Level Up - Communion
Key Scripture:
1 Corinthians 11:17a But in the following instructions, I cannot praise you ... .20 When you meet together, you are not really interested in the Lord’s Supper. 21 For some of you hurry to eat your own meal without sharing with others. As a result, some go hungry while others get drunk. 22 What? Don’t you have your own homes for eating and drinking? Or do you really want to disgrace God’s church and shame the poor? What am I supposed to say? Do you want me to praise you? Well, I certainly will not praise you for this!...
Communion the Wrong Way
1 Corinthians 11:27 So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. 29 For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.
Communion the Right Way
1 Corinthians 11:31 But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way. 32 Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world. 33 So, my dear brothers and sisters, when you gather for the Lord’s Supper, wait for each other. 34 If you are really hungry, eat at home so you won’t bring judgment upon yourselves when you meet together. I’ll give you instructions about the other matters after I arrive.
What is communion?
Something Jesus started that redirected the Passover meal, a celebration of freedom from slavery.
Embodiment of the Gospel and the freedom Jesus purchased for us
The Correct Approach to Communion:
Humbly examine ourselves
Act Selflessly
Exercise Patience
Humbly examine ourselves
How do I care about the people within the church?
Do I value other people?
Do I see people as a nuisance?
Am I quick to judge or dismiss or overlook?
Do I care about my group of friends and have no concern for anyone else?
Admitting that we haven’t lived up to Jesus' example takes humility.
Act Selflessly
Putting my preferences to one side
Making room at the table
Waiting for others
Not being consumed with what I get out of church or about my spiritual journey - but considering how everyone else is doing in their pursuit of Christ
Exercise Patience
Societal norms have shifted from generation to generation and that obviously causes friction between younger and older generations.
The Correct Approach to Communion:
Humbly examine ourselves
Act Selflessly
Exercise Patience
The only way to exist as a flourishing community that honors God and each other is through patience.