The book of Corinthians is a letter written by apostle Paul to the church in Corinth.
In the 1st book of Corinthians chapter 11 verse 30 it is written “That [careless and unworthy participation] is the reason why many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep [in death].”
What is this unworthy manner of participation in the Lord’s table that was making many people in the church weak and sick?
If we read 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 10 we can see that Paul is pleading everybody not to divide the church. The people at Corinth were listening to different preachers and followed what people said. They were building their faith on the human wisdom and not on the power of the gospel. This was causing divisions in the church.
Further when we read 1 Corinthian chapter 11 verse 17 we can see that the people were coming together not for the better but for the worse. Whenever they came together they never came to eat the Lord supper. Their intention was never to participate in the Lord table but to show off their social status. They brought food from home which made the ones who are poor go hungry but the others who were rich go drunk.
Few things that Paul urges the church to follow whenever they came together are;
- Onenessas written in 1 Corinthian chapter 10 verse 17 “Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread. we though many are one bread – Jesus body.” There can be difference of opinion among the people, but God wants our hearts to be one just as we who are many partake from the one bread that is the body of Jesus Christ.
- Discern the blood of Jesus: According to Ephesians chapter 1 verse 7 “In Him [Jesus] we have redemption [that is, our deliverance and salvation] through His blood, [which paid the penalty for our sin and resulted in] the forgiveness and complete pardon; of our sin, in accordance with the riches of His grace. When Jesus established the Lord’s Table in the book of Matthew chapter 26 verse 38, He was establishing a covenant with us through the blood of Jesus. We have a covenant with God. The blood of Jesus has given us the right standing with God, so we can come to his presence with boldness.
- Discern the body:In the book of Luke chapter 6 verse 19 it is written that “the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.” This shows that Jesus body has the power to heal, even His clothes dispensed healing e.g.: when the woman with 12 years of blood issue touched the hem of his robe, she was instantly healed. God has called us to be His covenant people through His blood which gives each one of us the right to His healing power.
When we partake from the blood and body of Christ, we don’t just remember His love and sacrifice but also partake from His healing power as well. It is not the bread and the wine that gives us healing but our faith in Jesus that gives us the healing.
So, we need to examine ourselves to see if there is any kind of division in our hearts for anybody and then as we discern the blood and body of Jesus, we participate in the Lord’s table in a worthy manner. The Lord’s table is an invitation for each one of you to know Jesus as the mighty God, as a mighty healer, to believe that He died in our place and allow Him to be the Lord of your life.
