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 lessons 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.

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Here's today's reading reading of the day.

From Acts, chapter 10, verses 44 through 48 from the Message.

No sooner were these words out of Peter's mouth than the Holy Spirit came to the listeners.

The believing Jews who had come with Peter couldn't believe it, couldn't believe that the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out on outsider non Jews.

But there was they heard them speaking in tongues, heard them praising God.

Then Peter said, do I hear any objections to baptizing these friends with water?

They've received the Holy Spirit exactly as we did.

Hearing no objections, he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

Then they asked Peter to stay on for a few days.

Well, my friends, that's the end of the reading.

I just want to thank you for joining with me today.

And so let's just take a moment to consider this and consider this reading from Acts, chapter 10.

And it's one of those passages that still has the kind of the power to kind of mess with us just a little bit.

And I think in the best possible way.

See, Peter is in the middle of talking mid sentence really, and before he can wrap things up, the Holy Spirit just shows up.

No altar call, nothing like that, no doctrinal checklist, no background check.

God interrupts the sermon and not just for the right people.

He's talking here about the Spirit falling upon outsiders, non Jews, people who are absolutely not expected to be included.

And everyone knows it.

And they're speaking in tongues, praising God.

The religious leaders are standing there thinking, well, now what do we do with this?

And Peter's response is, it's really takes you off guard just a little bit.

It's simple and surprisingly humble.

Do I hear any objections is what he says.

And no one says a word.

So let's get into this a little bit.

Let's go to three points to ponder about this passage.

The first one is that God moves faster than theology.

One of the things I love and sometimes struggle with about this story is how God refuses to wait for permission.

Peter's theology hadn't quite caught up yet, but the Spirit didn't care.

God acted first and understanding came later.

And this is a progressive way of thinking, even radical.

It tells us that belonging comes before believing and experience often comes before explanation.

I've learned the same way and some of the important things I've dealt with my life and where I've been really wrong at first and had to come around to a different way of thinking.

As I've raised three kids who are now growing adults and living amazing independent lives.

I didn't always know what I was doing, often didn't know what I was doing.

I had my own theories and practices, even things I'd learned, strong opinions.

But when real life showed up, it kind of rewrote the script.

Life tends to do that, and God is doing that here in this passage.

Second point to ponder.

The Holy Spirit has no interest in our insider outsider categories.

Acts 10 kind of blows up the idea that God is only for people who look right, vote right, love right, pray right.

The Spirit falls on people who are who were labeled other.

That's important for the church and for our world.

That often still draws lines between the other and us.

Been Married for over 34 years now and to amazing woman.

And we've walked through the life together in marriage and in parenting and grandparenting.

Now, which is the most fun part of things, by the way?

And life has had its share of curveballs and problems to deal with.

And I learned something simple.

Either love expands or it shrinks.

And one of the things I find that expands my love is laughing with my granddaughters.

You know, when I have fun with them and play with their toys or tell a dumb joke or they tell a joke to me, there's a groaning moment that happens and then we laugh.

It's probably the joy doesn't ask for credentials, it just shows up.

So does the spirit.

A third point to ponder.

Baptism becomes a response, not a requirement.

Notice the order here.

Spirit first, then the water, the symbol second.

Baptism isn't a gate that you pass through to earn God's love.

It's a celebration of the love that's already there.

Peter doesn't say, let's see if they believe correctly.

He says, how can we say no?

That's a powerful question for us to today, where have we said no when God already has said yes?

I host a weekly podcast dealing with people who've been impacted by cancer, and it's where hope and humor share the same space.

And I've seen faith show up raw in unscripted ways.

And God doesn't wait for us to clean ourselves up first.

God meets us exactly where we are.

Let's talk about an action step for today.

Here's a gentle, doable invitation.

Pay attention this week to where God might already be at work outside your comfort zone.

Maybe it's a person whose story kind of challenges your assumptions about them and about yourself.

Maybe it's a community or group of people who you were taught to fear or dismiss.

Maybe it's a moment when compassion shows up before certainty.

Instead of asking, you know, is this permissible?

Is this allowed?

Is this the right thing to do?

Try asking, what might God be doing right, right here, right now?

And then take action.

Where to Come back and have a closing prayer together.

Before we do, I just want to let you know about action that you could take.

We have a great resource for you called the ABC 123 Bible study method.

You could head over to our website voiceofgod daily.com that's where you could pick it up.

Let's pray.

God of Holy interruptions, thank you for showing up before we have it all figured out.

Thank you for crossing lines where we were taught not to cross, for loving people we were told were outside, and for reminding us that your spirit cannot be contained.

Help us loosen our grip on certainty and open our hands to grace.

When we are tempted to protect boundaries, teach us to instead to protect people.

Let our lives be response to your love, not attempts to earn it.

And today, God help us to laugh easily, love boldly, and trust that you are already at work in places that we never expected.

Amen.

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

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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.