Health And Wholeness Through The Holy Communion

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Health And Wholeness Through The Holy Communion

ISBN 978-981-08-8378-2
© Copyright Joseph Prince, 2011

Joseph Prince Teaching Resources
www.josephprinceonline.com

All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. Contents and/or cover may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without the express written consent of the publisher.

contents

The Holy Communion — God’s Channel Of Divine Health

How To Discern The Lord’s Body

Don’t Be Afraid To Partake

Testimonies

As a young Christian growing up in a traditional church, what struck me most about the Holy Communion was God’s judgment. I believed that unless I confessed all my sins before partaking, I would bring damnation upon myself.

At first, I tried to confess every single sin to get right with God before partaking, but after some time, I decided that it was easier to just not have Communion.

I believe that many Christians still have that same fear. And the average believer would have many unanswered questions and all kinds of worries about bringing judgment on himself. These stem from a misinterpretation of key verses on the subject.

Some Christians wonder if they can partake when they are not water baptised, while others are unsure if they need to attend classes before they can take the bread and wine.

When I became a pastor and had to minister the Holy Communion, my search for those answers led me to see the loving heart of God expressed in the Lord’s Supper. I discovered that God ordained the Holy Communion not as a ritual to be observed, but as a blessing to be received — the blessing of health and wholeness.

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.

My prayer is that this book will help remove all your fears every time you approach His Table, and stir up your faith to receive the blessings of health and wholeness through His body and blood.

The Holy Communion — God’s Channel Of Divine Health

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.

Some people might say, “No, Pastor Prince. It would be great if I had lots of money. Then, I can do so many things.” Well, I know of people who have lots of money. They have fleets of cars, but are not able to drive a single one of them because they are flat on their backs, sick.

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

If someone is on his deathbed, I do not think he would say, “I wish I had made one more million.” I believe he would be thinking, “If only I could have my health back. There are so many things to do, so many people to say ‘I love you’ to.”

You can also have a great family with wonderful children, but if you are sick, and cannot run around and play with your kids, that would be sheer misery.

That is why I believe that health is the greatest blessing we can have while we are still here on earth. Without it, there is no way we can enjoy the blessings of God.

God’s Nature Is To Heal

You will find that when Jesus walked on earth, most of His miracles were in the area of healing. That is because His 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) He 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

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

In Cecil De Mille’s production of
The Ten Commandments,
a blind old man shuffled out of Egypt with a walking stick. That is how Hollywood dramatises the Holy Word. But it is incorrect.

God’s Word says that there were none feeble, so that old man could not have been blind or bent over. Bible scholars estimate that there were about 2.5 million Israelites who left Egypt healed, healthy and whole. That was and still is God’s will for His people today — all healed, healthy and whole.

Partaking Of The Lord’s Body Brings Healing

If it is God’s nature to heal, have you wondered why many Christians are sick? I am not referring to minor ailments like a cough or cold, I am referring to serious, life-threatening illnesses.

Now, if the people of the world are sick, it should not surprise us. They do not have Jesus Christ as their protection, so it is no wonder that they are sick.

But when believers are sick, I want to know why. And I do not want to draw my conclusions from human experience. I want an answer from God’s Word.

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.