“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and I will dine with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).
I have found great meaning and power in the Table of the Lord—Communion—the Special Manifest Presence of God. I discovered, too, that the early church fathers, saints, Puritans, and Holiness leaders viewed the Lord’s Supper as a divine connection between heaven and earth. Consider the many ways the Table of the Lord can take on new meaning for you from these classic Christian leaders.
An Open Heaven
Bernard of Clairvaux declared, “Through the blood flowing from the side of Christ, he threw open to us the gateway of heaven.” Puritan Thomas Watson wrote in similar fashion, “Through the Red Sea of Christ’s blood, we enter into the heavenly Canaan. . . . Christ’s blood is the key that opens the gate of paradise for us.” When we partake of Communion, we enter a portal into the heavenlies.
Jacob’s Ladder.
Another Puritan leader, Thomas Brooks, likened the Table of the Lord to Jacob’s ladder reaching from earth to heaven: “The Lord’s Supper is a reciprocal exchange between Christ & a gracious soul. Communion is Jacob’s ladder, where you have Christ sweetly descending down into the soul—& the soul by divine influences sweetly ascending up to Christ.”
Raised to Dine with the King.
Fifth-century church father Chrysostom beckons us to dine in the heavenlies: “Look, I entreat you, a royal table is set before you. Angels minister at that table. The King Himself is there. Do you stand gaping? Are your garments defiled, & yet you make no account of it? Or are they clean? Then fall down & partake!”
A Feast of Freedom.
More recently, the renowned preacher Lloyd John Oglivie likewise invites to dine with the King: “This is what it means for me to break the bread & take the cup. It means laying aside my prison garb to dine with the King. It means that I am set free to be the man God created me to be. To live life as it was meant to be lived. . . . I now invite you to this incredible feast of freedom.”
Celestial Blessings.
Puritan Thomas Watson described the Lord’s Supper as “a repository & storehouse of celestial blessings. . . . All the sweet delicacies of heaven are served at this feast.” Likewise, fellow Puritan Thomas Brooks expressed this poetically:
“Communion with God is . . .
a shield upon land,
an anchor at sea,
a sword to defend you,
a staff to support you,
balm to heal you,
a cordial to strengthen you.
High communion with Christ
will yield you two heavens,
a heaven upon earth,
And a heaven after death.
Jesus invites us to open the door and let Him take us into a heavenly experience. I encourage you to partake of the Table of the Lord at your next earliest opportunity, and to understand and experience Communion to a depth and height that you have never experienced before!
washingHisfeet
I have to testify to a very special communion at Ormond Beach Alliance Church in 2013. After confessing and repenting, I took communion. I am convinced that getting right with God so I couldn’t be taking it in an unworthy manner was rewarded. I was overcome with the joy of The Lord and soft, gentle, almost liquid laughter flowed from my lips as I stood at the altar, consumed with the love of God’s all-consuming fire. I pray God is entirely glorified with this testimony. May others receive the faith of God to encounter His Manifest Presence at His table.
Paul King Ministries
Amen! Wonderful testimony! Thank you for sharing. A.W. Tozer tells of seeing a man so rapted in ecstasy during Communion that he was filled with holy laughter.