52 Ways: Recent Episodes
Scott Milford
Our world needs Christians to love others like Jesus loved us more than ever. Too often, in our politically charged and COVID divided culture, we do the opposite. Let’s rally around the example set by Jesus and love our neighbor in unexpected and reckless ways!
Scott welcomes a special guest host..... his youngest daughter Lucy! Scott and Lucy dig into a famous, but often forgotten, and rarely executed teaching from Jesus. When we love the "least of these" it is an expression of our love of God. It's a critical part of loving one another like Jesus love us!!
This is it!! This verse in Matthew 22 is the foundation of this podcast. This is when Jesus tells us to love one another; to love our neighbor. AND, he said it is equal in importance to loving God. Huh? Did He mean that? Yes!! If you only listen to one episode of the 52 Ways podcast, this is it!!!
Jesus famously turned over tables and got very angry at the dishonest people ripping off the Jews in the temple court as they were buying their animals to sacrifice for Passover. What are we to learn from this when it comes to loving one another the way he loved us? In in this episode, Scott and Christian try to sort this out, and oh yes, the abortion debate comes up. Yikes!!
Can you imagine if your mom walked with you up to Jesus and asked if you could get some special treatment from Him and God once you all get to heaven. How embarrassing!! That is exactly what happened to James and John. And oh boy, did Jesus have an answer for them! And, a lesson for all you leaders, managers, and supervisors out there!!!!
Jesus talks so much about the importance of forgiving each other. And, on more than one occasion, He talks about how God the Father will punish us if we don't. Ouch! In this week's episode, we go over the parable of the king who forgave his servant of a huge debt, only to find out that servant did not forgive another servant of a small debt. And he was MAD!!!!
After finishing last weeks episode I felt unsettled. So I’ve done some additional research and come to a deeper understanding of what Jesus was saying in Matthew 18 verse 17
Today we look at Matthew 18:15-17. We find some challenging direction Jesus gives us on how to handle conflict with another believer. Listen as Christian and Scott wrestle with how to handle it when the offender does not admit to their offense. This is almost a two part session because next week will reveal Jesus' ultimate answer to that thru a famous parable.
Scott and Christian play "would you rather"! Then they get down to their discussion on another WAY we can love like Jesus. We learn that it is important to Jesus that we welcome in those that are humble like children, and that it is perhaps even more important that we do Not tempt others to sin.
I love this story. You can't tell me Jesus isn't creative, or doesn't have a sense of humor. To help make a point, he sends Peter fishing to find a coin in a fish's mouth to pay a tax He didn't have to pay. What in the world does this have to do with loving one another? Listen and learn the powerful message Jesus demonstrates to us about how to handle situations where we are being tested, or pressured!
Scott and Christian discuss a seemingly strange interaction Jesus has with a woman. On the surface, it seems like Jesus is not loving like....well....Jesus. As it turns out, there is much to learn from Jesus' actions. No surprise there, huh? Oh, and you gotta listen all the way to the end to hear Christian lead a very strange Stampy Longnose sign-off. Yep, it's weird.
Loving like Jesus requires us to prioritize the things God has commanded above the rules/laws man has created. In this episode, we learn that it is way more important to respect our parents than it is to keep so called tradition and Godly laws that may seem "holy", but are in reality, just lip service. Just as the Pharisees did this to serve their selfish interests, the Christian world today is prone to do the same!!
When Jesus miraculously fed the 5000, the disciples were at a loss. They told Jesus to send them all home because there was no food. But Jesus said to feed them anyway. They didn't have the faith to expect that Jesus would make it happen. This concept is critical when it comes to loving others like Jesus loved us. Without faith, we can't do it. So, in this episode, we discuss using your faith to help you in following the new commandment to love one another.
Jesus chose the crooked tax collector to be one of the 12 Disciples. This is one of Jesus' strongest statements on the value He sees in even the worst of humankind. He demonstrates that there is hope for everyone. Any of us can turn our life around if we accept His invitation. And, as Christ followers, we can love like Jesus by "Finding Matthews" of today, and taking a chance on them. Are you up to the challenge?
Most of us learned the golden rule at a young age. How well we executed it is probably another story for most of us. Not easy. In this episode, Scott and Christian get into some detail on the Golden Rule in the context that Jesus taught it, and how it should be a primary tool to help us all love others the way that Jesus loves us.
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As we seek to learn our 52 ways to love one another (like Jesus) this year, we are more and more optimistic this study will result in powerful impacts! In this episode, Scott and Christian explore Matthew 7, where Jesus tells us to remove the log in our eye so we can see clearly, before we try and remove the speck in our friend's eye. Good advice. Christians are often viewed as hypocrites, and Jesus knew that would be the case, so he is teaching us how NOT to be a hypocrite.
As we consider how we could be helping to unite our divided world as Christ followers, we have to bring forgiveness into the picture. He even said if we don't forgive our brother or sister, God the Father won't forgive us. He makes a huge point here, and he does it immediately after he gives us the Lord's Prayer. He could have commented on ANYTHING right after he taught us to pray. And He chose to emphasize forgiveness. WHY? Listen and find out.
Most of us are familiar with what Jesus said about turning the other cheek. Did He really mean it? Are Christians supposed to let others beat us up? Of course not. But, we are supposed to change our hearts away from the "eye for an eye" vengeance mentality, and move toward a more understanding, gentle, and kind heart.
Most of us recall in Matthew 5 where Jesus raises the bar of sin by saying it isn't just murder that is sin, it is being angry with someone, or cursing them. He does the same thing with adultery! His point is that his new commandment of love is much easier to understand, but much harder to execute. But, that is the example he set for us, and told us to follow...and replicate.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus does a great "professor" impression as he brilliantly teaches us characteristics that will be honored by God. You got it, the Beatitudes. Themes such as humility, mercy, and peacemaking jump out as challenges Jesus lays out for us to strive for in the face of opposition. He lays out how we should treat people, even in the face of persecution. Not easy, but so important.
In this beautiful moment where Jesus has an innumerable number of people from all over the place coming to him for healing, Matthew tells us that he healed them all. What an act of love. He gave them his time and abilities, even the people who were definitely NOT Godly people. He just loved them. Plain. As. That.
In week 1 of "52 Ways", Scott and Christian examine the first example Jesus set for us on how to love one another. Matthew 4 tells us how Jesus went about choosing His ministry team. He chose common fishermen to do the work that would change the world. What can we learn from that? Listen and see!!
Scott provides some detail on what this podcast is all about. In 2022, the podcast will focus on learning how to love one another using the example set by Jesus. He said this was the most important thing. It is what the New Commandment is centered on. So, doesn't it make sense that we should get really good at doing it?