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DISABILITY
struggles . If he chooses to heal , then it is his decision . ‘“ For my thoughts are not your thoughts , neither are your ways my ways ” declares the Lord ’ [ Isaiah 55:8 ]. We remind people of God ’ s love for them and journey with them through the uncertainty .
What difference does having a disability make when reading the Bible and preaching from scripture ?
The problem I struggle with when doing any writing , speaking , or leading on disability is that as an evangelical , I want scripture to be my foundation , rather than experience . So , I find myself growing more and more in confidence in that the God I read about in the Bible , the Jesus I read about in the New Testament and the Spirit at work in mine and others ’ lives , all demonstrate that there is a huge amount to celebrate , when I view God ’ s perspective on people with disabilities .
I hear people preach on various passages within scripture and – being more on the charismatic end of the spectrum – I often hear the message of healings and the ‘ power ’ of the Spirit . I am aware that I read scripture with a certain amount of bias ( whether consciously or unconsciously ), but I hear these sermons preached in such a way that the bias feels huge . We read of Jesus healing the man lowered through the roof in Luke 5 and it seems that we focus so much on the healing that we miss that Jesus has the power to forgive sin . The healing is so much more dramatic , and we want to see people healed – if it is God ’ s purpose . Not because it would be a great story , or boost our congregations , or even because we feel disempowered when we see the pain and struggles in other people ’ s lives . But do they want to be healed and , more importantly , does the Lord want them to be healed ? I would want to ask , ‘ What does healing look like ?’ For some it is the removing of the pain and discomfort , for others it is learning to live with it , and for others they receive the ultimate in healing – they go to be with the Lord in heaven where ‘ He will wipe every tear from their eyes . There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain , for the old order of things has passed away .’ [ Revelation 21:4 ]
In closing , what would I want you to take away from this article ?
Firstly , never assume . We don ’ t know what any person with a disability wants or needs . If we are unsure then ask , and then most importantly listen to the answer . This applies in so many aspects of ministry within the church . If someone comes forward for prayer and they are limping ; don ’ t assume that they want prayer for the limp ! When someone comes to the church and they make it known they have a disability , then ask ‘ what can I do to help you ?’ If they are deaf or hard of hearing , then they may wish to be seated near the front so they can lip read , or you can say if there is a loop system that covers the whole of the church building .
Remember that every person has a part to play in God ’ s church and , yes , we want to encourage and seek to use every member of the body . However , our greatest gift is to ‘ be ’. We are human ‘ beings ’ and by simply being , each person is part of the body . On top of that , don ’ t be limited by our expectations of how God may wish to use a person .
At the risk of sounding politically correct !, it is important that we never forget that we are talking about people . This is why I have written people with disabilities , or disabled people . The second phrase is more of a personal political statement : I refer to myself as a ‘ dis-abled ’
ACCESS TO GOD IS THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST , NOT OUR ABILITIES , INTELLECT , OR ANYTHING ELSE WE MAY BOAST ABOUT .
person because of the way society treats me and I am part of the 14.1 million disabled people in the UK . As a wheelchair user , I would have less of a disability if all buildings were accessible , for example .
The church has good news for people with disabilities . In Romans 5:1-2 , Paul writes , ‘ Therefore , since we have been justified through faith , we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ , through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand . And we boast in the hope of the glory of God ’ ( my italics ). Access to God is through faith in Jesus Christ , not our abilities , intellect , or anything else we may boast about . ‘ Also , in Galatians 3:28 ( my italics ), Paul states ‘ There is neither Jew nor Gentile , neither slave nor free , nor is there male and female , nor disabled or non-disabled for you are all one in Christ Jesus .’
Finally , be gracious to yourself . We all make mistakes , and we are all learning to move forward in the way we enable people with disabilities to fulfil their God-given ministry in his church . Be open to learn and see what scripture has to offer people with disabilities and what people with disabilities have to offer the church .
John Naudé
Rev John Naudé is currently Associate Vicar at The Point Church in Burgess Hill and has been ordained an Anglican Priest since 1997 . John is an adviser on disability issues for the New Wine Disability Adviser , the Anglican Church and the World Council of Churches . Prior to ordination he was a disability trainer and continues to lead training and write on various disability issues .
John @ naudeuk . com