Foreign 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 from Acts, chapter 9, verses 19 through 31 from the Message so Ananias went and found the house, placed his hands on blind Saul and said, brother Saul, the Master sent me the same Jesus you saw on your way here.

He sent me so you could see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

No sooner were the words out of his mouth than something like scales fell from Saul's eyes and he could see again.

He got to his feet, was baptized, and sat down with him to a hearty meal.

Plots Against Saul Saul spent a few days getting acquainted with the Damascus disciples and then went right to work, wasting no time, preaching in the meeting places that this Jesus was the Son of God.

They were caught off guard by this and not at all sure they could trust him.

And they kept saying, isn't this the man who wreaked havoc in Jerusalem among the believers?

Then he come here to do the same thing, arrest us and drag us off to jail in Jerusalem for sentencing by the high priest.

But their suspicions didn't slow Saul down for even a minute.

His momentum was up now and he plowed straight into the opposition, disarming the Damascus Jews and trying to show them that this Jesus was the Messiah.

After this had gone on quite a long time, some Jews conspired to kill him, but Saul got wind of it.

They were watching in the city gates around the clock so they could kill him.

Then one night, the disciples engineered his escape by lowering him over the wall in a basket.

Back in Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were afraid of him.

They didn't trust him one bit.

Then Barnabas took him under his wing and he introduced him to the apostles and stood up for him and told them how Saul had seen and spoken to the Master on the Damascus road and how in Damascus itself he had laid his life on the line with his bold preaching in Jesus name.

After that he was accepted as one of them, going in and out of Jerusalem with no questions asked, uninhibited as he preached in the Master's name.

Then he ran afoul of a group called Helitus.

He had been engaged in a running argument with them who plotted his murder.

When his friends learned of this plot, they got him out of town, took him to Caesarea and then shipped him off to Tarsus.

Things calmed down after that and the church had smooth sailing for a while.

All over the country, Judea, Samaria and Galilee, the church grew.

They were permeated with a sense of reverence for God.

The Holy Spirit was with them, strengthen them, and they prospered wonderfully.

Oh my friend, that.

That ends the reading and thanks for taking a few minutes with me today as we go a little deeper here and Saul.

In this passage here, Saul goes from a new believer at a shared meal to a bold preacher and then gets himself involved with these life threatening plots and escapes and baskets over walls and a wary welcome to Jerusalem.

And finally, this character Barnabas stepping forward to vouch for him and the church.

This passage ends with the church having a period of smooth sailing, growing in reverence with spirit and strength.

And some really drama here, isn't there?

Let's get into some points to ponder about this passage here for you to think about.

The first is that trust is holy and is earned with safeguards.

The Damascus and Jerusalem believers are understandably cautious.

Progressive faith honors trauma, aware boundaries.

We protect the vulnerable while discerning genuine change.

Barnabas doesn't dismiss the fear.

He provides testimony, relationships and accountability.

He calls him brother.

And brother is not about cheap grace.

It's grace with guard wheels.

In community terms, it means verification, mentorship, clear expectations and shared power.

A second point to ponder is about allyship.

Allyship bridges the gap between fear and flourishing.

Barnabas takes Saul under his wing, introduces him and stands up for him.

Allyship's job is not pr.

It's protection, truth telling and connection that serves the common good.

In my weekly podcast for cancer impacted folks, I see this where allies of cancer impacted people care for them, drive them to appointments, cook for them, call on them, visit with them, advocate with them with insurance companies and the like, and do things that they would find hard to do alone.

That's part of what we're talking about here, working together to overcome hardships together.

That's allyship in miniature.

Care for others to move forward with safety.

Another point to ponder is this courage includes wise retreat.

Self preservation is not faithlessness.

Twice in this passage your friends help Saul escape down a wall in a basket and then out of town to Tarsus.

Progressive faith rejects martyrdom as spectacle.

We value non violence, strategic withdrawal and community plans that prevent harm.

Some of my favorite sports teams, the Colts, the Pacers, the Fever, work together and sometimes they have to play defense as well as offense in order to win the game.

And then you have to have a timeout and halftime in order to reset things.

This is part of what it means to be a winner, to have the ebb and flow and it takes courage to do both.

Let me invite you to think about an action step now very based on this passage here.

We might call it the Barnabas Bridge.

Identify one situation where trust is strained.

It may be a friendship or a co worker or some situation where there is some harm done and we need to rebuild it.

So do two small concrete things.

First is to verify and protect.

Connect with the harmed parties as a mentor or with a mentor and set clear boundaries, ensure safe structures are in place.

And the second part of this is to vouch and include that is introduce the harmed parties to two supportive people.

Invite them to some sort of a communal practice, maybe a meal together or working together or just a walk in the park.

The goal here is grace with guardrails, belonging without naivete.

We're going to come back and have a prayer in just a minute, but I want you to know that we have a great resource to help you with your own personal Bible study.

It's called the ABC123 Bible Study Method.

Please head over to our website voiceofgodddaily.com that's where you can pick it up free of charge.

Let's pray.

Jesus who studied Saul and strengthened the church.

Teach us the craft of trust, patient, truthful and protective.

Make us Barnabas people.

Bridge builders who vouch with integrity, set wise boundaries and open doors for healing and growth.

Give us courage to press on and wisdom to retreat when safety calls.

Be close to those navigating illness, treatment and long nights and let us hope.

And let hope and arrive and rides and meals and messages and humor permeate our communities with reverence and spirit strength so that our love becomes a public good, justice is pursued, neighbors protected and joy preserved.

Let it be a sign that life is worth guarding.

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.