WHY ARE MANY SICK IN THE CHURCH TODAY? (PART 1)
TEXT:
"For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep." (1st Corinthians 11 verses 29 to 30, King James Version)
Heaven must be surprised at the magnitude of ignorance that's on display today in the Church of the Only Begotten Son of God. Surely, God's people are not only destroyed for the lack of knowledge, they go into captivity as a result thereof (Hosea 4 verse 6; Isaiah 5 verse 13). The Lord Jesus has said emphatically that it's the knowledge of the Truth that sets us free (John 8 verse 32).
God, I believe, will hold the Church of the latter day responsible for not upholding the Gospel of His Son before the world in the fullness of its power. We experience so much weakness and lack of power today that the present Church is the very antithesis of the early Apostolic Church. The devil would rather have the Church weak than be strong in faith, because it serves his purpose perfectly well. The unfortunate incident at the Church of Corinth shows that the devil has not just begun his devious, foxy and guileful plans against the Church, to the end that she does not rise to the level of our Heavenly Father's expectations.
In our Scripture reading for today, we are confronted with an unfortunate and heartbreaking situation that took place in the Church of Corinth. Apostle Paul wrote that many in that Church were weak and sickly even unto death. The reason why this was so, according to the Apostle, was their "not discerning the Lord's body."
Even till date, the situation hasn't changed; there are many sick people today in our Churches. There are many painful and untimely deaths also in our Churches today. But why is it so? Why are so many Christians in the Church sick or weak and dying, suffering from the very diseases and sicknesses that the Lord Jesus Christ, our Substitute, has already borne for us? (Matthew 8 verses 16 to 17). The reason remains the same as Apostle Paul had proffered:
"not discerning the Lord's body."
The crucial question here is, what is meant by "not discerning the Lord's body."?
Today, we see a Church that has lost the spiritual meaning and significance of the broken Body of the Lord Jesus Christ as it relates to our health. As someone has rightly observed, sickness is due to the failure of being taught about the body of Christ as we have been taught about the blood of Christ. Could this be because as a Church, we have become very much "sin conscious", giving much attention to the shed Blood of the Lord, thereby becoming unmindful of the significance of the Lord's body, particularly as it relates to our health?
Deliverance and the healing of our mortal bodies are very significant especially in confirming the truth of the Gospel (Acts 2 verse 4). For instance, when God forgives sin, there's no way to ascertain it physically other than to believe and appropriate it by faith. But with deliverance and healing, it's not so. When deliverance or healing takes place, it's made manifest for all to see (Acts 4 verse 14; Mark 5 verse 15; and Matthew 9 verses 1 to 8). This makes healing or deliverance a major evangelistic tool for the propagation of Christ’s Gospel. For the Church of Christ to be full of the sick and the infirm is to misrepresent the truth of the Gospel. This doesn't represent the truth we preach. Truth is, the devil has no right to put on us what the Father has laid on Jesus, His Son for us. What the Lord Jesus, our Substitute has borne for us, we shouldn't bear.
The Church needs to begin to learn to discern the Lord's body in order to put an end to the current disheartening spate of sicknesses and infirmities that we find in our midst.
PRAYER:
Lord, give me to know and understand the truth that sets men free.