God Answered my Prayers

Shortly after receiving a diagnoses of Autism Spectrum Disorder, God opened my eyes to see the great need for churches to embrace and invite individuals with disabilities into the life of the church.  It was at this point that I began to pray that God would provide not only people with disabilities to come and be a part of the church that I pastor, but also that God would send someone that could help oversee such a program.  

Scripture is very clear that God has a huge heart for the outcast, marginalized, and ignored of society.  Luke 14, Jesus’ parable of the great banquet, is the foundational passage of scripture for The Banquet Network.  Verse 13 says, “But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind.”

Theologian E.M. Bounds states, “The Word of God is the fulcrum upon which the lever of prayer is placed, and by which things are mightily moved.”  The dictionary defines fulcrum as something that works with a lever to generate a superior force on an object.  For me, Luke 14:13 was the fulcrum that God used to move me to pray for someone to help invite the poor crippled, lame and blind and share the hope that is in Jesus Christ. 

Within two weeks God mightily answered my prayers. God brought an incredible family, who happened to be in the process of finding a new church home, through the doors of my church.  Not only did they have years of disability ministry experience, but they were also affected by disabilities in their own family.  So began Gunpowder Baptist Church’s exciting journey into disability ministry.

Luke 14 is a call for every church to go and invite the poor, crippled, lame, and blind into relationship with Jesus and the full body life of the church.  Will you allow the words of Scripture to be the fulcrum that moves you to pray for your church’s start of a disability ministry, or even greater involvement in your established ministry?  Will you take the challenge and pray?

By: Pastor Jim McCaffrey