open2itall

The new covenant has a different effect, we no longer feel restricted, instead we feel loved. With the covenant of old, God was out there watching and we obeyed as best we could, more from a position of fear than from love. Now we see clearly, we are awake with the Law in our minds and written on our hearts. This is the power of Love. Our responsibilities under the new covenant is to Love God. It is in giving that we receive

How was the covenant with Israel ratified? the covenant was confirmed by God appearing to the leaders of Israel who saw God and ate and drank. half of the blood from the sacrificed young bulls was sprinkled on the alter, and the other half was sprinkled on the people. What promise did the people make twice? the people twice promised... to do everything the Lord had said, they promised to obey God What was sacrificed? there was burnt offerings and the killing of young bulls. What was eaten? a covenant meal was eaten. note to anyone who might be interested: I am flying to Malta in the morning for a 2 week summer holiday, and have printed off lessons 6 and 7 so that I can think about them on holiday. I intend to answer the questions when I return... I find the questions helpful in maintaining a discipline about studying. Life is Good. God Bless

the Words of Institution tell us that forgiveness is in Christ's blood. when we remember why Christ died, we are of course remorseful for our sins. It is important for us to repent of our sins before reaching out to our Lord for forgiveness, how can we be sincere in our longing for Christ if we don't regret and want to be rid of our sinful ways. How can we expect to achieve Holy Communion in the Lords Supper, or to successfully reach out to our Lord in pray, with out desiring the Goodness that is Christ. And in desiring Christ it automatically follows that we want to turn from sin. By turning our backs to sin we find the Peace we need for Unity. "the man who knows the good he ought to do and does not is a sinner" James 4:17

the book of the prophet Isaiah talks about a saviour. Jesus could see His own story in the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 and wanted to draw His disciples attention to this particular chapter so that they might in time come to fully understand. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened His mouth not. He was lead as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before His Shearer

The disciples lived in a time when the violent ritual sacrifice of animals, involving the pouring out of blood to pay for the peoples sin was regular and customary. The disciples would have understood from the words spoken by Jesus in Matthew 26:28 "This is my blood ... which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." that He was identifying Himself with a sacrificial animal. But the full meaning of the Words of Institution would only come to them after Christ's crucifixion and His rebirth.

In the old testament, God showed leniency and favour to His people by letting them pay for their wrong doing with the blood of innocent animals

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for (huper) the sheep." (John 10:11, 14-15, 17) "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for (huper) his friends." (John 15:13) How does this encourage me? It gives me a ticket to a better life, if I take my ticket and use it, I find I'm on the right track, things become easier. I pay no attention to petty concerns that once tripped me up and bogged me down, I step easily over boulders, and at those moments that seem impossible I repeat my mantra, Jesus Jesus Jeusu, Jesus Jesus Jesus, Jesus Jesus Jesus........... and Christ in His mercy is at the forefront of my mind dissolving even the impossible. Just as the good shepherd is there for his sheep. But I know that I'm more than a sheep in His flock, didn't he lay down His life for me. O my God, thankyou... (my mere words will never be enough) You move in me, You arouse me, I am filled with Love and I dare to think that You might use me as an Instrument of your Peace.

The purpose of Jesus giving Himself in sacrifice was to pay for our sins. To redeem us from wickedness. He gave Himself up instead of us. "The Righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God" (1 Peter 3:18) "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do" said our Lord. These words are very powerful. I will love Him forever for saying these words on the cross.

I feel I

blood and water can wash clean. Christs blood offers forgiveness. Sin is always ultimately painful It is the body that feels pain. Christ bore our sins in his body.

I haven

Q3. In what way did the priests participate in the altar by eating of the Old Testament sacrifices? How does Paul connect this observation with our participation with Christ's sacrifice? an alter can be thought of as... a way to become different / a sacred tool to bring about a difference. The priests participated in the alter by playing their part. thankfully, our present understanding of what God requires from us has moved on from killing animals. If I imagine getting a shape knife and cutting an animals throat, I feel sick, if I imagine eating meat I feel sick (I

thank you for sharing, I found this very helpful.

I find this difficult, I feel that I may be missing something that later will be obvious to me. a Gift is given and by receiving we participate and share in the Lords Supper. this much is easy for me to understand. also, I understand that through Christ, I die to myself and live in Christ... but this doesn

Why was Paul exhorting the Corinthians about the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons? We need to bind with the highest. What was going on in the church? There was division within the Corinthian Church. What was the danger to the believers? that they might get caught up in lower streams of energy, leading to an inability to bind with the highest.

Q4. (1 Corinthians 11:26) In what way is the Lord's Supper a proclamation? To whom is the proclamation made? Why is this important? What happens to the church when its proclamation shifts to a different central theme? The Lords Supper is a proclamation in the sense that people openly go to the Lords Supper. Going to the Lords Supper is a visual statement of faith made by Christians to the whole world. This statement is important because it can encourage other people to experience our Lords gift of forgiveness and new life. If the church shifts from its central theme of the Lords Supper, it no longer declares to the world...

Q3. Why is our remembrance of Christ's death so important?Christ died for us and future generations, it is important we remember and pass on the tradition. What happens to Christianity if we neglect remembering in this way? Christianity will become weak and lose it

After the original Passover meal, the purpose for the Passover meal for future generations was to remember and celebrate freedom from slavery. It was to be repeated, to remind them of the Passover meal that took place before they escaped from Egypt, and to remind them of their exodus from slavery. What was to be remembered? That there had to be blood sacrificed to save them. If the Jews had stopped remembering the Exodus, (departure from slavery) the symbolism of the Lamb of God would have been difficult to grasp. These lessons are very good for me. I spend ages thinking about them, and the above answer isn

This is how I see it... The Lords Supper is not only about remembering the Lamb of God, if it was, then Yes, repeated often it would run the risk of becoming mundane. However, the Lords Supper is about renewal, forgiveness and justification. It is about vividly imagining Christ, it is about taking in the very essence of Christ and having Christ live within. And just as the physical body needs regular exercise to not weaken, it is the same for the lighter body, the soul, call it what you want... without a regular practice to lift us, our Unity with God weakens. This is the reason for Jesus

It is The Wine My initial thoughts were that it's The Bread. To live in Christ, and to have Christ live in me. Then, I gradually became aware it was The Wine. Because without forgiveness, I would be too disturbed for Union with the Peace, Love and Strength that is Christ. ease of mind sweetens all relationships.

the action words are given... (meaning , give up, sacrifice, to dedicate oneself for some purpose or cause) poured out... (as in the cultic sense, pour out, in behalf of) forgiveness... (as in the act of freeing from an obligation, guilt, punishment, and also meaning pardon, cancellation) Matthew 26.28 "This is the blood of the covenant, which is POURED OUT for many for the FORGIVENESS of sins" Mark 14 .24 "This is the blood of the covenant, which is POURED OUT for many," he said to them. Luke 22.20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This is the new covenant in my blood, which is POURED OUT for you." Luke 22.19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them saying, "This is my body GIVEN for you; do this in remembrance of me."

How can an extreme symbolic interpretation cause a person to have too little respect for the Lord's Supper and its elements?...... A sense of respect and awe for the elements in the ritual of the Lords Supper is clearly a key factor. The more loosely we connect Bread and Wine with Christ, the less awesome these Elements become to us. An extreme symbolic interpretation can greatly diminish the awesomeness of the Elements in a ritual, and can lead to a corresponding lowering of respect, effectively disabling the person who has adopted this view. where is the balance?...... with my very limited experience of the Lords Supper, I hesitated to answer this part of the question. Who am I to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), considering that I haven

I haven't taken part in the Lords Supper for about 40 years, but for what it's worth, this is my understanding. This is my particular understanding.... I see the Bread and Wine as holding the real presence of Christ which is Spirit. Christ is there in the Bread and Wine and we receive Christ according to our ability to reach out to The Lord. As a teenager I was confirmed in the Church of England and partook in the Lords Supper as best I could, I was always disappointed in what I experienced, I see this as my own failing at the time to be able to reach out. More recently, in the intense stillness of Yoga, I have been able to reach out to The Lord Jesus Christ and in his mercy, without me deserving it, The Lord has answered my heart-felt pleas for forgiveness with an inpouring of Himself. I sometimes think about going to Church again and I have been to a few Quaker meeting recently. I understand how being part of a fellowship would be good, but I

let me introduce myself, my name is Mark, I'm 56 years of age and I live in England UK. I have a belief in the Lord Jesus Christ, I practice Yoga which is my link to The Lord. I work night-shifts at a factory, I'm no intellectual but I hope to understand more by studying here. Please excuse any spelling mistakes, if I haven't made any yet, let me assure you I will