Any one of the Gospel writers' accounts will serve to instruct us on the point, but of them all, Luke, who wrote his Gospel from material gathered from eyewitnesses, is the most specific. His report concerning the breaking of the bread is as follows: 'and He took the bread and gave thanks and brake it and gave unto them saying, this is my body which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me'. The Lord gave them bread which He had Himself broken, saying it was His broken body. In other words He broke His own body and gave it to them, instructing them to do this same thing to each other. Matthew and Mark add that Jesus also said to them, 'take, eat'; so we arrive at the aggregate of the synoptists' records on this point.
Paul adding later to these says, 'we, being many, are one bread: for we are all partakers of that one bread'; so saying he introduces a completely new dimension of thought. Joining all the records together, we arrive at the compound truth that by taking and eating the body of Christ and in turn doing as He did, we not only eat His body and remember Him in and for His unique act, but following His example also become that body to repeat and perpetuate this sacrificial act. We cannot enact redemption, but by the symbol we can and must testify that we can only be in the Communion by sacrifice.
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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.