The Lightstreet Journal

 VOL. I   NO. II                 © 2004 HOLY SPIRIT ALL RIGHTS PRESERVED                               JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2004                                                                                  PAID IN FULL

Communion:

Why have we complicated a simple request?  - PART I                                                                

²³ For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: ²⁴ And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. ²⁵ After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. ²⁶ For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. ²⁷ Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸ But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. ²⁹ For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. ³⁰ For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. ³¹ For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. ³² But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. ³³ Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another. ³⁴ And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.  

     - 1 Corinthians 11:23-34

       Starting in verse 23 of this letter to the church at Corinth, our apostle of grace was instructed by the risen Christ about things he had received and now wanted to deliver to us as members of the Body of Christ! Jesus Christ, on the same night He was betrayed, took bread, gave thanks, broke the bread and said: "Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me."  

       In verses 25 and 26, Paul who is inspired by the Holy Spirit writes further about Christ's instructions (to us) in the same "template" as before:  "After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. ²⁶ For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

       It is essential that the diligent bible student must first understand who the bible is addressed "to", who is spoken about, and in what context words or a passages are used.  If we use that same principle here, we can find out some awesome aspects of what Jesus Christ told Paul to tell us about "communion".  I am afraid though, that what Christ would want and would approve of today under His administration of grace,  is quite different from what is practiced and taught in many churches across the world.  With context and audience in mind, many scholars would agree that Paul is quoting from what Christ told the 12 apostles  (ref: Matthew 26:26-28, Mark 14:22-24, Luke 22:17-20). However, we must note that starting in verse 24 of 1 Corinthians 11, that Paul "received of the Lord to deliver to us"   that when we break bread or drink we are to remember Christ until He comes again.  This foundational principle is cross-dispensational in that its principles apply to all programs of God:

1)Present day saints or those members of the Body of Christ, who in this current age of grace have simply believed that Jesus Christ died, was buried and rose again for their sins (1 Corinthians 15:1-10).  We are most certainly instructed to think of Him when we eat and /or drink!

2) The kingdom saints (Little Flock  - Luke 12:32) or what Christ told the 12 apostles in regards to remembering Him.  (ref: Matthew 26:26-28, Mark 14:22-24, Luke 22:17-20).

3) The Tribulation saints who will embrace Christ as their King and await for Him to physically touch down on the earth (Zechariah 8:3-8), should indeed remember Him when they eat and drink.

"However, we must note that starting in verse 24 of 1 Corinthians 11, that Paul "received of the Lord to deliver to us"   that when we break bread or drink we are to remember Christ until He comes again.  This foundational principle is cross-dispensational in that it applies to both programs of God...."

You may be asking then, "Brother, what are you driving at??"  

       Here's my point: Do you think people in general like to eat? How about in your home town? How many restaurants, burger stops and other fast-food joints are there.? In my little Italian-American hometown, there are dozens of restaurants, parlors and diners of which one can choose to eat at. The choices are unlimited!  God in His infinite wisdom, love and perfection was definitely on to something!  If on average, we eat three meals a day (some more some less) than at a minimum should we not think of Him three times? We should indeed think of Him more, but at least when we eat and drink, shouldn't we ponder His finished work on our behalf? Shouldn't we dwell on the One that gave up so much for us so that we can bask in His grace, liberty and freedom??? In my home, communion has a taken on a different meaning nowadays.  It's not because we are model Christians or holy beyond perfection but instead, sinners who have embraced a truth of what God would approve of concerning the completed, sufficient and finished work of His Son! Folks, I am not talking about making a public, prayer demonstration to show ourselves super-Godly. I am talking about a thankful heart!

       Unfortunately today, communion has become a ritual, a rite, and in many instances a way of salvation. Jesus Christ never intended this and He through the operation of the Holy Spirit instructed Paul to teach us differently concerning this matter.  How many churches argue or even divide over the amount of times in a month they should have communion? It is believed that we are to be quiet in the sanctuary or "solemnly reflect" in our attempts to get right with God, when in fact He has already proclaimed us "right" through Christ! In many churches the accomplishments of the cross and the riches of His grace would rather be replaced by pomp and circumstance, gold and silver as well as guilt and bondage. In the midst of it all and if we are really honest with ourselves, we are too busy trying to "look sorry" and too concerned with our outward demeanor in response to the "ceremony" at hand.  The ironic thing of it all is that when the service ends and the coffee and donuts are served that would be the best time to hold communion! Man as always, perverts (or makes opposite) what God would approve of and it is no different in this particular issue. Please understand that Lighthouse Mystery Ministries fully embraces communion as a relevant part of the believers doctrine in this glorious age of grace. However, it is the method of how we as members of "The Body of Christ" execute these God given instructions that I challenge all believers to re-think! We must remember it was Paul who told us that he had received instructions from Jesus Christ that was to be taught to us for our learning and edification.

"Unfortunately today, communion has become a ritual, a rite, and in many instances a way of salvation. Jesus Christ never intended this and He through the power of the Holy Spirit instructed Paul to teach us differently concerning this matter."

   To be continued.......

What's For Supper??  by Pastor Dennis Kiszonas

Dennis Kiszonas started Grace For Today in 1986 and has served as its president and the host of the radio broadcast since then. He is a native of Chicago, raised as a Roman Catholic, went to 12 years of Catholic school and was later saved as a student in college. He earned a Master of Divinity degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois and pastored churches in Chicago and New Jersey for over 25 years. In the summer of 2002 he entered into a full-time ministry of church planting in New York City and is currently serving as the pastor of the new church started in Brooklyn.

       As suppertime approaches at our house, I often wander into
the kitchen while Barbara, my wife,
is cooking our dinner, and I’m usually
hungry. My question is often,
“What’s for supper?”
In this study we’re going to ask
the same question, but this time
we’re going to ask the Bible—‘What’s for supper?’—and we’re going to see that God has given several different instructions in the Bible at different
times about the food that He
allowed His people to eat. Our goal is not just to learn about
God’s instructions about food in the Bible, but to get an understanding of how to understand the Bible.
What we’ll learn about food is applicable to many other questions we could ask of the Bible. We’ve known Christians who “study” the Bible by standing the book up on its spine, then carefully letting go and letting it fall open to any page at random. Then, with their eyes closed, they run their finger down the page. When it seems like its the right moment, they open their eyes and read the verse their
finger landed on. That becomes their verse for the day, or their verse for guidance, or their inspiration for the moment. That’s one method of Bible “study” that’s sure to leave a Christian in a state of total confusion.
God wants us to have an understanding of His Word. The Apostle Paul often prayed for the believers that he was writing to, and one of his repeated prayers is that God would “enlighten the eyes of their understanding,” or that they would attain to “the full assurance of understanding.”
If we don’t understand
the Word of God, how can we
believe it? This study is about one of the most basic principles of Bible study. It is about starting to understand how to understand the Bible. We’ll start by looking at five men, five leading men in the Bible, and seeing what God said to them about
food. The study is very simple, yet the implications are really profound in helping us to understand how to understand the Bible!

WHAT GOD SAID
TO ADAM ABOUT FOOD
The first man we need to look at
is the first man, Adam. When God
created Adam, He told him what
he was allowed to eat: “And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food". - Gen. 1:29
In the Garden of Eden, Adam
and Eve were vegetarians. God
commanded that their food was to be the herbs and fruits, no meat. And this same instruction was repeated in the next chapter:
“And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die". -  Gen. 2:16-17
This instruction about food was
very serious, since it was precisely in this area that Adam sinned and plunged the entire human race into sin. He ate from the tree that he was told not to eat from! I remember well the first time these verses came to my attention. I was in a Bible study group, meeting in someone’s living room. I was a very new Christian, and I almost went into shock. God commanded that man should be a vegetarian, and I loved pizza—pepperoni, sausage,
double cheese, mushrooms.
Now I thought I’d have to give up
my favorite food...and I never knew that Christians were supposed to be vegetarians! But someone in the Bible study group, older in the faith and wiser
in the study of God’s Word, said that I should wait until I had read everything the Bible says about food before
I gave up my pizzas. So, before
we give up pizza, let’s read on....
 

WHAT GOD SAID
TO NOAH ABOUT FOOD
The next man we need to look at
is Noah. There were about 1500
years between Adam and Noah. In Genesis 9 we read about Noah, after
the great flood, receiving instructions from God concerning the
food that he was allowed to eat:
“So God blessed Noah and his
sons, and said to them: ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the
earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. Every moving
thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs. But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood". - Gen. 9:1-4
Here God changes the menu for
mankind. “Every living thing that
moves shall be food for you...even as the green herbs.” God had spoken of the “beasts of the earth...birds of the air...fish of the sea,” and then He says to Noah that all these are to be his food, along with the herbs, that is the vegetables and grains. For the first 1500 years of the human race, God’s instructions were that man was to be a vegetarian, now, after the great flood, God changes the instructions and adds meat, fowl, fish to the basic vegetable
and grain menu. I breathed a sigh of relief, after1500 years, now pizza was OK.  But there’s more....
 

WHAT GOD SAID
TO MOSES ABOUT FOOD
The next man we need to look at
is Moses, the Law-giver of Israel. In Leviticus 11, God gave Moses and Aaron a complete chapter of some 47 verses detailing which animals the Israelites could eat, and which were “unclean” and forbidden.
“And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, ‘Speak to the children of Israel, saying, These are the animals which you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth". - Lev. 11:1-2
Among the forbidden animals
was the swine (Lev. 11:7) or pig, so pork was unclean. Forget about sausage or pepperoni pizza! The chapter lists the seafood that was allowed—fish with scales, and the seafood that was unclean—lobsters, shrimp, clams. The birds that were unclean—eagles, vultures, buzzards, even the insects that were allowed—the
grasshopper, cricket and
locust were kosher and allowed to be eaten! The chapter ends with this instruction: “This is the law of the animals and the birds and every living creature
that moves in the waters, and of every creature that creeps on the earth, To distinguish between the
unclean and the clean, and between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten”.  - Lev. 11:46-47
Before we move on further, let’s
review....
To Adam God said that his food
was to be herbs and fruits. This
instruction was in effect for about
1500 years.
Then to Noah God commanded
that he and his descendants could
eat every moving living thing: animals, fish and birds, meat, fowl
and fish, along with the herbs.
This instruction lasted about 1000 years.
In the Law of Moses God again
changed His instructions concerning food—at least for the nation of Israel—now only certain animals, fish and birds were allowed to be eaten, the rest were unclean and not allowed for the Israelites to eat. This instruction—the Law of Moses with its kosher and non-kosher
food—was in effect all throughout
the rest of the Old Testament,
and all throughout the four gospels —Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—and on into the early chapters of the Book of Acts. This brings us to the next man we need to study, Peter.

WHAT GOD SAID TO PETER ABOUT FOOD
In Acts 10 and 11 Peter received
a startling revelation from the Lord concerning food. One day Peter was hungry at about noon time. So while lunch was being prepared, Peter was up on a rooftop praying when he received a vision from the Lord.
“...Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. Then he became very hungry and wanted
to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners,
descending to him and let down to the earth. In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth,
wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. And a voice came to him, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ “But Peter said, ‘Not so, Lord! For
I have never eaten anything common or unclean.’ “And a voice spoke to him again
the second time, ‘What God has cleansed you must not call common". - Acts 10:9-16

(Go to 3rd Column "Supper"......)

Today's World News

Philippi - The saints at Philippi were concerned about prayer. But Paul comforted them when he said in the 4th chapter : "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." He had encouraged the saints to tell God about everything without anxiety. God is not concerned with the "how to's" of prayer as if we could impress Him with our piety. We are in Christ and the Holy Spirit intercedes for us for we know not what to pray. Notice what Paul said when we pray in this fashion would happen. Did he say that "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God, and And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive? NO!, but instead: And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." It is "unanswered prayer" that secretly confounds believers. Today under this wonderful age of grace, our prayer is to be reminded of the peace that we have in Christ. We are to ask God to change us, rather than us ask God to change the circumstance for he knows what is best for us!   

(Supper: Cont'd)

Something like a great white
sheet descended from heaven in this vision and in the sheet Peter saw all kinds of animals, creeping things—insects, lizards, etc., and birds. Some were kosher, but apparently
many, perhaps most, were not kosher. God’s instruction to Peter was, “Rise, kill and eat.” Peter was now allowed to eat any kind of meat, or fowl or insect, or other living
thing. Peter, though, protests
and says to God, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything unclean
or common.” From this statement we learn that Peter has kept the kosher
laws all his life. When the Lord was with the twelve apostles for those three years of His earthly ministry, the Lord and the twelve apostles
never ate anything that wasn’t kosher. And in Acts 10 more than a year after the resurrection and ascension of the Lord into heaven, Peter still was keeping the Law of Moses. He had never eaten
anything in disobedience to Leviticus 11 which had been written by Moses about 1500 years before. But now again, God was changing the command regarding food. Now God says to Peter,
“What God has
cleansed, you must not call common.” Now these animals, birds and fish that were once “unclean” have now been cleansed. Again,
let’s review....
God commanded Adam that he could eat herbs and fruits only. This instruction stood for some 1500 years.
Then God commanded Noah
that he could eat any kind of moving living thing along with the vegetables. This instruction stood for
about 1000 years.
Then God told Moses that only certain animals, birds and seafood were allowed to be eaten by the Israelites. Moses’ law stayed in
effect for some 1500 years until the middle of the Book of Acts. Which now brings us to the last man we want to look at, the Apostle Paul.

WHAT THE LORD JESUS
SAID TO PAUL ABOUT FOOD
What Peter didn’t know in Acts 10, but we do, is that a new dispensation had begun in Acts 9. One chapter before Peter’s vision, something
even more startling happened
one day on the road from Jerusalem to Damascus. The Lord Jesus Christ saved a man who later called himself, the “chief of sinners,” and
appointed him to become the Apostle Paul. And the Lord
Jesus began to reveal
to Paul a dispensation
called the “dispensation of the grace of God” (Eph. 3:2).
Just as Moses was the Law-giver for Israel, and his dispensation included instructions about food, so also Paul became the “dispenser” of the dispensation of the grace of God, and his dispensation
also included instructions
about food: “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it
is sanctified by the Word of God and prayer” - I Tim. 4:1-5

“One chapter before Peter’s
vision, something even more startling happened one day on the road from Jerusalem to Damascus.”

       Paul warns Timothy that in the latter times there will be teachers who will command the Christians
to “abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving.” Paul says that this will be evidence of a departure from the
faith, for in the dispensation of the grace of God, “Every creature of God is good [meat, fowl, or seafood] and
nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving.”
Today, for us living under grace (Rom. 6:14) and in this dispensation given to Paul by the Lord from heaven (Eph. 3:2), all animals, birds, and seafood are allowed to be eaten as food. Nothing is forbidden. For the past 2000 years, ever since the
dispensation of grace began in Acts 9 with the salvation of this new apostle, godly people have been permitted to eat sausage and pepperoni pizzas with double cheese and mushrooms!

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED ABOUT “HOW TO UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE?”
Back to our purpose in this study ...how do these things we have seen about God’s food laws in the Bible help us to understand how to understand the Bible?
First, we need to realize when
we’re studying the Bible, that God has given different commands to different people at different times all through the Word of God. In regard
to food, God gave one initial instruction to Adam and his descendants, then changed the instruction when
He spoke to Noah. Then again a new set of instructions for Moses, that were completely changed when he called the Apostle Paul and revealed
the dispensation of grace to
him for us today. The instructions would even seem
to contradict each other...to Adam: herbs and fruits only, then to Noah: any living thing—animal, bird or fish—then to Moses: only some living things, then for us: “every creature of God is good [for food].” Unless we realize that God has different instructions for different
people at different times, we would have to conclude that the Bible is full of contradictions. Second: When we study the Bible, we need to be careful to “rightly
divide the Word of truth” (II Tim. 2:15) to be sure that we are applying God’s instructions for us today,
and not God’s instructions to someone living in another dispensation. Just dropping the Bible open and randomly putting our finger down on any verse is not “rightly dividing the Word of truth!” and is a good way to become very confused about how to understand the Bible. Of course, the instructions about food are only part of the Word of God. But many other teachings in the Bible also have to be studied
“dispensationally.” For instance, the Lord’s teaching about prayer for us in the dispensation of grace is vastly different from what He gave the twelve apostles during His earthly ministry in Israel.

To be continued........

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive? NO!, but instead: And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

^{Coffee Corner}

^{This issues' topic: "Evangelism For Today" - Part II}

       Last issue, we began our article on what God's  instructions for believers were today under the dispensation of the grace of God. We concluded that the failures of The Body of Christ included understanding how we are to "evangelize" under this current administration committed to the apostle Paul as he received it from the risen, glorified Christ! Also underestimated was the working of God the Holy Spirit. The bible teaches that "we all fall short and continue to fall short" of God's glory that we have nothing "to bring to the table" and only grieve the Holy Spirit through our ignorance and perversion when attempting to "bring somebody to the Lord".  Some methods of attempting to accomplish this (witnessing)  are horrific and insulting to people to say the least. To make matters worse, our conduct and report within the community is on many occasions full of "Christian snobbery" negating any "witness" that God would like to utilize on our behalf for His glory! In these instances, we make the "bar of God" unreachable and unattainable to unbelievers by our self-righteousness. Please understand that I am not talking about   neglecting our responsibility as believers of God's grace. As "workman" we must be ready and able as ambassadors to share this "good news" as opportunity permits! I think of the wasted years of self-righteousness in my own life never being genuinely interested in another person but instead secretly "marking my scorecard" in the hopes of "saving the world" on my own. I never really allowed God to take charge or even really cared about His work through the Holy Spirit! I suspect that I am not alone, but in our pride we are more interested in the number of people saved in order to validate a particular ministry.  We would rather receive accolades from men than from God. Tell me friend, is God more impressed by us doing "work for the kingdom" while our families take "the rear seat" and crumble in our absence? Men, are we really serving God by being away from our wives and committing all of the child upbringing to them as we fulfill a "more important job"?? Nowhere in Paul's epistles much less the entire bible do we ever read of God being interesting in numbers.  Even under the law, David was punished because he numbered the people. Now, the church and our lives must be "purpose driven" in program, doctrine and duty.  How grieved God must be as theatrics, entertainment and making people feel good have replaced relevant bible teaching, understanding the mystery or who we are in Christ! Sadly, we blame the devil thus removing any accountability from believers today, after all its his fault.  Do we really understand that the Great Commission as read in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John was from Jesus Christ TO the 12 apostles while in Jerusalem? Please consider the dispensational aspect of what the bible has to say in its context in regards to telling others about Jesus Christ. How do bible scholars justify this teaching (The Great Commission) as our instructions for today when its obvious in other passages of scripture in the very next verse or chapter that may ask us to perform a miracle, sell everything that we own or heal someone? It's a wonder that some reports show over 3,000 different denominations which are partly attributed to trying to reconcile biblical teachings in the four gospels. Is God wrong or is man wrong? Past records show (including the Old Testament - ref. Romans 15:4) that man has been, is and will be a failure and he must trust in the sufficiency of Jesus Christ, not only for salvation, but for victorious living as He instructed Paul on our behalf.       

"Some methods (witnessing) of attempting to accomplish this are horrific and insulting to people to say the least. To make matters worse, our conduct and report within the community is full of "Christian snobbery" negating any "witness" that God would like to utilize on our behalf for His glory!  

 The question may be asked then: Are we not to "witness" or tell people about God? In 2 Corinthians 5 starting in verse 14 we read that its "the love of God that constrains us". Under grace, we are to be motivated by His love and His accomplishments for us.  The law (which includes the 4 gospels for Christ said it himself...) as a motivator did not work for Israel and it will not work for the church, the Body of Christ. As ambassadors for Christ, we are to lovingly communicate this "ministry of reconciliation" to those that have been blinded by their own sin and pride by those teachers, pastors and priests that would communicate a false gospel as "angels of light". Since we are now in Christ, we are a new creature for old things are passed away. God has committed to us this word: To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them!  Nowhere do we read in Paul's letters that we are to argue, prove ourselves spiritual superior or for heaven's sake start with the line; "you are a filthy sinner destined for hell"!  Although this is true, we have now made an enemy because we have not reasoned through the scriptures. In addition and on many, many occasion, the Body of Christ has wrongly forced itself on people, neighborhoods, cities and countries when it is obvious that there is little interest concerning the things of God. I find it amazing that striking up a friendship with a lonely neighbor or relative gets "second billing" when given an opportunity to evangelize across the globe. Are we certain that The Holy Spirit has not already reached that area? Are we certain that this is what God would want? In all things, God wants us to examine each situation differently as stewards of His grace. We should be more apt at distributing the gospel of the grace of God to those who would be convicted enough to ask or be willing to embrace the liberty of God found in Paul's epistles.  Trying to do otherwise could be a waste of time, effort and even safety!. The last installment of this topic will be covered next issue. Stay tuned!!