“And when He had given thanks, He brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also He took the cup, when He had supped, saying, This cup is the New Testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me” (I Corinthians 11:24,25).

The communion observance should be a special time for God’s people. It was obviously designed to help us participate in His work: Commemoration: “This do in remembrance of me.” We are to commemorate, or remember, what Christ has done for us through His broken body and shed blood. To forget would be a terrible sin. Identification: “This is my body which is broken for you . . . this cup is the New Testament in my blood.” When we partake of the elements, we are identifying ourselves with His body and His blood. “His body was broken because of the weight of my sin; His blood was shed that my sins might be washed away.” Examination: “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup” (v.28). We should earnestly examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith (II Corinthians 13:5). Are we truly saved? If the answer is “yes,” then the second step is to examine ourselves concerning sin. Once our sins are confessed, then we may joyously partake. Expectation: “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till He come” (v.26). The communion service looks in two directions: backward to the cross, and forward to His coming. Thanksgiving: He was thankful that He was about to become our sacrifice: “Therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name” (Hebrews 13:15). NPS