Ask Pastor John

The goal of any change in a local church is to shepherd people into a deeper love for God. We must not lose sight of that in our zeal to align with God’s word.

A Christian’s first identity is with the King of the universe, not with any country or nationality or political party or governmental regime.

The Bible calls us to serve God, but we must remember that we can only do that because God first came to serve and help us.

Studying the Bible does not need to be complex. Simple tools can help us glean amazing insights from the word.

A careful study of New Testament prophecy should never lead us to assume that Jesus and the apostles were wrong about the timing of Jesus’s return.

“Think over what I say,” commands the Lord. How can a faithful student of the Bible do this without leaning on commentaries and scholars?

When suffering drones on and on, what can we do to stay steadfast in our call to share in this suffering?

Settle it in your mind and heart whether you believe Christ purchased you. If so, you are utterly dependent on God for life, meaning, and satisfaction.

If you live in the flesh, you will never please God. But those who have the Spirit delight God as they bear fruit. Even the small harvests please him.

God’s people must not consult with mediums — not because there’s no such thing as communication with the dead, but because it is an abomination to do so.

To be united to God is to be united in principle and in love to the people of God. We don’t choose between belonging to God and belonging to his people.

Don’t be paralyzed by feelings of regret. Rather let those very feelings empower you with a sense of greater grace, gratitude, and joy in God’s grace.

As you study the Bible, study larger portions by looking for similarities in the sections that fit together.

Spiritually dead and blind people are willfully dark. It’s what they prefer. Therefore, they can only be rescued by a divine miracle.

John Piper believes nothing is more important for his remaining years than to focus on the authority and the meaning and the heralding of God’s word.

Depression is not simply black and white. There are many degrees of discouragement, and God is able to provide help in them all.

Good commentaries should ask and answer questions that enable people to see things for themselves, and probe into reality, not just verbal relations.

God commands us not merely to flee evil, but to hate evil — not merely to do mercy, but to love mercy.

Christ’s righteousness is the sole ground of our acceptance into God’s favor, but our new life of holiness is necessary to demonstrate that we are truly in him.

Pursuing physical fitness becomes sinful self-glorification when we no longer do so to overcome our own sin, serve others, and glorify Christ.

Tell stories of Christians to inspire others to love Jesus, give them insight into perplexing difficulties, and motivate them to follow him no matter what.

Foolishness in the Bible is always sinful. To act foolishly is sin, and to sin is to act foolishly.

Renounce revenge, trust your cause to God, and return good for evil. You can do that whether your adversary admits wrong or not.

The blood of Christ is sufficient to wash away every sin and remove all judgment and bring us to everlasting healing and joy.

To come to true saving faith, you have to experience the miracle of spiritual sight of the supremely valuable glory of Christ, the image of God.

God intends for our real and wise fear of hell to be a means of clarifying and establishing his glory and truth in our hearts.

Teachers need to be vigilant over what they teach, and all Christians need to be vigilant over what they do with what they are taught.

The promise of future joy penetrates back into the present and sustains us with joy now in the midst of sorrow.

Our tragic loss of wonder and amazement is epidemic, especially in our age of ever-present distraction by superficial input from every manner of media.

Thinking that God owes us naturally leads to arrogant abuse. But knowing that we deserve nothing good from God naturally leads to brokenhearted love.

Don’t open your mouth to alcohol to numb your pain. Open your mouth to speak right things that would deliver you from misjudgment.

There will always be complementarians willing to die for the truth who will give their lives rather than conform to an unbiblical culture.

The key to persevering in a discouraging marriage is hope and faith from God’s word that he can overcome the divide.

Christ was a just and merciful substitute for sinners. When he died for his elect, he bore their punishment. They experience no condemnation.

Studying the historical and physical realities of crucifixion shows how deplorable and inhumane that form of human extermination is.

Jesus, God’s Son, died in the place of sinners and rose so that all who love him supremely might be forgiven all and have eternal joy in God.

When parachurch campus ministries are an extension of the local church, they can strategically reach and disciple the lost together.

God does not require finite man to love him infinitely. But he does require total and supreme love.

Because John Calvin loved the glory of God and our pursuit of happiness in him, John Piper believes he would have been a Christian Hedonist.

It is a terrible sign of spiritual obliviousness to visit religious shrines and not feel heartbreak and caution for demonic powers of deception.

If your parents think pursuing missions is a waste, win them to your vision and show them that Christ is sufficient to satisfy your soul.

Christ is our reward — as is everything else that more fully reveals him and more fully enables us to enjoy him.

Baptism demonstrates and symbolically reenacts our spiritual death, burial, and resurrection in Christ. But it does not save anyone.

Pray to God at all times, but don’t think you can twist God’s arm by repeating your requests. He seeks heartfelt, authentic fellowship.

A faithful, covenant-keeping spouse can display the truth of Christ’s covenant with us — even after a failed marriage.

Qualified leaders should help God’s people come together to express his infinite value by lifting their voices and hearts in song.

While satire, irony, sarcasm, and ridicule all have their place in exposing evil and harm, Christians should patiently seek to win others in love.

Sometimes biblical authors drew in material from outside the Bible in order to strengthen their points for their audience.

Revival is a concentrated work of God where Christians in various churches earnestly desire more of Christ, boldness in witness, and commitment to missions.

Christians are called to be different from the world, but engaged with the world. That’s not comfortable, but it is essentially Christian.