Discerning the Lord's Body, Part 2

I wanted to follow up on the sermon that I gave here a month ago, which was actually, of course, at that time preparing for the Passover. And I didn't get to give you the second part of that sermon, so I want to do that today. I did give this up in Kansas City already, but I want to be able to cover this because I think it's really, really significant that we understand more about what it means to discern the body of the Lord. Now, I mentioned to you last time that I think that that has two meanings. When we read this in 1 Corinthians 11, this is where I'll be going to begin with. In 1 Corinthians 11, as we prepare for the Passover, and as we...

I was afraid that was special music, that's right. We didn't realize we had special music. I was afraid that was my phone. Anyway, what I was mentioning is, as we read in 1 Corinthians 11, for us to reverently take the Passover, we are to evaluate ourselves and actually see the progress that God has been helping us make and then to see the areas that still need to be refined. That is clearly a part of what God expects us to do on a regular basis, an annual basis, as we prepare to come before God and to take the bread and the wine that represents the body and the blood of Jesus Christ. And what I essentially went over last time was dealing with our understanding of Christ's suffering and then His death and how that's connected to God's merciful benefit of healing. It's important that we understand that connection. Now, I think that connection, I can see the connection as we went through the verses that explain it, I can see the connection by whether I fully understand it. I think that maybe is yet to be. I'm sure there's more to learn. But the second aspect of discerning the body of the Lord, I think, has to do regarding how we view, how we interact, the responsibility that we have toward one another. See, many times, again, the special music is going to continue.

Discerning the body of the Lord directly about Christ's body and how that's connected to healing is one area, one area that we need to think about and learn about. The other area, I think, is a collective discerning of the members of the body. And I hope to point out to you why. Of course, the Church is referred to as the body of Christ. You see that in the New Testament, numerous different places. The body of Christ is represented by the called-out group of Christians who are, who make up a body, and we're led by the head, and we are all a part of that body.

But how we act toward each other is extremely important, and it involves properly discerning the Lord's body. Here in 1 Corinthians 11, we can read this. In verse 28, we're told to examine ourselves and then take the Passover. And so that's what we've already done. But in verse 29, it says, "...all who eat and drink without discerning the Lord's body, without discerning the body of the Lord." Again, connecting it with what Jesus went through, but also connecting it with an understanding of how God wants us to be toward one another. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body, eat and drink, or eat and drink judgment against themselves. And then verse 30 is really the most puzzling of all to me, because it says, "...for this reason..." And Paul was telling them, "...because you are not discerning the Lord's body well. For this reason many of you are sick and ill, and some of you have died." Right. You know, that verse has always been unclear to me. I mean, it's obvious what it says, but what does it mean? Well, I think it means, and it is an admonition to all of us, that has a far-reaching implication. Even to the extent, and I know all of us are aware, we've had not only locally, but from Kansas City, and then throughout the church we send prayer requests every week almost. There's someone added to that pretty long list whenever you compile them all. Do I feel a responsibility toward all of those people? I want to pray for them, at least in whatever way I can, but do I feel a responsibility of how I am toward them, how I discern those members of the body, and how I discern you as members of the body, and other congregations that we know are scattered around the world. See, I think that the implication of verse 29 and verse 30 may be, even to the extent, that others' healing, see, it mentions people being sick, people being weak, people even dying. Well, that almost sounds like God not intervening and solving their problems because the membership isn't discerning the body well. And I think that is, at least in part, what Paul is saying. So, I think if we think about this, as far as a responsibility toward others who need help, who need healing, who need mercy and intervention, and to be uplifted and to be comforted and encouraged or even blessed, even with whatever ailment.

We need to think about this because I don't want my attitude and my action toward others to aversely affect. Because if I don't ever think about it, then I am aversely affecting others. At least, I feel that's the case. Let's look here at 1 Corinthians 11. Because we're familiar with the section from verse 23 down to about verse 32. This section is really well known. We read it every year. We read it at the Passover. It gives instructions for how the Passover should be observed. Paul was telling the Corinthians, this is what Jesus said to do. The night he was betrayed, the night he was taken, and then ultimately the next day slaughtered as he was to be the Lamb of God. He said, this is what he told us to do. I want you to do this in remembrance of me, to do this as a memorial. And he says, I want you to evaluate yourself and properly do it. But I'm sure in essence he was saying, well, you're not properly doing that. You're not really discerning the Lord's body real well. And I think if we read the verses before and after this section, maybe we can understand a little more about what he's meaning.

Here in chapter 11, verse 17, he says in the following instruction, I do not commend you. So clearly he was telling these members in this church, and when we read the book of 1 Corinthians and then later 2 Corinthians, we realize there are a lot of problems with people in this congregation. And yet, they weren't unique. There were other congregations that suffered some of the same problems. But he says, in the following instructions, I do not commend you, because when you come together, it is not for the better but for the worse. Now, is that talking about the Passover? Well, maybe it is. You're not coming together properly for the Passover, because we know that's mentioned, but it almost seems like that whenever you meet together, you are not right toward one another. He goes on to say in verse 18 to begin with, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you.

And to some extent, I believe it. Clearly, he identifies one of the problems that they had, and not only do we see it here, but we see it in chapter 1 and 2 and 3 very clearly. He says they were a divided bunch. So I can identify and say that's wrong. That's what he was telling them. We don't want that type of factioning or division. But he goes on in verse 19, indeed, there have to be factions among you, for only so will it become clear who among you are genuine. Now, he says, well, there are going to be some factions. People are not going to all be in agreement. But ultimately, that would simply only identify who is genuine, who is an imitator, and who is genuine, as far as Christians go. But he goes on. He says in verse 19, there indeed have to be factions. Not only will it become clear who among you are genuine, but in verse 20, when you come together, it's not really to eat the Lord's Supper. Now, that's the only place that that statement about the Lord's Supper is made in the New Testament, the only time when that description is used. And Paul is mentioning this in connection with problems that the Corinthian church have with one another. They're divided. They're somewhat bickering. They're somewhat agitated toward one another. They, in a sense, are exalting themselves and putting others down. That's what we're going to read. So, I don't know that this is directly just saying that this is about the Passover, but it may be just about their coming together in general. Verse 21, when the time comes to eat, each of you goes ahead with your own supper and one is hungry and another becomes drunk. What? Do you not have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you show contempt for the Church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? He says, what should I say about this? Should I commend you in this manner? I don't commend you at all. He said, this is ridiculous. It almost sounds like he's describing not what we would think of as a Passover service, where, obviously, we're very orderly and there are specific things we know Jesus did, and we're trying to follow that example and wash each other's feet and have the bread and have the wine and sing of him. It doesn't sound like he's what he's talking about. He's talking about them coming together as a church and almost what sounds to me like an out-of-control potluck.

Sounds like an animal house food fight is what it sounds like. And now, I'm not the last word on this. I'm just reading what it says and thinking about what it appears that Paul is saying. He says, I want you to discern the body. Now, it's clearly part of that is understanding Jesus' broken body and blood, but I think a part of it also has to do with how we are toward each other and the responsibility that we feel. I think, verse 21, when you come together to eat, each of you goes ahead with your own supper and one is hungry and another becomes drunk. That doesn't sound like something's happening at the Passover. That sounds like a possible, selfish, unconcerned, chaotic disrespecting of one another at a get-together. That's what it sounds like to me. And he says in verse 22, do you show contempt for the church when you humiliate each other? Now, I'm not saying that we're doing that, but I'm saying that that's what it looks like Paul was saying and telling this congregation who admittedly had all kinds of difficulties.

And he says in verse 22, I'm simply ashamed of your lack of concern for one another. I certainly don't commend you. And then we read verse 23 to verse 32, a section we're real familiar with, but he concludes in verse 33 by saying, so then, brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. And if you're hungry, then eat at home. So when you come together, it will not be for your condemnation. And he says about the other things, I'll give you instructions whenever I come. See, it almost seems to me in these verses before and after the section that we often refer to as the Passover service, that he's in a sense chiding them over something that was truly missing about their interaction with each other and being somewhat abusive toward one another. And what he says very clearly in verse 33 is you have a responsibility toward one another to wait for one another.

Now, I don't want all of us, whenever we have a meal, to wait and want to be the last in line. That's not what this is saying. You know, it's fine to be in line. Fine to be in line first, Hank.

Fine to do that. You know, this is not talking about, I think, our action, but it was clearly what he was telling them. You need to have a feeling of responsibility toward one another, because when you don't discern the body of the Lord right, people are failing. People are ailing. People are suffering because of that. That's what verse 30 says. And so I think, I feel this is an important aspect of discerning the body of the Lord. And it may, I guess I should put it in that framework, it may impact God's benefit of healing on us collectively. So if we have a feeling of responsibility toward one another, in a greater sense than we currently have, then perhaps we would see God's intervention even more powerful. I think it's interesting to see that Paul follows up chapter 11 with chapter 12. Again, we often, because they're different chapters, we say, well, that one's talking about this, this one's talking about that. Of course, we know 1 Corinthians 13 is talking about love, the love of God, and how it is where to express that. But see, what does chapter 12 say? I think it also is talking about discerning the body, understanding that, yes, I'm a part of the body, but I'm not functioning all by myself. What it says here in chapter 12, verse 4, it says there are varieties of gifts but the same spirit. There are varieties of services, but the same Lord. There are varieties of activities, but it's the same God who activates all of them in every one of us. And so he was telling them in this somewhat dysfunctional congregation, God has seen fit to draw us into the Church of God. He's seen fit to give us the Spirit of God. He's seen fit to cause us to be able to function together. And he goes on to say in verse 7, to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit and here we know that this whole chapter is talking about spiritual gifts that come from the Spirit of God. He says each is given the manifestation of the Spirit. Why? For self aggrandizement? For arrogant disrespect of others? Was Paul as a recipient of many of the gifts of the Holy Spirit? He apparently was not only a linguist, but it appears he could speak other languages that he needed to speak at whenever he needed to. That would have to be a gift.

But Paul didn't say, he didn't say, well, I can do that and the rest of you can't. What he says in verse 7 is, each of us is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good, for the good of the whole, for the benefit of everyone. Everyone is able to contribute as a part of the body and each of us are needed. If we drop down to verse 12, just as the body is one and has many members and all the members of the body, though many are one body, so it is with Christ. And so here clearly this is a connection with discerning the Lord's body, discerning how it is that the Church is made up, how it is that members of the congregation are put together by God for the common good and given the gifts that are described here, the gifts of the Spirit for the benefit of the congregation. See, just because I don't have a gift that you may have, that doesn't mean that I'm denigrated by that. That just means that God is working through someone else. We have people here that are very gifted in many ways.

Does that diminish everybody else? Well, it shouldn't. It should be for our common good. It should be for us to lift each other up. It should be for us to do what it says. Verse 14, the body does not consist of one member but many. God designed us and has put us in this one ecclesia, this called-out group of people. He has placed us in the body. I think verse 18 says that God arranged the members of the body, each one of them, as He chose. That's an important statement, and far more important than many people understand.

But here in verse 14, you see the description, the body doesn't consist of one member but many. And if the foot says, because I'm not the hand, I'm not a part of the body, that would not make it less a part of the body. If the ear says, because I'm not an eye, I don't belong to the body, that would not make it less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, then where would the hearing be? All of the parts, and they do the advertisement for chicken, parts is parts, but all of the parts, all of us as parts of the body, are important, are needed, are to be contributors to discerning the body and seeking the blessings of God in the entirety of the body.

In verse 21, it says, the eye can't say to the hand, I don't need you, nor again the head of the foot, I have no need of you. On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are really indispensable. Every one of us, as God has chosen to place us to be a part of the body, we should be appreciating each other. We should be respecting one another. That's clearly what the Corinthians did a bad job of. Paul was having to say, I can't commend you on this, this is just terrible. I'm actually ashamed of you, the way you act toward each other. But he follows up this description in verse 26.

If one member suffers, then all the members suffer with it.

And if one member is honored, then all rejoice together with it. So that's talking about a cohesive understanding. And this actually is brought up every Passover when we read these same verses, and when we then take of the bread, and we eat that bread, and we all are eating a part of it, and we are all, in a sense, connected with the body, the body of Christ. We all make up the body of Christ.

So I know that it's not only during the days of Unleavened Bread, but throughout the year.

Throughout the year, we're to show concern for and properly discern the body, and we have a responsibility toward one another. We have a responsibility toward one another. That phrase, one another, is a phrase that you can look up. And I have some of those looked up here, and I'll at least give you a few of them, but you can look up the phrase, one another. I read one in 1 Corinthians 11. He said, wait for one another. Be courteous and respectful and concern for one another. But see, what responsibilities do we have? And are we living up to those principles every day?

Well, some of these are so obvious. You could even write them down without me telling you. I've got five of them that I'll quickly go over here.

But see, some of them are so obvious that you could almost just write them down. How does God wish for us to be toward one another?

Well, the first one is very, very clear in John 13, verse 34 and verse 35.

Now, this is, again, a chapter that we read during the Passover, and it is an identifying sign of the Church of God. He says in verse 34 of John 13, I give you a new commandment that you love one another, that you love one another just as I loved you. You should love one another, and by this everyone will know that you're my disciples if you have love for one another. Now, that obviously is maybe the simplest one we could possibly go to. That's not a simple statement, but it's a simple thing to read. It's a simple thing to know and perhaps even to remember. But I think it is a part of our properly discerning the body. In Romans 13, I'll go through at least a few of these. Romans 13, it says in verse 8, and Paul of course is here talking to the church in Rome, not the same bunch that he was talking to the people in Corinthians, but still a church that was composed of some Jews and Gentiles and who needed to cooperate better than they were. And I would think being in Rome, it probably was a, you know, maybe there were people that came and went, you know, being an area that people might have reason to come to and then leave from. But he says in verse 8, oh, no one anything except to love one another.

That's what we owe to one another. And the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

So we achieve the fulfilling of the law by loving one another. The commandments, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet in any other commandment, or all some but in this word, love your neighbor as yourself.

Love does no wrong to the neighbor, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. So he makes that a primary responsibility that we owe to one another.

Let's see, 1 Thessalonians 4. There are actually a lot of these, so I'm not going to read through only just a very few of them. But here in 1 Thessalonians, chapter 4, we normally read a section here that's talking about a resurrection. We normally read a section where people have died, and Paul is telling them, I don't want you to be ignorant, brethren, of what happens after you die, and that we're awaiting a resurrection. But beginning in verse 9, he's got some additional good information here concerning the love of the brethren. You don't need to have anyone right to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another. So this shouldn't be an unknown. This should be an obligation. This should be clearly known by all. And indeed, you do love all the brethren throughout Macedonia, but we urge you, brethren, do so more and more and more. None of us have a corner on the market of loving others as God wishes for us to do. He says, I want you to continue to expand that, to aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, to work with your hands as you're directed, so that you may behave properly toward outsiders and be dependent on no one. So here he expanded that even beyond the church to even to others, that we have love toward others.

1 Peter 4. 1 Peter 4. 1 Peter 4. 1 Peter 4. Verse 7 says, The end of all things is near, therefore be serious and discipline yourselves.

Die daily is what he tells us to do. Die to our old self.

Be serious and discipline ourselves for the sake of your prayers, and above all, maintain constant love for one another because love covers a multitude of sins.

God is encouraging us and showing us a responsibility. If we properly discern the body, then we have a feeling of responsibility toward one another. One thing is, we're to love one another. The second thing I'll mention is clearly what Jesus was telling his disciples right before he was taken and then put to death.

You need to serve one another. That's what the foot washing service is all about. We have an obligation, a responsibility in discerning the body of the Lord to serve one another. In Galatians 5, you see Paul mentioning this. Of course, he writes a lot here in chapter 5 about the difference between the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit and about the transition that's going to occur whenever we let the new man, Jesus Christ, actually live in us.

But here he says in Galatians 5, verse 13, you were called to freedom, brethren. Only don't use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love, become servants to one another. Become servants to one another. We have an obligation to do that.

And amazingly, here in verse 15, he says, however, if you bite into our one another, then take care that you're not consumed by one another. That's almost what you see as kind of a description of what he was saying about the Corinthians. You know, you look like you're just having a free-for-all here, and that's not showing the type of serving one another and considerate of one another. That I want you to see here in chapter 6. In verse 2, he says, bear one another's burdens. That would be what a servant would do. A servant would be involved in maybe inconvenient tasks, maybe stuff that others didn't want to do or didn't like to do. He says, bear one another's burdens, and this way you fulfill the law of Christ. We respect God and His law and His way in our lives. So loving one another, serving one another would clearly be categories that we could see in discerning the body that we have an obligation in. The third thing I want to mention is here in James chapter 5. And I think this does tie in together again with what Paul was telling the Corinthians, because he was saying, because you're not discerning the Lord's body, you know, many are sick and weak and some have died. Here in James chapter 5, we're again familiar with what it says about being anointed. If we're sick, then we should call for the elders of the church, and they should pray over us, anointing us with oil, and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord will raise us up. You know, that is certainly an encouraging statement. That is a a statement where we are growing in faith, where we are trusting in God, where we are asking. But see, we all know that, well, we understand this instruction, and we do this.

Sometimes God heals us immediately, and sometimes it's delayed for a period of time. Sometimes it's quicker than others.

I want us to continue to read here in chapter 5, verse 15. He says, The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up. And if anyone has committed sin, they will be forgiven.

So He ties in forgiveness as well, and I don't think we can ever get away from a need of understanding our need for forgiveness. But He continues in verse 16, Therefore confess your sins to one another. Now, I've read that many times, and I've thought, Whoa, I'm not really sure I want to do that. I'm not sure I want to confess my sins to Mr. Keener, or to Dr. Housleton, or to Cindy Krauss. Do I really want to do that?

Well, I look up confess. Confess really gives you a bad connotation here, I think, because we usually think of a Catholic confession. And this is not what this is talking about. Another word that could easily be used, and sometimes it's translated, it says, Therefore acknowledge your sins to one another.

I don't know that it would be beneficial for me to enumerate my sins to any one of you, nor for you to do that for each other or for me. But we certainly want to acknowledge that we sin and that we fail, because we're no different than others. As good as we want to look, as good as we want to try to be, which we should, we still fail. We still need to acknowledge our sins. Verse 16 is really what I'm focusing on here. Acknowledge our sins to one another, and then it says, pray for one another so that you may be healed. It says, as we come to discern the body of the Lord in a more correct manner, we're going to love one another, we're going to serve one another, we're going to acknowledge our sins to one another, we're going to pray for one another, maybe in a more effective way than what we might otherwise do. Now, the fourth thing I wrote down was not a kind of one another thing, but it was clearly what Paul told them. You know, you all are not united. You're divided! You all have different ideas, and you're heading every different direction, and some of you want to follow Paul, and some want to follow Peter, and some of Paul is in some Christ. That's what he says in chapter 1. He says, you're not united, you're divided.

You know, when you read 1 Corinthians 11, you say, how destructive is that? Well, you know, it's terrible as we all have had to experience, unfortunately, 27 years ago and five years ago, and I hope that we would learn that that doesn't solve anything. That doesn't work. It only creates less and less of a closeness to the brethren and closeness to one another. Here in Romans 12, Romans 12, wherever Romans is, it's in here somewhere, Romans 12 says in verse 16, it says, live in harmony.

Live in harmony or be of the same mind with one another. Again, that's another one of the one another statements. You have dozens of them in the New Testament. How weird to be toward one another. It says, live in harmony with one another and do not be haughty but associate with a lowly. Do not claim to be wiser than you are.

So he gives a lot of other instructions here, but I'm only pulling out the ones, you know, that perhaps deal with how we are toward one another and how we discern God's placing us and God placing others within the body as He chooses. Because that's what He's done. That's what He tells us. He says, I've done that for a reason and I'm in charge. I'm the one who can do that and I'm the one who can direct it. He can do that. If we drop down to chapter 15, maybe another page in my Bible anyway. It says in verse 5, may the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another in accordance with Jesus Christ, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. And in verse 7, He says, welcome, accept, receive one another, therefore just as Christ has accepted you, why should I not be accepting toward others? In Ephesians chapter 4, this whole chapter, of course, is about the need for unity in the body and the way the body should be working together and building itself up in love. But in verse 1, He says, I therefore the prisoner of the Lord beg you, in Ephesians 4 verse 1, to lead a life worthy of a calling to which you've been called, with all humility and with gentleness and with patience and bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

See, when Paul told the Corinthians, you're divided and that's a big part of your problem, because God can't heal something that is that messed up. You need to fit together. See, now, I don't know that I should say God can't, because God can't. But even Jesus said, well, I'm not going to do many miracles here in Nazareth because they don't believe. They don't have a right perspective toward God and toward the fact that God sent me to the earth. And so, he says, I'll just go elsewhere and I'll do miracles there, but I'm not going to do them here in Nazareth. See, there was a certain limitation, or at least as he saw it, that was brought about by the lack of unity. And so, you know, we're to love one another and serve one another and pray for one another. We're to be united with one another. And finally, you know, each of us have an obligation to build up one another. Here in 1 Thessalonians 5, 1 Thessalonians 5 It says in verse 9, God, Paul is kind of concluding this letter. It says in verse 9, For God is destined us not for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us. So whether we're awake or whether we have died, whether we're asleep, we may live with Him. And therefore, verse 11, encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing. Clearly, they were doing a little better job than the Corinthians. They were encouraging and building up one another, and He had told them, even if some have died, don't... Verse 18 here, I guess, of chapter 4, Therefore encourage one another with this understanding that the resurrection is going to happen and Christ is going to return, and a resurrected body will be given. But here in verse 11 of chapter 5, He says, encourage one another.

To back up again to 1 Peter chapter 4. 1 Peter chapter 4.

I read down to verse 8, but we'll read verse 9. He says, Be hospitable.

To one another without complaining. Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. Whatever it is, you're the one accountable for those gifts. You're the one that God wants us to use those gifts to build up and encourage the body. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. Serve one another with whatever gifts each of you has received.

That's what we can do in benefit to each other. And then finally here in Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10. You see that as Paul wrote this to the members of the church that had a Jewish background. They were familiar with the law, but they weren't converted until God turned them around like He did the Apostle Paul.

He set him on the right path. He happened to do that in a dramatic way. He may have done that in a dramatic way for you. You know, I have to say that my experience of being converted seems kind of benign, although I do look back and know that God had to intervene. I know in dealing with my wife, in understanding what she went through, nobody would pick to do what she went through to come into the church. You just wouldn't do that, especially as a younger kid, an older teenager.

You just wouldn't do it. It would just be crazy. But God brought her to see the need. And what Paul was telling the Hebrews here, he says, I want you to continue to grow in your love for one another. I want you to continue to persevere in the calling that you have been given. And in verse 23, oh, bring back up to verse 22. Let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. He says, we have been drawn to a closeness to God that comes from Him washing us, cleansing us of our sins, and then being in unison with us as much as we allow that to be.

But then he says in verse 23, let us hold fast of the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds. See, how are we going to serve one another? How are we going to love one another? Well, we can build up each other. We can encourage each other. We can provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together as the manner of some is, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day approaching.

All the more as we see the world falling apart, as we see the need for God's intervention to be greater and greater, you know, people are certainly not trying to get more focused on God. Satan's doing a masterful job of keeping people distracted, of keeping them in confusion, of keeping them in ignorance, and in keeping them in rebellion toward God. That's where you could say this world is. But see, what we're to do is to stimulate one another in love and good deeds. So, I hope that we can think of these things in connection with discerning the body of the Lord, discerning the way that the church is commissioned and has obligation to be toward one another, because that's what we have.

You know, that as a calling, a profession, a vocation as Christians. We are to be as God tells us to be. Of course, during the days of Unleavened Bread, we try to focus on some of these things, but it's not just during that week that we should think about that. We should think about that all year. We should put into practice loving one another and serving and praying for one another and building one another up and being united with one another. See, those are all a part of how it is that as we view one another, perhaps differently, as we see that we are properly discerning the Lord's body by showing love and concern and respect, perhaps we will see God provide even more blessing.

Not only in healing, but in certainly we're going to need some protection. As we go into the future, we're going to need God's miraculous intervention with the things that we see described as going to happen. And so we're going to need that. And so how we discern the body of the Lord is really important. And I think the section of Scripture here in 1 Corinthians that we read every year may take on more meaning, may have more significance, and then there may be more benefits to following what Paul says than ever before.