Communion Instructions 1980
Instructions on how to do a communion service.
Format: Verified
Publication Date: 1980
Pages: 4
Victor Paul Wierwille was a Bible scholar and teacher for over four decades.
By means of Dr. Wierwille's dynamic teaching of the accuracy and integrity of God's Word, foundational class and advanced class graduates of Power for Abundant Living have learned that the one great requirement for every student of the Bible is to rightly divide the Word of Truth. Thus, his presentation of the Word of God was designed for students who desire the in-depth-accuracy of God’s Word.
In his many years of research, Dr. Wierwille studied with such men as Karl Barth, E. Stanley Jones, Glenn Clark, Bishop K.C. Pillai, and George M. Lamsa. His formal training included Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Theology degrees from Mission House (Lakeland) College and Seminary. He studied at the University of Chicago and at Princeton Theological Seminary from which he received a Master of Theology degree in Practical Theology. Later he completed his work for the Doctor of Theology degree.
Dr. Wierwille taught the first class on Power for Abundant Living in 1953.
Books by Dr. Wierwille include: Are the Dead Alive Now? published in 1971; Receiving the Holy Spirit Today published in 1972; five volumes of Studies in Abundant Living— The Bible Tells Me So (1971), The New, Dynamic Church (1971), The Word's Way (1971), God's Magnified Word (1977), Order My Steps in Thy Word (1985); Jesus Christ Is Not God (1975); Jesus Christ Our Passover (1980); and Jesus Christ Our Promised Seed (1982).
Dr. Wierwille researched God's Word, taught, wrote, and traveled worldwide, holding forth the accuracy of God's "wonderful, matchless" Word.
This is the year Dr. Wierwille wants the Holy Communion of the Lord’s Supper Service to be made available in the Twigs [Fellowships]. The following are suggestions by Dr. Wierwille
on how to effectively present this so that all the leaves [Believers] and leaders will be blessed abundantly by this wonderful occasion and service.
“I would like to have every Twig [Fellowship] leader or coordinator to get his people together as a little family, and then to have Holy Communion with them. And he is to share his life with his family. Now I’d like to see every Twig [Fellowship] Coordinator to put this into practice. So think it all through and let’s see what a blessing it will be to our people.”
Dr. V.P. Wierwille
Sometime between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday get your family together and share with them the great love that Christ had in his heart when he died for them, and the love that you now have in your heart for your family which is represented by what we do in the Holy Communion Service.
Read The Word’s Way, Part IV (pp. 185-273) about the day Jesus Christ died, as well as the cross and the broken body. Have your family read this too. Leaders, master Chapter 13, “Did Jesus Keep the Passover?” (pp. 201-218).
There are many different ways to go with the meeting, but be sure to have everything set up and thought through before anyone arrives the night of the service.
Tell your people to be on time that night; you don’t want any distractions or interruptions once started. And be sure to start on time.
During the service, you may want read pp. 201-218 with your people as part of the sharing – BUT if you do, be sure you can read with “real
knowledgeable enthusiasm and understanding.” But these are things you have to decide on how best to lead your people.
You will want to work the Word much on the subject beforehand. Then think the service through and do the best you can for your people.
Things you will need:
Setup a small coffee table, lamp table, or card table.
Place a nice white cloth over the table. (It must be neat and should be white.)
Get two candles for the table, preferably red.
Make the atmosphere soft and easy, tender and loving. Be sure it isn’t a long drawn out meeting (like two hours). But give yourself time to do it and get it accomplished.
Do not allow a lot of running around afterwards, loud noises, shouting and visiting, but let them quietly go home. Let the Communion dwell in your heart and theirs; get alone with God and meditate on it that night after the Service.
Have a chalice, a large loving cup. Fill it about ¾ with red wine.
Put it on the table and cover it with a white cloth or napkin.
Get a small loaf of bread and place it in front of the wine. Cover it in the same way as the wine.
Place a horn of plenty somewhere on the table.
You sit behind the table.
Total: Cloth covered table, two candles, wine, bread, horn of plenty, cloths to cover the bread and wine, a tray for the bread. Room lighting should be very soft; candles can be effectively set around the room. Be sure to place the candles where they won’t be knocked over.
ORDER OF THE MEETING: (Have the physical set-up complete before anyone else arrives.)
Once everyone is seated, sing a song or two.
Have some prayer with the understanding for specific things.
Have the manifestations.
Have another song or chorus.
Sometime during the service before the Communion Service proper you will want to read I Corinthians 11: 23-30.
Have a prayer of blessing over the bread and wine. You may stand or sit while giving the Holy Communion. Mainly do what’s comfortable.
Remove the napkin from the bread, and lay it nicely to the side. Fold it (you are not in a hurry), and do the same for the napkin over the chalice – take your time. Fold these nicely and lay to the side.
Pick up the bread and hold it in both hands. Then break it in half. With half in each hand, quote:
Take, eat, this is my body which is broken for you, for your healing, this do ye in remembrance of me. (Share that the body was broken for our healing.)
Place one half down on the table. Take the other half, break a little piece off and put it in the hand of the believer. Go around to each believer, or pass the half around and let each of them break off their own piece.
All hold their piece in their right hand until everyone has one. Then you say, “Take eat” and you all eat together. Wait about 30 seconds, praying silently.
Then you take the cup and say:
This cup is the New Testament in Christ’s blood unto the remission and forgiveness of sins. This do ye in remembrance of me.
You take a sip of wine out of the cup. Then take the cup or pass it around with a napkin so they take a sip. Set it down on a table and cover both the bread and the wine cup.
Give a prayer of thanksgiving, where you thank God for His Son, Jesus Christ, and that he came and gave his life for us, and that these symbols of the broken bread and the cup are indicative of what he accomplished for us and made available to us.
After that you may want to sing a chorus or two of “Peace, Peace Wonderful Peace” or, “My Jesus, I Love Thee” or, “Yes It Is Jesus” or anything soft and mellow. Then just sit quietly for a minute or two and relax being thankful.
Then you will have your abundant sharing. God gave so much for you; you and I can never out give Him. Have a prayer of blessing and thanksgiving, close the meeting, and have your people go on their way rejoicing over what God has done for them.