Building the beloved community.

A progressive reading of Luke 10:1 20 on the Daily Bible refresh with Dr.

Brad Miller.

Hello good people.

Dr.

Brad Miller here with the Daily Bible Refresh.

This is our daily visit to the New Testament.

We use the Revised Common Lectionary to read to you the selected verses for this very day.

We're in a three year cycle, Year C of the Pentecost season and we bring you the Word from the Message version of the Bible, the New Testament only to make it understandable.

We make it relatable by giving you some points to ponder applicable giving you an action step to follow.

We have a prayer and we do all of that in under 10 minutes or so.

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

We're on a mission here to get the audible word of God into two million years.

A million people by 2028.

Join us in that mission.

Here's today's read.

Luke 10 lambs in a wolf pack.

Later the master selected 70 and sent them ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he intended to go.

And he gave them his charge.

What a huge harvest and how few the harvest hands.

So on your knees.

Ask the God of the harvest to send harvest hands on your way.

Be careful, this is hazardous work.

You're like lambs in a wolf pack.

Travel light.

Comb and toothbrush and no extra luggage.

Don't loiter and make small talk with everyone you meet along the way.

When you enter a home, greet the family peace.

If your greeting is received, then it's a good place to stay.

But if it's not received, take it back and get out.

Don't impose yourself.

Stay at one home taking your meals there.

For a worker deserves three square meals.

Don't move from house to house looking for the best cook in town.

When you enter a town and are received, eat what they set before you.

Heal anyone who is sick and tell them God's kingdom is right on your doorstep.

When you enter a town and are not received, go out into the street and say the only thing we got from you is the dirt on our feet and we're giving it back.

Did you have any idea that God's kingdom was right on your doorstep?

Sodom will have it better on Judgment Day than the town that rejects you.

The one who listens to you listen to me.

The one who rejects you rejects me.

And rejecting me is the same as rejecting God who sent me the 70 came back triumphant.

Master, even the demons danced to your tune and Jesus said, I know, I saw Satan fall a bolt of lightning out of the sky.

See what I've given you.

Safe passage as you walk on snakes and scorpions and protection from every assault of the enemy.

No one can put a hand on you.

All the same, the great triumph is not in your authority over evil, but in God's authority over you and presence with you.

Not what you do for God, but what God does for you.

That's the agenda of Rejoicing well, in this reflection of today's reading, we're really exploring Jesus's instructions to his 70 disciples.

This is the disciples who follow along after the original 12, which offers profound insights about community organizing, mutual support and redefining success in ministry.

So let's talk about some points to ponder.

The first one is about collective action and shared leadership.

Jesus sending out 70 disciples, not just the 12, shows an early model of distributed leadership and collective action.

This challenges hierarchical church structures and suggests that transformative work requires many hands working together.

Everyone has a role in building the beloved community, not just designated religious leaders.

Another point is about radical hospitality and economic justice.

The instructions about staying in homes and accepting meals aren't just about lodging.

They're about breaking down social barriers and creating economic interdependence.

Workers deserving three square meals speaks to fair compensation and dignity of labor.

This passage challenges us to think about how we create sustainable movements for justice that care for the workers.

A third point is about redefining success and power.

Jesus final words are crucial.

The great triumph is not in your authority over evil, but in God's authority over you.

From a progressive perspective, this revolutionizes how we measure success.

It's not about power over others or even the outcomes we achieve, but it's about our faithful participation in the work of liberation and healing.

Here's your action step.

Practice collective action and mutual support.

That is, find some local organization that is oriented towards justice or some mutual aid network that's, you know, like a food pantry or clothes closet.

And commit to regular participation.

If you're already involved, focus on sharing your leadership and empowering new people, especially marginalized people.

Remember, sustainable movements are built on relationships and shared responsibility, not individual heroics.

We'll pray in just a minute, but I did want you to know that we have a resource for you.

It's called the Daily Bible.

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

You can find it@voiceofgoddaily.com you use it in complement to what we do here at Daily Bible Refresh for your own personal Bible study and you are going to find it helpful.

So pick it up@voiceofgoddaily.com here's our closing prayer.

Oh God, you are the source of collective wisdom.

So help us release our need to work alone, to carry all the burden, to claim all the credit credit.

Teach us the power of working together, the joy of shared leadership, the freedom of mutual support when we feel like lambs among wolves.

Remind us that we travel in pairs, that we belong to a larger movement, that your presence goes with us always.

Guide us to measure success not by our power over others, but by our faithfulness to love in community and hope.

Amen.

Well, it's always a joy to be with you here on Daily Bible Refresh.

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We'll be back again here tomorrow with another episode of the Daily Bible Refresh.

Until then, My name is Dr.

Brad Miller.

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

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

Every morning.