28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.
There is an appropriate time for self-examination before partaking in communion. I cannot go into a full explanation of the depths of communion in this blog. But what I will say is that before we do take communion we have a responsibility to look up and to look out. We must look up and recognize what Jesus accomplished for us, the depth of our sin and lostness, and the greatness of the rescue He performed. We must swallow our false pride and realize we are helpless in our eternity-quest without the work He already accomplished. It is finished! The second direction we must look before taking communion is out, out at our fellow believers, out at those who don’t yet believe. Our responsibility does not end at the walls of our assemblies on Sunday. They only begin there. We are enjoined to care for our immediate family, our extended family, and the believing family that extends beyond earthly bloodlines. In Jesus those boundaries of care are broken down. When someone in those varies family circles is in need, we are to pour out of our abundance and help. Stretch! But even those outside the believing family are to be an object of our concern. When we see a non-believer in need and we hear the Holy Spirit prompting us to be involved, we need to listen to that still small voice and obey. After obedience we can leave the consequences up to God. His prompting never returns empty. It will accomplish the eternity-task. Next time the bread and grape are served, take time to reflect on these three. If you have dropped the ball with God, family or the world, confess, repent and move on in obedience.
The Arnold Journey 