Ask Pastor John

After fifteen hundred episodes of the Ask Pastor John podcast, Pastor John shares seven lessons that have inspired him to labor faithfully over decades.

Our hearts were never meant to find their meaning in money. God made us for something far more valuable.

How can a wife disagree with her husband about a decision while still submitting to his leadership in the home?

Before you get overwhelmed by all of the Bible’s commands, remember your right standing with God and focus first on the anchors of faithful obedience.

At the cross, God not only clears a path for sinners to himself. He also vindicates his righteousness after passing over centuries of sin.

The word “atonement” appears all over the ESV’s translation of the Old Testament, but never in the New. Didn’t Jesus make atonement for our sins?

If Christians are first and foremost citizens of heaven, then is it ever appropriate to show patriotism for a homeland?

For many Western Christians, materialism has transformed our wants into needs and distorted our view of biblical Christianity. How can we be free?

The Mosaic law requires obedience over and over again. Does that mean old-covenant believers earned their way to a right standing with God?

What does someone need to know about the Trinity in order to have saving faith in Jesus?

In the moment when troubles come or worries rise, we need the precious truth of specific promises from God’s word.

If God knew before he created the world that millions of people would suffer eternally in hell, would he have been more loving not to create at all?

Job is a famously difficult book to understand and apply. But God has not left us without interpretive guides to help us discern the book’s message.

Hear from Pastor John on his latest ministry projects, and learn how you can partner with us to spread joy in Jesus Christ for years to come.

All creation rings with its Maker’s praise. If we pause to look and listen, God can show us glory in all that he has made.

If God desires all people to be saved, why did Jesus sometimes speak in a way that kept people from believing?

Climate-change activists warn of dire consequences if nations and individuals refuse to care for the environment. How should Christians respond?

Our resurrection bodies will allow us not only to experience life without disease and decay, but also to enjoy God in the bliss he intended.

The Mosaic law raises countless questions for Christians. But how might we begin to understand the function of the law in redemptive history?

Jesus gave his disciples the keys to the kingdom of heaven so that they could loose and bind. What does that mean for Christians today?

When someone close to you affirms so-called “same-sex marriage,” how do you respond in both faithfulness to Scripture and love for that person?

Addressing sin and repentance may sound harsh to some, but genuine biblical preaching names and denounces specific sins.

God gives believers warnings not to strip us of our assurance, but to keep us clinging to Christ and killing sin by the Spirit.

God has thousands of purposes in all that he does — including recessions. What does Scripture tell us about God’s designs in our financial uncertainty?

Because of the fall, we are by nature dead to joy in God. Because of the cross, we can experience more joy in God than we ever could have had in Eden.

Some sins unalterably change the course of our lives, leaving us to live with the consequences. Do these sins sabotage God’s best plan for us?

If we say God is sovereign, does that mean he’s in charge of everything — even down to the tiniest molecule?

Jesus stilled a storm for his disciples two thousand years ago, but does that necessarily mean he controls every single storm today?

The Bible calls us to walk by faith, but how can we actually know if we are living by faith instead of unbelief?

Sometimes it takes a recession to dig up the roots of our lives and replant them in soil that causes us to bear the fruit of generosity.

Doctrinal systems can help us summarize the Bible’s teaching, but they are never a substitute for Scripture itself.

Even in the most bitter providences, Christians have comfort to offer. The gospel is best news in the world for the hardest moments in the world.

We often define “grace” as “undeserved favor.” But the grace of God has another meaning in the Bible that is filled with encouragement and comfort.

The help Jesus offers isn’t a commodity you can buy with money or morality. To have the Son, you must receive him by faith.

Are Calvinism and Arminianism just points of debate for theologians, or do they actually have real-life implications on our relationship with God?

How we dress for church will depend on our vision of God, our understanding of God’s people, and our grasp of what is at stake when we gather.

Technology can make our lives easier and more efficient than ever. But it can also slowly numb our affections to the things that matter most.

Is the Christian heart still wicked and deceitful? Or does God give us a completely new heart at the new birth?

Should churches ever consider calling a pastor who has committed adultery in the past? And if so, how should they evaluate his repentance?

When crisis hits, Jesus Christ remains on his throne. He reigns supreme, and he will never leave nor forsake his people.

If Christians are already fully forgiven, justified, and united with Christ, then why do we need to continually confess our sins to God?

As we seek to put away pride and become more humble, is there any humility in God for us to imitate? Or is humility fitting only for creatures?

How we handle our possessions in this world and the praise of man not only shapes our lives now, but determines our fate for eternity.

God created us to live in community, not to self-isolate. But when we do experience loneliness, to what promises can we turn?

The life Jesus promises when you follow him far surpasses anything you might have to give up. There is no greater joy than in walking with him.

If Jesus remained in the grave, then his followers have no hope. But Jesus didn’t stay dead. Christ is risen.

The doctrine of God’s sovereignty does not sit on the periphery of theology. Without the sovereignty of God, we have no gospel.

What is God doing through the coronavirus pandemic? He is not silent about what he is doing in the world. He has given us the Scriptures. In this special edition of APJ, Pastor John narrates his first-ever audiobook entitled Coronavirus and Christ.

Whether you became a Christian at age 5 or 85, God worked in you, by his Holy Spirit, to open your eyes to the wonder and beauty of Jesus Christ.

Honesty, integrity, and reliability should characterize every Christian. Since God delights in truth, so should his people.