Objective : The two main objectives of this study are to encourage disciples to remember how God has worked in their life and teach disciples how to take communion.

The longer we are disciples; spiritual Alzheimer’s can set in – we can begin to forget how God rescued us, how He has worked in our lives and how sinful and lost we are without Him. Remembering these things are a powerful weapon against Satan’s schemes and attacks. If Satan can get us to forget, it is only a matter of time before we will be tempted to return to the world.

The Scriptures:

1. Remember God.

Exodus 16:1-3
1 The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt.
2 In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.
3 The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the Lord's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death."

Israel, even after being rescued from Egypt and experiencing the miracle at the Red Sea, was very quick to forget what God had done for them. When times became difficult the Israelites began to lack faith and trust in God. When Israel would cross the Jordan, to enter into the promise land, God commanded them to carry large stones from the middle of the Jordan River (which had been parted like the Red Sea) to be a “memorial for the people.” (Joshua 4:1-7).

We too can set up “stones of remembrance” to help us remember God’s power, love, and faithfulness in our lives. (Keep a journal of answered prayers, take or make objects that will remind you of God’s goodness and faithfulness and how he has worked in your life.) Remembering God’s past faithfulness is essential to trusting Him in the future!

Deuteronomy 8:10-18
10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.
11 Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day.
12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down,
13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied,
14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
15 He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock.
16 He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you.
17 You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me."
18 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.

Another danger, as we grow older as disciples, is forgetting God and His role in our lives. We can begin to believe that our lives and our blessings are the result of our own talents and abilities. God says that we will be tempted to forget Him not only in challenging times, but also in times of prosperity.

2. Remember the Cross.

Acts 20:7
On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.

It appears from the evidence of the New Testament and that of early church history that the disciples broke bread together at least once a week.

1 Corinthians 11:23-30
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread,
24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me."
25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."
26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.
28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.
29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.
30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.

Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper. His instructions were clear, “do this in remembrance of me.” Christ’s sacrifice and covenant are holy and precious. The Bible teaches us that taking communion calls for self-reflection and unity among the believers. Before taking communion, reflect on the following:

• Is there lingering sin I ought to confess?
• Is there a relationship in the church that needs to be mended?

Luke 22:14-20
14 When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table.
15 And he said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.
16 For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God."
17 After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among you.
18 For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."
19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."
20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

The Passover was a CELEBRATION of how God rescued his people. Communion serves the same purpose for us today. It is an opportunity to reflect on God’s love and mercy and how he has rescued us.

• The bread – representative of Christ’s body, broken for his people
• The wine/juice – representative of Christ’s blood, poured out for his people
• By taking communion we (1) acknowledge/remember Christ’s sacrifice for us and (2) reconfirm the covenant relationship that he established with us. (3) we celebrate / give thanks for being rescued by God.

3. Remember Heaven!

Philippians 3:12-21
12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
15 All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.
16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
17 Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.
18 For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.
19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.
20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Q: How much did Paul think about the struggles and challenges of his past?

Q: How often do you think about heaven? Do you see being in heaven with God as your ultimate goal?

Q: How can you tell if someone’s citizenship is heaven?

The Spiritual Exercise: Write out your conversion story. Keep it in a safe place and take it out and read it every year on your spiritual birthday (the anniversary of your baptism). Take communion together.