Episode 919
Beyond Ego: Authentic Spiritual Leadership and Its Implications
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 discourse presented in this episode elucidates the profound dimensions of spiritual evolution, particularly as articulated in the Gospel of John 16:12-15. Within this scriptural context, the speaker delves into the notion of progressive revelation, emphasizing the critical assertion made by Jesus regarding the limitations of human comprehension concerning divine truths. This perspective inherently challenges the rigidity of religious fundamentalism and the constraints of a literalist interpretation of sacred texts. As elucidated, there exists an acknowledgement that spiritual understanding is not static; rather, it evolves concomitantly with the growth of communities and their increasing capacity for insight. This ongoing journey towards enlightenment validates a progressive Christian ethos, positing that our apprehension of divine truth is continuously expanding through the lenses of history, scientific discovery, and an evolving collective consciousness.
Furthermore, the dialogue transitions into the concept of collective discernment, highlighting the communal aspect of spiritual understanding. The Spirit of Truth, as described in the passage, operates not solely through individual interpretation but through the wisdom derived from community dialogue. The speaker emphasizes that the collective 'us' underscores the necessity for diverse perspectives in grasping divine truths, particularly in addressing contemporary ethical dilemmas that scripture may not explicitly resolve. In this light, the episode advocates for an inclusive approach to spiritual inquiry, one that embraces voices historically marginalized in religious discourse, thereby enriching the collective understanding of spiritual matters.
In addition to these profound reflections, the episode offers a tangible action step, encouraging listeners to engage in evolutionary listening. This involves fostering or participating in discussion groups that confront modern ethical issues such as climate justice, gender equity, and systemic inequality. By doing so, individuals are prompted to explore how traditional religious interpretations have adapted to these pressing concerns, thereby facilitating a deeper dialogue that honors both historical and contemporary perspectives. The speaker concludes with a call to embrace the adventure of evolving wisdom, reinforcing the imperative to remain open to new revelations that challenge entrenched beliefs and promote a more equitable understanding of spirituality.
Takeaways:
- In this episode, we explore the concept of progressive revelation, which suggests that spiritual understanding is not static but evolves over time.
- Jesus indicates that there are truths that followers may not yet be prepared to comprehend, challenging the notion of absolute religious certainty.
- The community plays a crucial role in discerning divine truth, emphasizing the importance of collective wisdom over individual interpretation.
- The Spirit of truth guides us towards deeper understanding, highlighting the significance of humility in spiritual leadership.
- We are encouraged to engage in evolutionary listening, particularly regarding contemporary ethical issues that challenge traditional interpretations.
- The podcast advocates for exploring diverse perspectives, especially from voices historically marginalized in religious discussions.
Links referenced in this episode:
Transcript
Brad Miller hello good people.
Speaker A:Welcome to Daily Bible Refresh with Dr.
Speaker A:Brad Miller.
Speaker A:This is our daily adventure you into the New Testament of the Bible.
Speaker A:We use the message version to make the reading understandable.
Speaker A:We make it relatable by giving you some points to ponder and applicable by giving you an action step to take.
Speaker A:We use the Revised Common Lectionary Use the selected verse of Scripture for this very day.
Speaker A:We're in your seat the Pentecost Season.
Speaker A:It's all brought to you by voiceofgoddaily.com that's the home of the ABC 1, 2, 3 Bible study method.
Speaker A: e day from the Gospel of John: Speaker A:But when the Friend comes, the Spirit of the truth, he will take you by the hand and guide you into all the truth there is.
Speaker A:He won't draw attention to himself, but he will make sense out of what is about to happen and indeed out of all that I have done and said.
Speaker A:He will honor me.
Speaker A:He will take from me and deliver it to you.
Speaker A:Everything the Father has is also mine.
Speaker A:That is why I've said He takes from me and delivers to you.
Speaker A:A wonderful reading from the Gospel of John.
Speaker A:And in today's reflection we're exploring Jesus's words about and ongoing a continual revelation in really the dynamic nature of spiritual truth.
Speaker A:Here's some points to ponder.
Speaker A:The first has to do with progressive revelation.
Speaker A:Jesus explicitly states that there are truths that followers can't handle now.
Speaker A:This fundamentally challenges religious fundamentalism and biblical literalism.
Speaker A:It suggests that spiritual understanding evolves as communities grow in awareness and capability.
Speaker A:And this validates the progressive Christian understanding that our grasp of divine truth continues to grow to expand throughout history, science and through a growing consciousness.
Speaker A:A second point to ponder is about what we might call collective discernment, wisdom from the group.
Speaker A:The Spirit of truth works through community discernment, not just individual interpretation.
Speaker A:When Jesus speaks of the Spirit taking us by the hand, the us is plural.
Speaker A:This suggests that understanding divine truth requires diverse perspectives and collective understanding and wisdom.
Speaker A:It's particularly relevant as we grapple with modern ethical challenges not directly addressed by Scripture.
Speaker A:A third point is about truth beyond ego.
Speaker A:The Spirit won't draw attention to himself, but focuses on revealing truth.
Speaker A:This challenges personality, cults and celebrity Christianity.
Speaker A:It suggests that authentic spiritual leadership points beyond itself to deeper truth and justice.
Speaker A:When religious leaders centered on themselves rather than on divine truth and human liberation, they've missed the Spirit's model.
Speaker A:Here's your action step.
Speaker A:Practice evolutionary listening.
Speaker A:That is Join or create a discussion group focused on contemporary ethical issues.
Speaker A:This might mean like climate justice or gender issues, or economic inequality or racism, any number of issues that are in our world and explore how traditional religious understanding of these issues has evolved and why.
Speaker A:Listen especially for voices that have historically been excluded from religious conversation and document how you understand this.
Speaker A:Write it down or do some way to record it so you can expand the dialogue moving forward of a closing prayer in just a minute, but I always want to let you know that we have a resource for you that will be helpful to you.
Speaker A:I really want you to go over to our website, voiceofgodaily.com and pick up our resource we have for you the ABC 1, 2, 3 Bible study method.
Speaker A:It will make your home Bible study very, very clear and process oriented.
Speaker A:Let's pray.
Speaker A:Oh Spirit of Truth, we thank you for the gift of growing understanding.
Speaker A:When we are tempted to claim to have all the answers, remind us of Jesus words about truth that we're still learning to handle.
Speaker A:Give us courage to let go of comfortable certainties and embrace the adventure of evolving wisdom.
Speaker A:Help us listen for your voice in unexpected places and people and guide us as we face questions our ancestors never imagined.
Speaker A:May we trust that you're still leading us into deeper truth, especially when the truth challenges our prejudices and privileges.
Speaker A:In the name of the One who promised ongoing revelation, we pray.
Speaker A:Amen.
Speaker A:It's always a joy to have you with me here on Daily Bible Refresh.
Speaker A:I I want you to just lift up again that I have a goal to get the audible word of God into two millionaires.
Speaker A: That's a million people by: Speaker A:And you are my partner in this by subscribing to the podcast on the website voiceofgoddaily.com or on Apple or on Spotify, and then to share it with others and bring it here.
Speaker A:Bring it with me here tomorrow when we come back together for another episode of the Daily Bible Refresh.
Speaker A:Until then, My name is Dr.
Speaker A:Brad Miller.
Speaker A:Remember that God's loyal love doesn't run out.
Speaker A:His merciful love hasn't dried up.
Speaker A:It's created new every morning.
