Episode 83 :: Mark Clark :: Stories of Skepticism, Kingdom Building, and the Scandal of Jesus

Pastor and author Mark Clark joins me on the podcast today for a timely and powerful conversation. Mark founded the Village Church in Vancouver back in 2010, and he shares today his powerful story of transformation from growing up as a skeptic to finding Christ and ultimately being called to ministry.   Mark said something in our conversation that led to one fascinating part of this conversation.

Pastor and author Mark Clark joins me on the podcast today for a timely and powerful conversation. Mark founded the Village Church in Vancouver back in 2010, and he shares today his powerful story of transformation from growing up as a skeptic to finding Christ and ultimately being called to ministry.

Mark said something in our conversation that led to one fascinating part of this conversation. He said, as a Canadian, when he speaks in America, he often says “I come to you from the future,” and he unpacks what it looks like to live and pastor in post-Christian culture. He shares that there is a call to re-introduce Jesus to a culture who thinks they know what Jesus is about, but ultimately have made much of their decisions about Him based on the culture they find themselves in, the environment they’ve known or the broken choices of broken people in the Church. We talk about how many people wrestle with what they’ve seen and they walk away from faith all together, but how we can meet people where they are by reminding them who Christ truly is.

Mark has also written a book called The Problem of Jesus: Answering a Skeptic’s Challenges to the Scandal of Jesus. His book attempts to clear away much of what hinders us from looking DIRECTLY at Jesus because of all the chaos around us. He says to “Let the work of Jesus scandalize you, instead of allowing us to be scandalized by those in the Church.” He presents so many facets of Jesus, historically, culturally, and how His life turned the world upside down in the context of ancient Israel, but how that same power still changes lives today. The more clearly we see who Jesus is in scripture, the more clearly we can see Him now.

There is just so much to unpack here, and I think it's just a conversation that is right on time. Jesus knows the questions we have. He knows the brokenness we are surrounded by. He can take it, and He wants us to take these things to Him.

Connecting with Mark:

Connecting with Village Church

Recommended Bible Study Resource:

Daily Grace Co.

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References:

-Augustine- “For now, treat the Scriptures of God as the face of God; melt in its presence” (Sermones 22, 7).

-C.S. Lewis-

-The Problem of God: Answering a Skeptic’s Challenges to Christianity (Mark’s first book)

-The Bible Recap with Tara Leigh Cobble

-”If God had perceived that our greatest need was economic, He would have sent an economist. If he had perceived that our greatest need was entertainment, he would have sent us a comedian or an artist. If God had perceived that our greatest need was political stability, he would have sent us a politician. If he had perceived that our greatest need was health, he would have sent us a doctor. But he perceived that our greatest need involved our sin, our alienation from him, our profound rebellion, our death, and he sent us a Savior.” —D. A. Carson, A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1992), 109.

**To hear from someone who has walked through a process of “deconstruction” and came out truly loving Jesus even more, listen to my conversation with Bunmi Laditan. (Not that she’d recommend her methods… but just a story that ultimately God made Himself known to her on her windy path).

Scripture References:

Genesis 5:32-10:1- Noah

Abraham

1 Corinthians 6:19- You are tabernacling with the Lord

Ecclesiastes 1:9- There is nothing new under the sun

Matthew 23

Joshua 5:13-6:27- Joshua (the fall of Jericho and the opportunity for repentance, Rahab, and etc.)

Matthew 5:44- “Love your enemy”

1 Corinthians 7- Husband and wife- one marriage

Matthew 3:2,Matthew 4:17,Mark 1:15- the Kingdom of God is at hand

Matthew 6:21- Where your treasure is, there your heart is

Luke 24:1-12-Jesus rose from the dead