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b'Have you ever thought you were communicating one thing, but the way you acted actually communicated another thing? The Corinthians found themselves in a similar problem because of the way they practiced communion. The early church often ate communion alongside a common meal. And while that\\u2019s perfectly fine, a problem was arising where some of the poor in the church were leaving these meals hungry, while the rich were gorging themselves on their own food\\u2014even getting drunk (1 Corinthians 11:21). Talk about a mess!\\nI don\\u2019t know how you would address this, but Paul started by letting the Corinthians know it doesn\\u2019t matter what you call it, this \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153is not the Lord\\u2019s Supper\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d if its communicating a message contrary to what Jesus had intended (verse 20). Paul wrote, \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing?\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d (verse 22). Communion was supposed to remind the church of Christ\\u2019s sacrificial death (verse 24), but the rich Christians in Corinth were serving themselves instead of following Christ\\u2019s example. This meal, that was supposed to signify Christ gathering the church together in the new covenant (verse 25), was doing the opposite: it was driving a wedge between them.\\nInstead, Paul called these Christians to practice communion in a way that builds unity\\u2014by recognizing the needs of the church. Communion is important, but God won\\u2019t have us waste our time with it if we aren\\u2019t treating our family in Christ in a way that displays the truths of communion. Paul said, \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d (verse 27). If we are proclaiming Christ\\u2019s death every time we practice communion (verse 26), let us proclaim His death\\u2014and its significance for us as the church\\u2014accurately. \\u2022 James Driedger\\n\\u2022 What does communion have to say about church unity (1 Corinthians 10:16-17)?\\n\\u2022 Ask yourself: \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Am I involved in anything that brings disunity to my church family?\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d Ask God to bring to mind any areas where He may be calling you to repent.\\n\\u2022 How did Jesus show His love on the night He gave communion to His disciples (John 13)? \\nFor whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord\\u2019s death until he comes. 1 Corinthians 11:26 (NIV)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nDeuteronomy 31:6-8; Psalm 27:10; 38:11; Isaiah 49:15'