In Makhachkala, a city in southern Russia, 14 new believers and some missionaries gathered in a small apartment to celebrate the Lord's Supper. The room was charged with spiritual energy and joy as the people shared in testimonies, songs, and prayers.

Then, being aware of the symbolic meaning of the bread and the cup, they looked at each other and whispered, "With this we are cleansed. With this we are one!" Being reminded again of Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross for them and the forgiveness they had received, they felt a new sense of their oneness in Christ.

The apostle Paul said that the Corinthian believers were not experiencing this unifying power. Their celebrations of the Lord's Supper were characterized by divisions. People who had brought food were letting those with no food go hungry. Some were even getting drunk! (1 Cor. 11:21). So Paul warned the people and urged them to examine themselves (v.28).

Nothing unites believers more than the forgiveness Jesus provided when He died for our sins. No wonder He instituted a special Supper before He went to the cross. He knew we would need to be reminded often of what He did to make us clean--to make us one.  — Dennis J. De Haan