Worship

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Many churches observe the Lord's Supper. It has become a regular part of worship, as it should be. This ordinance is detailed in I Corinthians 11:20-34, where it says, "For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes."

This passage on the Lord's Supper was included because the Christians in Corinth were coming together to eat and drink for the wrong reasons(20-22), however a big emphasis is given to examining or "judging oneself."

The Lord's Supper must go beyond simply being an ordinance. It must not be taken lightly. Notice what it says in verse 27. "Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord." The following 2 verses expand on this. It must be a personal time of examination and self-judgment. What does this mean? Anything that the Holy Spirit brings to mind that is not right before God or with another individual, particularly within that local body of believers, must be confessed and dealt with before partaking.

What if this does not happen? The answer is given in verse 30. "For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep." The word "sleep" in Scripture usually refers to those who have passed away. This verse is a very strong teaching, for it clearly means that if people within a congregation treat this observance as just another part of worship, as important as it is, without self-examination and dealing with things that are not right in their relationships with other people, like unforgiveness, to name just one example, and still partake of it, God will bring judgment upon the church.

It makes me wonder, because of all the strife and division that exists in some churches, if there are more individuals partaking of this observance than there should be. It is meant to be a time of cleansing for the local church, so that right relationships are maintained and known sin within the congregation is taken care of through proper church discipline as set forth in Scripture. This is a very sobering passage of Scripture, for the local church and for individual believers.

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