For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body (1 Corinthians 11:29).
T he Holy Communion is far more than a religious ritual or symbolic observance. It’s a divine ordinance instituted by the Lord Jesus Himself, carrying profound spiritual significance and power. In having the Communion with His disciples, the Bible says the Lord took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them and said, “this is my body” (Matthew 26:26, Mark 14:22, Luke 22:19).
He didn’t say, “This represents my body”; rather, He was specific. He said, “This is my body which is broken for you.” Likewise, concerning the Cup, the Apostle Paul wrote by the Spirit, “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).
Notice that the Scriptures never reduce the Communion to mere symbolism. Rather, through the power and ministry of the Holy Spirit, there’s a spiritual participation and fellowship with the body and blood of Christ. This is why the Bible admonishes us to discern the Lord’s body when we partake of the Communion. To discern means to recognize accurately, to understand spiritually, and to respond with faith.
When you receive the Communion, do so with the understanding of its divine import. The Apostle Paul explains that many were weak, sickly, and some even died because they failed to discern the Lord’s body correctly (1 Corinthians 11:29-30). But the opposite is equally true: when you partake with faith and revelation, the Communion becomes a channel of divine life, health, strength, and spiritual vitality.
As the food you eat becomes one with your physical body, so does the Holy Communion, received in faith, minister the realities of the divine life into your being. Therefore, when you partake of it, declare that the power of Christ is at work in you. Affirm that sickness, infirmity, weakness and disease have no place in your body because you’re a partaker of the life of Christ.
Never approach the Communion casually. Approach it reverently, joyfully, and with unwavering faith in the efficacy of Christ’s sacrifice. Through it, you reiterate the realities of His victory, life, health and righteousness, and that they’re manifested in you. Hallelujah!
PRAYER
Dear Father, thank you for the blessing and power of the Holy Communion. As I partake of the bread and the cup, I discern the Lord’s body and walk in the reality of the divine life, strength, health, and spiritual vitality. Sickness, weakness, infirmity, and disease have no place in me, because the life of Christ is manifested in my body, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
FURTHER STUDY:
1 Corinthians 10:16-17; 1 Corinthians 11:23-29; John 6:56-57
1-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN
2 Corinthians 5:1-6:1-2 & Proverbs 18-19
2-YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN
1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 & Jeremiah 24