Towards An Inclusive Church

Prabhu and Nancy Rayan
30-07-2016

Is God disabled that He cannot save persons with disabilities? 

God loves you. Even people with disabilities and all are added to His body, the church of God.

Every believer to have double listening - one to listen to the voice of God through His ancient Word, and listen to men and women around us.

The cry of the lerson with disability: "Is there any hope for me?"

To be disabled means to fight some one else's reality. 

Disability is not a choice but attitude is.

A disability or ability is God given.

Matthew Henry: There is a beautiful, healthful soul within a deformed crazy body.

15% of the world's population are disabled. Combined, they form the third largest nation after China and India. They are the world's largest minority. 20% of the world's poorest have some form of disability. 

Helen Keller: My problem is not my disability but the attitude of people towards my disability. 

The only disability is a bad attitude. 

The community as a whole needs to be habilitated.
Rights, not charity.
Inclusion, participation - what is the church doing? 

John 9
Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

9 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

Sin and disability seem to be connected.

Christian worldview:
-Charity without involvement
-Strategy without the right attitude
-Project
-Healing without the proper mindset

Philippians 2:5
5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

We need the mindset of Christ

If we give charity, it will only take him to the grave.
A Christ-like mindset brings him to the Kingdom of God. Can help build accessibility into people's hearts thereby empowering persons who are disabled.

Exodus 4:11
11 The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord?

God empowered Moses to perform signs and wonders despite his disability.

Deuteronomy 27:18
19 “Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow.”

Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

Grace advanced:

Leviticus 21:16-23
16 The Lord said to Moses,17 “Say to Aaron: ‘For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defect may come near to offer the food of his God. 18 No man who has any defect may come near: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed;19 no man with a crippled foot or hand, 20 or who is a hunchback or a dwarf, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles. 21 No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any defect is to come near to present the food offerings to the Lord. He has a defect; he must not come near to offer the food of his God. 22 He may eat the most holy food of his God, as well as the holy food; 23 yet because of his defect, he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar, and so desecrate my sanctuary. I am the Lord, who makes them holy.’”

Declaration of the righteous man:

Job 29:15
I was eyes to the blind
    and feet to the lame.

The church should be a role model to the whole world.

Proverbs 31:8
8 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
    for the rights of all who are destitute.

Jeremiah 31:6-9
There will be a day when watchmen cry out
    on the hills of Ephraim,
‘Come, let us go up to Zion,
    to the Lord our God.’”

7 This is what the Lord says:

“Sing with joy for Jacob;
    shout for the foremostof the nations.
Make your praises heard, and say,
    ‘Lord, save your people,
    the remnant of Israel.’
8 See, I will bring them from the land of the north
    and gather them from the ends of the earth.
Among them will be the blind and the lame,
    expectant mothers and women in labor;
    a great throng will return.
9 They will come with weeping;
    they will pray as I bring them back.
I will lead them beside streams of water
    on a level path where they will not stumble,
because I am Israel’s father,
    and Ephraim is my firstborn son.

Isaiah 35:4-5
say to those with fearful hearts,
    “Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
    he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
    he will come to saveyou.”

5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
    and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

Jesus and disability:
-Personal touch 

Mark 8:23
23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”

-Personal interest

Mark 10:46-50
Blind Bartimaeus Receives His Sight

46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging.47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David,have mercy on me!”

48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

-Personal involvement

Matthew 21:12-14
Jesus at the Temple

12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.13 “It is written,” he said to them,“‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”

14 The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.

The church of God is the rightful place for the disabled.

-Personal advise

Luke 14:12-13
12 Then Jesus said to his host,“When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,

Matthew 25:40
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

-Personal command

Luke 14:15-23
The Parable of the Great Banquet

15 When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”

16 Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’

18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’

19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’

20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’

21 “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’

22 “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’

23 “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.

-Mission mandate

Luke 14:23

Inclusion
"Church, mission and ministry must be seen within the context of the disabled person."
Rev. Dr. Theodore Williams


Church Inclusive of People with Disabilities
(Part 2)
Prabhu and Nancy Rayan
30-07-2016

1) Christ's Commission
Mark 16:25
Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all.

2) Enormity of the people group
1,050million people with disabilities in the world.
About 15% of the world's population.
The church needs to be inclusive because the church is a place of refuge of all. The church has the answer for the contemporary issues.

3) Church is their rightful place instead of a centre or school.

Isaiah 56:7
these I will bring to my holy mountain
    and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices
    will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called
    a house of prayer for all nations.”

Disabilities cannot be an excuse. Inner healing is needed.

Job 29:15
I was eyes to the blind
    and feet to the lame.

The need of the hour is inner cleansing of attitudes and prejudices.

Remove all barriers from preventing people with disabilities from full participation.

No distinction between disabled and non-disabled's freedom to participate.

Attract disabled to attend the local church. Be friendly to them.

Sustain them in regular attendance.

Disability is not a programme. There is no one size that fits all. The basic thing is attitude and thinking.

Raise up carers and form focus groups. It is easy to do social work but who will lead them to Christ?

Strategies for inclusion of people with disabilities:

1) Example of a Good King

2 Samuel 9
Mephibosheth represents the helplessness and the loneliness of people with disabilities in the world. But to King David all the disadvantages of being lame appeared insignificant compared with the fact that Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan, his friend. David looked at him as the son of Jonathan and not as a lame man.

In Jesus, we are complete. 

Colossians 2:10
10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.

2) Example of the Good Samaritan

Luke 15:3-7
3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

3) Example of the Good Servant

Luke 14:15-27
The Parable of the Great Banquet

15 When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”

16 Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’

18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’

19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’

20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’

21 “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’

22 “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’

23 “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”

The Cost of Being a Disciple

25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

The ultimate purpose is to have the House of God to be full.

How to communicate with people with disabilities?
Determine the condition - physical or mental disabilities.

Recognise that he is a person.
A person with disability is a normal person.

Visual disabilities:
1) Introduce - tap his shoulder gently
2) Use braille
3) Orientate church service, communion

Hearing disabilities:
1) Advocate total communication - sign language, lip reading, body movement

Helen Keller:
"Blindness separates people from things but deafness separates people from people."

-Printed page
-Small notebook handy
-Use sign language interpreter

Hearing and Visual disabilities:
1) Comunicate with sign language with fingers

Physical disabilities:
1) Do not stare at their disability
2) Do not pretend to ignore
3) Be genuine
4) Show concern
5) No harm in enquiring about their disability

Eye contact is important.

Mental disabilities:
1) Chronological age
2) Mental age
3) Use picture stories
4) There are many differences between mental illness and mental disability.

Don't do baby talk. Treat them as normal people. 

Who is disabled?
If you do not see the person but only the disability, then who is blind?

If you can't hear a brother's cry for justice, then who is deaf?

If you do not stand up for the person with disabilities, then who is crippled?

If you do not communicate with people with disabilities, then who is dumb?