This is My Body.

This is My body, which is given for you: This do in remembrance of Me.

One night, in 1984, I dreamed two dreams. The surrealism of spiritual dreams can be very subtle, and yet startling in their revelation.

The visionary dream began, as if I was caught off guard, or daydreaming, for I was in my evangelical church in the midst of worship service.  There I was seated in a pew observing my knees and my hands, which were grasping a full plastic communion cup of grape juice.  Knowing the established order of receiving the communion of 'The Bread' first, and then the 'fruit of the vine' second, I was embarrassed for myself, for having seemingly slept through such an important moment.  It seemed apparent to me that the 'Bread' had already been given, of which I could not remember having received.  I hurriedly gave thanks to the Lord for His precious gift of His Life Blood, and drank fully from the cup.  Upon finishing, I then sheepishly looked about the church congregation, to see if any one had noticed my slumbering. To my chagrin, it seemed the whole congregation, including our Pastor, was patiently waiting for me to fully finish communion, for indeed I had not received the 'Bread', but only the Blood of the New Covenant.

At that time, two of the choir men, with whom I was familiar with, came to get me so that I might finish Communion.  However, I had another dilemma.  I began to wonder if I should receive the Bread (The Body of Jesus Christ), since I was considering leaving this charismatic Protestant Church, and would no longer be a member of the congregation.  My thoughts turned to the Holiness of the Lord, and the gift of His Body, as I pondered in my heart my unworthiness.  I could not refuse HIM (Jesus), nor could I refuse any member of the congregation (The Lord's Body of believers), including the pastor who was waiting for me.  As the three of us walked down the center isle toward the railing, we began singing a glorious song of praise.  Though not familiar with the song, I caught on quickly, and began to sing out with the rest of the congregation.  As we were reaching the altar railings, the song of praise began to crescendo for the finale verse.  But then all of a sudden, I alone was bellowing out the last words of the praise in a high note, as the rest of the congregation whimpered, or peeped the remaining phrase.  Momentarily, I felt embarrassed with my bellowing, but then I began walking toward the pastor, who was standing on the main floor outside the railings, and to the left of the center aisle.

Upon reaching the pastor’s position, I took a flat, white, circular communion host from the plate, and then returned to my seat giving thanks to Jesus for His great love for me.  As I was returning to my pew, the unleavened bread enlarged three times in my hand, and momentarily displayed an inscription of, 'ROBERT'S MEMORIAL', around the top edge of the circumference, and then the inscription disappeared.  I sat down and consumed the Lord's body, and it was sweet in my mouth!  I mention the sweetness, because of the spiritual significance.  "Follow the way of love, even as Christ loved you, having given Himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God, a sweet smelling savor." ^{(Ephesians 5 verse 1 thru 2.)} Very interestingly, the quality of bread that this church had served in the natural setting was marred, given that the oil in the bread was usually rancid in my mouth.  Even during the spiritual dream, my mind was aware of this problem of natural oil rancidity, in the bread that was presented as the Body of Jesus Christ.  In the visionary dream, immediately after consuming the Lord's sweet Body, I was awake, as if not asleep at all.  I pondered the visionary dream for a few moments, and then quickly fell asleep, and found myself off into a sequential dream experience.

The second Communion dream of the same night.

I was in the entrance to the foyer of a Roman Catholic Church.  To my immediate left stood one man, and to my right was a priest dressed in a black tunic with a white collar, and a black head piece.  I heard them talking to each other.  The man to my left had a look of great dismay on his face, as he was expressing his sense of loss, even while standing in that church building, and in the presence of the priest.  The priest, trying to reassure the man, implied that he was in the right place, and mumbled some thing about the great traditions of the Catholic Church.  Concerned for the man, and not satisfied with the response from the priest (who in the dream represented spiritual authority), I sheepishly interjected to the man, that he should seek after Jesus Christ, his Savior with the entirety of his heart.

Note: The Roman Catholic Church has taught that the church's traditions, along with the papal and council decrees, have held the same authority as the Bible, or the Word of God.  While it is true that the apostolic traditions of the early church, as seen in Scripture (Sola Scriptura) remains effectual to the Body of Jesus Christ, however, those teachings that depart from the heart of Scripture have brought spurious traditions that lead to confusion, and a separation of the collective heart of the people, who should be seeking after the Heart of God in Spirit and Truth.  Obedient love and devotion to God the Father, through His Personal WORD and Son Jesus Christ alone, is the sufficiency of the universal faith, which reveals that ones trust and faith in Holy God, justifies the soul, showing within us through His Spirit, the mirrored love of Christ, being manifested to the world.

I then walked between the two men into the main sanctuary, with a resolute understanding in my mind; I was there to receive (actually take or steal), seemingly out of dire necessity, the Communion Body of the Lord, from the tabernacle.  As I stood there alone for a moment, I saw the height of the ceiling, and can recall that the church had a Gothic like structure.  Certainly for the religious, the building had a satisfying religious atmosphere.  It was dimly lit, with some sunlight coming through the stain glassed windows. Then I began to walk the center isle passing the many empty rows of pews, straight to the tabernacle where the bread was stored.  I suppose in Roman Catholicism, I was about to commit a sacrilege, for with my own hands, I was going to help myself from the tabernacle.    

While approaching the entrance to the altar, I saw to the left of the altar, and outside the railing and tabernacle, a dark, even black rectangular hole in the wall, which resembled a food serving pass through.  Puzzled, I was drawn or pulled over to this dark opening.  As I stood in front of the opening, looking into the darkness behind the wall, I saw to my left,  the torso of a man, clothed in white garments, behind the rectangular hole in the wall. I never did see his face, for his head was above the lentil of the pass through.  He moved towards me, and I instinctively reached out my right hand, and at that moment he placed a small white circular host of unleavened bread upon my opened hand.  I thought about the strangeness of receiving communion in what seemed like an impersonal manner, but then again that is our perception, created by the spurious doctrines of men.  In that next moment, I was turned to my left, and not in the direction I had come from, and began quickly moving toward a large Door in the side wall.  Approaching the solid Door, I became quite concerned, because I couldn't stop my travel and I was going to feel very embarrassed when I ran into that Door.  Even if there was time to open the Door, there was no handle on the Door for me to turn.  As I  was looking around I began saying to myself, who’s going to open the Door?  Is there any one here that will open that Door for me?  It seems like I was being driven with a purpose, but not of my own accord.  I braced my mind for the collision that was about to take place, but I passed completely through the solid unopened Door as if it were not - there at all.

Immediately, I found myself outside of the building’s block walls, and into the light of day.  I was standing, as it were, in lush green and rolling pastureland that went as far as the eye could see.  It also seems to me that there may have been a solitary tree standing beside a still river. But, my minds attention returned quickly to the Holy Communion Host, which was still in my hands.  When my gaze again rested upon the Bread, the Bread had a golden glow behind and through it, and had enlarge itself many times in my hands, initially gaining in size to the circumference like unto a volley ball.  The Bread remained flat or thin, semi-transparent and interlaced with many small irregular, perfectly fitting pieces, and seemed to be whole and complete. The Bread was like a jigsaw puzzle with miniature pieces, and yet still one piece of Bread with no separations between the many infused pieces.  I was compelled to raise this 'one whole piece of bread' to my wide opened mouth, and began to eat.  I was uncontrollably gobbling down that Heavenly Host; I emphasize, because now it kept enlarging in my hands, as if the Bread was alive and never-ending.  The more I ate, the more there was, the more there was, the more I ate.  My hands, which I could not control, were shoveling that 'Holy Bread' down my throat, as if the 'Bread' was a conveyor belt it self and extended it self far beyond where my eyes could see.  It seemed my Life depended on that One Bread, and I could never be filled till I came to the end of that bread, and yet the Bread would never end.   With my mouth wide open, I opened my eyes as if I had never been asleep.

I can assure you that the Word of God is not stale or rancid bread as is carelessly presented in the churches, but He is alive, and His Word is alive in dynamic power to all who receive Jesus, in trusting and living faith, as God's Bread of Life.  I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  There is One Body, and One Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, One faith, One baptism, One God and Father of all, Who is above all, and through all, and in you all. ^{(Ephesians 4 verse 1 thru 6.)}

Scripture concerning the Body:

But speaking the Truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, which is the Head, even Christ from Whom the whole body fitly joined together, and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, makes increase of the Body, unto the building up of itself in LOVE.  ^{(Ephesians 4 verse 15 thru 16.)}  

For as the Body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one Body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.  ^{(1st Corinthians 12 verse 12.)}  

But now hath God set the members every one of them in the Body, as it hath pleased Him.  But now are they many members, yet but one Body.  ^{(1st Corinthians 12 verse 18, 20.)}  

Nay, much more those members of the Body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:   And those members of the Body, which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.  ^{(1st Corinthians 12 verse 22 thru 23.)} 

That there should be no schism in the Body; but, that the members should have the same care one for another.  ^{(1st Corinthians 12 verse 25.)} 

Now you are the Body of Christ, and members in particular.  ^{(1st Corinthians 12 verse 27.)}

For, we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones.  ^{(Ephesians 5 verse 30.)}  

Even though there are different functions in the natural body, each and every cell of that body has the same identifying DNA in the nucleus of the cell, and each healthy cell functions to support the total maintenance for the wellbeing of the body.  Although the DNA remains the same in every cell, the cells were differentiated by the zygote, whose instructions bring about the needful specialized functions of the cellular Body to make the Body, a whole, self-supporting entity.  A zygote is the male fertilized ovum of the female that has all of the cellular instructions for the creation of the species. 

So it is with the Body of Jesus Christ. Our souls are like an ovum to be impregnated by the Seed of the Word of God through our faith in Jesus Christ, Who is in union with God's Holy Spirit, and as such, you might say, we all have the same exact spiritual genetics of the WORD, being all members together in the one Body of Jesus Christ.  The Holy Spirit, binds us together in the Love of God, so that we would function as one, to the glory of the one God Almighty. Our individual functional capacity in the Body of Christ, is set in motion through the Holy Spirit, Who through the Seed of the WORD, differentiates each member to function in accord, to God's Love for the holy good of the Body of Jesus Christ.  The New Covenant Blood of Jesus Christ gives the members of the Body Life and security, for the Holy Spirit of Life is one with the Holy Blood of our Salvation.  Without the Holy Spirit, Who is one with the Serum Water and the Blood of Jesus Christ, abiding in a soul, then there is no Eternal Life for that soul.

To proceed to the next chapter, please click on The Memorial of Remembrance.