{"id":1288,"date":"2019-05-31T15:46:52","date_gmt":"2019-05-31T20:46:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/evangelism\/?p=1288"},"modified":"2019-06-10T13:23:19","modified_gmt":"2019-06-10T18:23:19","slug":"gods-justice-valuing-the-ones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/evangelism\/2019\/05\/31\/gods-justice-valuing-the-ones\/","title":{"rendered":"God\u2019s Justice: Valuing the \u201cOnes\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pew Research Center has released a well-known study about the \u201cnones,\u201d an increasing number of Americans who consider themselves unattached, uninterested, or \u201cnothing in particular\u201d as it relates to religion. Many gladly wear this label as they wish to walk devoid of identifying to any creed or accountability. In turn, I would like to talk about the \u201cones\u201d within the scope of justice and how it relates to what is personal and dear to my heart.<\/p>\n

In the spring of 2005, my husband Victor and I were on staff at a large ministry in New York. On Palm Sunday the attendance was larger than normal, and my husband and I sat at the back of the sanctuary to accommodate visiting guests. Midway through worship, I noticed Victor responding to his vibrating cellphone. With a look of alarm, he quickly exited the sanctuary. I did not think much of it as it could have been a number of the usual behind the scenes issues.<\/p>\n

Not even 10 minutes later a co-worker asked me to come outside. I was met by Victor holding my son, Jacob, who was five at the time. With a look of distress, shock, and relief all at the same time, Victor explained that the phone call he received was from one of the outdoor security staff who thought he noticed our son walking down the sidewalk away from the church. Fortunately, by the time Victor reached the security post, a young volunteer stopped Jacob before he could reach the street corner and the busy intersection.<\/p>\n

One can understand the extreme range of emotions that Victor experienced from receiving a phone call that his son was not where he was supposed to be, to discovering that he was in potentially grave danger, then to holding his son in his arms. I could only imagine my Jacob at that time, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2, nonchalantly exiting the crowded nursery, with no awareness or sense of danger, and making his way \u201cdown the block\u201d in Brooklyn, New York.<\/p>\n

In Matthew 18, the disciples naively approached Jesus and asked about their status within the kingdom. He began His discourse with a surprising response–child-like meekness was not only a requisite for entry within the kingdom, but also necessary for greatness. In strong terms, Jesus warned of the dire, eternal repercussions for any who would intend to, or even consider, harming a child.<\/p>\n

It is within this same context that Jesus reveals the character of God the Father through the well-known parable of the shepherd who had a flock of 99 yet felt incomplete as he was concerned about the one sheep that was missing. The sheer joy felt by the shepherd when he found the one wandering shows the depth of the Father\u2019s concern for those who are still not in His fold. In verse 18, He concludes that the Father is \u201cnot willing that any of these little ones should perish.\u201d<\/p>\n

We often think, \u201cWell, yes, this just simply affirms that God experiences the same sentiment for the lost just as a father would for his missing child (as Victor did with Jacob).\u201d There is no denying that the Bible attests that God is love (1 John 4:8). But there is something much more remarkable that is being divulged about the character of God.<\/p>\n

Jesus\u2019 discussion with His disciples clearly pivots toward children. There is, however, a deeper significance as God\u2019s character and His concern about inclusivity is revealed. To be more specific, He cares about those who are frequently ignored and marginalized by society. In the parable, the \u201cone\u201d wandering was unable to find its way back to the fold. Those who are considered by the world as lowly or noncontributors may be the \u201cones\u201d God values most. This is justice as God sees it.<\/p>\n

In Matthew 18, you can also see where individuals with disabilities are clearly identified. With their child-like meekness, their faith is simple; they just believe. Hence, these \u201cones\u201d would be considered great in the kingdom of God. The National Organization of Disability (N.O.D)\/Harris Survey of Americans with Disabilities (2000) reports that 65 percent of individuals with disabilities consider faith to be very important. When Victor and I were walking through the stressful process of assessing Jacob\u2019s needs, the words from Jacob\u2019s developmental pediatrician strongly impacted me. She told us that aside from having our immediate family assisting us, being part of a church community would be the strongest support system we could have.<\/p>\n

It is important that churches provide an environment where the gospel can be experienced by those with special needs. Romans 10:14 attests, \u201cAnd how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?\u201d Simple accommodations such as soft lighting and seating, or peaceful worship music and child proof locks, along with properly trained volunteers, can provide opportunities for spiritual awareness and growth.<\/p>\n

There may be other \u201cones\u201d in our church. Often an entire family\u2019s faith walk is hindered because they feel they cannot find a time or a place for respite to feed their faith because they have a child who has challenging needs. As a mother of a child with a disability, being a part of a church family has allowed me to lean on the support and love of my church during the good days as well as during those times of discouragement.<\/p>\n

In her study, Religion and Disability: The Experiences of Families of Children with Special Needs, Elizabeth O\u2019Hanlon found that religion was an important family-centered practice during a child\u2019s early education. Further examination revealed that religion was a contributor to a higher quality of life within the family unit. What was most striking was that families felt that receiving support from their religious leader was most important for their families\u2019 involvement in the spiritual community.<\/p>\n

Throughout the Bible, we find that justice is centric to the heart of God. His justice can be exemplified by the church when we conscientiously avail ourselves to serving those who are unable to receive the gospel in typical settings. When we value those who are most vulnerable, we are bringing many great \u201cones\u201d into the kingdom-fold.<\/p>\n

For more information\u00a0watch the video for Night to Shine: A Ministry to Special Needs Community<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pew Research Center has released a well-known study about the \u201cnones,\u201d an increasing number of Americans who consider themselves unattached, uninterested, or \u201cnothing in particular\u201d as it relates to religion….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":1289,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[54,332],"tags":[367,326,368],"class_list":{"0":"post-1288","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-evusa","8":"category-justice","9":"tag-godsjustice","10":"tag-justice","11":"tag-valuingtheones","12":"entry"},"title_es":"La justicia de Dios: valorando a los \u201cunos\u201d","content_es":"El Centro de Investigaci\u00f3n Pew ha publicado un estudio bien conocido sobre los "no", un n\u00famero creciente de estadounidenses que se consideran desapegados, desinteresados o "nada en particular" en relaci\u00f3n con la religi\u00f3n. Muchos llevan con gusto esta etiqueta, ya que desean caminar sin identificarse con ning\u00fan credo o responsabilidad. A su vez, me gustar\u00eda hablar sobre los "unos" en el \u00e1mbito de la justicia y c\u00f3mo se relaciona con lo que es personal y querido para mi coraz\u00f3n. En la primavera de 2005, mi esposo Victor y yo form\u00e1bamos parte del personal de un gran ministerio en Nueva York. El domingo de Ramos, la asistencia fue mayor de lo normal, y mi esposo y yo nos sentamos en la parte trasera del santuario para acomodar a los visitantes. A mitad del culto, not\u00e9 que V\u00edctor respond\u00eda a su vibrante tel\u00e9fono celular. Con una mirada de alarma, r\u00e1pidamente sali\u00f3 del santuario. No lo pens\u00e9 mucho, ya que podr\u00eda haber sido una serie de problemas habituales detr\u00e1s de escena. Ni siquiera 10 minutos m\u00e1s tarde, un compa\u00f1ero de trabajo me pidi\u00f3 que saliera. Me encontr\u00e9 con Victor sosteniendo a mi hijo Jacob, que ten\u00eda cinco a\u00f1os en ese momento. Con una mirada de angustia, conmoci\u00f3n y alivio al mismo tiempo, Victor explic\u00f3 que la llamada telef\u00f3nica que recibi\u00f3 fue de uno de los miembros del personal de seguridad al aire libre que pens\u00f3 que not\u00f3 que nuestro hijo caminaba por la acera lejos de la iglesia. Afortunadamente, cuando Victor lleg\u00f3 al puesto de seguridad, un joven voluntario detuvo a Jacob antes de que pudiera llegar a la esquina de la calle y a la concurrida intersecci\u00f3n. Uno puede entender la gama extrema de emociones que Victor experiment\u00f3 al recibir una llamada telef\u00f3nica de que su hijo no estaba donde se supon\u00eda que deb\u00eda estar, al descubrir que estaba en un peligro potencialmente grave y luego a sostener a su hijo en sus brazos. Solo pod\u00eda imaginarme a mi Jacob en ese momento, a quien se le diagnostic\u00f3 autismo a los 2 a\u00f1os, que abandonaba despreocupadamente la guarder\u00eda abarrotada, sin conciencia ni sensaci\u00f3n de peligro, y avanzaba "por la cuadra" en Brooklyn, Nueva York. En Mateo 18, los disc\u00edpulos se acercaron ingenuamente a Jes\u00fas y le preguntaron sobre su estado dentro del reino. Comenz\u00f3 su discurso con una respuesta sorprendente: la mansedumbre infantil no solo era un requisito para entrar en el reino, sino que tambi\u00e9n era necesaria para la grandeza. En t\u00e9rminos fuertes, Jes\u00fas advirti\u00f3 sobre las terribles y eternas repercusiones para cualquiera que pretenda, o incluso considere, da\u00f1ar a un ni\u00f1o. En este mismo contexto, Jes\u00fas revela el car\u00e1cter de Dios Padre a trav\u00e9s de la conocida par\u00e1bola del pastor que ten\u00eda un reba\u00f1o de 99 pero se sent\u00eda incompleto, ya que estaba preocupado por la oveja que faltaba. La pura alegr\u00eda que sinti\u00f3 el pastor cuando encontr\u00f3 al errante muestra la profundidad de la preocupaci\u00f3n del Padre por aquellos que todav\u00eda no est\u00e1n en Su redil. En el vers\u00edculo 18, concluye que el Padre \u201cno est\u00e1 dispuesto a que ninguno de estos peque\u00f1os perezca\u201d. A menudo pensamos: \u201cBueno, s\u00ed, esto simplemente afirma que Dios experimenta el mismo sentimiento por los perdidos como lo har\u00eda un padre. por su hijo desaparecido (como lo hizo V\u00edctor con Jacob). "No se puede negar que la Biblia atestigua que Dios es amor (1 Juan 4: 8). Pero hay algo mucho m\u00e1s notable que se est\u00e1 divulgando sobre el car\u00e1cter de Dios. La discusi\u00f3n de Jes\u00fas con sus disc\u00edpulos gira claramente hacia los ni\u00f1os. Sin embargo, hay un significado m\u00e1s profundo a medida que se revela el car\u00e1cter de Dios y su preocupaci\u00f3n por la inclusi\u00f3n. Para ser m\u00e1s espec\u00edfico, se preocupa por aquellos que frecuentemente son ignorados y marginados por la sociedad. En la par\u00e1bola, el "uno" errante no pudo encontrar su camino de regreso al redil. Aquellos que son considerados por el mundo como humildes o no contribuyentes pueden ser los "unos" que Dios valora m\u00e1s. Esto es justicia como Dios lo ve. En Mateo 18, tambi\u00e9n puede ver d\u00f3nde se identifica claramente a las personas con discapacidades. Con su mansedumbre infantil, su fe es simple; ellos solo creen Por lo tanto, estos "unos" ser\u00edan considerados grandes en el reino de Dios. La Organizaci\u00f3n Nacional de Discapacidades (NOD) \/ Harris Encuesta de Estadounidenses con Discapacidades (2000) informa que el 65 por ciento de las personas con discapacidades consideran que la fe es muy importante. Cuando Victor y yo est\u00e1bamos atravesando el estresante proceso de evaluar las necesidades de Jacob, las palabras del pediatra de desarrollo de Jacob me impactaron fuertemente. Ella nos dijo que aparte de que nuestra familia inmediata nos ayude, ser parte de una comunidad de la iglesia ser\u00eda el sistema de apoyo m\u00e1s s\u00f3lido que podr\u00edamos tener. Es importante que las iglesias proporcionen un entorno donde el evangelio pueda ser experimentado por personas con necesidades especiales. Romanos 10:14 atestigua: \u201c\u00bfY c\u00f3mo pueden creer en una de las personas que no han escuchado?\u201d Las acomodaciones simples como iluminaci\u00f3n suave y asientos, o m\u00fasica de adoraci\u00f3n pac\u00edfica y candados a prueba de ni\u00f1os, junto con voluntarios debidamente capacitados, pueden brindar oportunidades por la conciencia espiritual y el crecimiento. Puede haber otros "unos" en nuestra iglesia. A menudo, la caminata de fe de toda la familia se ve obstaculizada porque sienten que no pueden encontrar un momento o un lugar de descanso para alimentar su fe porque tienen un hijo que tiene necesidades dif\u00edciles. Como madre de un ni\u00f1o con una discapacidad, ser parte de una familia de la iglesia me ha permitido apoyarme en el apoyo y el amor de mi iglesia durante los d\u00edas buenos y en esos momentos de desaliento. \"\"<\/a> En su estudio, Religi\u00f3n y discapacidad: las experiencias de familias de ni\u00f1os con necesidades especiales, Elizabeth O'Hanlon descubri\u00f3 que la religi\u00f3n era una pr\u00e1ctica importante centrada en la familia durante la educaci\u00f3n temprana de un ni\u00f1o. Un examen posterior revel\u00f3 que la religi\u00f3n contribu\u00eda a una mejor calidad de vida dentro de la unidad familiar. Lo m\u00e1s sorprendente fue que las familias sintieron que recibir el apoyo de su l\u00edder religioso era lo m\u00e1s importante para la participaci\u00f3n de sus familias en la comunidad espiritual. A lo largo de la Biblia, encontramos que la justicia est\u00e1 centrada en el coraz\u00f3n de Dios. Su justicia puede ser ejemplificada por la iglesia cuando nos valemos conscientemente de servir a aquellos que no pueden recibir el evangelio en entornos t\u00edpicos. Cuando valoramos a aquellos que son m\u00e1s vulnerables, estamos trayendo muchos "grandes" al reino. Por: Maria Velez","author_name":"Maria Velez","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/evangelism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/05\/clark-tibbs-367075-unsplash-e1559335142755.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbhxDC-kM","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/evangelism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1288","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/evangelism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/evangelism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/evangelism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/evangelism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1288"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/evangelism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1288\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/evangelism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1289"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/evangelism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1288"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/evangelism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1288"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/evangelism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1288"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}