Podcast Summary: Jesus the Healer w/ Nancy Dufresne

Episode 132: Discerning Your Part, Part 7
Air Date: January 3, 2023
Host: Nancy Dufresne, Dufresne Ministries

Episode Overview

In this installment of her teaching series, Nancy Dufresne continues her in-depth exploration of "Discerning Your Part" in the body of Christ, focusing on the crucial connection between our awareness of our role within Christ's body and our experience of healing, health, and longevity. Building on 1 Corinthians 11, she expounds on how both physical and spiritual discernment of Christ’s body impact Christian life and well-being. The episode weaves together biblical teaching, personal experience, and practical exhortation, urging believers to recognize and fulfill their God-given assignments within the church.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Power for Healing Is Always Present

• [00:10] Nancy begins by affirming that God's healing power is available in every place, emphasizing the need to "receive" rather than strive for what is already given in Christ.
  • Quote: “There’s enough power in every sick room and in every hospital room to raise up that sick one… That 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. It’s present right where you’re at.” (Nancy, 00:10)

Mixing Faith with the Word

• [00:42] Listeners are urged to actively mix faith with the Word, not merely to listen. Citing Hebrews, Nancy underscores that the Word is only profitable when it is believed and acted upon.

Discerning the Lord’s Body (1 Corinthians 11)

The Cause of Weakness, Sickness, and Premature Death

• [03:10] Nancy meticulously unpacks Paul's teaching on communion, drawing attention to 1 Corinthians 11:27-30:

  • Christians become weak, sickly, or die prematurely for a specific reason: "not discerning the Lord’s body."
  • She outlines the progression Paul alludes to: weakness → sickliness → premature death.

• Quote: “Very rarely do you see the Word single out so clearly the cause of why people are sick… When we see it spelled out this clearly, we need to pay attention.” (Nancy, 05:00)

Two-Fold Application of Discerning the Lord's Body

1. Discerning Jesus’ Physical Body

   • Understanding that Jesus bore stripes for our healing, and thus, believers must resist accepting sickness and symptoms in their bodies.
   • Quote: “When sickness or symptoms try to come, say, ‘No, you don’t. Jesus bore mine. You’re not putting that on me.’ And that’s one that’s discerning the Lord’s body.” (Nancy, 08:15)

2. Discerning Jesus’ Spiritual Body (the Church)

   • Recognizing that every Christian is a member of Christ’s body and has a vital role to play.

   • To neglect or undervalue one’s place in the church is to endanger oneself, leading to weakness or illness.

   • Quote: “We’re not authorized to cripple His body by us not—by our part not working.” (Nancy, 11:10)

Your Assignment in the Body of Christ

• [13:00] God intentionally sets each believer in the body as it pleases Him (1 Corinthians 12:18) and expects faithfulness in one’s assignment.

  • An analogy is drawn to the physical body: If a part isn’t functioning, the whole is affected.

• [14:45] Walking in love means fulfilling your responsibility, not shifting it to someone else. Nancy emphasizes the necessity of local church connection for fulfilling one's call.

  • Quote: “Every sheep should have a shepherd… You say, ‘Well, Jesus is my shepherd.’ He’s the great shepherd, but He has under shepherds.” (Nancy, 16:30)

Indifference and Its Dangers

• [17:55] Nancy highlights from the Norlie translation: “Because of this indifference, many of you are feeble, sickly, and some have died.”
  • Indifference to one’s part in the church is spiritually dangerous, both for oneself and the church.

Testimony: Faithfulness Despite Inconvenience

• [19:20] Nancy shares a powerful story of a military man in her church who, despite working all night, drove an hour to prepare materials for the children’s ministry before returning for military duty in San Diego.
  • Quote: “That’s my post, Pastor… I’m not authorized to not be at my post, not be at my assignment.” (Nancy relaying, 20:30)
  • She connects his faithfulness to being later awarded Sailor of the Year by Congress, illustrating the reward of serving faithfully in both spiritual and natural contexts.

Spiritual Law: Reaping What We Sow

• [22:00] The principle that “what we sow, we reap” applies directly to how we treat the body of Christ.
  • If we treat His body right, our own lives and bodies reap blessing.

Walking in Love and Guarding Against Sin

• [25:00] Quoting Kenneth Hagin: “One step outside of love is a step into sin.” Failing to do one’s part or acting indifferently toward the church can open the door to the enemy.

Importance of the Local Church

• [26:15] Citing 1 Corinthians 7:17 (Norlie): "Each one should fill the place that God has assigned to him and to which the Lord has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches."
  • Functioning in your God-given role happens most fully through involvement in the local church.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Healing Power Is Present

  • “There’s enough power in every sick room and in every hospital room to raise up that sick one… It’s present right where you’re at.” (Nancy, 00:10)

• The Cause of Sickness

  • “For this cause many are weak, sickly, and many sleep or die prematurely… Because they are not discerning the Lord’s body.” (Nancy summarizing Paul, 05:00)

• On Responsibility in the Church

  • “We’re not authorized to cripple His body by us … not working. When part of your body isn’t working, it cripples the rest of the body, doesn’t it?” (Nancy, 11:10)

• Testimony of Faithfulness

  • “That’s my post, Pastor… I’m not authorized to not be at my post, not be at my assignment.” (Unnamed military church member, relayed by Nancy, 20:30)

• On the Local Church

  • “Each one should fill the place that God has assigned to him and to which the Lord has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches.” (Nancy reading 1 Corinthians 7:17, 26:15)

Important Timestamps

• 00:10: God’s healing power is always present—receive it by faith
• 03:10-05:00: Introduction to "not discerning the Lord’s body" as the cause of weakness, sickness, and premature death
• 08:15: First application—discerning Jesus’ physical body for healing
• 11:10-14:45: Second application—discerning your place in the spiritual body of Christ and the importance of fulfilling your role
• 17:55: Danger of indifference toward the body of Christ
• 19:20-22:00: Testimony: The faithfulness of a military church member and spiritual rewards
• 22:00: Reaping what you sow in relation to the body of Christ
• 25:00: Walking in love and guarding against the enemy
• 26:15: The necessity of being committed and functioning within a local church

Conclusion & Call to Action

Nancy closes by encouraging listeners to receive the Word with gratitude and to make any necessary adjustments as they gain new understanding. She prays specifically for those needing healing, commanding sickness to leave and declaring the flow of healing power.

Quote: “We receive of that healing power in Jesus' name. Hallelujah… And until next time, remember this: Jesus is the healer.” (Nancy, 27:10)

Summary Takeaway:
Being aware of and faithful in your God-appointed place in the body of Christ is not just a matter of service—it has direct implications for your personal health, well-being, and spiritual authority. Participation in the local church and walking in love are essential for both individual believers and the health of the entire body of Christ.