Radical Belonging Breaking down Walls of Separation Exploring Ephesians 2:1122 on the Daily Bible Refresh with Dr.

Brad Miller hello my good friend Dr.

Brad Miller here with Daily Bible Refresh, your daily visit to the New Testament from the Revised Common Lectionary.

We choose the exact reading for this very day.

We're in year C of a three year cycle, the Pentecost season.

We make the reading of the Bible the New Testament understandable and that we use the Message version relatable.

We give you some points to ponder and applicable as we give you some action steps to take.

We do all of that in under 10 minutes with a prayer to boot.

It's all brought to you by voiceofgod daily.com that's the home of the ABC the 1, 2, 3 Bible study method.

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Here's our reading for the day from Ephesians 2:1122 from the Message.

But don't take any of this for granted.

It was only yesterday that us siders to God's ways had no idea of any of this.

Didn't know the first thing about the way God works, hadn't the faintest idea of Christ.

You knew nothing of that rich history of God's covenants and promises in Israel.

Hadn't a clue about what God was doing in the world at large.

Now because of Christ dying that death, shedding that blood, you are once out of it altogether, are in on everything.

The Messiah has made things up between us so that we're now together on this.

Both non Jewish outsiders and Jewish insiders.

He treated us as equals and so made us equals.

Through him we both share the same spirit and have equal access to the Father.

That's plain enough, isn't it?

You're no longer wandering exiles.

This kingdom of faith is now your home country.

You're no longer strangers or outsiders.

You belong here with as much right to the name Christian as anyone.

God is building a home.

He's using us all, irrespective of how we got here, in what he is building.

He used the apostles and prophets for this foundation.

Now he's using you, putting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together.

We see it taking shape day after day.

A holy temple built by God, all of us built into it.

A temple of which God is quite at home.

Well, we're talking today in this passage here about breaking out walls of separation here in Ephesians 2.

And this is a text about dismantling barriers and creating authentic community across dividing lines.

So here's some points to ponder.

In an era where religious identity is often weaponized to exclude others, this passage radically redefines belonging.

Paul speaks of a community wrestling with deep cultural and religious divisions.

Much like our contemporary struggles with racism, xenophobia, and religious prejudice, this text suggests that authentic spirituality breaks down these walls rather than reinforcing them.

Let's also talk about going beyond religious bureaucracy.

This passage critiques how religious systems often become clogged with fine print and footage.

Footnotes this speaks to how institutional religion frequently creates complex rules and hierarchies that exclude rather than welcome.

Progressive faith calls us to strip away these bureaucratic barriers that hinder more than help and return to the simple practice of radical love and inclusion.

One more point.

It's about building a beloved community.

The metaphor of a temple built from diverse stones offers a vision of community that celebrates difference.

Rather than demanding uniformity, each person maintains their uniqueness while contributing to the whole.

This challenges both assimilation models that erase differences and separatist models that prevent connection.

Here's your action step.

Identify someone in your community who may have been treated as an outsider due to their identity or their beliefs or background or something else.

Reach out to build an authentic relationship, not to convert or change them, but to learn from their perspective and experience.

Notice what walls need to come down in your thinking and practice.

We're going to come back and have a closing prayer in just a minute.

Just a reminder that we've got a great resource for you.

It's called the ABC 123 Bible Study Method.

It is.

You can pick it up@voiceofgod daily.com it will help you with your at home practices for Bible study.

Let's have our closing prayer.

Oh God, you're the source of all belonging.

When we build walls, you dream of bridges and when we create outsiders you envision family.

When we establish boundaries, you offer belonging.

Help us to recognize the barriers we've built in our hearts, our communities and our world.

Give us courage to examine our prejudices and wisdom to dismantle our defenses.

May we become people who create space rather than draw lines, who build connections rather than construct walls.

Transform our communities from places of exclusion to spaces of embrace where everyone knows they belong.

Guide us in building your temple of love where each stone is precious, each person valued and all are welcome home.

Amen.

Well my good friend, it is great to be with you here on the Daily Bible refresh.

I'm here every day to give you a reading from the New Testament which is relatable and authentic and applicable to your life.

Really would love for you to join me in my quest to get the audible word of God into 2 million years.

That's a million people by 2028.

You can help by subscribing to the podcast and inviting someone else to join us.

We'll be here at Voyager.

So tomorrow, friends, this is Dr.

Brad Miller encouraging you with the knowledge that God's loyal love doesn't run out.

His merciful love hasn't dried up, it's created new every morning.