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 from the bondage of seeking the approval (or disapproval) of others by doing good works in secret in order to be rewarded not by others, but by our Father in Heaven.Key Scripture Passage: Matthew 6v1-4This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to Andrew from Salt Lake City, Utah; Andrew from Portland, Oregon; Jody from Kiefer, Oklahoma; Koen from Groningen, Netherlands; and Dan from Norcross, Georgia. Thank you all so much!If you’d like to pay it forward and contribute toward future resources, you can learn more at practicingtheway.org/give.

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 Jesus's way bearing fruit, and encourages us to lean into our questions about this teaching with honestly before God and our communities.Key Scripture Passage: Matthew 5v43-48This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Gideon from Virginia Beach, Virginia; Dee from Upper Marlboro, Maryland; Kayleigh from Colorado Springs, Colorado; Zachary from Bettendorf, Iowa; and Lauren from Coeur D'Alene, Idaho. Thank you all so much!If you’d like to pay it forward and contribute toward future resources, you can learn more at practicingtheway.org/give.

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 ideas on nonviolence, but encourages us to continue to follow and learn from Jesus and not let our conclusions become a source of disunity in the Body of Christ. Key Scripture Passage: Matthew 5v38-42Resource from this teaching (affiliate link): Fight, Preston SprinkleThis podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to Kendall from Nashville, Tennessee; Jonathan from Nanterre, France; Victor from Sanford, Florida; Aaron from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Hannah from Warren, Michigan. Thank you all so much!If you’d like to pay it forward and contribute toward future resources, you can learn more at practicingtheway.org/give.

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 for us to honor one another as brothers and sisters in our we see and interact with one another. He concluded by challenging us to repent for the ways that we have dishonored one another and to step forward into Jesus's plan for human flourishing.Key Scripture Passage: Matthew 5v27-32 Resources from this teaching: Divorce and Remarriage in the Church, David Instone-BrewerThis podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to Tashona from Carrollton, Texas; Logan from Hinsdale, Illinois; Karen from East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania; Amanda from Menomonie, Wisconsin, and Seth from Spokane, Washington. Thank you all so much!If you’d like to pay it forward and contribute toward future resources, you can learn more at practicingtheway.org/give.

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. Instead, Jesus offers a way forward: reaching out in love and a spirit of reconciliation. Key Scripture Passage: Matthew 5v21-26 This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for today’s episode goes to Anh from Dublin, California; Evan from Troutdale, Oregon; Parker from Dallas, Texas; Terry from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and Alexander from Fresno, California. Thank you all so much!If you’d like to pay it forward and contribute toward future resources, you can learn more at practicingtheway.org/give.