Ask Pastor John

Whenever we talk about emotions in the Christian life, like joy, we need to remember that we all experience life differently, and God has grace for all our shortcomings.

When a Christian teen disagrees with their Christian parent, are they both stuck, or is there more to pursue than agreeing to disagree?

Only humans are made in God’s image, and only humans can be redeemed. So do we have any biblical basis for saying our pets will be in heaven?

The past isn’t just a source for nostalgia and fond memories, but a reservoir of God’s grace that empowers our faith in all that God has promised to be for us.

We only have one life on this earth to devote to honoring and glorifying our Lord Jesus Christ. Don’t waste it; make it count.

The content of a pastor’s preaching should connect directly with his text. To preach faithfully is to show your people the truths that are really present in a passage of Scripture.

All men and women should be active in ministry. The question is how. Pastor John explains why God reserves Sunday-morning preaching for men.

Christian police officers have a God-given platform to advocate for positive change in their communities. Pastor John offers four pieces of advice for speaking on race.

Churches are not social action agencies, but Christ does call his community to embody and witness to the power and values of his kingdom.

Pornography and lust may seem harmless at first, but, in the end, they may just cost you the most precious gift in all the universe.

Longing for marriage can be a good, God-given desire. But finding a spouse can never replace our primary life’s passion: seeing and savoring Jesus Christ.

The Church is made of broken people who look to Jesus for satisfaction and joy. Many in the church experienced sexual abuse and struggle in their relationships.

To be ready for a dating relationship, a young man or woman doesn’t only need availability and desire, but a growing relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Boyfriends should take the initiative to lead their girlfriends in ways that are appropriate outside the marriage covenant — especially when it comes to sexual purity.

Our culture may place a high premium on looks, but what attracts godly people isn’t just the right physical features, but the spirit and character that lay underneath.

The local church is a community for all kinds of people, including every age group. And members should constantly be looking for ways to learn from and serve one another across generations.

Matt Chandler joins the Ask Pastor John podcast to discuss the speed of relationships moving toward marriage, and whether social media has negatively impacted dating.

For Christians, the church is the best context for developing relationships because a local community of faith should provide discipleship and accountability like no other place.

Both spontaneous and prepared prayers can edify the health of our spiritual lives, but whenever we pray, we need to aim for glory, rely on God, and speak in the Spirit.

When God issues his call to awaken new spiritual life in a once dead heart, he create what he commands out of an overflow of his love.

Does the apostle Paul actually chose a lesser joy in Philippians 1:23, and actually contradict the Christian Hedonistic principle of always pursuing our highest joy?

Our pain and suffering may result from persecution, or just the troubles of everyday life. Either way, God is at works and desires that we trust him by faith.

Marriage over presents us with a mismatch in sexual desire. But if both husband and wife work to outdo one another in showing honor, sexual intimacy can still bring joy to both.

Sex and its pleasures may not be absolutely essential in a marriage, but we inevitably lose part of the pointer of Christ and his church when sexual intimacy is absent.

Christians don’t need to crave people’s approval because we live every day in the full and lasting approval of our heavenly Father.

Children who perish before they can understand the gospel don’t have to fear judgment, but are enveloped by the grace of God who saves according to his mercy.

When God threatens punishment for our failure to delight in him, he’s not manipulating us, but showing us the urgency of choosing life and joy in him.

During an era when Reformed theology has seen a resurgence, why does it appear that the embrace of Reformed doctrine is disproportionately white?

When Christians lose social influence, we need to remember that opposition is normal, and that our hope for the kingdom never rests with Facebook or Twitter.

What God saves us from isn’t low self-esteem or even just immorality, but his own righteous wrath against sinners.

Parents should monitor their kids use of technology, not just so that they get good grades or avoid trouble, but so that they grow up to live for Christ and his kingdom.

Francis Chan gives reasons why he thinks Christians are delaying marriage.

Husbands have a high calling in their homes. And one of the primary ways we can see our families flourish is by humbling ourselves and not insisting on our own way.

If joy is a fruit of the Spirit, then any Christian home should strive to be a source of joy, for the family first, and then as an overflow to others.

What matters in a potential significant other isn’t just what they do, but whether they know and love Jesus in a deep relationship.

What matters most in our homes isn’t that our children enjoy everything parents do, but that they come to know and love Jesus more than anything else.

Joy in the Lord isn’t automatic, but a daily fight to delight in him. Even prominent leaders like Francis Chan are no stranger to the struggle.

Our souls thirst for water that will satisfy us fully and forever. We long for the fullness of life that only Jesus himself can provide.

Pastor Piper has written dozens and dozens of books Where should someone begin — especially a new believer — if they want to start reading Piper’s work?

Pastor John gives an update about the ways God worked through Desiring God in 2014, and shares goals of the ministry for 2015.

Pastor John and Noel talk about how they celebrated Christmas in their home as their kids were growing up and their two overarching goals.

Establish a principled and emotionally healthy and happy place at your church where people, especially women, feel safe to hug or not to hug.

God’s glory does not rise and fall as our effectiveness in showing him glorious rises and falls.

The most important thing we do every day is make our souls happy in God by praying over the Bible.

Submission is mainly a wife’s intelligent, happy, wise support for her husband’s leadership.

We can’t explain precisely what the star of Bethlehem was, but we do know God formed it to bring the nations to their Savior.

There are certain tests from the Bible that help us know if our relationship with God is a good one.

If you think the New Testament simply sets a trajectory for ethics, you might effectively strip the Bible of its final authority.

Unless the Spirit gives us eyes to see that the true God is beautiful and desirable, we won’t seek him.

Trusting your parents by being honest is a huge honor to them.