In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul opens wider still the immensity of truth, more widely than any other man has done: 'the bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?' Paul saw that when Jesus said, 'this do', He did so having Himself broken the bread. Like John in another connection, the apostle 'saw and understood'. No wonder he later pleads with us to put away childish thoughts and things and speech and understandings and become men. To be in this wondrous Communion we must do more than receive and eat the bread; as Jesus Himself, we too must break the bread. He broke it for others to eat, so we too must break it that others may eat.
The logic of it is inexorable. He laid down His life for us; we must lay down our lives for the brethren. He broke it for us so that we should see and follow His example. We must or we shall not commune. Strange though it may seem, the act of breaking, not the act of eating, is specified as the act of communing. He broke for others to eat; so must we. In the act of breaking it is as though for the purposes of communing, each member of the body in turn momentarily becomes as the Head Himself who brings the whole body into the Communion. The Communion is of the whole body, Head and members. That, beloved, is the most high and holy of all our privileges, even as it was His on that solemn, dreadful day.
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G.W. North (1913 - 2003)
G. W. North was born in London England in 1913. As a young man he became aware that the Lord was calling him into the work of the ministry. At timely stages the Lord placed folk in his path who were able to direct him into the truth of heart purity and a more expansive understanding of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. He held pastorates in Kent and Bradford. By the late 1960s, following a significant period of ministry in Liverpool, he began a more itinerant ministry. This led him to many parts of the world, and occupied him until well into his eighties. His powerful preaching and the unique sense of the Lord's presence, which seemed to brood over his meetings, were always intensely challenging.The true secret of his remarkable ministry stemmed from his personal communion with the Lord Jesus. To him, 'entering the holiest' was not merely a theological concept; it was a distinct spiritual reality - and the central feature of his spiritual life. It was here, in the place of worship, that his revelatory ministry found its source. He preached from understanding and conviction. He was never the echo of another, nor did he take on board the ebb and flow of various contemporary emphases. He was not a man of 'books'; he soaked himself in Scripture and allowed it to saturate his heart and mind. Truly, this is a man who has lifted up a standard for the people. Mr North went to be with the Lord on 29th April 2003, shortly after his ninetieth birthday.