How Is Your Life

Have you ever come to the end of a long day and felt you had nothing to show for your labor? As a believer, you know Jesus saved you for a purpose1, but you still feel the weight of the here and now. Perhaps you question whether you can ever break through into the vision God birthed in your spirit. Well, allow me to introduce you to Mark the Evangelist, the guy fired by Apostle Paul for failing to finish what he started2.

Mark the Evangelist

St. Mark was a native of the western part of Libya in North Africa. He was born to Jewish parents several years after the birth of Jesus, our Savior. His original name was John, and his surname was Mark3.

“And when he (Peter) came to himself… he {Peter} came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark, where many gathered together praying” (Acts 12:11–12)

The Church History of Mark

Mark has several monikors. He is known as the Evangelist, John Mark, Saint Mark, and Mark, the author of the Gospel of Mark.

According to Church tradition, Mark founded the Episcopal See of Alexandria, which was one of the five most important sees (seats of authority) of early Christianity4.

Again, by tradition, Mark founded the Church of Alexandria. The Coptic Orthodox Church, the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria, and the Coptic Catholic Church all trace their origins to this original community established by Mark.

Aspects of the existing Coptic liturgy can be traced back to Mark himself. He became the first bishop of Alexandria and is honored as the founder of Christianity in Africa5.

How God Used Mark

By tradition, Mark was a companion and translator for Peter on some of Peter’s travels. And, according to Acts 15:39,[24] ESV Mark went to Cyprus with Barnabas after the Council of Jerusalem. Then, 19 years after the ascension of Jesus into heaven, Mark went to Alexandria in Africa.

God took a kid from Libya and filled his life with divine opportunities. Church theologians speculate that Mark gathered much, if not all, of the material for his book from listening to Peter preach during the time Mark served as Peter’s companion and translator.

When God returned Mark to Africa, he was no longer an unknown kid. He was the Evangelist. He had traveled with Jesus and been one of the seventy that Jesus sent to minister6. He was the man who the Apostle Paul later said was useful to him7.

Now About You?

What God did for Mark, He can do for you. No, you will not write a book to be added to the Bible. That ship has sailed. But God is always looking for people who will be frighteningly sold out for Jesus – read the biography of Keith Green or, better yet, watch his widow tell his story.

God wants someone sold out to the point where they totally believe and act on what he or she reads in the Bible. Like what Jesus told us to do when someone offends us8 or asks us for money9.

God knows how young or old you are; it doesn’t bother Him. To Him, your age, economic status, or social presence is of no concern. He is looking for someone who will reverently honor and serve the only begotten Son of God. Do that, and you will be dazzled by what God puts in your hands to do.

Ern, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

** No part of this article was produced by artificial intelligence (AI). **

  1. Bible Gateway passage: Ephesians 2:10 – English Standard Version. (n.d.). Bible Gateway. Retrieved October 12, 2023, from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%202%3A10&version=ES ↩︎
  2. Bible Gateway passage: Acts 15:37–38 – English Standard Version. (n.d.). Bible Gateway. Retrieved October 12, 2023, from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2015%3A37–38&version=ESV ↩︎
  3. St. Mark The Apostle – CopticChurch.net. (n.d.). Copticchurch.Net. Retrieved October 12, 2023, from https://www.copticchurch.net/synaxarium/saints/mark.html ↩︎
  4. The word see comes from the Latin sedes, meaning “seat,” which refers to the episcopal chair occupied by a bishop and the area over which he has responsibility. ↩︎
  5. Wikipedia contributors. (2023, October 8). Mark the Evangelist. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mark_the_Evangelist&oldid=1179129706 ↩︎
  6. Wikipedia contributors. (2023, October 8). Mark the Evangelist. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mark_the_Evangelist&oldid=1179129706 ↩︎
  7. Bible Gateway passage: 2 Timothy 4:11 – English Standard Version. (n.d.). Bible Gateway. Retrieved October 12, 2023, from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Timothy%204%3A11&version=ESV ↩︎
  8. Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 18:21–22 – English Standard Version. (n.d.). Bible Gateway. Retrieved October 12, 2023, from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2018%3A21–22&version=ESV ↩︎
  9. [9]: Bible Gateway passage: Luke 6:30 – English Standard Version. (n.d.). Bible Gateway. Retrieved October 12, 2023, from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%206%3A30&version=ESV ↩︎

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