What is the Breaking of Bread and how did Jesus and the early church practice it?The good news is that we know exactly what the Breaking of Bread was in the days of Jesus because it was a universal custom among the Jews in Jesus' day, and it is still practiced by Jews today.
In summary, it was a way of worshiping God as you ate a meal together. The host or an honored guest would often break bread as he lead the group in blessing God at the beginning of the meal, and at the end. Jesus made many references to these Jewish blessings when he compared himself to a grain of wheat, the bread of life, the true vine, etc. It is not necessary for us to say the traditional blessings, but we can follow the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Apostles, and the early church by gathering as a family to worship and bless God around a meal. |
Eating is one of the most basic human needs, and dinner is one of the few times in the day that most families are gathered together.
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These are the blessings they said: |
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For Bread:• Blessed are You, O LORD our God, King of the Universe, Who has brought forth bread from the earth.
John 6:51, 12: 24 |
For Wine:• Blessed are You, O LORD our God, King of the Universe, Who creates the fruit of the vine.
John 15: 5 |
For All Food:• Blessed are You, O LORD our God, King of the Universe, by Whose Word all things came into being.
John 1: 1-3 |
After The Meal:• Blessed are You, O LORD our God, King of the Universe, for the food and for the good land.
Deut. 8: 10 |
Here's a way to Break Bread with your spiritual family. |
The T.K. discipleship program provides a simple format to guide you in breaking bread together.
True Breaking of Bread will not happen just because we eat together. As a family in Christ we must be intentional, deliberate and worshipful about it to ensure we receive the blessing our Father wants to give us. Our experience is that even if you don't choose to follow the format exactly as we suggest, it makes for a great starting point and can give you insights which you can use in creating your own format. |