Title: Participation in the Holy Communion
Content: Participation in Holy Communion / 1 Corinthians 11:17-24
The early church was a church overflowing with love. When the saints brought precious food from their homes on Sundays, they gathered all of them and ate it together. That is why, as the name suggests, it is even called agape love feast. According to each person's circumstances, they brought them according to their beliefs, gathered them together, shared them, and had a fellowship of love. It can be said that this love feast was one way to play a part in the growth of the church.
However, the Corinthian church is wrong about this, and the church has rich and poor people, and there are people who can bring many things, while those who are slaves to others cannot bring anything with them.
Because the church shares what those who have brought with those who did not bring, it is possible to live life as a community in Jesus, that is, brotherly love.
But in the Corinthian church, rich people shared what they brought with them, and poor people only watched. In particular, they had the sacrament meeting every week, and while they ate the food brought by the rich, they even distorted the meaning of the sacrament. So, the text is the word that tells the attitude the saints will take when they share the bread of the sacrament.
1. When we partake of the sacrament, we should always know that we are sinners.
We must confess that Jesus shed His blood on the cross for a humble sinner like me. In other words, even if you participate in the sacrament meeting, you should not participate without repenting of your sins.
2. We must receive the bread and wine of the sacrament by faith.
We must believe that the bread and wine are the flesh and shed blood of Jesus and receive the meaning of the suffering of the cross by faith.
3. You have to look after yourself and participate.
You must thoroughly examine yourself to make sure you are not in a wrong relationship with God and participate in the bread and cup.