connected the Passover bread to His own body given for others.

The cup connected to giving His blood, the lamb of God, for the sins of the world.

When we live in the presence of God His joy fills our hearts at meal times and all times.

The early disciples gatherings were meetings of joy and food and fellowship

The church at Corinth got into some problems when they were selfish with their food and the rich separated themselves from the poor and didn't have common meals together.  They were divided and God didn't want them to be divided.

When we eat with God's children we need to examine our hearts to make sure we are aligned with love for God and for them as we fellowship around food.  Food is a hospitality event, but it is also a spiritual event of deep bonding.

Food eaten in a good context is good for the heart, soul and body.  Food eaten in selfishness and toxic attitude is not good for the heart, mind or soul.

Matthew 26.

²⁶ While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and ^[h]after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” ²⁷ And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; ²⁸ for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. ²⁹ But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

³⁰ After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

 

Acts 2.

⁴² They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and ^[ao]to prayer.

^43 [ap]Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and ^[aq]signs were taking place through the apostles. ⁴⁴ And all those who had believed ^[ar]were together and had all things in common; ⁴⁵ and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. ⁴⁶ Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread ^[as]from house to house, they were taking their ^[at]meals together with gladness and ^[au]sincerity of heart, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding ^[av]to their number day by day those who were being saved.

 

1 Corinthians 11.

11 Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.

¹⁷ But in giving this instruction, I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse. ¹⁸ For, in the first place, when you come together ^[p]as a church, I hear that ^[q]divisions exist among you; and in part I believe it. ¹⁹ For there must also be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become ^[r]evident among you. ²⁰ Therefore when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper, ²¹ for in your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and another is drunk. ²² What! Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I will not praise you.

The Lord’s Supper

²³ For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; ²⁴ 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.” ²⁵ In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” ²⁶ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

²⁷ Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. ²⁸ But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. ²⁹ For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. ³⁰ For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number ^[s]sleep. ³¹ But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. ³² But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.

³³ So then, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. ³⁴ If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, so that you will not come together for judgment. The remaining matters I will arrange when I come.