“Last night one of the groups called a ‘Let’s-be-friends’ meeting. It broke up in an argument.”

I’m glad things are not like that here. I once read about a deacon’s meeting - at a church in the Midwest - where one deacon shot another deacon. We may disagree with each other at times - but - praise God - so far no one's been shot.

This morning - as we move towards participating together in communion - we want to consider communion and community. Communion is not just coming and thinking about our relationship with God. Communion is what we do with that relationship - how we live together in the Body of Christ.

In any church - for as long as people have been around - there is always a struggle to resist division - disunity - conflict - and a desire to draw closer to each other in Christ. Communion should draw us into a deeper relationship - a loving - caring - community. For the next few minutes we want to consider communion and our community together.

I invite you to turn to 1 Corinthians 11:17. When the Apostle Paul wrote these words - he was writing to a church that was deeply divided. Communion - the Lord’s Supper - had become symbolic of that division.

1 Corithians 11 - starting at verse 17: “But in following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together is is not for the better but for the worse - When they got together for communion - rather than the celebration of communion drawing the closer to each other - their actions created greater divisions. Verse 18: For, in the first place, when you assemble as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you; and I partly believe it, for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. When you meet together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal, and one is hungry and another is drunk. 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 command you in this? No, I will not.”

In every Christian body there are differences of opinion - people don’t see eye to eye in all situations. I once saw a diagram for a church bus to be used by committees - it had 5 steering wheels. Debate is healthy - we need to learn from each other. But, schisms in the church are wrong. It’s wrong when we loose fellowship with one another - when we band together and exclude others.

At Corinth - before sharing communion the church met for a time of prayer - preaching - praise and worship. Then they shared a meal together - either in a home or outdoors - fellowship around food.

But, instead of sharing their food and rejoicing together over a meal - recognizing that it was during a meal that Jesus directed His followers as to how they should remember Him - instead of sharing and rejoicing - there was a spirit of selfishness and division. Cliques and factions dominated. The wealthy and powerful flaunted their positions by gluttony and hoarding food. The poor and the slaves were set aside and left hungry.

How they approached communion was ruining the church. Paul says, if all you’re getting together for is to eat and drink - and show off - if you’re not going to care for each other - if you’re going to be indifferent to the needs of those around you - stay home and spare the church.

In contrast - Paul says, starting in verse 23: “For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when He was betrayed - by his disciple Judas - Jesus on the night when He was betrayed took bread, 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.’ In the same way also 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.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”

Jesus used elements of a meal to symbolically represent His broken body and shed blood. And as these elements are passed and shared by the Body of Christ - the church proclaims the reality of what Jesus has done for us on the cross.

This is why Paul warns us in verse 28: “Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself.”

Take communion in an unworthy manner and it’s blasphemy! Take communion in an unworthy manner - without reverence for Jesus - without sitting down together as one body in Christian fellowship - and we are as guilty as those who betrayed Jesus and sent Him to the cross.

Verse 33: “So then, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another - care about each other - verse 34: if any one is hungry, - if you’re that starved so that you can’t wait and have consideration for others - let him eat at home - lest you come together to be condemned...”

It is crucial for us - coming to communion - as a community of faith - the Body of Christ - It is crucial for us to take Paul’s warning seriously. Communion either draws us closer together or drives us apart and into condemnation.

FIRST: Paul says WE MUST EXAMINE OURSELVES. We must “handle our sin honestly” and not to try and cover it up - or persuade ourselves that its not there.

In his book, "The Ultimate Priority," John MacArthur writes: “...if our corporate worship isn’t the expression of our individual worshipping lives, it is unacceptable.” In other words, what we do here on Sunday morning should be an integral part of what goes on in our lives the other six days of the week - at the least, a reflection of who we are in our walk with God Monday through Saturday. MacArthur goes on, “If you think you can live any way you want and then go to church on Sunday morning and turn on worship with the saints, you’re wrong.”

Examination means looking at our heart as God looks at our heart. To acknowledge with Him that there really is sin there. And only, through the broken body and shed blood of Jesus Christ can that sin be forgiven.

Examining ourselves is an act of repentance - to change our minds about wanting sin in our lives. David writes in Psalm 51:17, “The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, Thou will not despise.” When we can look at the things that are wrong and say, “Lord, I’m sorry. Those things are wrong. I must not act that way any more.” Then we are qualified to participate in communion.

To come prepared for communion we must examine ourselves - to see who we really are before God.

SECONDLY, WE MUST EXAMINE OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS. Communion should motivate us to compassion - to love - to forgiveness - to seek restoration.

Communion is not just coming and thinking about our relationship with God. Communion is what we do with that relationship. It’s how we treat others - how we live together in the Body of Christ.

During World War II, Hitler commanded all religious groups to unite so that he could control them. Among the Brethren assemblies, half complied and half refused. Those who went along with the order had a much easier time. Those who did not, endured harsh persecution. In almost every family of those who resisted, someone died in a concentration camp.

When the war was over, feelings of bitterness ran deep between the groups and there was a lot of tension. Finally they decided that the situation had to be healed. Leaders from each group met at a quiet retreat. For several days, each person spent time in prayer, examining his own heart in the light of Christ’s commands. Then they came together.

Francis Schaeffer, who told of the incident, asked a friend who was there, “What did you do then?” “We were just one,” he replied. As they confessed their hostility and bitterness to God and yielded to His control, the Holy Spirit created a spirit of unity among them. Love filled their hearts and dissolved their hatred.

Paul says that if we - as professing Christians - can go week after week and month after month doing something - living in a relationship or holding an attitude that we know is wrong - and nothing happens in us - we refuse to confess and seek to do what is right - then we’re blaspheming God - we’re eating and drinking judgment upon ourselves - and harming the Body of Christ. And, we need to repent of this.

In a few moments we are going to enter together into an act of worship - in a very real way we are going to share - to have fellowship - communion and community with our Lord and with each other. Let me encourage you - as Paul encourages us - while we sing together and pray together - use this as a time to examine yourselves and your relationship with others.