Decide for Yourselves - 1 Corinthians 10:14-22

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup. The communion meditation today is based on a passage of Scripture from the New Testament, 1 Corinthians 10: 14-22. In this unique passage of Scripture, the Apostle Paul describes the sense of fellowship we experience with Jesus and each other as we drink from the cup and break the bread together. We should cherish this time together; it is so much more than a ritual we observe on the first day of the week. All Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation (NLT) and are used with permission.

As you listen to the episode today, my hope is that you will be encouraged from the time spent meditating on what Jesus has done for you. You are a special person; the one Jesus died to save!

Transcript

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup. The title of my communion meditation today is "Decide for Yourselves." I read from 1 Corinthians 10:14-22. All quotations are from the New Living Translation (NLT) and are used with permission.

14 So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols. 15 You are reasonable people. Decide for yourselves if what I am saying is true. 16 When we bless the cup at the Lord’s Table, aren’t we sharing in the blood of Christ? And when we break the bread, aren’t we sharing in the body of Christ? 17 And though we are many, we all eat from one loaf of bread, showing that we are one body. 18 Think about the people of Israel. Weren’t they united by eating the sacrifices at the altar?

19 What am I trying to say? Am I saying that food offered to idols has some significance, or that idols are real gods? 20 No, not at all. I am saying that these sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God. And I don’t want you to participate with demons. 21 You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord’s Table and at the table of demons, too. 22 What? Do we dare to rouse the Lord’s jealousy? Do you think we are stronger than he is?

Christians living in Corinth in the first century were facing some really big challenges. Contrary to Christians of Jewish heritage, gentile Christians were living in their native cultures known for their worship of Greek and Roman gods and goddesses. Corinth was famous for its temple to Aphrodite, and there were other pagan temples there too. We are not surprised then that aspects of this pagan worship were incorporated into the lives of its citizens. The Apostle Paul writes back to the Christians in Corinth about what to do about meat sacrificed to idols, which was readily available for sale in the markets. To help them understand how to live, he uses the example of the Lord's Table for guidance. He says, "When we bless the cup at the Lord’s Table, aren’t we sharing in the blood of Christ? And when we break the bread, aren’t we sharing in the body of Christ?" For help in understanding what is meant by sharing, we look to the original Greek. The word for sharing here is koinónia, which means "a having in common, partnership, fellowship and denotes the share which one has in anything, a participation, fellowship recognized and enjoyed." From the definition and my experience, it is something I feel more than I understand. I know and feel connected to Jesus and my fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord when I partake of the bread and drink from the cup. Together, we eat from one whole loaf of bread, showing that we are one body. Thanks to the King James Version, "sharing" is translated as "communion" and this word survives to this day as a description of what happens among believers at the Lord's Table (literally, the table of the Lord). From this comparison, Paul tells the Christians that you cannot have a partnership with Christ and a partnership with demons. He says, "So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols." Today, as we partake of the bread and drink from the cup, let us remember the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let us commune with Him and with each other. Let us pray.

Abba, Father. Today we bless and set aside this bread and the fruit of the vine in this cup to remember Your Son, Jesus. We know that the bread represents His body that was nailed to the cross, and the fruit of the vine represents His blood that He shed for us. As we pour out the wine from the cup, we are reminded of how Jesus poured out His own blood that our sins might be forgiven. Abba, Father. By the help of Your Holy Spirit, we are able to understand these spiritual things and know what it means to share in the blood of Christ when we partake of the cup and share in the body of Christ when we break the bread. As Your children, Abba, Father, we are all in this together with You, Your Holy Spirit, Your Son, Jesus, and each other. Thank-you for sending Your Son, Jesus, to die for us and add us to Your family as sons and daughters. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Today, Jesus invites you to partake of His supper. I read from Matthew 26:26-28 (NLT).

26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” Let us partake of the bread.

27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many." Let us partake of the cup.

And the assembly of believers said, "Amen!"

Until next time, from Numbers 6:24-26, "May the LORD bless you and protect you. May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you. May the LORD show you his favor and give you his peace."

Artist's Note: If you have questions about the Lord's Supper, I invite you to visit my website, https://eatthisbreaddrinkthiscup.com, for a brief overview. The Eat This Bread Drink This Cup podcast is listed in most podcast directories, and I invite you to add my podcast to your favorites and be notified of new posts. There is a written transcript that accompanies each podcast, and you are free to use the transcript in accordance with US copyright law. My prayer is that you will benefit personally from this time with Jesus and encourage others to observe the Lord's Supper. In these trying times, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus!