Last week we considered how Jesus gave us all of Himself when He died on the cross, and it wasn’t just for the forgiveness of our sins but for the healing of our bodies. We need to discern this amazing salvation that He has given to us, for its far greater than we think.
For many years I only saw communion as the forgiveness of my sins on the cross, and didn’t see the bigger picture. Because of this I’d often miss communion when we had it in Church because I didn’t consider it all that important. I knew He had died for my sins, so what’s the big deal? How wrong was I.
It wasn’t until later that I saw where Paul points out the need to discern His ‘body’ when we have communion, and that was a ‘Game Changer’ for me. Note it doesn’t say we need to discern His blood. Now that I know that the blood is for the forgiveness of my sins and His broken body is for my healing, it enhances the whole communion experience. I now see the need to make a difference between the blood and the body, the wine and the bread, when I have communion. I partake of communion often and can see great benefits in my walk with God.
You may say that you have been taking communion for years and you are still sick, so it doesn’t work. As far as I can see in the bible, there needs to be a demand made on truth in order for it to work for you. “According to your faith, so be it unto you.” If you have only seen communion as a celebration of your sins forgiven (which is wonderful in itself) then so be it unto you. But it’s far greater than that. He has also provided healing for us at the cross, so why not take advantage of this too. Our ignorance is costing us our health and can even cost us our lives. The not discerning of His body is the reason why many of us are weak, sick and are dying before their time.
King David had prophetic insight to what the Lord was going to provide for us at the cross in Psalm 103:2-3. He saw that Christ’s provision is far more than just having your sins forgiven, its for the healing of our bodies as well.
“Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,”
As we partake of communion and consider His body every time we eat the bread, I believe Jesus is showing us a very powerful truth that can revolutionise our lives. He’s giving us His Body as a gift to eat.
Paul said in the book of Colossians.
“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.” NIV Colossians 2:9
“For in Christ there is all of God in a human body; so you have everything when you have Christ, and you are filled with God through your union with Christ. He is the highest Ruler, with authority over every other power. “ The Living Bible 2:9-10
This just seems too hard for the brain to comprehend so we often skip over verses like this. Think about it, in Christ’s body is all the fullness of God. Christ fills all in all and it’s His presence that holds everything together here on earth and in the vastness of space. Every cell and piece of matter is held together by God. It’s the glue. Scientists know that something holds everything together but they don’t understand that it’s Christ.
If you were to travel a billion years out from this planet in any direction at the speed of light (which is 300,000 ks a second) you would not even begin to exhaust what we know to be out there. The Bible says that it’s all held together by Christ’s presence and all that fullness dwells in Christ bodily. It’s not just in His head but it’s in His body.
Jesus reminds us that when we have communion we are partaking of His body. It’s a miracle that all the fullness of God can fit into a human body. He illustrates this by showing us a piece of bread and then declaring that this is His body. He then tells us to eat it.
We are amazed today how man can fit a computer into such small things. Computers that once filled a large room can now fit into your mobile phone or something the size of a thumb nail. But something even more amazing than this is that all of God can fit inside a human body. Into the Body of Christ, the Lamb of God our Passover. The next thing God wants us to understand is that not only is all of this in Christ but it’s also in you as a Christian. Paul prays that we might understand this amazing truth, for he says in Ephesians,
“And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” Ephesians 1:17-23 NIV
Everything has been put under Christ’s feet and He is head of the Church which is His body – which is filled with the fullness of God. When we eat the bread at communion we are reminding ourselves again and again that His body is in us in all its fullness.
John the Baptist said that we have been given all of Christ’s fullness.
“This was He of whom I spake, He that comes after me is preferred before me: for He was before me. And of His fullness have all we received, and grace for grace.” John 1:15-16
The Apostle John reminds us that when we feed on Christ His life is in us.
“The one who eats my body and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in him. The Father of life sent me, and He is my life. In the same way, the one who feeds upon me, I will become his life.” John 6:56-57
Couples who really love each other want nothing less than the body of their lover. Letters are OK, a keep sake is nice, but to have their beloved in the flesh is what they really want. Young Lovers often make statements like, “I love you so much I could eat you.” How true is this in communion. It’s also called a ‘love feast.’ Lovers want to get as close as they can to the body of their husband or their wife. Jesus the Bridegroom offers us His body and all that it consists of. We have everything when we have Christ. We are complete in Him. When you partake of communion believe that you are receiving –
His mind “Who has known the mind of the Lord to instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 2:16
His Spirit “But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit. “ 1 Corinthians 6:17
His flesh and bones “for we are members of his body.” Ephesians 5:30
His character, His nature “Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, “ 2 Peter 1:4
“and to give us his own character.” 2 Peter 1:4 TLB
His Faith “I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 KJV
His Love Joy and Peace “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23
His body was broken so that we might be made whole. His whole body was offered up as a sacrifice on the cross, and He held nothing back. He was the sacrificial Lamb and He is now our sacrificial meal.
“Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us.” 1 Corinthians 5:7 NLB
What is lacking in your body can be filled up from His abundance. We need to discern this and believe it. Receive that part of your body by faith, that is lacking, for He has given it to you.
“to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:19
“This is the fresh, new, life-giving way that Christ has opened up for us by tearing the curtain—his human body—to let us into the holy presence of God.”
“And since this great High Priest of ours rules over God’s household, let us go right in to God himself, with true hearts fully trusting him to receive us because we have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean and because our bodies have been washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:20,22 TLB
You are a branch on His vine and the same sap that is in Him is flowing into you as well. His life is in you – believe. He is the strength of your life.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
We need to remind ourselves of these truths as we partake of communion and may they become a powerful revelation to you. Praise God for the forgiveness of sins, but there is so much more that He has done for us. We can enter into His fullness. He’s given us everything and we for life so let us discern it.
“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” Romans 8:32