Heath Lambert: All of us live our lives in the midst of people who have disabilities. These are our family members, they are our friends, we go to work with these people, they go to our schools, they are in our churches. And we want to talk on the podcast this week about how to show love and care, in a gospel-centered way to people who are struggling with these unique challenges. Our guest on the podcast this week is Ethan Holstein. Ethan Holstein is the teacher at the Adult Development Academy at the Down Syndrome of Louisville. He is a graduate of biblical counseling, he’s one of my students, and I have a lot of respect for this man who has a heart both for caring for people who are struggling with problems. And also, in particular, caring for people with disabilities. Ethan, we’re glad you’re with us this week, and I wonder if you can help us think through why Christians should be concerned about helping people who struggle with disabilities.
Ethan Holstein: Yeah, that’s a good question. People should be concerned about doing ministry with people with disabilities because, just in short, they need Jesus. We see in Genesis 1 that all people are made in God’s image. And we see that in Psalm 139, all people are made fearfully and wonderfully. But we need to keep going further, and in Genesis 3, we see that all people are sinful, and no one does good, and all are under God’s condemnation. So, we need to be doing disability ministry because people are made in God’s image, and they’re sinful, and they need Jesus. In Jesus’ earthly ministry in the New Testament, we see that he cares for the blind and the lame, and he healed people that were paralyzed in Mark 1-12, and he healed them of their sins and of their physical ailments. So yeah. Jesus does it. And people are sinful, and the Bible has things and the gospel can apply to these people.
Heath Lambert: Well, I think that is absolutely true, and it’s a powerful reality that we need to think through. But here is a question that I know I have and then I think others would have; when we’re talking about people who struggle with disabilities, we’re talking about not just physical handicaps, but there can also be limitations in their cognitive ability. How can Christians think about doing ministry of the word where we’re trying to speak? Of course, we want to engage in physical care, and we’re going to talk about that in a little bit. But if we really want people to come to know Jesus, as you’re saying, people with disabilities need Jesus, then how can we communicate the gospel to people who might have difficulty in their cognitive ability to understand the message of the Gospel?
Ethan Holstein: One thing we need to keep in mind is that we are finite, and our knowledge, our understanding of what people can even understand, is finite. I just think of children. How many times have parents been surprised by their children’s abilities as they grow? I mean, parents have come to the kitchen; I’m sure, to see a little Susie can reach a cookie and or she you can reach this cabinet, and we didn’t think she could, but now she can. So, we need to be very open, I think, and very aware that there could be a lot more going on in this person who has a disability and their head or in their mind that we are aware of. And we need to know that they’ve got limitations, but at the same time, be aware that they can, they might be understanding things that we don’t know that they can understand, and so that takes faith. So I think we need to be giving the gospel to them in faith. Not being so concerned about their limitations but being concerned about how the Holy Spirit is his own interpreter and he has to illumine the mind to understand the gospel period with anybody, and the same applies to people with disabilities. That their minds need to be opened to what Jesus has done, has to be done through the power of the Holy Spirit. And so, we need to be giving the gospel, having faith in Jesus, I think, in a way that they can understand. Not being so concerned about what they can’t understand, but just trying our best to know to use what we know of them and give the gospel to them. Whether that’s through children’s stories or through any other creative means that we can use to communicate the gospel, just at a regular level, let them be in the church service, let them hear the preaching of the word, read the word to them at home, and let’s sing songs about Jesus. And let the Holy Spirit do his own work of interpretation to their soul and illumine his truth to their minds.
Heath Lambert: So, would you say that this question that we’re talking about really only makes sense in a certain kind of thinking where we’re saying, hey, I’m focusing too much on what this person may or may not be able to understand which I don’t know. And what I really need to do is trust the Lord, who has to powerfully work in anyone’s heart to believe whether they have a mental impairment or not.
Ethan Holstein: Exactly. So the emphasis is not on what can they understand. It’s more on what will I do to communicate the gospel to them.
Heath Lambert: And then trust the Lord to awaken faith? So, as committed Christians, we absolutely know that the kind of help that matters for eternity is the kind of help that leads to faith in Jesus Christ. But we also know that as embodied beings who live life in a world, a fallen world, as you’ve pointed out, that people need all kinds of care, all kinds of ministry. So, if we want to be the kind of folks who are drawing near to people with disabilities and giving them all the help that Christians want to give, what are some things that we can do and be aware of as we do ministry, both in the midst of people who have disabilities but also in the midst of their families, how can we help?
Ethan Holstein: Yeah, I think a lot of the ministry to people with disabilities is through the families. And something that we need to remember is that when these families come into the church or just in general when you interact with them, is that these are families that are broken. And from the time usually that the people with disabilities are born into their families, there’s suffering there is sorrow going on all the time. And not only, there’s lots of joys but these families are often just affected by sorrow and sadness frequently, and often times they’ve been burned by the church by someone who said, you know, oh yeah, we want you to be here, but why don’t you go watch your kid in the back room by yourself. And they can do that better at home, so why come to church, which is so sad. And then furthermore, these families often have brokenness within marriage within the parents. It’s very common to hear of single parents and just broken marriages. So having that understanding when you’re coming to talk with these families and just seeking to humbly serve them. Just asking how can I help your family? How can I help you get more involved with the church or whatever they may need? It speaks volumes if someone were to come up to them and say that they’re wanted in a church and that they want to be served.
So I think is a good starting point. As time continues and as you get to know the family, then you’ll get to have more opportunities to be able to speak truth into their life and be able to encourage them more specifically and push them to Jesus as your relationship grows. And then I think secondly on the part of the church, and those families that are affected by disability have faith. It requires a lot of faith. I think for a pastor to go up to a family and say hey, we’re glad you’re here; we want you here. We don’t know how to minister to you, but we trust that God does and that his word is sufficient, and that the Holy Spirit will help us as we serve you. And so, we want you here, and we’re going to pursue the Lord and see how we can serve you. And that takes faith, but also takes faith for families to be able to go to church. It is a Biblical thing; we need to follow God’s command in being in the church. And so, for the family that’s been burnt and is broken and tired, we need to encourage them to exercise faith and trust the Lord with all of their heart to attend church, and that is a promised means of grace from the Lord to help their family.
