According to reliable surveys, only 15% of Bible-believing Christians regularly read the Book they claim to believe. 35% never read it outside of church. 50% only read God’s Word occasionally. Where do you fit in this picture?
We encourage everyone to commit to reading the entire Word of God. Each year, we hear from people who tell us what a blessing it has been to read God’s Word, completely and systematically.
Teaching the Words
Dr. Paul. M. Elliott
At Eric Michel Ministries International and the Ecumenical Association of Churches (IAoC), the Holy Eucharist is a central ritual in all our worship. You must be a baptized Christian to receive it. The ritual in use is the Anglican version; regardless of your denomination, if you celebrate with us, it is required in your local Church.
The Eucharist, also known as Holy Communion, Blessed Sacrament and the Lord’s Supper, is a Christian rite considered a sacrament in most churches and an ordinance in others. Christians believe that the rite was instituted by Jesus at the Last Supper, the night before his crucifixion, when he gave his disciples bread and wine. Passages in the New Testament state that he commanded them to “do this in memory of me” while referring to the bread as “my body” and the cup of wine as “the blood of my covenant, which is poured out for many.”According to the Synoptic Gospels, this was at a Passover meal.
The elements of the Eucharist, sacramental bread, either leavened or unleavened, and wine (non-alcoholic grape juice in some Protestant traditions), are consecrated on an altar or a communion table and consumed after that. The consecrated elements are the end product of the Eucharistic Prayer. Christians generally recognize Christ’s unique presence in this rite. However, they differ about how, where, and when Christ is present.
The Catholic Church states that the Eucharist is the body and blood of Christ under the species of bread and wine. It maintains that by the consecration, the substances of the bread and wine become the substances of the body and blood of Jesus Christ (transubstantiation). In contrast, the appearance of the bread and wine remains unaltered (e.g. colour, taste, feel, and smell). The Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches agree that an objective change occurs in the bread and wine, transforming them into the body and blood of Christ. Lutherans believe Christ’s actual body and blood are really present “in, with, and under” the forms of the bread and wine, known as the sacramental union. Reformed Christians believe in the real spiritual presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Anglican eucharistic theologies universally affirm the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. However, Evangelical Anglicans believe that this is a spiritual presence, while Anglo-Catholics hold to a human presence. As a result of these different understandings, “the Eucharist has been a central issue in the discussions and deliberations of the ecumenical movement.”
In the Catholic Church, the Eucharist is considered a sacrament; according to the Church, the Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.” “The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch.”
Anglican theology on the Eucharist is nuanced. The Eucharist is neither wholly a matter of transubstantiation nor simply devotional and memorialist in orientation. The Anglican churches do not adhere to the belief that the Lord’s Supper is merely a devotional reflection on Christ’s death. For some Anglicans, Christ is spiritually present in the fullness of his person in the Eucharist.
The Church of England has repeatedly refused to officially define “the presence of Christ.” Church authorities prefer to leave it a mystery while proclaiming the consecrated bread and wine to be “spiritual food” of “Christ’s Most Precious Body and Blood”; the bread and wine are an “outward sign of an inner grace.”: 859 The administration’s words at communion allow for genuine but spiritual presence (Calvinist receptionism and virtualism). This concept was friendly to most Anglicans well into the 19th century. From the 1840s, the Tractarians reintroduced the idea of “the real presence” to suggest a human presence, since the language of the BCP rite referred to the body and blood of Christ without detail, while also referring to them as spiritual food elsewhere in the text. Both are found in the Latin and other rites, but a definite corporeal interpretation is applied in the former.
Both receptionism and virtualism assert the real presence. The former emphasizes the recipient and states that “the presence” is connected by the power of the Holy Spirit but not in Christ’s natural body. His presence is objective and does not depend on the recipient’s faith. The liturgy petitions that the elements “be” rather than “become” the body and blood of Christ, leaving aside any theory of change in the natural elements: bread and wine are the outer reality, and “the presence” is the inner, invisible, except as perceived in faith: 314–324
In 1789, the Episcopal Church in the United States restored explicit language that the Eucharist is an oblation (sacrifice) to God. Subsequent revisions of the Book of Common Prayer by member churches of the Anglican Communion have done likewise (the Church of England did so in the proposed 1928 prayer book): 318–324
The “Black Rubric” in the 1552 prayer book, which allowed kneeling for communion but denied Christ’s fundamental and essential presence in the elements, was omitted in the 1559 edition at Queen Elizabeth I’s insistence. It was reinstated in the 1662 prayer book, modified to deny any human presence, suggesting that Christ was present in his natural body.
In most parishes of the Anglican Communion, the Eucharist is celebrated every Sunday, replacing Morning Prayer as the principal service. The rites for the Eucharist are found in the various prayer books of the Anglican churches. Wine and unleavened wafers or unleavened bread are used. Daily celebrations are the norm in many cathedrals, and parish churches sometimes offer one or more services of Holy Communion during the week. The nature of the liturgy varies according to the theological traditions of priests, parishes, dioceses, and regional churches. Leavened or unleavened bread may be used.
Reception of the Blessed Sacrament in the Anglican Communion and other Anglican jurisdictions varies by province. Formerly, Confirmation was generally required as a precondition to reception. Still, many provinces now allow all the baptized to partake, provided they are in good standing with the Church and have previously received First Communion.
Individuals will genuflect or bow in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, which may be reserved in a tabernacle or aumbry on, behind, or near the altar. Its presence is usually indicated by a lamp suspended over or placed near the tabernacle or aumbry. Except among Anglo-Catholics, the use of a monstrance is rare. This is in keeping with Article XXV of the Thirty-Nine Articles, which states that “the Sacraments were not ordained of Christ to be gazed upon, or to be carried about, but that we should duly use Them.” Nonetheless, many parishes do have services in which a ciborium is removed from the tabernacle or aumbry and hymns, prayers, psalms, and sentences of devotion are sung or read. In some parishes, when the Blessed Sacrament is moved from the tabernacle (from a high altar to a chapel altar, for instance), sanctus bells are rung and all present kneel.
EMMI interdenominational differ in our understanding and celebrate the Eucharist with those with whom they are not in full communion. The apologist Justin Martyr (c. 150) wrote of the Eucharist, “of which no one is allowed to partake but the man who believes that we teach are true, and who has been washed with the washing that is for the remission of sins and unto regeneration, and who is so living as Christ has enjoined.” This was continued in practice without dismissing the catechumens before the sacramental part of the liturgy.
Like most Protestant communities, including Congregational churches, the Church of the Nazarene, the Assemblies of God, Methodists, Presbyterians and Baptists, Anglicans, Churches of Christ, and other non-denominational churches, we practice open communion. We at EMMI do not limit it to only congregation members but to any people in attendance who consider themselves Christian, regardless of Christian affiliation. However, we require that the communicant be a baptized person who wishes to commemorate Christ’s life and teachings.
Modified text from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucharist
by Linzy Bruno 6/06/2026 / Bible Studies
VIDEO
Without this passage in the Book of James, this concept might be
harder to grasp, but what he says here pulls the whole concept of
asking God for things, etc., together.
First of all, it confirms the fact that God wants us to ask Him, in
accordance with His Will, what we ought to do and not do, where
we ought to go, and not go, and so forth…..And that of His Precepts
suggests a complete and utter dependence on Him. If we ask for things
with selfish ambition, we actually may be living in a lack of the fear
of the Lord, which is essential to our walk, and may even reflect a
manipulative intent….
“You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain.
You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You
ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” (James 4:2-3)
And Jesus said it best—
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,
unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him,
bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4-6)
Moreover, this verse in James even applies to our relationship with Him,
because we can be as close to Him as we want; we can bring everything
to Him in prayer, or we can just go to Him when we need help or
something. But if our spiritual lifestyle reveals the latter, we will
spend a lot of our time feeling dissatisfied with life….
But the point is, God allows us to take Him in at our own pace;
whatever
is comfortable for us. He may shake His head, but graciously
allows us to stumble and learn as we go…..
And this verse alone proves that our God is all about relationships.
He doesn’t need to hear from us in order to gather pertinent
information.
He wants to hear from us out of His Love and Desire for
closeness with us…..And that’s even better, inasmuch as this
alone should reveal His
Loving Nature toward us and before us…
Because He is GOD, He could have ordained that we have no need
for communication with Him, since He already knows everything about
us, and even better that we know ourselves. In our limited logic and
knowledge, we could surmise that not having to bother might take a
load of work off of His plate, but that doesn’t even make sense in the
spirit world, because burden is our department. NO, He instructs His
children to ‘seek Him.’ Doesn’t this approach to relationship just
scream that it’s really up to us? And this also reflects the fact that
our GOD is a Gentleman—
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice
and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him,
and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20)
But all the while He is patiently waiting, because He is longsuffering;
God doesn’t need us; He doesn’t need to talk to us; He’s self-sufficient
on a level we could never understand in our physical flesh, YET, He
desires a relationship with us! And that relationship He wants to have
with all of us is destined for greatness, because if we treat that amazing
gift as the prized possession IT IS, better than anything we could ever
have and more vital than everything else we value, so much so that even
our physical wellness, we consider lesser a concern by comparison—
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy
to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
(Romans 8:18)
And subsequent to our dedication to Him through our hearts to
His ears, we live life on earth in a more heavenly manner than
any man-made, newfangled idea anyone can come up with, because
as we believers are well aware, only Jesus can satisfy our
longing hearts of desire and passion…..
So as we take each day as the gift it surely is, and appreciate ALL of
GOD’s Amazing gifts and blessings, our hearts may be free to soar
to the Heavens!
Furthermore, through this passage in James, we may see another
interesting facet to his simple words. You want to know why God isn’t
in this? It’s because you didn’t bring Him into it!
However, it’s not as though He holds back anything from us if we fail to
ask Him for His Guidance, favour, or help of any kind, but we do need to
learn this lesson, because it’s for our own good to go to Him for
everything. So it’s certainly part of the bargain, if we fail to see
His Hand working in our lives because we are not bringing Him into
the matter, whether it be a decision we’re struggling with, or a
problem with neglect to bring to His attention. He may not seem
to be attentive when there is no call for assistance. That doesn’t
necessarily mean He isn’t doing anything,
but it may seem that way…
Of course, there are those occasions when God will intervene
immediately
and make things right, even without our asking, but that is God’s
Business,
and there are things He does do that He doesn’t explain, and certainly
doesn’t have to, and only asks that we trust Him in Everything He
is doing in our lives!—
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your
own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct
your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
NKJV
CLICK THIS LINK TO VIEW THE VIDEO–
https://linzCounselorybruno.substviewers’ack.com/p/you-have-not-be,cause-you-ask-not
Inzy is a certified Bible Counselor, with countless republications on her viewers’ blogs, Bible Studies, e-zines, and the like. Her portfolio includes, non-fiction articles, short stories for all ages, and Christian poetry.
Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com–CHRISTIAN WRITERS
