Episode Overview

Podcast: Jesus the Healer w/ Nancy Dufresne
Episode: 131 | Discerning Your Part, Part 6
Date: January 2, 2023
Main Theme:
Nancy Dufresne explores the vital importance of every believer discerning and filling their unique place within the Body of Christ. Building on 1 Corinthians 11, she teaches how recognizing our role is not only central to spiritual maturity and unity but also directly tied to health, healing, and longevity in the Christian life. With practical scripture exposition and personal anecdotes, Nancy urges her listeners to value and function in their God-given position as a supply to the Body, emphasizing unity over personal preference or visibility.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Presence of Healing Power (00:10–00:42)

• Nancy opens by affirming: there is enough healing power available anywhere for anyone who believes, stating,

  “There’s enough power in every sick room and in every hospital room to raise up that sick one... Power is present. That power is there to do a work, believe in what’s not. Try to get something, but notice that he’s already made it yours.” (00:10)

• She prompts listeners to actively receive God's power and healing, anchoring the episode in faith and expectancy.

The Necessity of Doing the Word (00:42–02:51)

• Nancy emphasizes that blessing comes not just from hearing God's Word but doing it:

  “It’s the doer that’s blessed. Thank God, that we get to hear the Word, because that’s where it begins. But it doesn’t end there. The hearing has to progress to the doing.” (01:08)

• She encourages listeners to engage, take notes, and be expectant, believing God will make things personally clear.

Communion, Covenant, and Healing (02:52–08:20)

• Nancy teaches from 1 Corinthians 11:23–30, highlighting:
  • Communion is not just a ritual but a powerful reminder of healing and redemption.
  • Jesus’ body was broken so that “ours could be whole.” (03:46)
  • The New Covenant is activated by the blood of Jesus—it grants believers access to all God has provided, including healing.

“Healing, health and long life belongs to us in Christ. It belongs to us, but we have to cooperate with those flows... There is no healing in the worry flow. Healing is not in the fear flow. Miracles are not in the doubt flow.” (02:27)

Discernment—What It Means to "Discern the Lord's Body" (08:21–13:20)

• Twofold meaning of discerning the Lord’s body:
  1. Recognizing Jesus’s Redemptive Work
     • Failing to discern means failing to acknowledge Jesus already bore our sickness, sin, and lack. When we don’t discern this, we tolerate things He paid for us to be free from.

     • “If we don’t discern the Lord’s body, we’re failing to discern that Jesus already paid the price.... We’ll permit sickness and disease, we’ll permit symptoms when we shouldn’t because He paid the total price.” (10:23)

  2. Recognizing the Body of Christ (the Church) and Our Place
     • Not discerning the body also means neglecting our part in the larger community of believers.

     • “If we don’t discern our part in the body of Christ—this is why many are weak, many are sickly, and many are dying premature because they’re not recognizing the part that they play in the body of Christ.” (12:10)

     • Jesus personally taught Paul this truth as a primary reason for weakness and premature death among believers.

The Danger of Indifference Toward the Body (13:21–18:30)

• Nancy references the Norlie translation, which says people are weak and sickly because of “indifference toward the body of Christ.”

  “It’s dangerous to be indifferent about what is important to God. The body of Christ, it cost heaven everything. It cost the Father His only Son to have a family.” (14:24)

• She exhorts believers not to treat their membership in God’s family lightly.

God Assigns Each Person Their Place (18:31–22:00)

• Using 1 Corinthians 12:18, she teaches:
  • Every believer is “set” by God in a specific place within the Body.
  • This placement is pleasing to God and must be honored.

  • “He sets us in a place because we’re to fulfill and perform a function in that place. We’re not just to occupy. We are to be functional in that place. That means we’re bringing a supply to the body of Christ. That means we’re receiving a supply from the body.” (19:52)

  • Visible or not, every part is vital.

    “It’s not just the visible parts... It’s every member of the body has a part to bring. Whether it’s more or less visible is not the issue. Every part should be working, regardless of how visible it is.” (21:12)

Sowing and Reaping in the Body of Christ (22:01–23:15)

• Spiritual law: What you sow to the Body, you reap in your own life.
  • If you’re indifferent or a hindrance to Christ’s Body, you can’t reap God’s best in yours.

  • “What we sow to the body, we reap in our body. If we sow difficulty to the body of Christ, what do you think our life is going to reap?... It’s the law of sowing and reaping.” (22:33)

Every Place Is a Calling (23:16–24:55)

• Referencing 1 Corinthians 7:17 (Norlie translation):

  “Each one should fill the place that God has assigned to him and to which the Lord has called him. That means this. Where God assigns you, you’re called. Every single person in the body of Christ, every single Christian... is called.” (23:33)

• Illustrates how the head cannot move without the body; Jesus (the Head) is limited when believers (the Body) do not fulfill their roles.

No One Part Is the Star: Pursuing Unity (24:56–26:08)

• The Body works best in unity—not competition or attention-seeking.

  “No one part can be the star, right? Even so, in the body of Christ, no one’s the star. We’re not trying to be the star and trying to be spotlighted. We are wanting to just fulfill our function.” (25:18)

• Spiritual maturity values unity and the health of the whole Body rather than personal recognition.

• Personal anecdote: Nancy’s husband, a preacher for 50 years, served despite personal preference for being behind the scenes, to fulfill his assigned place in Christ’s body.

Formative Lessons on Responsibility (26:09–26:54)

• Childhood story: Nancy’s mother insisted she play the organ for church even when sick, teaching her to think of the Body’s needs over her own discomfort.

• “She wasn’t thinking of me, she was thinking of the body, that local church body. She realized I had a responsibility.” (26:41)

The Renewed Mind = The Unity-Minded Believer (26:55–27:22)

• Spiritual growth means shifting our mindset to always consider what benefits the Body, not just ourselves.

• “That’s a mature approach. It’s not just about me, mine and ours, it’s about the whole. And God set me in a place. And God set you in a place, and. And he not only set us there, we’re called there. Amen.” (27:06)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On power for healing:

  “Power is present. That power is there to do a work… I receive that power. I receive it right now.” —Nancy Dufresne (00:10)

• On spiritual responsibility:

  “Healing, health and long life belongs to us in Christ. It belongs to us, but we have to cooperate with those flows... There is no healing in the worry flow.” (02:27)

• On indifference:

  “It’s dangerous to be indifferent about what is important to God. The body of Christ, it cost heaven everything.” (14:24)

• On fulfilling your calling:

  “Each one should fill the place that God has assigned to him and to which the Lord has called him.” (23:33)

• On unity over visibility:

  “No one’s the star. We’re not trying to be the star and trying to be spotlighted. We are wanting to just fulfill our function.” (25:18)

• On sacrificing preference for purpose:

  “It’s not about what you prefer. It’s about what are we to bring to the body.” (25:46)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Healing Power Is Present & Must Be Received – 00:10–00:42
• Moving from Hearing to Doing the Word – 00:42–02:51
• Communion’s Link to Healing (1 Corinthians 11) – 02:52–08:20
• Discerning the Lord’s Body: Twofold Meaning – 08:21–13:20
• Indifference as a Spiritual Danger – 13:21–18:30
• God Assigns Every Believer’s Place – 18:31–22:00
• Sowing and Reaping Appeals to Unity in the Body – 22:01–23:15
• Recognizing Every Place as a Divine Calling – 23:16–24:55
• No Competition, Just Unity in the Body – 24:56–26:08
• Personal Lessons in Responsibility – 26:09–26:54
• Renewed Mindset: From Self-Interest to Body-Interest – 26:55–27:22

Conclusion

Nancy Dufresne’s teaching in “Discerning Your Part, Part 6” calls believers to deeply appreciate and fulfill their God-given place in the Body of Christ. Discerning the Lord’s body means recognizing both Jesus’s redemptive work for our healing and the importance of actively fulfilling our function among fellow believers. Indifference leads to spiritual and even physical consequences, but honoring our place brings strength, unity, and blessing to the whole Body. Nancy challenges listeners to move beyond self-interest and pursue spiritual maturity by valuing unity and being faithful in their calling—because, as she reminds us, “Jesus is the Healer.”