Hello my friend Dr. Brad Miller here with the Daily Bible Refresh.

This is your daily reading of the Bible from a progressive point of view.

In a bit I will read the New Testament lesson selected from the Revised Common Lectionary for this very day.

The reading is understandable.

I use the message version relatable.

Please listen to the points to ponder and applicable with action steps you can take.

We pray and are done in less than 10 minutes.

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Here's today's reading.

We're reading today From Acts chapter 8, verses 4 through 13 from the Message and Saul went wild, devastating the church, entering house after house after house, dragging men and women off to jail.

Forced to leave home base, the followers of Jesus all became missionaries.

Wherever they were scattered, they preached the message about Jesus going down to a Samaritan city, for Philip proclaimed the message of the Messiah.

When the people heard what he had to say and saw the miracles, the clear signs of God's action, they hung on his every word.

Many who could neither stand nor walk were healed that day.

The evil spirits protested loudly and they were sent on their way.

And what joy in the city.

Previous to Philip's arrival, a certain Simon had practiced magic in this city, posing as a famous man and dazzling all the Samaritans with his wizardry.

He had them all, from little children to old men eating out of his hand.

They all thought he had supernatural powers and they called him the Great Wizard.

He had been around a long time and everyone was more or less in awe of him.

But when Philip came to town, announcing the news of God's kingdom and proclaiming the name of Jesus Christ, they forgot Simon and were baptized, becoming believers right and left.

Even Simon himself believed and was baptized.

From that moment, he was like Philip's shadow, so fascinated with all the God signs and miracles that he wouldn't leave Philip's side.

Well, my woman friend, I just want to thank you for carving out some time to be with me today as we go a little deeper into this passage of Scripture from Acts chapter 8.

And not sure what kind of day you're having right now or what kind of week you're having, but today's reading kind of meets us in the middle of disruption, change, uncertainty.

And honestly, that makes it pretty relevant because we all have disruptions in our life, don't we?

You see, the early church here in this passage was under attack.

Saul is going after him.

He's going house to house, dragging people out to jail.

That does not sound good, does it?

It sounds like a complete disruption.

Unstability, fear, un, unsafe, unfair.

All these things are going on, and yet this is one of those only God could do it moments.

What was meant to silence the movement actually spread it.

So the followers of Jesus scattered, but they became missionaries.

Everywhere they went, they carried the good news with them.

So this merits going a little deeper.

What I like to call the points to ponder.

So our first point to ponder is this.

God can work through what we don't choose.

Let's be clear, let's be sure about this.

Persecution is not a good thing.

Trauma is not holy.

Pain is not a blessing.

And still somehow God doesn't abandon people in the middle of it.

What strikes me here is that the early believers didn't set out to be missionaries.

They were forced to leave home.

They were scattered by the persecution.

And yet their lives themselves became a message.

I think about all the reasons in life that we don't choose to do things.

When I talk about parenting three children to adulthood, each with their own past, has taught me that control is mostly an illusion.

You do your best, you love deeply, and then life happens.

And God seems to be especially good at showing up in the unchosen moments.

Here's the second point to ponder.

Joy is a sign of God's presence, not just correct belief.

Philip goes to Samaria.

This is already crossing a boundary.

And what happens?

Healing, liberation.

And then this line that makes it that we might feel easy to miss in this passage, it says, and what?

Joy in the city.

Close quote.

Progressive faith pays attention to fruit, not just formulas.

Where people are becoming whole, where dignity is being restored, where joy is showing up, that's where God is moving.

I've seen this over and over again in my life as I deal with cancer, impacted people.

Sometimes hope doesn't come through the kind of the rote set answers.

It comes through laughter.

It comes through sharing experiences.

It comes through believing in hope, through humor and through someone saying, thank you for helping me feel not alone.

That sounds like the gospel good news to me.

Here's a third point to ponder.

The gospel is not about replacing one power system with another.

Here's this guy Simon in this story, the magician.

Remember him?

He's a celebrity.

He's the one who had everyone's attention.

And Philip doesn't attack him, he doesn't shame him, he doesn't try to outperform him.

He just points to a different kind of power, one rooted in healing, community and liberation.

And even Simon.

Then the magician is drawn in.

And this matters.

In a world obsessed with influencers and platforms and spiritual celebrities, the Kingdom of God isn't about who dazzles the crowd, is about who helps people stand up again.

That's true in churches, it's true in families, it's true in communities, it's true in society as a whole.

It's something that I have to remind myself of when I'm watching my favorite teams, the cold spacers and fever and kind of yell at the TV like a coach.

Like the coach can hear me or something.

Power doesn't always look like what we can expect, but transformation has a quieter, deeper strength.

Here's an action step for the day.

Simple invitation.

Look for one place today where disruption might be opening space for compassion.

Not a silver lining here, not forced positivity.

Just the question, how might love show up here in the midst of this disruption?

It could be a conversation, it could be a joke, it could be just a moment of lightness, or could be an act of kindness.

Sometimes the gospel spreads not because life is easy, but because people choose love.

Anyway, good stuff.

We're gonna come back and have a closing prayer.

I just want to remind you that we have a great resource for you.

It's called the ABC 1, 2, 3 Bible Study Method.

Head over to our website voiceofgoddaily.com that's where you can pick it up.

Here's our closing prayer.

God of scattered and of the searching.

Meet us in the places where we didn't planned to be.

When life feels disrupted, when routines fall apart, when certainly slips through our fingers.

Help us trust that you are still at work.

Teach us to recognize your presence not just in power, but in joy, healing and shared laughter.

Help us carry good news into ordinary conversations, unexpected places and wounded spaces.

Today, God let us laugh easily, maybe even at a bad dad joke.

Remember that joy too is holy.

Amen.

My friend, I am delighted you chose to join me for today's reading.

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Thanks much.

My name is Dr. Brad Miller and I'll be right here tomorrow with your daily Bible refresh.

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Remember, God's loyal love doesn't run out.

His merciful love hasn't dried up.

It's created new every morning.