Ask Pastor John

What happens when a preacher saturates himself with the Scriptures, walks into a pulpit, and overflows with a God-entranced vision of all things?

James tells us that we have not because we ask not. But do we still lack sometimes because we don’t ask with enough faith?

Evil goes beyond the harm we commit against other humans. Evil is preferring anything above God, even if we harm no one in the process.

Our perceptions of race relations in the church are of some importance. God’s vision for where race relations are heading is of infinite importance.

Most fundamentally, marriage is not a convenient matchup of vocations, but a covenant that displays the love Jesus has for his church.

Should parents require non-Christian teens to attend church with them? And if so, how do they avoid creating hypocrites of their kids?

The cross will seem like an overreaction as long as man is big and God is small. The essence of sin is not harm done to man, but indignities done to God.

How should Christians live in a culture that increasingly views our faith as bigoted, immoral, and even dangerous?

What our marriages need most is probably not new and novel counsel from the latest book or seminar, but this one piece of timeless, biblical truth.

What do sexually illicit dreams reveal about our souls? Pastor John offers biblical principles for understanding dreams and practical ways to overcome them.

What can you expect when you set out on a journey through the entire Bible? Pastor John offers three cautions and nine life-transforming hopes for every Bible reader.

Are New Year’s resolutions helpful, are they harmful, or are they just a setup for eventual failure?

Journaling Bibles can be a great way to go deeper in God’s word, but many feel paralyzed, not knowing what to write (or not).

In our good concern for what and how we consume, how do Christians keep from being consumed by ethical consumerism?

The wonder and glory of Christmas will never dry up because the manger lets loose waterfalls of mercy that will flow forever.

As we gather around the dinner table this Christmas, how might we share the gospel with family who don’t understand the meaning of Jesus’s birth?

The second commandment forbids using an image or likeness of God in worship. Does that mean we should take down our nativity sets?

The Christ who took on flesh and dwelt among us never had a beginning. He existed eternally before, and will be forever after.

Victory over pornography use is no small thing, but that doesn’t mean our battle is over. God lays claim to every impulse in our hearts, however small.

Did the biblical writers expect Jesus to return at any moment, or were they waiting for certain events to take place before the end would come?

The greatest ache of the human heart is not to have wealth, comfort, or power, but to see and savor the glory of God in the face of Christ.

Why was Jesus born a Jew? The incarnation undercuts all ethnic boasting and throws people from every tribe, tongue, and nation on the mercy of a Jewish man from Nazareth.

If we don’t see much success in a career we thought God called us to, did we misread his call?

Whether a church is healthy or needs revitalization, every local congregation needs a consistent window to the greatness and glory of God from the pulpit.

Singing together is never just a formality in a church service. God uses truth in song to sustain, encourage, and recharge his people.

Every believer is already new in Christ, and yet vestiges of our old selves remain. We must fight every day to become who we already are.

The burdens and drudgery of life may feel like walls keeping you from joy. But inside these walls, God Almighty is working for your everlasting good.

If God made everything good, then do we honor him just by using what he has made? Pastor John explains the essential steps to God-honoring feasting.

Every single one of us can look over our lives and find failures we regret. How do we deal with remorse in light of God’s mercy?

Our culture saturates itself with entertainment that hardly gives a passing thought to God. Should Christians consume such media?

When you discover that God is not only perfectly glorious, but that everything he does is for his glory, your life may get flipped upside down.

Sexual desire doesn’t begin and end with physical attraction. God made us to cherish inner beauty and glory, not just looks that pass with age.

If heaven is a world of love, with no grief or pain or loss, then will we have any need to pray to God once we are there?

Only the grace of supernatural delight can empower us to resist the allure of sin’s constant temptations.

If someone’s sexual desires are low to the point of indifference, should he or she still be open to marriage down the road?

The Bible stresses repeatedly the power and greatness of Jesus’s name. But why does it emphasize his name, and not just his person?

If Jesus promises that his yoke is easy and his burden light, then why do some people struggle so much to put their faith in him?

If God created us for good works and wants us to labor diligently, then how do we determine when our career has become an idol?

If your job requires you to work on Sundays, how do you honor the Lord’s Day? Pastor John offers three pieces of counsel.

Every Protestant owes a debt of gratitude to the Reformers, especially for one of their most precious gifts to us: expository exultation.

Christians should judge a book not by the color of its author or the number of its century, but by the God-exalting or God-ignoring content of its pages.

As we sit under preaching in our churches, what matters most is not how eloquent the teacher is, but how much truth shines forth in his content.

Sermons are more than a transfer of facts and stories. They are a part of worship that God uses to work miracles in both the preacher and the people.

With all the demands on our time, how can young families pace themselves to run the marathon of life without burning out halfway through?

God’s sovereignty is his right and power to do whatever he pleases. God’s providence is his wise and purposeful sovereignty.

If God has given you elders in your local church and brothers and sisters in Christ, then why should you bother seeking wisdom from this podcast?

God may not reveal every detail we want to know about our future, but he does promise to walk with us and direct our steps.

Our culture may celebrate sin and stifle truth, but that doesn’t mean we should lose hope. God can still grant an awakening.

If we believe in the sovereignty of God, then how do we explain friends or prominent leaders who turn their backs on Jesus?

Our song choices influence our churches nearly as much as our sermons. If we don’t choose our music with care, we aren’t shepherding well.