1 Corinthians 11 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Lord’s Supper

¹⁷ But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. ¹⁸ For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, ¹⁹ for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. ²⁰ When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. ²¹ For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. ²² What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.

²³ For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, ²⁴ and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵ In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

²⁷ Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸ Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.²⁹ For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. ³⁰ That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. ³¹ But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged.³² But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

³³ So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— ³⁴ if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.

REFLECTION

• Read this passage slowly. If time allows, read through the whole chapter once before reading the selected portion to gain a better and fuller picture.
• The communion service is a memorial. As the Israelites ate the Passover meal, each family relived the experience of its ancestors. Today through the bread and cup, we return to the foot of the cross. So, in the communion service, as we are united with Christ through faith, we share His death and His resurrection.   “Do this in remembrance” invites us to experience the awesome moment when our salvation was won. It invites us to experience the holy God and to offer Him our thanks, our worship, and our praise.
• We need to approach God with respect and great care. The God we come to honor is worthy of our best. Therefore, Paul called Christians for self-examination. We need to examine our hearts as we come to God, renounce any evil we find, and let the service of worship lift our hearts up to God.
• If possible, kneel down to pray. Tell God all your gratitude and other emotions for all that Jesus has done on the cross for you. During next communion service, practice self-examination before partaking it. Remember to take Communion “in remembrance” of Jesus and His Sacrificial Love with respect and great care. And.