August 10
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PREPARATION & RIGHT CONDUCT TO RECEIVE COMMUNION
27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy way, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. 28 But a person must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For the one who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not properly recognize the body. 30 For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number are asleep. 31 But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.33 So then, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. 34 If anyone is hungry, have him eat at home, so that you do not come together for judgment. As to the remaining matters, I will give instructions when I come.
– 1 Corinthians 11:27-34
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In this letter, Paul gives instructions to the Corinthian Christians how they must prepare to receive the Lord’s Supper. He warns them never to partake in the Lord’s Supper without the right attitude and reverence for the Lord lest they will be guilty of desecrating this divine act of salvation by the Lord Jesus Christ himself. In verse 28, Paul emphasizes that self-examination was necessary when we eat of the bread and drink of the cup. By self-examination, he means an honest reflection of the condition of one’s heart and not a pretend pious external gesture. In verse 29, he focuses on the importance of understanding with one’s heart the body of Christ which was offered as the perfect sacrifice to free us from sins. Paul also probably meant that those who does not abide in Christ and hasn’t made Jesus their Master and Saviour mustn’t receive communion. If one has unforgiveness in his heart or is unable to die to one’s flesh, he must honestly admit such weaknesses and have a repentant attitude. Paul doesn’t mean to beat ourselves up, but to recognize that we, humans will never be the perfect sacrifice to appease God of his anger towards our sins. That is why God himself gave the solution for giving us a clean slate through the body and blood of Jesus. In verse 30, he laid down the consequences of irreverent conduct when receiving the body and blood of Christ which may be one or all of the following: sick, weak or asleep. Paul wants us to judge ourselves rightly and so we can be spared of judgment and condemnation, but be disciplined by the Lord. They must wait for one another so they can take communion with a spirit of being one in Christ.
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REFLECTION
• Why is self-examination and a right heart important when receiving communion?