By Dr. Lawrence Butler, The Bridge Church, Pembroke.

I Corinthians 11 (Problem 10) It appears that the respect due the Lord’s Supper was not being observed. Many of the people had Jewish backgrounds and training, and therefore found it easy to combine the Lord’s Supper with an imitation of the Passover meal. This joining together of the meals led to an abundance of abuse. Paul was very concerned about this issue and determined to correct it.

The problem: (1Cor. 11:17) “Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse.” What a tragedy that what God has given us has become a hindrance instead of a blessing because of our abuse. We should be strengthened by going to the house of God and worshipping, not leaving in a worse condition. Look at what was occurring: (1Cor. 11:21) “For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken.”

The Greek word used for drunken is “methuo” which means inebriated or intoxicated. People had lost respect for the House of God – were satisfying their lust for food and drink, while others were left hungry.

The response: (1Cor. 11:22) “What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.” Paul did not tell them they couldn’t eat together, but the Lord’s house was not the place to overindulge, not the place to get drunk, and not the place to enjoy the meal while others were hungry and had little or nothing to eat and drink. The real Lord’s Supper was to be handled with care and respect. He provided the instructions for the meal which contained only bread and a cup, representing the body and blood of Jesus. The heart had to be prepared for this event in order to participate. (1Cor. 11:28) “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.”

Our lesson: Do we have to partake of the bread and cup? Paul quotes Jesus as saying, “…this do in remembrance of me” (I Cor. 11:24). Every child of God should rejoice in the communion supper, not that the broken body of Christ was a happy event, but through His sacrifice we are saved and delivered from sin. He commanded us to observe this, and we should do so willingly. We should also perform this with respect to it’s meaning.

It is not just a church supper, but a remembering of Christ’s sacrifice at Calvary that brought salvation to a lost world.