The Communion Principle

If it does not promote or protect Communion with God through Christ, it is wrong and sin.

Communion reflects who Jesus is, what He seeks and what He does, and has become a useful principle against which I can test everything else to bring it into obedience to Christ.

In just one example, it guards me against dabbling in worldly philosophies such as stoicism. Stoicism is clearly unacceptable because it seeks something other than communion and has at its core, from which it draws, something other than Christ.

Likewise, it makes clear why Jordan Peterson is not someone to follow.

Christ alone. Communion with God though Him is the pursuit.

#communion

A Table In The Presence Of My Enemies

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - A Table In The Presence Of My Enemies

Last week sometime, God made two things burn on my heart that seemed contradictory, but as I prayed into it and when He showed me their harmony, it blew me away.

They both flow out of “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies” – Psalm 23:5.

The first revelation was “the treasure is in the trouble,” which means blessing (nearness to God) and strength come in the fire—representing the conflict, adversity, and hardship enemies bring. The challenge brings me closer to God and grows me (resulting in greater glory).

Said another way, when my enemies show up, I know I’m finna eat! Because “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.”

Hallelujah.

And the second revelation came from a question, “Why are enemies and the table He prepares for me in any proximity to each other?”

My enemies are there so they could be invited to eat.

I remember a table where our Lord sat and broke bread with His enemies. It’s a table that we continue to this day, where He shares not only bread and wine but His body and blood with us, His enemies.

“For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”
— Romans 5:10

Or, said more accurately concerning those who believe, former enemies because He used His table to make us children of God.

“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!”
— 1 John 3:1

Oh, hallelujah! Bless Your name, Lord.

In a culture of clap-backs, punching people in the mouth and the appearance of strength this is hard to hear.

We are called to fight but not like that (2 Corinthians 10:3-6). If you want to fight so bad, fight toward communion.

That’s the call.
#perfectourlove #communion

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #5 – A Co-laborer

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - 52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #5 – A Co-laborer

In Week 5 of 52 Weeks of Gratefulness, I give thanks to God for a co-laborer.

A man walks up to me in the gym and says, “I want you to know that I love your heart for the Lord and I want to encourage you to continue doing what you’re doing.”

We go on to talk about how we’re called to snatch each other as fellow believers out of the fire (Jude 1:23), but what stuck with me was his exhortation to do so with grace—expounding that it’s initially jarring to any of us to be faced with the prospect that we may be engaged in idolatry. “None of us wants to believe we have an idol and it takes us a second to come to terms with it.”

That man’s name was Joseph Horan. He’s a pastor at Bridgeway that I met through a men’s prayer group that goes to every school in our city and county, and prays for the teachers, staff, students and their families.

While that men’s group started with prayer, I’m delighted to testify that’s not where it’s ended. From that has sprung mentoring efforts, joint fellowship between churches, and meaningful relationships—communion. And its fruit is playing out in our interaction in the gym.

Moments after Joseph walked off, another man who overheard our conversation asked me about my faith, shared how he hasn’t been to church in years, how he wants to connect and shared his phone number.

This is The Way.

It’s the only way. And Joseph’s act of goodwill was deeply encouraging especially in our current climate. It reminded me of 1 Kings 19:18 where God said He had reserved for Himself thousands who had not bowed and who were not serving the idol of the times.

Joseph Horan reminded me that I am not alone. I am not the only one fighting for communion.

I’m grateful.

#52WoG

How To Test The Spirits

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - How To Test The Spirits

How is it that we all go to church, we all read the Bible, but we believe, think and move so drastically different and in opposition to one another?!

Are we being exposed to truth? Was what you heard, what you saw, what you participated in “church” even of God? Did you hear a good sermon today?

Here’s how to tell.

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
— 1 John 4:1

Holy Communion is the cipher.

False prophecy divides and excludes; it obstructs the path to communion.

Even when the message decries oppression and injustices, if there is no Way presented to reconciliation, it is not of the spirit of God. God is a redeemer.

A true witness reveals the oneness that is already there and facilitates a greater enjoyment of Holy Communion.

Did it promote the bringing together, of the saved and those who are being saved, to the Lord’s table where we receive and celebrate His redemptive and atoning work to make us One? And, did it promote overcoming whatever attempts to hinder it?

That is good. That is of God.

When we come together, it should not be about the sermon anyway. It should be about Holy Communion, where we all participate, bringing something to give.

Communion Is More Than A Meal

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - Communion Is More Than A Meal

You can’t just have bits of food and call it communion.

Communion is more than a meal.

Jesus is Communion.

He is an active participant. It is not communion without Him.

We bring Him.

And we bring Him by sharing in a way that answer questions such as:

When was the last time you remember being in His presence? What did He say? What did He do? What was He like?

What part of Jesus are you bringing? His Love? His teaching? His prophecy? His wisdom? His healing? His service? His joy? (1 Corinthians 12:8-10,28 Romans 12:6-8, Galatians 5:22-23)

In addition to sharing sacrificially, we must come prepared to overcome whatever divides us to reveal His Oneness (1 Corinthians 11:17-27).

This shows forth His death until He comes (1 Corinthians 11:26).

That’s communion and is what I will make every effort to enjoy today.

#communionneverends

The Purpose Of Communion

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - The Purpose Of Communion

What purpose did I wake up for? What am I doing today and every day?

I’m ushering people into deeper communion with God through Christ by deepening my own communion with Him: lifting Christ up through taking up my cross, the fellowship of His suffering, by enjoying God and feasting on Christ that others may enjoy the Kingdom of God and feed on Christ through me. 🍞 👑

The measure of success is not increasing the number of those who claim Christianity and talk churchy but growing the family of God who exhibit the Kingdom of God in the way they live out communion together.

This work is also counterintuitive. Because my flesh is at play, I never feel like doing it. It seldom feels enjoyable, at least initially. But, I have to exercise myself unto godliness to (1 Timothy 4:7).

I have to prayerfully resist the flesh and yield to the Holy Spirit. I have to go when I don’t want to. I have to engage, call, visit and break bread with people when I’d rather not. I have to share when it seems better to keep it. I have to show up, and keep showing up when it feels safer to maintain my distance.

These things never seem to be the remedy to a downcast spirit but they always are, when I do it for the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58). “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to finish His work.” (John 4:34) The table He’s prepared often appears in the process of obedience (Psalm 23:4-5).

#communionneverends

Communion Never Ends

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - Communion Never Ends

Oh! How beautiful!

“For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.”
—1 Corinthians 10:17

We are one bread.

Communion is more than eating bread and drinking wine.

When we participate in communion, we partake of the Bread of Life which is Christ (John 6:48) and we drink of the wine of His blood (John 6:55), then we BECOME communion—we become what we eat—Christ.

Our Catholic brothers and sisters are on the right track with transubstantiation, except what becomes the body of the Lord isn’t the bread or the wine, it’s us.

Hallelujah.

We are called to communion as a celebration and revelation of the oneness we have through Christ—through the consumption of His person: His body and His blood where we become one with Him so that we too are bread and wine that others can consume to be brought into communion.

What this practically looks like is us breaking bread as believers in remembrance of Him, with the expectation of union with Him and through Him.

Then we take it out, breaking bread with others: over breakfast, over lunch, over dinner, with the expectation of sharing Christ so that they may taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8), with the hope to draw them into Holy Communion.

Let’s walk this out together. Let’s break bread with one another with the full expectation to share the Lord bodily.

And, let’s do as our Lord commands, let’s not fail to discern the Lord’s body by showing partiality—only inviting those from who we stand to benefit, but also invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and be blessed (Luke 14:12-14).

Communion never ends.

#communionneverends

*Art Copyright Mike Moyers. “Lenten Labyrinth”, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN.

See the full sermon, “Communion Never Ends” here: https://youtu.be/btUcr_DHL3E

The Call To Communion

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - The Call To Communion

This revelation is one of the greatest and most recent watershed moments of my life:

Our entire mission and purpose in this life is drawing others into deeper communion with Christ by the lifting up of Christ through our deepening communion with Christ.

Communion is where we began.

Communion is where we will end.

Communion is what always has been.

This insight was the unexpected outcome of going through a book with our marriage ministry group written by our mentors,

“Intimates, Roommates, or Enemy Combatants: 7 Essential Paths To Marital Greatness” by Pearson and Pepper Liddell.

It came to me during the study of the second chapter called Focus 2: 1+1=1, where they pose the question “Why marry?”

Their Foundational Scripture for this focus was Genesis 2:24, “Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

But what really struck me was the verse that followed and that they later cite in this chapter of the study, Genesis 2:25, “And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.”

There was a term that the author used repeatedly as though they were really trying to hammer it home: “transparency”.

Here are couple of relevant examples:

“And it is not just they did not have clothes, but this nakedness is also apparent in the transparency of their relationship in all aspects of their lives. They kept nothing hidden from each other. This is God’s ideal!” ~Page 40

On the same page, they talk about the harmful games during conflict that couples play, such as “The Quiet Game”, “Darts” and “Tug-of-War”. They state, “The truth, however, is that all these games are sin because they lack transparency.”

These and statements like these impressed a phrase from Genesis 2:25 heavier and heavier upon my heart, “They were naked and not ashamed.”

This evoked in me a sense from Isaiah of the perfect and ultimate safety that will be established when the Lord’s kingdom is fully consummated in the world. For example, Isaiah 11:9 “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”

“Naked and not ashamed” is such a stark contrast to our current state, to my current state.

I am clothed, veiled, and very much afraid.

We are all hiding behind some fig leaf of our own making.

It is the effect and cause of sin, the plight of the human condition.

So, the statement “naked and not ashamed” led me to ask God, “How were they naked and not ashamed?”

The Holy Spirit through our mentors and the book that they wrote, had already primed my heart for the answer: transparency.

And that led to yet another question. I understand conceptually what transparency is, but to yield such a remarkable phenomenon as “naked and not ashamed,” the transparency spoken of here must be special, right? What does this transparency look like?

The Godhead.

In God, there is only light.

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”
— James 1:17

The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit see perfectly, more than that, they share a perfect communion.

They are One, in perfect sync and harmony around a singular purpose: magnifying God’s glory, the limitless expansion of good.

Jesus spoke of Himself and the Father,

“the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” — John 5:19

And of Him, the Father and the Holy Spirit He said,

“when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said He will take of Mine and declare it to you.” — John 16:13-15

This is an image of perfect agreement and communion.

This brought to rememberance a previous lesson from the Lord that everything God gives us teaches us something about Him. This law is even how we can discern whether something is from Him. And, God gives us marriage.

The Godhead says with one voice, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion…” — Genesis 1:26

Then, in Genesis 2:18, God gives marriage, “And the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”

God gives us marriage to do what He already declared, “Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…”

To reflect the trinitarian nature of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, there is now marriage: God, the Husband and the Wife.

Like the Trinity, members of marriage do not just exist aimlessly.

God said, “I will make him a helper…” (Genesis 2:18)

They work as one, in perfect sync and harmony around a singular purpose: magnifying God’s glory, the limitless expansion of good.

Magnifying God’s glory is the “what”, but “how?”

This was the watershed moment.

What we see in the Godhead is perfect communion.

This definition of communion was impressed upon me,

“Communion is the pursuit of oneness, where willing participants are bound by a common unifier. They intentionally share themselves and what promotes their union, while also seeking to remove what may hinder it, including obstructions within themselves.”

Then it was shown to me that in everything God does, communion is at play. Once we see it, it cannot be unseen.

In the Genesis, God says, “Let us”—communion.

God establishes marriage—communion.

The Passover meal—communion.

The Lord’s Supper—communion.

The early Church Fellowship (Acts 2:46)—communion.

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb—communion.

We are created in the image of God to reflect Him. That’s the what.

We do that together through communion. That’s the how.

So, how were Adam and Eve “naked and not ashamed”? They had communion with God. They dwelled with “the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”

Earlier I cited a passage from Isaiah about a perfect and ultimate safety, Isaiah 11:9 that says “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain…”

The “transparency” that secures our safety was not by our seeing into each other, but seeing God. Isaiah 11:9 concludes, “For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”

The authors of this marriage ministry book, posed a question, “Why marry?”

The answer is communion because it is a reflection of God’s character.

The purpose of my marriage is to provide an earthly representation of a heavenly reality, like Jesus, to do what we see God do and do nothing of ourselves, to make the Father known that He may be glorified.

It’s the reason to do anything.

Communion also gives us some insight into why God does what He does, what is permissible or is not permissible in the life of a believer, and what is pleasing to God or not is because of its effect on communion.

Anything that hinders communion is sin.

Adam and Eve were able to be naked and not ashamed because God established an order. As finite beings, like Jesus, we were to rely on an infinite God to navigate the challenges of our finitude. The order was for us to look to God who understands all, and then to each other in the illumination of His counsel. In His order there are no misunderstanding, allowing us to work in perfect harmony. That’s communion.

Sin disrupted that communion, throwing us into darkness (darkness being an allegory for disorder and misunderstanding). Rather than looking to God first, we now look to each other with incomplete and often incorrect information, thus misunderstanding and thus sin.

We’re all suffering being out of communion with God.

But, God.

We are brought into fellowship with God through communion with Jesus Christ.

Everything that separates us from God has been removed through His life, death and resurrection, which becomes ours through communion.

Communion is more than eating bread and drinking wine as a symbolic association with Christ. It’s much more.

Communion is the pursuit of oneness, where willing participants are bound by a common unifier. They intentionally share themselves and what promotes their union, while also seeking to remove what may hinder it, including obstructions within themselves.

Communion is the pursuit of oneness with God through Christ. Jesus is our common unifier. He is The Way to God, through whom we can relate to God, then to each other and all of creation. This is what makes for our peace.

Jesus alone sees the Father. He came to make Him known to us. We see the Father because we see Jesus, through whom we receive the Father for ourselves. Other’s see Jesus because they see us (beginning with the patriarchs, prophets and the apostles), through whom He is preached and they come into fellowship with Him to receive the Father for themselves. All of this facilitated by Holy Spirit, all for the purposes of magnifying God’s glory, the limitless expansion of good.

Oneness to this end.

We look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, as our example. We give ourselves as a living sacrifice toward promoting this oneness, giving all that we have, including our material substance. This is why the early church rightly came to the conclusion that “neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.” (Act 4:32)

Never again will we allow Satan to obstruct a right view of God and each other. So, we also make war against everything that hinders our expressing the oneness that already is, especially the obstruction within ourselves; lies, pride, selfishness, idolatries.

This is communion, or at least what I understand so far.

Our entire mission and purpose in this life is drawing others into deeper communion with Christ by the lifting up of Christ through our deepening communion with Christ.

For it is written,

“And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”
– John 12:32

Communion is where we began.

Communion is where we will end.

Communion is what always has been.

This is a call to communion.

Will you come?

Those who answer can then be naked and not ashamed, not only in heaven but now,

“For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
— Romans 10:11

Come.

*Special thanks to our mentors Pearson and Pepper Liddell for allowing the Holy Spirit to use you and for being willing participants, who intentionally share themselves, to draw me into communion with Christ as they draw nearer in communion with Christ.

I love you.

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #38 – The Leading Of A Child

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - 52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #38 - The Leading Of A Child

“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
The leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
The calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little child shall lead them.”
Isaiah 11:6

In Week 38 of 52 Weeks of Gratefulness, I give thanks to God for the leading of a child.

July marked the completion of my first year working in public education. As I reflected on that year, there were many great and memorable moments, but one was really special.

Upon visiting an elementary school classroom for the very first time, two children sprang toward me and led me by the hand to a tiny seat at their table. I was subsequently surrounded by students eager to tell me who they were, where they were from, and what all they could do (one young man was eager to show me how he could flip off the wall).

As they huddled around for each of them to tell me their stories, I caught a student out of the corner of my eye staring intensely at me. After some time, she snuck up as I was talking to other students, hugged me from behind, and then promptly returned to her seat.

I thought my heart would explode.

At that moment, I felt Matthew 18:3: “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

What I found most remarkable was that none of these children knew me or had ever met me, but they were readily willing to bring me into every part of their world without hesitation or reservation.

It was like, of course, we accept you. What else is there?

Not one of them had any money, they didn’t own a car or a house, no fancy titles, and however they were “educated,” they were willing to share. They were not encumbered by many of the things we commonly use to stratify and separate ourselves.

There was just us.

We are foolishly dismissive of children and regard them as almost people, waiting for them to become something else—like us, not realizing that they, more than we, have a firm grasp of the goal.

“Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them.

But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.

Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.'”
— Mark 10:13-15

One of the most beautiful gifts I enjoy as a born-again child of God is knowing that wherever I go, when I encounter another child of God, they will love me.

“Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.”
— 1 John 5:1

In my experience, however, it takes some effort to get to a place where we can even begin to enjoy that love, we let things get in the way, but children do not.

A wonderful hope I have in Christ is our being “converted” and made like them.

I am so thankful to have their example, and I am learning so much from them as they lead me by the hand into the Kingdom.

I’m grateful.

#52WoG

This Is Not Church

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - This Is Not Church

These are not churches.

These are businesses.

They are places where you can buy justification, where an organization certifies that you’re a good person.

In exchange for your money, some spare time and the legitimacy that you lend to the organization, you get justification so that you can continue your worldly life, pursuing dead and worthless things, but with a certification that allows you to do it in God’s name. #industrialchurch

The authentic church is the church Jesus established made up of His disciples who believe, love, walk with and obey Him as the Christ, who do so at the expense of everything, whose obedience is evidenced by their going out and gathering in with the Master for communion —a coming together characterized by Love —a One-ification with God through Christ to the ever increasing glory of God.

Therefore let us be disciples, make disciples, seek each other out for communion, abiding in His love, assembling ourselves over food and drink in celebration of the breaking of His body and the shedding of His blood to make us One, endeavoring to keep the unity purchased by His blood, fighting toward each other, encouraging each other every day until that great day when we shall see our King face-to-face, the One whom our hearts adore, and drink it new with Him in the Kingdom of God.

That’s church.