April 26th, 2026 - Unity: Part 8 (9:00 AM)

Devotional

Day 1: Broken Bread, Shared Hunger

The Corinthian believers gathered for communion with full plates and empty hearts. Some devoured their own food while others starved. Paul rebuked their selfishness: “When you meet together, you are not really interested in the Lord’s Supper” (1 Corinthians 11:20). They’d forgotten communion was a family meal, not a private buffet. Their full bellies mocked empty ones. [32:31]

Jesus designed communion to unite His family, not divide it. The bread symbolizes His body broken for all—rich and poor, strong and weak. When we exclude or ignore others during this sacred meal, we dishonor His sacrifice.

How often do you rush through communion without seeing the family around you? This week, look for someone sitting alone during fellowship. Have you ever withheld spiritual nourishment from others by refusing to share your time, resources, or attention?

“When you meet together, you are not really interested in the Lord’s Supper. For some of you hurry to eat your own meal without sharing with others. As a result, some go hungry while others get drunk. What? Don’t you have your own homes for eating and drinking? Or do you really want to disgrace God’s church and shame the poor?”
(1 Corinthians 11:20-22, NLT)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to show you one practical way to nourish a fellow believer’s spiritual or physical hunger this week.

Challenge: Invite someone from church to share a meal in your home within the next seven days.

Day 2: Crushed Grapes, Poured-Out Life

Jesus took the cup after supper, calling it “the new covenant between God and his people, an agreement confirmed with my blood” (1 Corinthians 11:25). The disciples watched wine drip down His beard—a preview of blood soon dripping from the cross. Grapes must be crushed to release their juice, just as Christ’s body was crushed for our rebellion. [38:26]

The cup declares God’s relentless love. Every drop proves He chose the nails to close the gap between holy God and broken people. When we drink it, we remember no sin is beyond His crimson flood—not addiction, pride, or betrayal.

What bitterness have you refused to let His blood cleanse? Next time resentment bubbles up, pause. Hold an imaginary communion cup. Ask yourself: Does this anger matter more than Christ’s sacrifice for me—and for them?

“In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant between God and his people, an agreement confirmed with my blood.’”
(1 Corinthians 11:25, NLT)

Prayer: Confess one specific sin the Holy Spirit brings to mind while holding a glass of juice today.

Challenge: Bake bread tonight. As you knead dough, reflect on how Jesus’ body was broken to make you whole.

Day 3: Adopted at the Table

Galatians 4:5 rings through every communion service: “God sent [Jesus] to buy freedom for us…so he could adopt us as his very own children.” The disciples didn’t earn their seats at the Last Supper—Jesus invited them. Judas reclined beside grace itself, yet chose isolation. Communion still invites the unworthy to become family through surrender. [30:03]

You aren’t born into God’s family; you’re adopted through Christ’s blood. The bread and cup declare your place at His table can’t be revoked. No failure cancels this adoption—only stubborn refusal to come home.

When you take communion, do you feel like an honored child or an uninvited guest? Name one lie about your identity that crumbles when you hear Jesus say, “This is my body, given for you.”

“God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.”
(Galatians 4:5, NLT)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for three specific ways He’s shown you His Father’s love this month.

Challenge: Write “Adopted” on your mirror. Each morning this week, declare it aloud while brushing your teeth.

Day 4: The Reconciling Bite

Jesus warned, “If you…remember that someone has something against you…go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24). The Corinthian church ignored this. They took communion while feuding, turning Christ’s unifying meal into a battleground. Stale bread can’t heal fresh wounds. [45:47]

God prioritizes reconciled relationships over religious rituals. Withholding forgiveness during communion is like handing Judas the bread while plotting his betrayal. Every crumb becomes condemnation.

Is there a believer you’ve avoided or criticized this month? What practical step could you take today to pursue peace before next Sunday’s communion?

“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.”
(Matthew 5:23-24, NLT)

Prayer: Ask God for courage to text or call one person you’ve struggled to love.

Challenge: Before bed, delete one critical comment or thought about another believer. Replace it with a prayer for their growth.

Day 5: Eating Toward the Dawn

Paul ends his communion teaching with urgency: “Every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again” (1 Corinthians 11:26). The disciples thought the Last Supper was an ending. Jesus knew it was a beginning—the first bite of a feast stretching into eternity. [41:11]

Each communion is a dress rehearsal for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. One day, the symbolic bread will give way to the Bridegroom’s face. Until then, we eat in the tension of memory and anticipation.

What would change today if you knew Jesus might return before next communion? How would you lead, love, or repent differently?

“For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.”
(1 Corinthians 11:26, NLT)

Prayer: Request one specific way to reflect Christ’s imminent return in your workplace or home today.

Challenge: Write a letter to a non-Christian friend describing your hope for Christ’s return. Mail it by week’s end.

Sermon Summary

Communion gets presented as a family meal that gathers believers around remembrance, thanksgiving, and covenant. Communion functions as the Lord’s Supper, a shared meal that signals adoption into God’s family and calls the local church to celebrate together. The New Testament picture shows a communal loaf and cup, not isolated bites and tiny cups; the elements symbolize Jesus’ body given and his blood establishing a new covenant. Bread points to spiritual nourishment found only in Christ, and the cup remembers how Christ was crushed and shed blood to create a restored relationship with God.

The church at Corinth provides a warning about what communion should not look like. Selfishness and division turned a sacred meal into a scene of excess for some and hunger for others, even leading to drunkenness and judgment. Those behaviors show how failing to love one another profanes the table and invites corrective consequences. Communion therefore demands examination of heart, repentance from sin, and active efforts at reconciliation with fellow believers before approaching the table.

Communion also functions as proclamation and hope. Each participation proclaims Christ’s death until his return and reorients the heart away from self toward the Lord. The new covenant invites surrender rather than performance, promising forgiveness and the Holy Spirit’s power to live differently. Practical guidance follows: some should wait to take communion if they have not trusted Christ, are living in unrepentant rebellion, or have unresolved conflict with another believer; yet imperfect, repentant people who long for Jesus remain welcome at the table.

Prayer and invitation frame the act of taking the bread and cup. The table is offered as restoration and spiritual nourishment, not a certificate of perfection. The community is urged to pursue unity, humility, and gratitude so that the family meal both honors Jesus now and anticipates his coming again.

Key Takeaways

1. Communion is a family meal Communion gathers adopted children of God around shared remembrance and mutual care. Approaching the table as family changes the focus from individual rights to communal responsibility, so the elements become a fellowship act that binds and sustains the body of Christ. This framing calls each believer to prioritize others’ needs and to practice hospitality and generosity as reflections of the gospel. [28:23]
2. Eucharist names thanksgiving Eucharist roots the meal in gratitude for what Christ accomplished, not mere ritual habit. Remembering the cross cultivates a posture of thanks that shapes everyday living, turning service and stewardship into ongoing worship. Thanksgiving guards against entitlement and frames giving, forgiveness, and sacrifice as natural responses to grace received. [30:47]
3. Examine heart and relationships Approaching the table requires honest self-examination about sin, repentance, and unresolved conflict with other believers. True communion flows from transformed hearts and reconciled relationships; neglecting either corrupts the meal and damages witness. Practical repentance and attempts at reconciliation restore fellowship and align the heart with the gospel. [42:11]
4. Communion anticipates Christ’s return Each observance proclaims Christ’s death and declares hope in his promised return, creating a posture of watchfulness and longing. This forward-looking element urges present repentance and faithful living, since the table points both backward to the cross and forward to the consummation of all things. The meal warns and comforts, calling the church to readiness. [41:11]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[25:27] - Praise report and international need
[27:13] - Closing the Corinthians series
[28:23] - Communion as a family meal
[30:47] - Eucharist and thanksgiving explained
[35:00] - Meaning of the bread and cup
[39:05] - New covenant and surrender
[42:11] - Warnings and self-examination
[50:36] - Who should and should not take
[54:34] - Prayer and invitation to receive Christ
[63:43] - Communion observed and benediction

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
1 Corinthians 11:20-22, 23-26 (ESV)
20 When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. 22 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 commend you in this? No, I will not… 23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 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.” 25 In the same way also he took 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.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Observation Questions

What specific behaviors in the Corinthian church corrupted their practice of communion? (1 Cor. 11:20-22)
What two key actions does Paul instruct believers to do “in remembrance” of Jesus during communion? (1 Cor. 11:24-25) [35:00]
According to the sermon, how does communion point both backward to an event and forward to a future hope? (1 Cor. 11:26) [41:11]

Interpretation Questions

Why was the Corinthians’ lack of unity and care for one another during communion such a serious offense to God? (1 Cor. 11:20-22; see also v. 29-30)
How does the symbolism of the bread and cup (body and blood) contrast with the Corinthians’ selfishness during their meals? [34:39]
What does it mean to “proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (v. 26) in everyday life, beyond the act of taking communion?

Application Questions

Before taking communion, believers are called to examine their hearts and relationships. What practical step could you take this week to reconcile with someone or address a conflict that might hinder your unity with the church family? [45:47]
The sermon warns against approaching communion with unrepentant sin. Is there a habit, attitude, or choice you’ve been avoiding surrendering to God? How might taking communion with this unresolved area impact your relationship with Him? [43:29]
How could you cultivate a posture of gratitude (like the “Eucharist” meaning suggests) in your daily routine, not just during communion? Share one tangible way to practice thankfulness for Christ’s sacrifice this week. [30:47]
The sermon emphasizes communion as a “family meal.” How can you intentionally build deeper connections with others in your church to reflect this family bond? (e.g., inviting someone to lunch, serving together, etc.) [28:23]
If communion anticipates Christ’s return, what area of your life needs to change to live with greater readiness and urgency for His coming? [41:34]

Sermon Clips

``But the point is in the New Testament, we're called to do it regularly. We take this regularly together to celebrate the Lord and to do this as a church family. A second name communion goes by that tells us something about communion is Eucharist. If you're from a Catholic background, that's the name for it. Eucharist comes from a Greek word, Eucharistia, that means thanksgiving. And so at the heart of what we're here, right, we're a family coming together and what are we called to do? We're called to be thankful. [00:30:39] (27 seconds) #EucharistGratitude

You ever wondered why when we pass out the bread and cup, we have a time of kinda quiet, there's a little music in the background because we find it kinda weird when it's too quiet. But the reason we're we're having it quiet and not anything going on is we want you to remember what Christ has done. Right? It's a time of remembrance. It's the time for you to go back to the cross to remember what Jesus went through for you and I. And and so that prepares us to honor Jesus. Right? We wanna honor Jesus in communion. How do we do that? Well, we take the focus off of my problems and my concerns in life, and we really put our attention and focus on the Lord and what he's done. [00:37:11] (34 seconds) #CommunionRemembrance

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