1. In the sacrament, we receive an earnest of that future promise here and now in the body and blood of Jesus given and shed for us.
  2. Take away the communal aspect, take away the communal gathering around Christ’s body and blood, and the Christian will begin to suffer a malnutrition of faith.
  3. While the Holy Spirit does work within us, He always comes to us from the outside, through the external Word and Sacraments.