From They to We - Acts 16: 6-10

Welcome to the Eat This Bread Drink This Cup podcast. The communion meditation today is based on a passage of Scripture from the New Testament, Acts 16: 6-10. In this passage of Scripture, we discover a change in the author's perspective. Luke is no longer an author who reports on historical facts, he is now both an eyewitness and participant of history in the making. As Christians, we, too, have had a change of perspective. Once we were the "they" and "them," the ones who were dead in their sins, but now we are part of the "we" and "us" who have received forgiveness of our sins and eternal life through Jesus Christ. Like Luke, we are no longer looking at the past, we are now eyewitnesses of the glories of living in kingdom of God. As we break the bread and drink the cup, we remember Jesus, who died to give us a future in heaven with Him. All Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation (NLT) and are used with permission.

As you listen to the episode today, my hope is that you will be encouraged from the time spent meditating on what Jesus has done for you. You are a special person; the one Jesus died to save!

Transcript

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup. The title of my communion meditation today is "From They to We." I read from Acts 16: 6-10. All quotations are from the New Living Translation (NLT) and are used with permission.

6 Next Paul and Silas traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time. 7 Then coming to the borders of Mysia, they headed north for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go there. 8 So instead, they went on through Mysia to the seaport of Troas.

9 That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” 10 So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there.

For those who love to read the Scriptures and are delighted to discover a special treasure, like a beachcomber who finds a beautiful shell, Acts 16: 10 is a special treasure and famous verse! This verse identifies an important transition point in the historical narrative, Acts of the Apostles. Here the author transitions from one who is reporting about historical events to an author who is an eyewitness and participant of history in the making. We infer this from a change in Luke's use of the pronouns from "they" and "them" to "we" and "us." In Acts 16: 7-8, Luke writes, " 7 Then coming to the borders of Mysia, they (my italics) headed north for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them (my italics) to go there. 8 So instead, they (my italics) went on through Mysia to the seaport of Troas." In Acts 16: 10, Luke writes, "So we (my italics) decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us (my italics) to preach the Good News there." It is one thing to write about history; however, it is an entirely different thing to be a living, breathing part of history! The Apostle John quotes these words of Jesus in John 10: 17-18, "17 The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. 18 No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded." Jesus chose to come to Earth voluntarily and sacrifice His life to atone for the sins of humankind. He chose to establish His kingdom and offers citizenship now to those who have faith in Him. Once we were the "they" and "them," the ones who were dead in their sins, but now we are part of the "we" and "us" who have received forgiveness of our sins and eternal life through Jesus Christ. Like Luke, we are no longer looking at the past, we are now eyewitnesses of the glories of living in kingdom of God. As we partake of the bread and drink from the cup, we remember Jesus' suffering and death on the cross. Without Him, there would not have been a future for humankind to observe! Let us pray.

Abba, Father. Today we bless and set aside this bread and the fruit of the vine in this cup to remember Your Son, Jesus. We know that the bread represents His body that was nailed to the cross, and the fruit of the vine represents His blood that He shed for us. As we pour out the wine from the cup, we are reminded of how Jesus poured out His own blood that our sins might be forgiven. Abba, Father, thank-you that we are no longer the "they" and the "them." We are now citizens in the kingdom of God because of Your grace and mercy and our faith in Your Son, Jesus Christ. At the same time, our hope is that all humankind would believe in the Your Son so that no one is excluded from knowing You and experiencing Your great love. Thank-you for not casting us off when we rebelled against You but sent Your Son, Jesus, to save us. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Today, Jesus invites you to partake of His supper. I read from Matthew 26: 26-28 (NLT).

26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” Let us partake of the bread.

27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many." Let us partake of the cup.

And the assembly of believers said, "Amen!"

Until next time, from Numbers 6: 24-26, "May the LORD bless you and protect you. May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you. May the LORD show you his favor and give you his peace."

Artist's Note: If you have questions about the Lord's Supper, I invite you to visit my website, https://eatthisbreaddrinkthiscup.com, for a brief overview. The Eat This Bread Drink This Cup podcast is listed in most podcast directories, and I invite you to add my podcast to your favorites and be notified of new posts. There is a written transcript that accompanies each podcast, and you are free to use the transcript in accordance with US copyright law. My prayer is that you will benefit personally from this time with Jesus and encourage others to observe the Lord's Supper. In these trying times, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus!