John Mark Comer Teachings

How do we resist being shaped by modern culture? The "world," as the New Testament writers called it, shapes how we think and live. John Mark discusses how we can discover how we being shaped by culture. By learning how to reconnect with God's definitions of good and evil in those ways, we find how to be "in the world but not of it." Key Scripture Passages: John 15v18-21; John 17v6-18; 1 John 2v15-17; Romans 1v20; 1 John 3v16; Resources for this practice:https://practicingthewayarchives.org/practices/fightingWhy Liberalism Failed, Patrick DeneenLiberal Christianity, Theo HobsonThe Screwtape Letters, C.S. LewisDisappearing Church, Mark SayersThe Truth About Lies and the Lies About Truth, David Takle

You don't just reap what you sow: you become what you sow. Continuing his exploration of Galatians, John Mark teaches that our decisions to walk by the Spirit or by the flesh have a compounding effect that shapes our character and our destiny. He finishes by encouraging us to embrace the way of Jesus as practice walking by the spirit.Key Scripture Passages: Galatians 6v1-9; James 1v4Resources for this practice:https://practicingthewayarchives.org/practices/fightingSatan and the Problem of Evil, Greg Boyd

Doesn't freedom mean that I can do what I want? Not according to Jesus. John Mark contrasts our modern culture's definition of freedom with how Jesus and the other biblical authors thought about freedom. He then breaks down Galatians 5 and shows us how the practices of Jesus help us to walk by the Spirit towards true fulfillment in God and not be mastered by the flesh. Key Scripture Passages: Ephesians 2v1-5; Galatians 5v1-26Resources for this practice:https://practicingthewayarchives.org/practices/fightingThe Gift of Being Yourself, David BennerWhy Liberalism Failed, Patrick Deneen

How do we identify the lies that we are believing about God and ourselves? John Mark talks on the destruction that deception and believing lies can cause in our lives with a teaching on the Fall. Then he shows us how to identify and overcome those lies: by living with spirit and truth and refining our desires with the practices of Jesus. Key Scripture Passages: John 8v44-45; Genesis 3v1-15; Luke 4v1-13; Ephesians 6v13; James 4v7-8; 1 Peter 5v8-9Resources for this practice:https://practicingthewayarchives.org/practices/fightingThe Road Less Traveled, M. Scott PeckWhy Liberalism Failed, Patrick Deneen

What is the truth? The modern, secular world laughs off the idea of the devil as a relic from the pre-scientific age. But for Jesus, there is an invisible but intelligent evil at work in the world, but his primary strategy isn’t what most of us expect. It’s lies. Fighting the devil is first and foremost about the war to believe truth over lies.Key Scripture Passages: John 8v31-47; John 18v36-38Resources for this practice:https://practicingthewayarchives.org/practices/fightingRenovation of the Heart, Dallas WillardThe Truth About Lies and Lies About The Truth, David TakleThe Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis

The practice of communion has changed throughout church history. In part two of this teaching, John Mark continues to discuss the the many names for this practice and its use over the centuries. He leaves us with a challenge to press into community even when it's mundane and messy.Key Scripture Passages: 1 Corinthians 11v20-34Resources for this practice:https://practicingthewayarchives.org/practices/eating-drinkingCome to the Table by John Mark Hicks

What is communion, really? The practice of eating with God, or the Lord's Supper, shows up throughout the New Testament. In part one of this teaching, John Mark breaks down the many names for this practice and its use in the Scriptures and throughout church history to give us a better understanding of the essence of this practice.Key Scripture Passages: Luke 22v7-30; Acts 2v42; Acts 20v7; 1 Corinthians 11v20-34;Resources for this practice:https://practicingthewayarchives.org/practices/eating-drinkingThe Meal Jesus Gave Us by NT WrightSeven Practices for the Church on Mission by David Fitch

In a culture that focuses on the negatives, how do we stand apart and live with joy? In part two of this teaching, John Mark talks about how to practice joy in our day-to-day lives and how the practice of eating and drinking together is one of the best ways to go about living a happy life.Key Scripture Passages: Philippians 4v4-9Resources for this practice:https://practicingthewayarchives.org/practices/eating-drinking

Can Jesus show us how to be happy? In part one of this teaching, John Mark teaches about God's joyful nature and how that reality can give us wisdom to improve our everyday emotional health. Key Scripture Passages: Hebrews 1v9; Psalm 45v7; John 2v1-11; John 15v11; John 16v24; John 17v13Resources for this practice:https://practicingthewayarchives.org/practices/eating-drinking

What does hospitality in the church have to do with architecture? John Mark explores the story of this practice in Church history: throughout the New Testament, we see followers of Jesus gathering in homes around a table and a meal. But as the church changed, so did their meeting place, which impacted the practice of eating and drinking in fellowship. John Mark encourages us to recapture this practice of breaking bread together and gives us practical ways to get started. Key Scripture Passages: John 13v1-17; Acts 2v42-47; Romans 16v3-5; Colossians 4v15; Philemon 1-2; Galatians 6v9 Resources for this practice:https://practicingthewayarchives.org/practices/eating-drinkingFrom Tablet to Table, Leonard SweetCommunity and Growth, Jean Vanier