Episode 792
Enhancing Community Through Accessible Faith | 792
The salient point of today's discourse centers on the imperative of making faith accessible and authentic, as articulated in Paul's epistle to the Corinthians. We delve into the profound implications of First Corinthians 14:13-25, where the Apostle Paul advocates for a harmonious balance between spiritual expression and communal understanding. Through this examination, we reflect on the necessity of transcending esoteric language that may alienate newcomers and instead fostering an environment where all can engage meaningfully with the divine. We emphasize the importance of integrating both heart and mind in spiritual practice, recognizing that true spirituality is not predicated on individual performance but on cultivating a cohesive and inclusive community. As we engage with these themes, we invite listeners to consider their own spiritual language and practices, encouraging a conscious effort to articulate faith in terms that resonate with all individuals.
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)
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- 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.
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The discourse surrounding First Corinthians 14:13-25 serves as a profound exploration of the dynamics of spiritual language and community within the Christian faith. The speaker articulates a critical perspective on the practice of speaking in tongues, emphasizing the necessity for such expressions to be comprehensible to all members of the congregation. The emphasis lies on creating an inclusive atmosphere where spiritual experiences are shared and understood, rather than veiled in mystery. This reflection prompts a deeper consideration of how our faith practices may inadvertently exclude those who are unfamiliar with our traditions and language, thus challenging the faithful to examine their communicative approaches during communal worship.
Delving deeper, the speaker presents an insightful critique of the tendency to prioritize individual spiritual experience over collective understanding. The call to balance heart and mind in spiritual expression is underscored, advocating for a faith that engages both emotional depth and intellectual clarity. This integrative approach not only enriches personal spiritual journeys but also enhances communal worship by ensuring that all participants can engage with the message being conveyed. The speaker invokes the importance of recognizing the diverse backgrounds and understandings of congregants, positing that effective communication is paramount to fostering genuine community.
In summation, the speaker challenges the audience to embrace a transformative practice of auditing their spiritual expressions, ensuring that their language and actions are inclusive and accessible. This call to action is not merely a suggestion for personal refinement but a communal imperative aimed at cultivating a faith environment characterized by mutual understanding and shared experience. By fostering a spirit of inclusivity, believers can work towards a more authentic and connected spiritual community that honors both individual expressions of faith and the collective journey of the congregation.
Takeaways:
- The podcast emphasizes the importance of making faith accessible to all individuals, regardless of their background or understanding.
- A balance between emotional expression and intellectual engagement is crucial in spiritual practices and discussions.
- Community building should take precedence over individual performance in religious contexts, fostering inclusivity and mutual understanding.
- The episode encourages listeners to audit their spiritual language, ensuring it is comprehensible and welcoming to newcomers.
- Spiritual growth necessitates both heartfelt expression and critical thinking, avoiding the pitfalls of either extreme.
- Listeners are invited to engage in conversations outside their faith traditions to enhance understanding and connection.
Links referenced in this episode:
Transcript
Hello good people.
Speaker A:Welcome to Daily Bible Refresh with Dr.
Speaker A:Brad Miller.
Speaker A:That's me.
Speaker A:A pleasure and a privilege to have you with me as we explore the Scriptures.
Speaker A:Every single day we read a passage of the Bible.
Speaker A:We are here from the website called voiceofgoddaily.com where you can find our ABC 123 Simple Bible Study Guide.
Speaker A:We read daily from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C.
Speaker A:We're in the Epiphany season.
Speaker A:We like to make the reading of the Bible both understandable by reading the New Testament Lesson Only selector for this day from the Message version of the Bible Relatable.
Speaker A:We offer you a couple of points to ponder, to think about and applicable.
Speaker A:We give you an action step.
Speaker A:Then we pray we get you on your way in less than 10 minutes or so.
Speaker A:So we're reading today from First Corinthians 14 verses 13 through 25.
Speaker A:Reading from the Message when you pray in your private prayer language, don't hoard the experience for yourself.
Speaker A:Pray for the insight and ability to bring others into that intimacy.
Speaker A:If I pray in tongues, my spirit prays, but my mind lies fallow and all that intelligence is wasted.
Speaker A:So what's the solution?
Speaker A:The answer is simple enough.
Speaker A:Do both.
Speaker A:I should be spiritually free and expressive as I pray, but I should also be thoughtful and mindful as I pray.
Speaker A:I should sing with my spirit and sing with my mind.
Speaker A:If you give a blessing using your private prayer language, which no one else can understand, how can some outsider who's been showing up and has no idea what's going on, when to say no, when to say Amen.
Speaker A:Your blessing might be beautiful, but you have a very effectively cut that person out of it.
Speaker A:I'm grateful to God for the gift of praying in tongues that he gives us for praising him, which leads to wonderful intimacies we enjoy with Him.
Speaker A:And I enter into this this as much and more than you.
Speaker A:When I'm in a church assembled for worship, I'd rather say five words that everyone can understand and learn and learn from, rather than to say 10,000 that sound to others like gibberish.
Speaker A:To be perfectly frank, I'm getting exasperated with your childish thinking.
Speaker A:How long before you grow up and use your head?
Speaker A:Your adult head?
Speaker A:It's all right to have a childlike unfamiliarity with evil.
Speaker A:A simple no is all that is needed there.
Speaker A:But there's far more to saying yes to something.
Speaker A:Only mature and well exercised intelligence can save you from falling into gullible, into gullibility.
Speaker A:It's written in Scripture that God said in strange tongues and from the mouths of strangers.
Speaker A:I will preach to this people, but they'll neither listen nor believe.
Speaker A:So where does it get you, all this speaking in tongues that no one understands?
Speaker A:It doesn't help believers, and it only gives unbelievers something to gawk at.
Speaker A:Plain truth speaking, on the other hand, goes straight to the heart of believers and doesn't get in the way of unbelievers.
Speaker A:If you come together as a congregation and some unbelieving outsiders walk in on you as you're praying in tongues unintelligible to each other and to them, won't they assume you've taken leave of your senses and get out of there as fast as they can?
Speaker A:But if some unbelieving outsiders walk in on a service where people are speaking out God's truth in plain words, this will bring them up against the truth and probe their hearts.
Speaker A:So before you know it, they're going to be on their faces before God, recognizing that God is among you.
Speaker A:A powerful passage of Scripture.
Speaker A: ion here on First Corinthians: Speaker A:And here we have Paul's thoughts about spiritual expression and inclusive community through a progressive lens that speaks to our in our contemporary context.
Speaker A:Here's three points to ponder.
Speaker A:Radical Access Accessibility Paul's central message here isn't about policing spiritual expression, but about making faith accessible to all.
Speaker A:In our modern context, this challenges to examine our religious practices, languages, and traditions.
Speaker A:Are we using insider jargon that excludes newcomers?
Speaker A:Are our worship spaces truly accessible to everyone physically, intellectually, and emotionally?
Speaker A:Progressive Christianity calls us to break down barriers that keep people from experiencing community and divine connection.
Speaker A:A second point is about the balance of heart and mind.
Speaker A:Paul ed advocates a both and approach that is both being spiritually free and expressive while also being thoughtful and mindful.
Speaker A:This speaks to the false dichotomy often created between emotion and intellect in religious circles.
Speaker A:Progressive faith embraces both critical thinking and authentic spiritual experience.
Speaker A:Recognizing that we don't have to choose between head and heart, it is the integration that helps us to avoid both cold intellectualism and ungrounded emotionalism.
Speaker A:One more point it's community over performance.
Speaker A:When Paul critiques speaking in tongues without interpretation, he's really addressing a deeper issue, the tendency to prioritize individual spiritual performance over community building.
Speaker A:In our current context, this might look like examining how our worship practices, social media presence, or our public prayers serve either to build up the community or to center individual spiritual display.
Speaker A:True Spirituality through a progressive lens always moves towards inclusion and mutual understanding.
Speaker A:Here's your action step.
Speaker A:Audit your spiritual language and practices.
Speaker A:That is, Notice when you use religious terminology that might be unclear to others.
Speaker A:Challenge yourself to explain your faith or beliefs through accessible, everyday language without religious jargon.
Speaker A:Have a conversation with someone outside your faith tradition and practice listening more than explaining.
Speaker A:Use your ears.
Speaker A:Pay attention to what resonates with them and what creates barriers to understanding.
Speaker A:We're going to pray here in just a moment.
Speaker A:I did want to remind you that we have a resource that's going to help you get a better, clearer understanding of the Bible in a simple way.
Speaker A:It's called the ABC123 Bible Study Guide and indeed makes your Bible study your individual Bible study as simple as ABC 1, 2, 3.
Speaker A:You can find it at our Show Notes, which is@voiceofgoddaily.com that's also where you'll find a back catalog of almost 800 episodes of the Daily Bible Refresh as well as the transcripts of those episodes.
Speaker A:It's all going to be helpful to you.
Speaker A:Let's pray.
Speaker A:Oh God, you are the source of understanding.
Speaker A:We confess that sometimes we hide behind complex language and INS practices, perhaps because we're uncomfortable with simplicity or afraid of being truly known.
Speaker A:Help us to find the courage to be authentic in our faith expression while remaining accessible to others.
Speaker A:Give us wisdom to know when to speak and when to listen, when to express and when to explain.
Speaker A:Guide us in creating spaces where everyone feels welcome and understood.
Speaker A:Remind us that true spirituality isn't about performance, but about a genuine connection with you and with each other.
Speaker A:Maybe you grow in both emotional depth and intellectual understanding, always raging towards greater inclusion and understanding in a spirit of community and of clarity.
Speaker A:Amen.
Speaker A:It's a joy being with you here on Daily Bible Refresh.
Speaker A:My name is Dr.
Speaker A:Brad Miller, here with you every day.
Speaker A:Every day as we continue to navigate our way through Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.
Speaker A:We usually drop our episodes before 6am Eastern Time.
Speaker A:Please join us.
Speaker A:Invite a friend to join us as well.
Speaker A:Until tomorrow then, my friends.
Speaker A:Remember that God's loyal love doesn't run out.
Speaker A:His merciful love hasn't dried up, it's created new.
Speaker A:Every morning.
