
Ask Pastor John
2,304 episodes — Page 37 of 47

Jesus’s Aggressive, Relentless, Surgical Love
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.

Best Piper Books for Beginners
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?

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

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

How Do Men and Women Show Physical Affection in the Church?
Establish a principled and emotionally healthy and happy place at your church where people, especially women, feel safe to hug or not to hug.

Is God Less Glorified in the Judgment of Sinners?
God’s glory does not rise and fall as our effectiveness in showing him glorious rises and falls.

How Does Scripture Serve Our Prayers?
The most important thing we do every day is make our souls happy in God by praying over the Bible.

What Will Submission to My Husband Look Like?
Submission is mainly a wife’s intelligent, happy, wise support for her husband’s leadership.

The Message of the Magi’s Star
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.

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

Are New Testament Ethics Final or Trajectory-Setting?
If you think the New Testament simply sets a trajectory for ethics, you might effectively strip the Bible of its final authority.

Can a Spiritually Dead Soul Thirst for God?
Unless the Spirit gives us eyes to see that the true God is beautiful and desirable, we won’t seek him.

How Open Should I Be with My Parents?
Trusting your parents by being honest is a huge honor to them.

Declare War on Sin
There is a mean streak in Christianity, and it is not against anybody else but ourselves and our sinfulness.

What Arminians Have Helped You Most?
Men like John and Charles Wesley, G.K. Chesterton, George MacDonald, and, in a sense, C.S. Lewis have been the most influential Arminians in Pastor John's life.

The Camaraderie of Christian Hedonism
Christian fellowship does not distract from the supreme glory of God in the believer’s life, it testifies to it.

Is My Boyfriend’s Video-Game Addiction a Marriage Deal-Breaker?
An addiction to video games says something about a man’s subjection to Christ, state of mind, self-control, and fitness to lead a family.

Advice for Fathers of Sons
For fathers of new sons, Pastor John summarizes his encouragement: Be a weeping, happy, loving father full of God, full of truth, full of joy.

Pray This Daily for Your Family
If you want your kids, spouse, parents, coworkers, and friends to know God — if you want to know God — rehearse Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3.

Why Was Adam Lonely If God Is Enough?
When we enjoy what God has created, we know and enjoy God more. And when what has been created fails us, our Creator never will.

Are We Satisfied ‘in God’ or ‘by God’?
We are satisfied in God rather than by God if God is the object of our satisfaction, not simply the provider of it.

Doesn’t Prosperity Preaching Glorify Jesus?
The prosperity gospel falls short on two counts: It presents a weak God, and it neglects to reckon with the Bible’s teaching on suffering.

Are Smart People Less Happy?
For the Christian, knowing God’s word and world increases our sorrow — and our joy.

Does Happiness Require Apathy to Others’ Sorrows?
Sorrow and suffering make up daily life across the world. So what does it look like for Christians to be both happy and sorrowful?

Avoid the Unrepentant — But What If They’re Family?
How should believers behave toward family members who walk in unrepentant sin but continue to call themselves Christians?

A Prayer for Those Stuck in Sin
Even if deliverance does not come right away, our prayers are not in vain. If you are stuck in sin, this prayer is for you.

Good Motives for Bible Memory
Memorizing Scripture offers Christians at least eight benefits, including fostering fellowship with Jesus and combating Satan’s lies.

Is Sexual Attraction Essential for Marriage?
Sexual attraction is not essential for marriage, but God does call for marital intimacy — both physical and emotional.

Must My Wedding Be in a Church?
The Bible doesn’t detail the cultural symbols for a marriage ceremony. Does this mean a wedding doesn’t need to happen in a church?

Should I Look at Beheading Images?
Viewing horrific images may prepare Christians distant from horrors in the world to embrace the sovereignty of God over what is to come.

Do You Regret Partnering with Mark Driscoll?
What should our response be to Mark Driscoll’s failures? Pastor John unpacks some lessons from his partnership with the former Seattle pastor.

Christ Reigns over Every Inch
Know the glories and beauties of Christ who reigns supreme over kings and tyrants, over mountains and hurricanes, over time and death.

The Role of Family Worship
Family worship often includes prayer and reading scripture. But it can also include singing and memorization as you leave a legacy of worship.

Can I Confess the Name of Jesus and Be Unsaved?
If no one can say that Jesus is Lord except in the Holy Spirit, then why are there people who say, “Lord, Lord,” whom Christ denies ever knowing?

Did God Commission Terrorism in the Bible?
When the Israelites entered the Promised Land, they slaughtered at God’s command. How can Christians claim the moral high ground over modern genocides?

Is My Pastor a Bully?
It’s a weighty thing to be a pastor. Shepherds bear greater responsibility. How do we discern when they are abusing their position?

Killing Our Addiction to Human Praise
When the fresh water from Jesus’s well quenches your thirsty soul, the tepid drink of praise from other people loses its allure.

How Do I Go Deeper with Christ?
What does Paul mean when he commands us to be “rooted and built up” in Christ? How does he tell us to get there?

I’ve Never Read the Bible, Where Should I Start?
If you are new to the Bible, the life and ministry of Jesus recorded in the gospels will illuminate the rest of the Bible. Let the adventure begin!

Prayers That Don’t Work
If Jesus says, “Whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you,” how can James say that sometimes God withholds our requests?

We Pray to a Father
When we pray to God as our Father, we remember he is more than a boss. He is the lover of our still sinful souls, working in us to seek after him.

Joy, Sorrow, and the Healthy Prayer Life
Our requests, our laments, and even our complaints in prayer have worth in the hands of the God who works sovereignly through them.

Fighting for Solitude
Tim Keller offers help for distracted believers who struggle to focus their minds and warm their hearts when they pray.

How to Pray the Psalms
The Psalms can give us spiritual breath that we didn’t even know we needed. Tim Keller offers practical help to pray the Psalms.

Encouragement for Slow Readers
For some, reading feels like a chore instead of a joy. Audio Bibles open the door to God’s word, even for those who don’t read.

The Future of World Missions
World missions is the great work of the church, and David Platt exudes a passion to reach the unreached peoples with a massive God behind him.

Winning the War Against Lust
Fight lust with a stronger weapon than guilt, shame, and fear. Fight lust by feeding faith with the knowledge of an irresistibly glorious God.

Why Our Happiness Makes God Happy
God doesn’t need anything from anyone, so when we obey God, do we obey him for his sake or for our own happiness?

How Do I Fight Same-Sex Desires?
Paul said that it is better to marry than to burn with passion. What does that mean for the person struggling with homosexual desire?

When Enjoying Money and Possessions Is a Work of Grace
The message of Ecclesiastes: Life — and money and possessions — is empty and futile without God.