Besides the fact that we are commanded to partake of this blessed event, we should have the greatest respect for it because Christ Himself instituted this very element of worship. While in the upper room having His last supper before His death, Jesus took the time to introduce an event that is perpetuated until His second coming, "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins" (Matthew 26:26-28).

The Lord's Supper is often called the Communion because we are in communion with the very death of Christ at our partaking. Paul tells us, "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?" (1 Corinthians 10:16). We are to partake in order to remember the death of Christ, "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" (1 Corinthians 11:24). Therefore, by God's design, we are to be transported by mind back to the cross on that fateful day. It is as if we were standing at the base of the cross as personal witnesses of His death for us. It is to be a constant reminder of the tremendous price paid for our own personal sins.

The Lord's Supper must always be observed in a worthy manner. To do otherwise is to disgrace our Lord and His death and to bring guilt upon our self. The Corinthian Christians had made a mockery of the Lord's Supper by turning it into a feast Paul reminded them, "Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord" (1 Corinthians 11:27). It is a time to examine the purpose for which it was designed, "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup" (1 Corinthians 11:28).

The Lord's Supper has a divinely appointed day. We find the first century church meeting on a particular day to "break bread" of communion, "And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight" (Acts 20:7). This element of worship began with the Christians at Pentecost, Acts 2:42 "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." We are warned NOT to miss this assembly, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching" (Hebrews 10:25).

The Lord's Supper also serves another purpose according to Paul, "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come" (1 Corinthians 11:26). Each first day of the week as Christians assemble to partake of the Lord's Supper they proclaim to the world His death and also His burial and resurrection.

The Lord's Supper deserves the Christian's greatest respect. It was designed by and first taken by our Lord. Its purpose twofold: to draw our minds back to the cross, and to proclaim His death to the world on a regular basis.