Discerning The Lord’s Body!  : By James Lantz   

       The word of God is right and true! Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life! It is not by accident that the Holy Spirit is referred to as the Spirit of Truth. People receive miracles when they embrace the truth! Jesus refused to speak to the Cananite woman who came begging him to deliver her daughter from being grievously vexed with a devil, until she got honest with Him. She came under the false pretense that she was in covenant with God, calling Jesus the son of David, but the Truth Himself could not help her until she became honest with Him. When she heard Jesus say, I am only sent to the lost sheep of Israel, she made an adjustment on the inside and began to worship Jesus asking Him to have mercy. Jesus responded to her request saying, it isn’t honest, right, or fair to take the children’s bread and cast it to the dogs. She acknowledged the truth that she was a dog (Gentile who had no covenant with God) but she believed that God had plenty of healing mercy that would heal her daughter.  Mt. 15:27  And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.  Her faith pleased the Lord, and He said, Be it unto you as you desire!

       Everyone who names the name of Christ and has made a genuine commitment to make Jesus the Lord of their life is born from above and has become a child of God. God’s children have benefits that belong to them because they are His children. The first two mentioned in the hundred and third Psalm are that He forgives all our iniquities and heals all of our diseases. Jesus calls healing the children’s bread. Jesus also said that it is just as easy to heal as it is to forgive sin. God made it just as easy for us to receive healing as it is to receive forgiveness of sins. Jesus’ beating, crucifixion and suffering was not easy to endure but a complete salvation, spirit, soul, and body was purchased for us all. Matthew writes that Jesus Himself fulfilled Isaiahs’ prophecy by taking our infirmities and baring our sicknesses. Peter testifies that we were healed through Jesus taking those stripes for us!  1 Pet. 2:24  Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.  Redemption is complete and we are not to say in our heart, who shall ascend into heaven to bring Christ down from above, nor say who shall descend into the deep to raise Christ again from the dead. Christ has already been raised from the dead and we are to take our redemption and take our healing and every other good thing that has been purchased for us. Every one of Abraham’s descendants who ate of that passover lamb prior to their deliverance from Egyptian bondage was healed that night.  Ps.105:37  He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.   Jesus is the lamb of God who took upon Himself the sins, sicknesses, and poverty of the whole world so that we could be righteous, healed, and rich! We read in the gospels that Jesus healed them all in reference to the multitudes who came to him for healing. Jesus never refused to heal anyone and He never will! Faith begins where the will of God is known! A leper came to Jesus and worshipped him, saying if you will, you can make me clean. Jesus put out his hand and touched him, saying, I will, be clean! Many in the church today are like this man, they know that God can heal them but they don’t know if He will. This leper did not receive his healing until he knew that Jesus would heal him. People like to think that everything is up to God but God has authorized man to have authority in the earth. Death and life are in the power of the tongue!

       The King of Syria was very sick and sent a messenger to the prophet Elisha, asking, shall I recover from this disease?   2 Kings 8:10  And Elisha said unto him, Go, say unto him, Thou mayest certainly recover: howbeit the Lord hath shewed me that he shall surely die.  The prophet is saying that God has mercy for those who will humble themselves and repent, but the Lord has shown him that he will not repent and thus he will die.

       A big reason there is so much sickness and accidents among God’s people today is from our failure to properly honor, recognize, and discern the body of Christ.  1 Cor. 11:29 NIV  For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.  The Kings James reads, he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. Unworthily refers to irreverence and dishonoring what Christ has accomplished for us through the sacrificing of His body and the shedding of His blood. Believers who disrespect Christ’ body, the church, cut themselves off from healing and wholeness until they repent.  1 Cor. 11:30&31 NLT   That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died. But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way.  When we receive communion we are to remember the death of our Lord Jesus and the price that He paid in sacrificing His body and shedding of His blood. This is also a time to examine, judge, or discern our part of the covenant. We are not our own, we have been bought with a big price. We have become one spirit with the Lord.  1 Cor. 6:20  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

1. Discerning Jesus broken body!

       One of God’s covenant names is Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals.  Healing was provided for God’s people on credit under the old covenant. (Ex. 15:26 & Ps. 103:3)  Isaiah 53:4&5 CJB .  .  .  it was our diseases he bore, our pains from which he suffered; yet we regarded him as punished, stricken and afflicted by God.  But he was wounded because of our crimes, crushed because of our sins; the disciplining that makes us whole fell on him, and by his bruises we are healed.   Matthew and Peter, testify that Jesus bore our sicklesses so that we could be healed. Paul reminds us of Jesus words, this is my body, which is broken for you! Jesus purchased healing for our physical bodies and our souls and the Father says its yours right now! You won’t need healing when you get to heaven because you will have your new body, which will be your same body made new, as per Jesus glorious body. The work of God is to believe! It pleases the Father well when we take our healing!

2. Discerning your physical body!

       We are to take good care of our physical bodies because our service to the Master depends on a healthy body to carry us about and to radiate God’s glory wherever we go! We are to put the right fuel in our bodies and only allow right thoughts in our mind. (Phil. 4:8, 2 Cor. 10:5)  Every evil thought, hatred, unforgiveness, revenge, judging, jealously, covetousness, fear and worry are toxic to your brain. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  Col. 3:5 CEV  Don’t be controlled by your body. Kill every desire for the wrong kind of sex. Don’t be immoral or indecent or have evil thoughts. Don’t be greedy, which is the same as worshiping idols.  Jesus had to cleanse the temple before the healings and miracles could take place and you have a responsibility to run the devil out. Live a holy life in the fear of the Lord!

3. Discerning the body of Christ!

       We, the church, are the body of Christ in the earth today.  Eph. 1:23 NLT  And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.   Rom. 12:5  So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.  Jesus appeared to Saul of Tarsus, exclaiming, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? Whatever is done for our fellow Christian is done for Jesus. Jesus gave us a new commandment, Love your fellow Christian just as I have loved you! Jesus came unto his own and many of them did not recognize that God, in the flesh, was speaking to them. Are you recognizing Gods’ body in the earth today? God requires faithfulness from each of us, being a supplying joint in the body, establishing Gods’ kingdom in the earth. The kingdom of heaven is like a king who made a marriage for his son. Many refused to come to the marriage feast because they had other priorities. When the king heard, he was wroth and sent out his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. The kingdom of heaven is like finding a treasure hidden in a field and selling everything you have to buy that field. The kingdom of heaven is like a king going on a long journey who entrusts his things to his servants. Those who labored, invested, and increased of what the king gave them were rewarded greatly! The wicked, who buried their talent by refusing to work or invest and judged their master to be unrighteous, were cast into outer darkness to be tormented for all eternity. Jesus gave numerous illustrations including the importance of our presence at His meetings, the wisdom of sacrificing the lesser to gain the better, and the eternal rewards for selling out totally to advancing the gospel!  Mt. 12:30  He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.  All things were made by Him, all things were made for Him, and by Jesus all things consist. That includes our physical bodies and our healing comes from Him! Subject yourself to the Father of spirits and live!

Write the vision and make it plain that those who read it can run with it!

• Opening eyes, that people may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God.
• Those who turn may receive remission of sins and an inheritance being sanctified by faith in Christ! 
• Leading people to observe and do all that God requires so they can receive all of God’s blessing!