©3 October 2014 Revive Israel Ministries

Discerning the Body of the Lord

By Ariel Blumenthal

For all who eat and drink without discerning the body of the Lord, eat and drink judgment against themselves.  For this reason many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.  (1 Cor 11:29-30)

What’s wrong in Corinth?  What sin caused the sharing of the Lord’s Supper, intended to heal and give life, to result in such sickness, even death?  Was it the sexual sin discussed in chapter 5? Or some other sin of that magnitude? 

So then, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another….(1 Cor 11:33)

In the early church in Corinth, each weekly meeting began with a meal at which the bread and wine were sanctified to the name and remembrance of Yeshua.  After sharing this meal, the believers continued in worship, prayer, teaching and the practice of spiritual gifts.  We know from previous chapters that there were factions in the congregation.  Some claimed allegiance to Paul; others preferred the teaching style of Apollos; still others claimed to have no teacher but Yeshua Himself.  

Some members arrived earlier than others to the weekly meeting; with other friends in their “clique,” they would say their blessings, invoke the Name of the Lord over their bread and wine, and have their dinner.  Later, others would arrive, some with food, some without. 
Paul severely chastises these early arrivals for more than a simple discourtesy: they have failed to “discern the Body of the Lord.”  This is not a failure to correctly apprehend the mystical transformation of a morsel of bread to the literal Body of Christ; from the context it is clear that he is speaking of a failure to apprehend the power, sanctity, and authority that God intends to be present in the weekly meeting of the saints. 

Every believer is a living stone, and together we are being built into a holy temple for God Himself to dwell in (1 Pet 2:5; 1 Cor 3:16-17).  According to the Scriptures, the primary expression of this mystical sounding Body/Temple of Messiah is simply what we call the “local” congregation—whether it meets in a house, a public building, or in the middle of a forest.  There is something special, something very holy, about this weekly meeting of the whole congregation.

If we disparage this holiness by being insensitive to the presence (or absence) of others; or we find our fellowship in one “clique” without relating properly to the rest of the congregation, then we are in danger of failing to discern the “Body of the Lord.”  And for this failure, especially when we celebrate Communion, there can be grave consequences.  Let each man, and each fellowship, check themselves (11:28) so that we may enjoy the fullness of His healing presence among us!!

By Asher Intrater

Giving honor to other people is a special principle of godly living.   One of the Ten Commandments is to honor one's parents (Ex. 20; Deut. 5).  Giving honor is not only for parents but for all those "to whom honor is due" (Rom. 13:7).  As we pass honor upwards, God passes blessings downwards toward us in return. A little bit of honor goes a long way.  
The issue is not so much the worthiness of the other person (I Cor. 12:23), but developing the character quality of respect.  If we have respectful attitudes, then it is "safe" for God to give us glory and honor without it ruining us. Ultimately God wants to "glorify" us (Rom. 8:18, 30; I Cor. 2:7, Heb. 2:10). Respecting others in this life is part of the training to be qualified for glory in the world to come.

Over the years, the problem I have seen that has caused more damage than any other is "wounded pride" or "offended honor," particularly among leaders. We are to do nothing out of vain pride and competition (Gal. 5:26); but to consider all others as more honorable than ourselves (Rom. 12:10, Phil. 2:3).  Yeshua Himself gave up honor for the sake of helping others (Phil. 2:7). If we do the same, we can become more gracious and Christ-like in our own lives.

In this message, Asher speaks about God having a general and specific plan for every individual, which He knew from before the creation of the world. In the same manner God also planned a destiny for Israel and the nations, and through His word we get a glimpse of what this future plan entails... To watch, click HERE!