Wednesday, April 22, 2009

God Loves you, God made you, God has a plan for your life

Christ wants not nibblers of the possible, but grabbers of the impossible." -- C.T. Studd
At the heart of what we do in the many ministries of Camp Daniel,  is our belief that people with mental disabilities are created for a purpose by a loving God, who is good all the time. It is the basis for all our ministry and we believe it is essential to teach these truths for the mentally disabled community to even to begin to  grasp the God they need to accept, love, and believe in. Historically, people with disabilities have been shunned by the church and the world. Bad Church theologies have existed right from the Day of Jesus when we are told the story of the man born blind in John 9. Prevailing theology seemed to be this man had sinned or his parents because he was blind. Jesus dispelled this immediately expressing that God made this man and his blindness in order for Gods work to get done. This man whom was saved that day experienced Gods power, and was used to witness to the Pharisees. 
So here is my synopsis of that story:  A man who has a disability meets Jesus, Jesus is doing Gods work, so Gods power is displayed, man is saved, man immediately becomes a missionary going to the Pharisees and witnessing to them. Man is Jesus' inspiration to say that we must be doing God's work, or be missionaries, while we can.
That is powerful, that is exciting, that is our ministry. Raising up ministers and missionaries amongst the culture of mental disability in order that people would get saved. This is a seemingly overwhelming idea, some say impossible, where do we start?
People with mental disabilities have been put in place to believe that God has made a mistake in  creating them, or because of sin, they are created faulty. How do we teach  those who have this experience,  that the God who screwed up,  or  the God that allowed them to have their “condition”  really loves them as  much as someone who is seemingly more “like” God in most theologies? We teach that everyone is purposely made, that we are all made in God’s image, and like Moses, who  questioned God’s plan, that we must accept God’s assurance that He is in control and has a plan for us.  Some deaf, some blind, some talking, some not, but all are parts of the body that God uses to for His  purpose.
So our first step is to create situations where the truth is being peached. Letting people with mental disabilities know God loves them, by the church loving them. The next phase is to bring people to the feet of their creator so they can be saved and accept that God made them just as they are. Thirdly we must instruct people that they are disciples and that Gods purpose is for all people, to share the gospel and see others saved.
The body is not full unless all the parts are present, I ask that if you read this you would commit with me to making sure the body is full, because as long as the devil keeps us divided we will not experience God's power as He has intended in the church.
   

2 comments:

  1. At the altar Sunday, I saw people from all strata of society coming to meet Jesus. It was a great reminder to me of what the Kingdom of God really looks like. And also that no matter what our background, we come on equal footing to the cross. "For all have sinned" and the cross welcomes "whosoever will" -- so must the church. We are called to go to the "highways and byways' of life and compel them to come. God help us to see the "field" as well as the "church" for what it really is. A wonderful post, Tony. Love ya.

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