In Remembrance of Christ

One of the most famous quotes by Jesus Christ was when He broke the bread at His Last Supper and gave to His disciples and said, This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me (Luke 22:19). To many Christians, this is one of the most emotional sayings and moments in the Bible. For the Lord to ask us to do something in remembrance of Him is emotionally too much to bear. It also shows us humans the great importance of the observances of remembrances, especially for the one that relates to Him, the Author and Finisher of our faith. This book is about Christians living in a way that remembers or recognizes the Lord Jesus for what He did for us on earth. In other words, it is to live our lives in a more sacrificial manner, especially when He adjourned us to do this in remembrance of Him. Most Christians will try to do things His way when we remember who He is. Such attitudinal understanding will help Christians to live a more overcoming life, especially in the areas of obedience, love, forgiveness, sacrifice, and holiness. Doing His will and righteousness becomes easier when we hear Him say to do these things in His name. Another way to look at it is like saying I would not have done this, but because of the Lord I will do it. It is the author's conviction that many Christians will be changed by this understanding alone. Remembering a person helps us to relate to, and reflect on, the person’s beliefs, philosophies, legacies, contributions and achievements in life. Remembering someone also helps us to aspire to live up to those values the individual believed in during his or her lifetime. In other words, we will be challenged in certain areas of our lives as we strive to live up to the demands of their valuable legacies. The fact that Christ championed all the individuals who have made positive and valuable differences in our lives makes this topic an ever more important one for all. Jesus’ legacy is everlasting, spotless, for the salvation of mankind, and is the cornerstone of remembrances. Men’s legacies are very temporal, but the legacy of Jesus is for evermore. Since the inception of Christianity, the trend has been upward mobility in the number and quality of His followers and in their influence and accomplishments in the world. No religion is even close in comparison to the number and quality of its adherents all over the world. This is in spite of religious prejudices and persecutions perpetrated by some nations, governments, and religions on Christianity. John the Baptist described it well when he said of Jesus that He must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30). Jesus’ Kingdom has no end in sight, and so is His remembrance. Wars can come and go, every evil may come and go, but His legacy and Kingdom are from everlasting to everlasting. The discussions on Christ’s remembrance occur in two different contexts. The first is about what Christ meant when He asked His disciples to do this in remembrance of Him. This squarely deals with what the Church partakes as Holy Communion and all related functions undertaken to keep that command. The ramifications of this are expanded to include key discussions on His death, proclaiming His death, the importance of His blood, forgiveness, divine healing, feeding His sheep, fellowship, and other virtues. The second context deals with what we as Christians do when we remember who Christ is and what He means to us. This aspect can take different meanings which are all for the good of Christians. One of its meanings is what we do because of Christ. Take for instance, a bad situation that arises in which you were really not the person who caused it. But for the sake of Christ, you decide to do something about it, to bring a resolution to it. The resolution may be in the form of forgiveness, sacrifice, intervention, or any act that costs you something which others did not have to know. It is like when Christ told His disciples that inasmuch as we do it unto these His little ones, we do it unto Him. Christ knew that observing Holy Communion will give Christians a chance to confess our sins to one another and to forgive one another so that we will not be taking the communion unworthily. The opportunity to confess our sins to one another restores relationships amongst believers. This is a very positive thing for Christians for as long as we are in this world. We not only need each other to successfully live in this world, but we also need to show the world how we are different. It was for this very reason that Jesus admonished His disciples and gave them a new command to love one another as he loved them (John 13: 34). Some of the highlights of this book are in the areas of divine healing, loving Christ more than ‘these”, feeding His sheep, forgiveness, and living our lives as living sacrifices. Divine healing, for example, is meant for the complete human being. There is a tendency for man to look at divine healing only from a physical perspective. God created man as a complete being made up of his/her spirit, mind, and body. When mankind fell, those three areas fell. Any of those three areas can be afflicted when abused or attached by humans, enemies or evil forces of this world. Therefore, it is imperative that Christians look for the healing of the complete person. Christ’s brokenness represented all our sorrows, pains, anguish, sicknesses, diseases, disappointments, sicknesses of the mind, physical ailments, spiritual illnesses, torments, social ills, environmental issues, and a host of others. If we, in obedience and by faith in Him, seek and ask for our healing in His name, it shall be done for us according to God’s promise.