Episode 784
Unlocking Love: Making Faith Accessible for Everyone | Ep 784
This podcast emphasizes the importance of making faith accessible and meaningful to everyone, highlighting the radical inclusivity that Paul advocates in his message to the Corinthians. Dr. Brad Miller explores how speaking in understandable language is not merely about words, but about ensuring that all individuals feel included and welcomed within faith communities. He encourages listeners to reflect on their own practices and traditions that may unintentionally exclude others, urging a shift from individual spiritual experiences to collective transformation. The discussion also touches on the need to prioritize the purpose of religious practices over mere performance, asking whether these practices genuinely serve the community. Finally, listeners are invited to identify ways to enhance accessibility in their faith communities, fostering environments where everyone can experience belonging and understanding.
The "Daily Bible Refresh" is presented each day by Rev. Dr. Brad Miller who has a goal of speaking a bit of the bible into two million ears (one million people) in three years (2025-2028).
He is the author of "The A, B, C-1,2,3 Bible Study Guide" Free to you by clicking HERE.
Brad served as a local church pastor for forty years and has a background in radio and podcasting. Moreover, he is a life-long student of The Bible.
He believes in the words of Jesus that “scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21)
The "Daily Bible Refresh" is available seven days a week by 6:00 am ET. The episodes are no longer than ten minutes long and are...
- Understandable: A reading from the New Testament (usually the Gospel) selected from the Revised Common Lectionary using "The Message" translation.
- Relatable: You will have a couple of "points to ponder" from the text which will relate to your life
- Applicable: Every episode includes a way you can take action based on the reading
- A recommended resource to help you go deeper in biblical study and spiritual direction.
- A prayer for your day.
A companion resource to the Voice of God Daily Podcast is the “ABC Bible Study Guide” available by clicking HERE.
The "Daily Bible Refresh" is available every day at VoiceofGodDaily.com on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all major podcast directories.
You can help Dr. Brad attain his goal of getting a bit of the bible into two million ears by subscribing to "Daily Bible Refresh" on Apple Podcasts, leaving a five-star rating, and writing a review. More importantly please share with your network of family and friends about the "Daily Bible Refresh".
Please make listening to the "Daily Bible Refresh" a part of your daily life.
Remember… “All scripture is God-breathed and useful”(2 Timothy 3:16)
The Daily Bible Refresh podcast with Dr. Brad Miller invites listeners to engage with Scripture in a meaningful way, focusing on the reading from 1 Corinthians 14:1-12. Dr. Miller emphasizes the necessity of love as the driving force behind spiritual expression and the importance of making faith accessible to all. He discusses how the act of speaking in tongues and private prayer may create a disconnect within the community if not understood by everyone. This insight leads to a deeper exploration of how faith can be inclusive rather than exclusive, challenging listeners to reflect on their practices and the language they use within their communities.
Dr. Miller highlights three critical themes: inclusivity, community versus individual experience, and purpose over performance. He articulates that Paul's message underscores the need for clarity in communication, suggesting that true spirituality is best expressed in ways that everyone can comprehend and appreciate. This perspective invites listeners to consider how their personal faith journeys contribute to the broader mission of building a supportive community. By prioritizing collective growth, believers can move beyond individualistic approaches to spirituality and foster environments where everyone feels welcome.
In concluding the episode, Dr. Miller provides practical steps for listeners to implement change within their own faith communities. He encourages them to recognize and address any unintentional exclusions, suggesting tangible actions such as adopting more inclusive language and creating welcoming spaces. The podcast serves not only as a reflection on Scripture but also as a call to action for believers to embody God's love in their communities. Dr. Miller's message resonates with the idea that spirituality is not solely about personal enlightenment but about creating spaces where every individual can experience belonging and connection. Through prayer and reflection, listeners are empowered to actively participate in the transformative purpose of their faith.
Takeaways:
- Emphasizing love in our faith means making it accessible and understandable for everyone.
- Community building takes precedence over individual spiritual experiences, according to Paul's teachings.
- Religious practices should focus on purpose rather than mere performance or tradition.
- Inclusivity in language and practice is essential to avoid unintentionally excluding others.
- Transformative faith journeys involve collective understanding rather than just personal enlightenment.
- Examine your faith community for barriers that might prevent others from feeling welcomed.
Links referenced in this episode:
Transcript
Hello good people.
Dr. Brad Miller:Welcome to Daily Bible Refresh.
Dr. Brad Miller:My name is Dr.
Dr. Brad Miller:Brad Miller, here to offer you a fresh take on the daily reading of the Bible.
Dr. Brad Miller:We use the Revised Common Lectionary.
Dr. Brad Miller:We're in Year C, the Epiphany season, and we like to read the Bible by taking an approach where it is understandable, relatable and applicable.
Dr. Brad Miller:We make it understandable by reading from the New Testament only.
Dr. Brad Miller:We read from the message translation of the Bible and we make it relatable by offering you a couple of points to ponder, to think about and applicable.
Dr. Brad Miller:We give you an application point.
Dr. Brad Miller:It's all brought to you by our website Voice of God Daily, and we do so usually in under 10 minutes or so.
Dr. Brad Miller:Here is your New Testament Scripture reading for today from 1st Corinthians, 14th chapter verses 1 through 12 reading for the Message Prayer Language Go after a life of love as if your life depended on it, because it does.
Dr. Brad Miller:Give yourselves to the gifts God gives you.
Dr. Brad Miller:Most of all, try to proclaim his truth.
Dr. Brad Miller:If you praise him in the private language of tongues, God understands you, but no one else does, for you are sharing intimacies just between you and Him.
Dr. Brad Miller:But when you proclaim his truth in everyday speech, you're letting others in on the truth so they can grow and be strong and experience his presence with you.
Dr. Brad Miller:The one who prays using a private prayer language certainly gets a lot out of it, but proclaiming God's truth to the church in its common language brings the whole church into growth and strength.
Dr. Brad Miller:I want all of you to develop intimate intimacies with God in prayer.
Dr. Brad Miller:But please don't stop with that.
Dr. Brad Miller:Go on and proclaim his clear truth to others.
Dr. Brad Miller:It's more important that everyone have access to the knowledge and love of God in language everyone understands than that you go off and cultivate God's presence in a mysterious prayer language.
Dr. Brad Miller:Unless, of course, there is someone who can interpret what you are saying for the benefit of all.
Dr. Brad Miller:Think friends, if I come to you and all I do is pray privately to God in a way that only he can understand, what are you going to get out of that?
Dr. Brad Miller:If I don't address you plainly with some insight or truth or proclamation or teaching, what help am I to you?
Dr. Brad Miller:If musical instruments flutes say our harps aren't played so that each note is distinct and in tune, how would anyone be able to catch the melody and enjoy the music?
Dr. Brad Miller:If the trumpet call can be distinguished, will anyone show up for the battle?
Dr. Brad Miller:So if you speak in a way no one can understand, what's the point of opening your mouth.
Dr. Brad Miller:There are many languages in the world and they all mean something to someone.
Dr. Brad Miller:But if I don't understand the language, it's not going to do me much good.
Dr. Brad Miller:It's no different with you.
Dr. Brad Miller:Since you're so eager to participate in what God is doing, why don't you concentrate on doing what helps everyone and the church?
Dr. Brad Miller:This passage is really about love and action that by making the faith accessible and meaningful to everybody.
Dr. Brad Miller:And we will explore this message from Paul about making our faith accessible and meaningful.
Dr. Brad Miller:Here's a couple of points to ponder.
Dr. Brad Miller:There is the radical inclusivity point here.
Dr. Brad Miller:That is, it matters that everyone is included.
Dr. Brad Miller:Paul's message about speaking in understandable language isn't just about words.
Dr. Brad Miller:It's about accessibility.
Dr. Brad Miller:In our modern context, this challenges us to examine how we might unintentionally exclude others through religious practices, vocabulary, or traditions.
Dr. Brad Miller:True love means making our faith communities welcoming and comp.
Dr. Brad Miller:And comprehensible.
Dr. Brad Miller:A second point is that community is about community over individual experience.
Dr. Brad Miller:While personal spiritual experiences are valuable, Paul emphasizes that building up the community takes precedence.
Dr. Brad Miller:This is a progressive understanding that challenges the modern tendency towards individualistic spirituality.
Dr. Brad Miller:And our faith journey isn't just about personal enlightenment.
Dr. Brad Miller:It's about creating collective transformation.
Dr. Brad Miller:One more point.
Dr. Brad Miller:It's about the purpose over performance.
Dr. Brad Miller:Paul uses the metaphor of musical instruments playing distinct notes to emphasize clarity of purpose.
Dr. Brad Miller:In our contemporary context, this invites us to examine whether our religious practices serve to actually help others or just to maintain tradition.
Dr. Brad Miller:Are you more concerned with the performance of religion or its transformative purpose?
Dr. Brad Miller:Here's your action step for the day.
Dr. Brad Miller:Identify one way your faith community might be unintentionally excluding others.
Dr. Brad Miller:This could be through language or practice or traditions.
Dr. Brad Miller:And take some action, some initiative to suggest or implement some concrete change that makes your community more accessible.
Dr. Brad Miller:Maybe it's through inclusive language or guidelines or more translations or materials that are more accessible or establishing a welcoming community.
Dr. Brad Miller:Or maybe even a committee that helps newcomers understand the practices of your community.
Dr. Brad Miller:We'll have a closing prayer just a minute, but I just wanted to let you know that we've created a resource to help you do your own personal Bible study.
Dr. Brad Miller:It's called the ABC123 Bible Study Bible Study Guide.
Dr. Brad Miller:And indeed it just it makes really a Bible study as easy as ABC.
Dr. Brad Miller:1, 2, 3.
Dr. Brad Miller:You can find out all about it at our show Notes, which are@voiceofgod daily.com it's also where you can find the complete back catalog of the Daily Bible refresh over 700 episodes.
Dr. Brad Miller:We usually come to you every morning before 6am Eastern time.
Dr. Brad Miller:Let's pray.
Dr. Brad Miller:Loving God we confess that sometimes we get caught up in our own spiritual comfort zones, forgetting that your love speaks all languages and crosses all barriers.
Dr. Brad Miller:Help us to communicate your radical love in ways that everyone can understand.
Dr. Brad Miller:Give us courage to examine our practices and wisdom to make changes that welcome all.
Dr. Brad Miller:Remind us that true spirituality isn't about personal enlightenment alone, but about building communities of care and understanding.
Dr. Brad Miller:Guide us in making our faith spaces, places where everyone can find belonging and meaning.
Dr. Brad Miller:In the spirit of inclusive love, we pray.
Dr. Brad Miller:Amen.
Dr. Brad Miller:It's been great to be with you.
Dr. Brad Miller:My name is Dr.
Dr. Brad Miller:Brad Miller, and this indeed is the Daily Bible Refresh.
Dr. Brad Miller:We're all about helping you to make helping the scriptures to become relatable and understandable and applicable in your life.
Dr. Brad Miller:We'll see you again tomorrow morning.
Dr. Brad Miller:Until then, remember that God's loyal love doesn't run out.
Dr. Brad Miller:His merciful love hasn't dried up, it's created new every morning.
