Communion and Intimacy with God: Why the Table Still Matters

Editor’s note – Every believer eventually faces the difference between being used by God and being close to Him. This piece takes something we can turn into a mechanical exercise – the bread, the cup, the order of service – and points it back at what Jesus actually asked for: remembrance. We’re running it because the warning it raises, that busy ministry can quietly replace intimacy with Christ, applies to platforms and pulpits alike, and Communion may be the simplest guardrail we have against it.

Communion is an often-neglected but essential part of living the Christian faith. Because it is one of the things Jesus commanded us to do regularly. Mark 14, Luke 22, and 1 Corinthians 11 all talk about Jesus instituting the sacrament of communion. And this is where many get snagged in the weeds. Because they focus on the “WHAT” instead of the “WHY.”

Communion is more than something we do. It is a sacred moment when we remember who we are, Whose we are, and why we’re here. Unfortunately, we can spend an extraordinary amount of energy debating the details. What should the bread look like? Is it leavened or unleavened? Is it a wafer, a host, or a cracker? Should it have piercings? What about the wine? Is grape juice acceptable? Do we drink it or dip the bread into it? Does someone have to give it to us, or can we do “self-service” with prepackaged elements? Can women administer Communion? Does the bread actually become the body of Jesus? How often should we take it? And on and on it goes.

We become fascinated with the what. But sometimes I wonder if we’ve missed the why.

Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” That’s the point. Remember. Not merely perform. Remember. Because remembering keeps us connected. And staying connected to Jesus may be one of the most important things we ever do.

The Danger of Getting Off Track

Jesus knew something about us. We are capable of starting with sincerity and ending somewhere we never intended to go. I’ve watched ministers begin with honesty, humility, genuine love for God, and what appears to be a powerful anointing. They serve people. Lives are changed. Doors are opened. Their ministries grow. And then, somehow, they get disconnected. They begin believing their own press. The ministry becomes their identity. The platform becomes their source of significance. Success becomes the evidence that God must be pleased with them. And eventually, they can wander away from the One who called them. The very ministry they built with God becomes the thing that destroys them.

How does that happen?

Somewhere along the way, the servant stopped checking in with the One who sent him. They went rogue with spiritual pride. And paid a devastating price. That’s why I think Communion can be so much more than a ritual. It can be a guardrail. A recurring sacred moment that says: Remember. Return. Reconnect.

Don’t Confuse Being Used by God With Being Close to God.

This may be one of the most important distinctions a Christian can make. God can use you without you being close to Him. That’s a frightening thought. We tend to assume that if amazing things are happening through us, we must be doing great spiritually. But Scripture gives us a sobering warning.

In Matthew 7, Jesus describes people who will stand before Him on judgment day and point to everything they accomplished in His name:

"Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles." And Jesus responds: "I never knew you." [Matthew 7:22-23]

That’s terrifying. They did things for Jesus. But apparently, they didn’t actually know Jesus.

Editor’s note – This is the verse that should stop every one of us who serves in Jesus’ name. Gifting and fruitfulness are real, but they are not proof of relationship – only knowing Christ is. It’s worth asking honestly whether our activity for Him has quietly become a substitute for time with Him.

Ministry is not the same thing as intimacy. Activity is not the same thing as relationship. Being effective is not the same thing as being connected. And this isn’t just a warning for pastors, missionaries, teachers, worship leaders, writers, or people standing on platforms. It’s for all of us. Because Christianity can become remarkably busy.

We can attend church. Serve, give, teach, sing, volunteer, post Scripture on social media, lead Bible studies, raise Christian children, defend our theology, and incessantly talk about the Lord. But somehow become increasingly distant from Jesus.

We can become very good at doing things for God while neglecting simply being with God. That’s where the table comes in.

Come Back to the Table

Think about what happens around a table. We sit down. We stop moving. We eat, talk, look at one another, and we linger. The table slows us down. And Communion can do the same thing.

It gives us a moment to stop. To breathe. To remember. And recognize that before we ever did anything for God, He had already done everything for us. That’s the gospel.

We don’t come to the table because we’ve performed well enough to deserve a seat. We come because Jesus invited us. We don’t come because we’ve earned His love. We come because He loved us first. We don’t come to prove ourselves. We come to remember what He has already done.

Communion becomes a sacred interruption to our frantic attempts to accomplish something for God.

It says:

• Stop.
• Breathe.
• Remember.
• You are not the Savior.
• He is.

Who Are You?

One of the great dangers of ministry — and honestly, of life — is allowing what we do to determine who we are. If your ministry disappeared tomorrow, who would you be? If the title disappeared, who would you be? If nobody applauded, would you still know that you were loved? If your article gets ZERO claps or comments, would you still know that you mattered?

Those are uncomfortable questions. But perhaps they’re necessary ones. Because your identity cannot safely rest on your usefulness. You are not valuable because God can use you. You are valuable because you belong to Him. That’s an entirely different foundation.

Communion reminds us of that.

We gather around the table as brothers and sisters, fellow travelers, fellow soldiers, people who have been rescued. We stand together before our King. We remember His body and His blood. We remember the price He paid. And for a moment, we don’t have to accomplish anything. We simply receive.

Editor’s note – Those questions about identity cut close because most of us have let applause, likes, or ministry success quietly answer them for us. Scripture is clear that our worth was settled at the cross, long before we did anything useful for God. That’s a truth worth returning to often, not just when the numbers are down.

It’s A Sacred Moment of Grace

Maybe that’s what makes Communion such a beautiful expression of grace. Grace means that the most important thing in the room isn’t what we have done. It’s what He has done. Jesus doesn’t say, “Do this because you have been good.” He says, “Do this in remembrance of me.”

• Remember Me.
• Remember the sacrifice.
• Remember the covenant.
• Remember the rescue.
• Remember the love.
• Remember who you are.
• Remember Whose you are.
• And remember why you’re doing all of this in the first place.

There is something wonderfully humbling about sitting at that table. Because we realize that we didn’t initiate this relationship. God did. We didn’t rescue ourselves. He did. We didn’t pay the price. He did. Before we ever lifted a finger to serve Him, He had already stretched out His pierced hands for us.

Don’t Rush the Moment

So the next time you take Communion, don’t rush through it. Whatever your tradition says about the bread and the cup, don’t let the mechanics become more important than the meaning.

Stop. Breathe. Recognize Him. Take the elements with a humble heart and an open spirit. Remember His body. Remember His blood. Picture Jesus on the cross asking for forgiveness for His crucifiers. Remember the covenant. And if He brings something to your attention, deal with it. Repent, return, and reconnect.

What About You?

Maybe you don’t do communion. Then start. Maybe you need to forgive someone. Maybe you’ve wandered away from your first love. Maybe you’ve become more interested in your ministry than your relationship with Jesus. Maybe you’ve been measuring your spiritual health by how much you’re accomplishing, likes, claps, thumbs-ups, and reposts. Maybe you’re exhausted from trying to prove something to somebody, or even yourself. Maybe you’ve simply forgotten.

Then come back to the table.

Before You Go Change the World

There’s a temptation among Christians, especially those of us who want to make a difference, to constantly ask: What can I do for God? How can I serve? How can I reach people? How can I change the world? How can I build something? How can I make an impact?

Those aren’t bad questions. But there is a question that needs to come first: Am I still connected to the One who sent me? Because our ministry is about being sent.

Communion can become about staying connected. And that’s the difference between going out in our own strength and going out with Jesus. The world doesn’t need more Christians who are merely busy. It needs Christians who are connected.

It needs servants who remember that they are servants. It needs people whose identity isn’t wrapped up in their platform, their accomplishments, their reputation, or their ministry. People who know whose they are. People who remember where they came from. People who know who sent them. And people who know they can always come back to the table.

Editor’s note – Ministry always begins with being sent, and being sent presumes an ongoing relationship with the One who sends. A Christian who is only busy has traded connection for output – and output, however impressive, was never the point. Coming back to the table is how we remember that.

So let me ask you one question:

When was the last time you simply sat down at the table with Jesus?

May your Creator sit down with you and have lunch, just like He dined with Abraham. And Jesus dined with Peter on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Ruth 2:12 to you and yours!

A Word from the Editor
Communion was never meant to be a test we pass by getting the elements right. It’s a summons back to the same place the prodigal’s father ran to meet him – the table, where grace and not performance sets the terms. Paul warned the Corinthians that eating and drinking without discernment does real harm (1 Corinthians 11:27-29), but the deeper danger for most of us isn’t approaching the table carelessly – it’s staying so busy for Jesus that we stop approaching it at all. If it’s been a while since you simply sat down with Him, this is your invitation to come back.

Editor Comment: You name a truth every servant of Christ needs to hear, that God can use us without our being close to Him, and that Communion serves as the guardrail calling us back to Him.

This article appeared on Medium and is reprinted with modifications and by permission.