Introduction

When you hold the bread in your hand, you are coming in touch with the greatest expression of His love. This love made Him endure the cruel stripes on His back and caused Him to subject His body to be beaten, bruised and broken so that yours can be whole. And when you partake, you celebrate and release your faith to receive His health and wholeness in exchange for your sicknesses and diseases.

When you drink the wine, you are reminded that the blood of the sinless Son of God did not just bring you forgiveness — it made you forever righteous, holy and blameless. So today, you have perfect standing before the Father and His ears are attentive to your softest sigh.

 

The Holy Communion – God’s Channel of Divine Health

Next to being saved from hell or eternal destruction, divine health is the greatest blessing we can have.

Jesus did not walk on water all the time, He did not calm storms all the time, but He healed all the time.

 

God’s Nature Is to Heal

The Bible says that Jesus “… went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” (Acts 10:38)

Jesus did not walk on water all the time, He did not calm storms all the time, but He healed all the time.

When God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt to bring them into the Promised Land, He made sure that none of them were sick.

Psalm 105:37 He also brought them out with silver and gold, and there was none feeble among His tribes.

 

Partaking of the Lord’s Body Brings Healing

You might be surprised to know that the Bible gives one and only one reason Christians are weak and sick and die prematurely.

The apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 11:29–30, said, “For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.” Sleep here means death, not bodily rest.

Paul said, “For this reason…” He did not say, “for these reasons”. He was pointing us to one singular reason Christians become weak and sick and die before their time.

And what is “this reason” that Paul was highlighting to us? He said, “… not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason…” So the reason the Corinthians became weak, and sick was their failure to discern the Lord’s body.

If we discern the Lord’s body, we will walk in His health and wholeness.

The early church believed this. That is why “… they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” (Acts 2:42)

In Acts 2:43, 46, we read that they broke bread from house to house, and many signs and wonders were done through the apostles.

Transubstantiation is the alleged process whereby the bread and wine offered up at Communion are changed to that of the real body and blood of Jesus Christ.

The Holy Communion will add years to our lives and life to our years.

 

How to Discern the Lord’s Body

Notice that Paul said that it was not a failure to discern the blood, but a failure to discern the body that caused the people to be weak and sick, and to die before their time.

1 Corinthians 11:29–30 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.

God has since shown me that the body and blood should not be treated as one. There are two elements because there is a two-fold application in the Communion. The wine, which is His blood, is for our forgiveness. And the bread, which is His body, is for our healing.

 

The Blood Is for Forgiveness

Paul’s epistles make it very clear that the blood of Jesus brings forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

Ephesians 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace…

Because the Son of God paid the penalty for your sins with His spotless blood, you can go scot-free when you put your trust in His blood to save you. When you partake of the wine, know that you are forgiven and have been made righteous. The blood of Jesus has given you right standing before God, so that you can come boldly into His presence. And when you pray, you can be sure He hears you.

 

The Bread Is for Healing

Mark 7:26–28 The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. But Jesus said to her, “Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” And she answered and said to Him, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs.”

Notice that when she asked Jesus to cast the demon out of her daughter, He said that it was not good to give the “children’s bread” to the “little dogs”. What does “bread” refer to? It refers to the healing that she was asking for. And what do “dogs” refer to? They refer to non-Jews or Gentiles like herself.

The Bible treats disease and demon possession as the same thing since they both originate from the devil.

Acts 10:38 says that Jesus went about doing good and “… healing all who were oppressed by the devil”. Notice that disease is due to the devil’s oppression. Thus, disease and demon possession are both the results of oppression by the devil, and we need God’s healing for these problems.

 

What It Means to Discern the Body

Jesus’ body was so filled with life that even His clothes were soaked with His health.

And His body was so filled with life that even His clothes were soaked with His health. The Bible says that a woman with an issue of blood for 12 years came to Him knowing that He was her only hope. (Mark 5:25–34)

She had spent all her money and suffered many things from many physicians. And what was the result? She was no better, but instead, became worse! Yet, with just one touch of the hem of His garment, she was immediately healed of the affliction. If the hem of His garment could be soaked with His health, can you imagine His body?

No wonder Luke said, “And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.” (Luke 6:19) When a doctor, and Luke was a doctor, says this, you know that it is for real.

As you partake of His broken body, know that His body was broken so that yours can be whole. When you partake in this spirit of faith, something happens to your body. You become strong, healthy and you will live long.

 

The Lord’s Supper Brings the Double Cure

The prophet Isaiah said, “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows…” (Isaiah 53:4, NKJV) The Young’s Literal Translation or YLT Bible provides a more accurate translation for the words “griefs” and “sorrows”, stating that “Surely our sicknesses He hath borne, and our pains — He hath carried them…”

Similarly, in the Gospel of Matthew, this verse was interpreted as “He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses”. (Matthew 8:17)

Jesus bore not just our sins, but also our bodily weakness, sickness and pains. This is called the “double cure”.

Luke 22: 15 Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18 for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.

The Old Testament is the shadow, the New Testament is the real substance. Jesus is the true, perfect, unblemished, holy Lamb of God. So the Passover is a type of the Lord’s Supper.

During the first Passover, they killed the lamb and put the blood on the doorposts. This caused the destroyer to pass over their families because God said, “And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you …” (Exodus 12:13)

The blood was for the people’s forgiveness. The blood covered the people’s sins and appeased the righteous requirements of God.

Exodus 12:8 Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.

If the body of a ‘shadow lamb’ could bring such supernational results, how much more the body of the true “substance lamb”, our Lord Jesus Christ.

The ate the roasted and the unleavened bread. This was to give them strength for the journey. It was not natural strength that they received. It was supernatural.

This is why they were “… none feeble”. Psalm 105:37 It takes a supernatural work of God for 2.5 million people to all be healthy.

We know that this lamb was a mere shadow of the real substance. So if the body of a “shadow lamb” could bring such supernatural results, how much more the body of the true “substance lamb”, our Lord Jesus Christ!

Here, again the double cure was at work – the blood for the forgiveness and the body and bread were for divine strength. No wonder when they left Egypt, there were none feeble.

David described the double cure this way, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, who forgives all your iniquities, and who heals all your diseases”. Psalm 103:2-3 Notice that His benefits include the forgiveness of our sins as well as the healing of our diseases.

Healing, like forgives, is not a promise. It is the blood-bought right of Christians.

The Lord’s Supper is how God helps us offset the process of aging and walk in divine health.

 

Prayer for Holy Communion

Hold the bread in your hand and say this:

Thank You Jesus for Your broken body. It is for my healing, my spouse’s healing and my children’s healing. Thank You that by Your stripes, by the beatings You bore, by the lashes which fell on Your back, we are completely healed. I believe and I receive. (Eat the bread.)

Next, take the cup in your hand and say this:

Thank You Jesus for the new covenant cut in Your blood. Your blood has brought me forgiveness and washed me from every sin. I thank You that Your blood has made me righteous. And as I drink, I celebrate and partake of the inheritance of the righteous, which is preservation, healing, wholeness and prosperity. (Drink the wine.)

Thank you, Jesus, I love You because You first loved me.

 

 

Notes taken from, “Health and Wholeness Through the Holy Communion” by Joseph Prince