Living authentically in truth and community.

A study of the Epistle 1 John 2:18 28 on the Daily Bible refresh with Dr.

Brad Miller.

Hello good people.

Welcome to Daily Bible Refresh with Dr.

Brad Miller.

Thank you for joining me in this quest that I have to put the audible word of God into 2 million years.

That's a million people by 2028.

We do that by a daily reading of the Scripture, the New Testament.

We use it understandably from the Message version.

We use the Revised Common Lectionary.

That's the selected verse of Scripture for this very day.

It's in a three year cycle.

We're in year C and we're in the Lenten season.

We make it relatable by giving you some points to ponder and applicable.

I give you an action step, move a prayer and do all that in unto under 10 minutes.

It's all brought to you by voiceofgoddaily.com our website that is the home of the ABC 123 Bible Study Method.

Let's get into our reading for today.

First John the Epistle.

First John 2, 1828.

That's the letter as opposed to the Gospel of John.

Reading from the message Antichrist everywhere you look.

Children, time is just about up.

You heard that Antichrist is coming?

Well, they're all over the place.

Antichrist everywhere you look.

That's how we know that we're close to the end.

They left us, but they were never really with us.

If they had been, they would have stuck it out with us, loyal to the end.

In leaving, they showed us their true colors.

Show they never did belong.

But you belong.

The Holy One anointed you and you all know it.

I haven't been writing this to tell you something you didn't know, but to confirm the truth you do know and remind you that the truth doesn't breed lies.

So who is lying here?

It's the person who denies that Jesus is the divine Christ.

That's who.

That is what makes an Antichrist.

Denying the Father, denying the Son.

No one who denies the Son has any part with the Father.

But affirming the Son is an embrace of the Father as well.

Stay with what you heard from the beginning, the original message.

Let it sink into your life.

If what you heard from the beginning lives deeply in you, you will live deeply in both Son and Father.

The this is exactly what Christ promised.

Eternal life.

Real life.

I've written to warn you about those who are trying to deceive you.

For there's no match for what is embedded deeply within you.

Christ's anointing no less.

You don't need any of our so called teaching.

Christ's anointing teaches you the truth on everything you need to know about yourself and him uncontaminated by a single lie.

Live d deeply in what you were taught.

Live deeply in Christ.

And now children stay with Christ.

Live deeply in Christ.

Then we'll be ready for him when he appears, ready to receive him with open arms with no cause for red face, guilt or lame excuses when he arrives.

Well thank really an incredible reading of the Scripture about living all authentically in truth, in community.

And this passage of Scripture has often been used historically to create fear and division.

But we're going to go a little deeper here today about it's really messages about authentic community, truth seeking and living with integrity.

So let's get into some points to ponder.

Authentic Community versus Exclusion when the author speaks about those who left us, we're reminded that authentic community isn't about enforcing uniformity, but about creating space for genuine connection in our progressive understanding.

This isn't about casting out those who think differently, but recognizing that genuine community forms around shared values of love, justice and inclusion.

Sometimes people self select out of communities that are moving toward greater inclusion and justice, and that's okay.

Another point has to do with truth as living practice.

This passage speaks of Christ anointing, teaching us everything we need to know.

In progressive theology, this supports that truth isn't just about intellectual beliefs, we or doctrinal statements, but about living authentically and ethically.

This anointing or divine guidance often manifests itself in our conscience, our commitment to justice, and our capacity for compassion.

Truth is less about having the right beliefs and more about living rightly with ourselves and others.

One more point.

It's about embodied faith.

It's called here living deeply in in Christ.

It's an invitation to embodied spirituality rather than focusing on abstract theological concepts or fear of end times.

This means practicing the way of Jesus, standing with the marginalized, speaking truth to power, and creating a beloved community.

It's about being ready through our actions of love and justice, not through theological correctness.

Here's your action step.

Identify an area where you might be living superficially or inauthentically in your faith journey.

And perhaps you're holding onto some religious practices that no longer serve your own personal spiritual growth.

Or maybe you're afraid to speak up about justice issues in your community.

Choose a concrete step towards living more authentically, whether that's having an honest conversation about your beliefs or joining some justice, initiative or creating space for others to be authentic selves in your community.

We have a closing prayer in just a minute, reminder about our resource that we have for you to help you study the Bible of your own accord.

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

It's going to help you and your own personal Bible study to have a really straightforward process to read the Bible.

You can pick it up at our website, which is voiceofgod daily.com let's pray.

Loving God, we thank you for the gift of authenticity and the courage to live truthfully.

Help us when we struggle with the tension between belonging and being real.

Guide us to build communities that value genuine connection over conformity.

When we feel pressured to present a perfect facade, remind us that your love embraces our whole selves, our doubts, our questions, our growth and our journey.

Give us wisdom to recognize truth in action, not just in words.

May we find the courage to live deeply and authentically, creating spaces where others can do the same.

Amen.

We provide space for you here every day to listen to the audible word of God.

We have a goal of getting the audible word of God into two millionaires a million people by 2028.

Help us do that by joining us Again tomorrow before 6am we drop these episodes Bring a friend this time to the Daily Bible Refresh.

Until then, My name is Dr.

Brad Miller, encouraging you to know that God's loyal love doesn't run out.

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