Let’s read 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, “For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.”  In writing to the Corinthians, who were Gentile Christians, Paul reveals that, through revelation from the Lord, we are also to continue this remembrance meeting.

The bread and cup of wine are ‘emblems’ of the body and blood of the Lord Jesus.  They are not literal, as some believe.  When we consider that the Lord was in the presence of His disciples when He instituted this remembrance feast, it would be impossible for them to eat of His literal body or drink of His literal blood.  So, these were given to us as emblems to represent the Lord Jesus in His death for us.  This is such a precious meeting to the Lord.  He draws out our hearts to respond to His loving request to be remembered.  This is a time when our hearts and minds are focused on our savior…a time for reflection on His person and work for us when He sacrificed Himself on the cross for our sins.  Notice what we have in verse 26, “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.”  The word ‘shew’ means to proclaim or preach.  Each time we are gathered together to remember the Lord, we are announcing the importance of the Lord’s death.

How often should we do this?  Well, how much does the Lord mean to you?  How often do you think the Lord deserves to be remembered?  Years ago, when I got married, I asked the minister how much I owed him for performing the service.  He replied, “How much does she mean to you?”  Fortunately, he did not charge us anything, but his words made me stop and think of how much my new bride meant to me.  How much does the Lord mean to you?  The Bible does not tell us how often we should remember the Lord, but we find a good example in Acts 20:7 which says, “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.”  To ‘break bread’ in this verse is synonymous with remembering the Lord.  So we see that in the early church, this remembrance meeting was held every week.  I fellowship with a group of believers and we practice remembering the Lord each week.  Some have said that to do it that often would cause it to become commonplace and lose its significance.  Actually as I seek to walk in fellowship with the Lord, this meeting only becomes more precious each time we do it.

You asked if it would be okay to “substitute the bread into a cracker and a cup of grape juice?”  It depends.  The Lord did tell us what we are to use to remember Him.  If you were in a situation where the bread and wind were not available, then I see no problem with using what is available.  Once while on a missionary trip in Mexico, a brother and I used a slice of bread and a grape soda to remember the Lord.  We had nothing else to use.  However, if we want to change the emblems to suit our own tastes, that would be wrong.  In Exodus 30, as the Lord gave instruction for the making of the incense employed in the service of the Tabernacle, we read in verse 37, “And as for the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof: it shall be unto thee holy for the LORD.”  This perfume was not to be made to please the people and was not to be made for their enjoyment.  It was to be made for the Lord and was to be considered holy.  In like manner, if we should decide to change the emblems of remembrance of the Lord to suit our own tastes, that would be offensive and unacceptable to the Lord.  (211.5)