What Color Is Your Blood?

"For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was betrayed took bread;" 1 Cor. 11:23 NKJV

Since I have been ministering the Communion part of our worship service on Sundays, I have noticed that the night discussed is always referred as, “the night He (Jesus) was betrayed”. Not the night of the Lord’s Supper or Communion Night. This speaks to me. Many times before that night the Lord warned His disciples and they did not heed.

Matt. 17:22 & Luke 9:44, Matt. 20:18 & Mark 10:33, Matt. 26:2

In Luke 9:44 He told them, “to let these words sink down into your ears”, and they did not hear.

You may ask, ”What does this mean to us?”. To me it means that not only did Jesus know far ahead of His betrayal, In Luke 21:16 He told us to expect it also.

Now, what I shared in Church is this: How we react when we have been betrayed is a good measurement of our spirituality. It shows us and others just how much we are like Christ. Or not.

Years ago in high school, BC, I carried a large knife in my back pocket. One day in class a good friend of mine pulled the knife out of my back pocket and cut me in the back (about one inch). It bleed as if he had stabbed me. Being my friend and knowing he did not mean to harm me, I made up a good lie to tell the teacher that patched me up. He either has naive and believed me or just did not want to deal with it.

Anyway, it was easy to forgive a friend. It is hard to forgive a person you thought was a friend but stabs you in the back. I bleed red. My scar healed a long time ago. When we are betrayed, what is in us comes out. We show our true colors.

Do we bleed spiritually like Jesus bleeds. With forgiveness.

In Luke 17:4 it reads,” And if he trespasses against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turns again to you, saying, I repent, you shall forgive him. “

That’s a lot of stab wounds. But we have a Lord that heals. If we bleed like Him.

Poured Out

“Then He (Jesus) took the cup, gave thanks to God, and gave it to them. “Drink it, all of you,” He said; “for this is my blood, which seals God’s covenant, My blood poured out for the forgiveness of sins.” Matt. 26:27-28 TEV
As I was preparing the communion elements for the Sunday service, I read these passages in order to see what the Lord wanted me to share during the communion part of the service. The phrase, “My blood poured out for many,” stuck out. Later at the church building while filling the little cups I noticed that while I was pouring the grape juice from the little Pyrex measuring cup, I would run out and have to refill it.
Jesus when He offered Himself as an offering for all mankind, He gave all that He had. All that was needed.
To be a real disciple we must pour ourselves out for Him in service and devotion, not worrying that we may also give all with nothing else to give. For when we are empty in His service, He fills us up again.
In our service, communion time is a great opportunity to be refilled.

During the early church years the Romans killed many Christians because they believed they were cannibals by eating Christ’s body. Later during the middle ages, Christians were killed because they DID NOT believe they were eating Christ’s body. Some may say that the communion service means nothing to them and that it is just a part of the church service.
How dare we partake of communion and it not mean anything? Whether you believe it turns to Christ’s body or not, whether it saves or is just a symbolic ritual.
Do it in remembrance of Christ and what He did and do likewise. Allow ourselves to be poured out in Jesus name.