3 Nephi 18

The Sacrament

In 3 Nephi 18:7, he says that the bread symbolizes his body. He has already shown the people his body. He tells them that when they partake of the bread, they will remember his body. And if they remember his body, they will remember him and if they remember him, they will have his spirit to be with them. After partaking of the bread, Jesus commanded them to drink of the wine. He instructed them that when they drank the wine, they were showing the Father that they were willing to do that which Jesus had commanded them. He then told them that the wine symbolized his blood, which he has shed for us. Also when we drink the wine, we witness to the Father that we will remember Christ and that if we remember Christ, we will have his spirit with us.

To me, the sacrament is special. What I have learned while reading this is that the bread will help me to remember Christ. The bread is served first to help me remember Christ. As I remember Christ, I will remember what he did for me. What did he do for me? The answer to that question is symbolized in the wine or water. Christ atoned for my sins. When he atoned for my sins, he sweated great drops of blood from every pore of his body. The wine and water represent the blood he spilt for me. And just as he showed the father his willingness to do whatever the Father asked him to do, so we are showing the father that we are willing to do whatever Jesus asks us to do when we partake of the wine. So again, the bread helps us to remember so that we have the spirit with us and when we drink the water, we are symbolically telling God that we are willing and will do whatever he or his son Jesus Christ ask us to do. The bread is for memory and the water is for action.

Personal Prayer

In 3 Nephi 18:15, Jesus teaches his disciples and the people to “watch and pray always.” This is a basic teaching of the Gospel. For me, I must strive to pray always by praying regularly in the morning and evening both personally and with my family and with my wife. Not only can I pray then, but I should strive to seek Heavenly Fathers help and blessings during my workday and other activities.

Family Prayer

In 3 Nephi 18:21, he tells the people to pray in their families. We pray as a family after we read our scriptures together every night. After we pray as a family, we make sure our children say their own prayers.

Attending Church Meetings

In 3 Nephi 18:22, Jesus instructs the people to meet together often. We would frequently share this scripture with less active members during my mission. Although some people think otherwise, we are commanded by Jesus to attend our church meetings including Stake Conference, General Conference, Priesthood Meetings and any other meeting related to the Church. A sign of a solid, dedicated member is one who regularly and near perfectly attends all his meetings.

Fellowshipping

In 3 Nephi 18:29-32, Jesus teaches his disciples the standard of administering the sacrament. They should never allow, knowingly, a person to unworthily partake of the sacrament. If they know of a person who is unworthy to partake of the bread and water, they should pray for that person and help him and teach him so that that person may become worthy to partake of the sacrament.

While serving a mission, we always taught our investigators the meaning of the sacrament and then told them that after they were baptized, they could partake of the bread and water, but not until after baptism. As for taking the sacrament unworthily, I have always been taught (since my mission) that only your bishop should really tell you when you should not partake of the sacrament. If you feel that you should not partake of the sacrament, then you should see the bishop and work out any confession or repentance. At that point, he will direct you as to whether to partake of the sacrament or not (see M. Russell Ballard, “A Chance to Start Over: Church Disciplinary Councils and the Restoration of Blessings,” Ensign, Sep 1990, 12).

No Contention

In 3 Nephi 18:34, Jesus tells them why he has given them these commandments. He does not want there to be any disputations among them. We are to be united as a people and we are to obey the commandments of Jesus.

Apostles Given the Authority

In 3 Nephi 18:37, we read that Jesus gave the apostles the power and authority to give the Holy Ghost or in other words, the gift of the Holy Ghost. Authority is always important because Christ’s church is an organized church.