1. John was poor in spirit. (Matthew 3:11 and 5:3) - His admission of moral bankruptcy was the foundation of his moral authority.
2. John obeyed by faith. (John 1:29-34) - This simply means that he obeyed God with incomplete information.
3. John had doubts and asked questions. (Matthew 11:33) - John found himself in prison because, in his trust of God, he was willing to be unpopular and when Jesus didn't follow his script, John took his resulting doubts directly to Christ.
4. John denied himself. (Matthew 3:1-2) - Interested in one the main ingredients in itching powder? Mark reveals it here.
5. John led courageously. (Mark 6:17-29) - He was willing to make the unpopular decisions and to be demonized because he was poor in spirit.
6. John fulfilled his limited role in the saving of civilization.
Mark's message woke me from a daze of confusion in my own fatherhood. It left me with a powerful new vocabulary and fresh vision for the big leagues of being a dad to which all other minor league experiences are only preparation. Watch it, I dare you. If it isn't one you hand out to all the dads you know, I'll give you your money back.
Mark Bowen - Main Session - 2011 GCC Pastors Conference from Great Commission Churches on Vimeo.
I love this, the guys from the Rock watched this last Sunday. There's just a ton of good principles of what masculinity is, regardless of whether you're a father.
ReplyDeleteI find that recognizing my own moral depravity seems to burden me to pray prayers for people that almost seem hypocritical at times. It's recognizing the plank in my own eye, experiencing the effect of being so spiritually destitute that I beg God for my brother not to sin, knowing freshly the pain that comes from withering apart from the Vine.