Practicing the Way with John Mark Comer

Episodes page 4 of 6

1. Teaching | The Three Levels of Faith

   3 Nov 2023 · 51 min

   What do you do when everything falls apart? John Mark talks about overcoming fear in our lives, laying out a three-part journey of growing in faith, where we find deep peace and trust that transcends our circumstances.…

2. Teaching | Future Church for the Future World | Future Church E8

   27 Oct 2023 · 38 min

   What gives you hope for the future? John Mark contrasts the negative news cycle of our age with the good news of Jesus: that he's overcome death and is returning that we might walk in his resurrection. Key Scripture…

3. Teaching | A Community of Contribution in a Culture of Careerism | Future Church E07

   20 Oct 2023 · 34 min

   How would you work differently if you believed your work was essential to your apprenticeship to Jesus? John Mark argues that a subtle religion emerging in our culture is 'work-ism,' where work becomes the primary…

4. Teaching | A Community of Peacemakers in a Culture of Political Polarization | Future Church E06

   13 Oct 2023 · 40 min

   What if the way forward in our political moment isn’t sweeping reform, but a meal around the table? As much of the world becomes more divided than ever, John Mark challenges us to become peacemakers by demonstrating…

5. Teaching | A Community of Peace in a Culture of Outrage and Fear | Future Church E05

   6 Oct 2023 · 48 min

   "If there's anything left of my annoying voice in your memory banks in 20 years, I would hope that you would hear me as a brother in your ear just saying, 'follow Jesus to the quiet and pray.'" All around us, people…

6. Teaching | A Community of Holiness in a Culture of Moral Relativism | Future Church E04

   29 Sep 2023 · 52 min

   How do we love others in the moral decay of the modern West? John Mark argues that the world needs a community of holiness as the counter-culture to the mainstream. John Mark explores the concept of holiness, a…

7. Teaching | A Community of Orthodoxy in a Culture of Ideological Idolatry | Future Church E03

   22 Sep 2023 · 56 min

   In a culture of deconstruction and ideology, how do we stay faithful to Jesus and His teachings? Through the practice of Scripture, John Mark challenges us to deepen our trust in God and the teachings of our rabbi,…

8. Teaching | A Community of Tight-Knit Relationships in a Culture of Individualism | Future Church E02

   15 Sep 2023 · 56 min

   How do we cultivate deep community? John Mark explores how the practice of community fits into our cultural moment of the loneliness of tribalism and individualism. He challenges us to press into community, even in…

9. Teaching | It's Time to Dream Again | Future Church E01

   8 Sep 2023 · 37 min

   "This could be our finest moment. This could be the moment not of our death but of our rebirth." John Mark challenges us to dream again about what the Church can and should be in our cultural moment. He invites us to…

10. Teaching | Gethsemane Prayer | Gospel of Matthew

    1 Sep 2023 · 52 min

    How do we deal with emotional pain? John Mark explores Jesus's prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, and discusses how His model can help us process through our own moments of pain, turmoil, and disappointment. Key…

11. Teaching | The Way of Mercy, Integrity, and Humility | Gospel of Matthew

    25 Aug 2023 · 47 min

    How do we keep from becoming "pharisees"? In a time when deconstruction is the cultural tide we swim in and disillusionment with pastors is widespread and well-earned, how do we model the way of Jesus? John Mark looks…

12. Teaching | Love is the Measure | Gospel of Matthew

    18 Aug 2023 · 47 min

    What is life about? John Mark teaches on Jesus's teaching on the two greatest commandments in the Old Testament: to love God and to love our neighbor. He challenges us to examine how we can arrange our lives in such a…

13. Teaching | The Marriage Myth | Gospel of Matthew

    11 Aug 2023 · 46 min

    Is marriage a contract, or a covenant? Is the love that lasts a lifetime a fiery passion of desire, or something else? Is divorce a necessary evil to “be true to yourself,” or a rupture of a deep union? Jesus’ teaching…

14. Teaching | If Your Brother or Sister Sins | Gospel of Matthew

    4 Aug 2023 · 40 min

    What do we do when other followers of Jesus fall into sin and wander away? John Mark explores Jesus’ teaching on dealing with sin in the church. Even though it's one of the most abused teachings of Jesus, John Mark…

15. Teaching | Unless You Change and Become Like Little Children | Gospel of Matthew

    28 Jul 2023 · 39 min

    Jesus’ call for his apprentices to become like children is one of his most misunderstood teachings. John Mark explores the cultural background to Jesus’ words and argues that living like a child -- dependent, humble,…

16. Teaching | On Listening | Gospel of Matthew

    21 Jul 2023 · 44 min

    At the fulcrum point in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus goes up on a high mountain where he is transfigured before his apprentices. Over their fear, the apprentices hear a voice from heaven saying, “listen to him!” Thousands…

17. Teaching | Take Up Your Cross | Gospel of Matthew

    14 Jul 2023 · 54 min

    What if control is actually an illusion? What if yielding is actually the path to freedom and joy? John Mark explores Jesus' call to deny your self and take up your cross and follow Him. In a culture of hedonism,…

18. Teaching | Who Do You Say I Am? | Gospel of Matthew

    7 Jul 2023 · 53 min

    "How you answer the question, 'who do you say I am,' will define you." John Mark explores Simon Peter's confession of Jesus as the Christ. He shows us that in seeing Jesus rightly, we move from fear to faith. Key…

19. Teaching | Jesus on Becoming a Non-Anxious Presence | Gospel of Matthew

    30 Jun 2023 · 52 min

    In this well known, but often missed-out-on story of Jesus walking on the water, we notice the writer Matthew’s key insights from Jesus’ life and teaching about becoming a “non-anxious presence” in a world caught in a…

20. Teaching | We’re All Thomas Now | Gospel of Matthew

    23 Jun 2023 · 48 min

    Jesus warns and encourages his disciples about what will come as they live into his Kingdom mission. What would it look like to live as a disciple, free of all fear, fully alive to his power? Key Scripture Passage:…

21. Teaching | A Haunting Way to End a Sermon | Gospel of Matthew

    16 Jun 2023 · 52 min

    What do we do the Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount? Jesus ends his manifesto of life in the kingdom of the heavens, not with a pep talk or feel-good story, but with a warning about what happens when we don’t…

22. Teaching | Here Comes the Wolf Pack | Gospel of Matthew

    9 Jun 2023 · 49 min

    With so many voices claiming to be the truth, how do we discern what is from God and what isn't? John Mark examine's Jesus's warning to beware false prophets in the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus's three "tests" for who…

23. Teaching | The Golden Rule | Gospel of Matthew

    2 Jun 2023 · 41 min

    We all know the Golden Rule, but do we actually live by it? John Mark teaches on how this summary of the teachings of the Bible was familiar during the time of Jesus, but how Jesus makes it even more radical and…

24. Teaching | The Tyranny of Living for the Approval of Others | Gospel of Matthew

    26 May 2023 · 50 min

    Are you tired of trying to earn other's approval? John Mark looks at the first of Jesus's teachings of practicing righteousness before others to be noticed by them in Matthew chapter six. He encourages us to break free…

25. Teaching | Jesus on His Most Radical Idea: Enemy Love | Gospel of Matthew

    19 May 2023 · 52 min

    Is it practical to love our enemy? John Mark exegetes from Jesus's final teaching in Matthew chapter five on enemy love. He challenges us to take this teaching seriously by showing historical and personal examples of…

26. Teaching | Jesus on Breaking the Chain of Violence | Gospel of Matthew

    12 May 2023 · 46 min

    Is following Jesus really incompatible with violence? John Mark looks into Jesus's teaching about returning evil not with more evil but with good. He wraps up by acknowledging how many of us are resistant to Jesus's…

27. Teaching | Jesus on Objectification and Oppression | Gospel of Matthew

    5 May 2023 · 55 min

    When Jesus recounts the Laws from the Torah, he doesn’t simply address the behavior, he gets to the heart of sin. John Mark explores Jesus's commandments surrounding lust and divorce and highlights how God's heart is…

28. Teaching | Jesus on Anger | Gospel of Matthew

    28 Apr 2023 · 52 min

    Is anger wrong? John Mark looks at Jesus's teaching on anger in the Sermon on the Mount, and argues that Jesus is teaching us to guard against nursing a grudge, harboring resentment, and partnering with contempt.…

29. Teaching | What Does Jesus Think About the Bible? | Gospel of Matthew

    21 Apr 2023 · 44 min

    "The Bible is how the authority of Jesus is mediated to His apprentices." John Mark examines Jesus's teachings on the Scriptures in Matthew chapter five. He argues that Jesus not only views the Bible as trustworthy,…

30. Teaching | Who is Actually Blessed? | Gospel of Matthew

    14 Apr 2023 · 48 min

    Most people think of the Beatitudes as virtues, but what if that's not at all what Jesus was saying? John Mark looks at some of the ancient context around Jesus's opening of the Sermon on the Mount and argues that…

31. Teaching | Origin Story | Gospel of Matthew

    7 Apr 2023 · 37 min

    What can Jesus's origin story tell us about Him? John Mark explores Matthew's story of Jesus's conception and His calling to "save their people from their sins." He invites us to recognize where we need saving,…

32. Teaching | A Genealogy, Really? | Gospel of Matthew

    31 Mar 2023 · 49 min

    "This genealogy isn't just a genealogy. It's an invitation to join the story of Jesus." John Mark explores the genealogy of Jesus found in Matthew and uncovers for us the hidden treasures of meaning found in this…

33. Teaching | Live in a Way That Begs the Question | Preaching the Gospel E04

    24 Mar 2023 · 53 min

    “What if there is a rich gift waiting for us in this new cultural moment of rising hostility?” John Mark discusses what it meant in the early church to be a witness and how that applies to how we share the Gospel. He…

34. Teaching | Practice Hospitality | Preaching the Gospel E03

    17 Mar 2023 · 48 min

    How do we preach the Gospel in our cultural moment? John Mark examines Jesus’s practice of hospitality and how this practice can help us share the good news about Jesus with the lost and the least. Key Scripture…

35. Teaching | The Four American Gospels | Preaching the Gospel E02

    10 Mar 2023 · 53 min

    What does it even mean to be saved? John Mark looks at four common articulations of the Gospel, and unpacks what’s good about each of them, and how they might fall short of the Gospel Jesus preached. He concludes with…

36. Teaching | What is the Gospel? | Preaching the Gospel E01

    3 Mar 2023 · 54 min

    “A lot of us are emotionally allergic to preaching the Gospel of Jesus.” In our post-modern culture, sharing the good news of Jesus can feel insensitive or unkind. John Mark shows us that everyone is believing a…

37. Teaching | Simplicity of Stuff | Simplicity E04

    24 Feb 2023 · 43 min

    "The more we have, the more we want." John Mark examines how our never-ending desire can lead to lives of discontentment and dissatisfaction, but how the practices of desiring less and generosity can help us practice…

38. Teaching | Simplicity of Speech | Simplicity E03

    17 Feb 2023 · 43 min

    “The mouth is the main thoroughfare of evil in human life.” – Dallas Willard Simplicity of speech is a disciplined attempt to bring our speech into alignment with Jesus' heart. John Mark dives into what the New…

39. Teaching | Simplicity of Heart | Simplicity E02

    10 Feb 2023 · 40 min

    Simplicity is about choosing a deep life over a simple one, a life of focus rather than a life of distraction. John Mark talks about how we need to simplify around something, and how our heart and values are essential…

40. Teaching | The Propaganda of More | Simplicity E01

    3 Feb 2023 · 38 min

    Most of us don’t really believe that less money, stuff, or activities is actually the way to a better life. But Jesus’s teachings tell us that life doesn’t consist of our possessions. John Mark introduces the practice…

41. Teaching | The Bible as Spiritual Authority | Scripture E03

    27 Jan 2023 · 46 min

    Why should I so what the Bible says? Authority is a negative word in our individualistic culture, making the idea of Scriptural authority feel scary for some of us. John Mark challenges us to approach the Bible as…

42. Teaching | The Bible as an Alternative Story | Scripture E02

    20 Jan 2023 · 51 min

    Why do authoritarian governments often ban the Bible? John Mark talks about the how the library of Scripture is an alternative story: one that points to Jesus as the center of reality. He challenges us to let this…

43. Teaching | Can We Trust the Bible? | Scripture E01

    13 Jan 2023 · 45 min

    How did Jesus view the Scriptures? In contrast to how many people view the Bible today, either as an ordinary human text or as “golden tablets” from Heaven, John Mark explores how Jesus thought, taught, and talked…

44. Teaching | Joy: Part 02 | Unhurrying With a Rule of Life E07

    6 Jan 2023 · 45 min

    If the Bible tells us to "rejoice always", how do we do it? John Mark walks through how to experience more joy. Since we can’t “will” ourselves to joy, he offers us practices based in the Scriptures that allow us to…

45. Teaching | Joy: Part 01 | Unhurrying With a Rule of Life E06

    30 Dec 2022 · 57 min

    How do we experience more joy in our everyday lives? John Mark talks about how the common human desire to be happy isn’t the problem, but that we’re searching for joy in the wrong places. He encourages us to examine…

46. Teaching | The Power of Margin in a World Without Limits | Unhurrying With a Rule of Life E05

    23 Dec 2022 · 45 min

    Do you have margin in your life? In the digital age, it’s easy to operate outside our emotional and spiritual limit and undermine our formation into people of love. John Mark reminds us of the importance of margin in…

47. Teaching | The Power of Quiet in a World of Noise | Unhurrying With a Rule of Life E04

    16 Dec 2022 · 58 min

    What if the greatest threat to faith today is not hedonism, but distraction? John Mark discusses the importance of making time for silence and solitude in our rule of life, and the benefits of quiet in our spiritual…

48. Teaching | The Case for a Digital Asceticism | Unhurrying With a Rule of Life E03

    9 Dec 2022 · 59 min

    “If your rule of life does not find a way to ruthlessly eliminate digital distraction, it will likely fail.” Is distraction undermining our spiritual life? John Mark makes a case for a rule of life that accounts for…

49. Teaching | Developing a Rule of Life | Unhurrying With a Rule of Life E02

    2 Dec 2022 · 54 min

    “A good rule of life can actually set us free to be our true and best selves.” In a world of distraction and speed, how do we arrange our lives so that we are experiencing deep joy, peace, and contentment in our life…

50. Teaching | The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry | Unhurrying With a Rule of Life E01

    25 Nov 2022 · 45 min

    “Most people are just too busy to live an emotionally healthy and spiritually rich life.” We live in an age of chronic distraction and business. John Mark talks about hurry as the great enemy of our spiritual life. He…