Ask Pastor John

More than any other kind of person, Christians are able to delight in creation because they are not bound to worship it.

Pastor John points to the purpose of prayer — that God would look great in the world and in the lives of his people.

Predestination to hell is a heavy reality. But what is mysterious to us now will be revealed in the end. And we will see that it is right.

Even those who claim Christ can show themselves not to share in him if they refuse to repent of their sin.

The joys of pastoring may ebb and flow, but Pastor John offers ten hope-filled counsels to help pastors press on when ministry proves difficult.

Jesus is coming back. Pastor John shares what Christians should do while they wait for his return.

Pray because God tells us to. Pray because it increases our joy. Pray because the sovereign ruler of the universe makes things happen through prayer.

Sex is kept within a covenant between a man and a woman because it points to a greater covenant between humans and God.

Paul gives believers great freedom to eat the food offered to them. But do we have the freedom to eat halal meat?

Does spanking amount to abuse, or does it have a place in parenting? Ted Tripp counsels parents on when physical discipline is appropriate.

Ted Tripp offers his perspective on why parents should spank their kids and points out some of the advantages over other forms of discipline.

How can parents teach their kids to recognize idolatry in their own hearts? Ted Tripp offers some practical advice.

Pornography saps spiritual life and compromises spiritual leadership — Ted Tripp warns against one of the greatest dangers facing families today.

The goals of parenting are not all that complicated, but it takes diligent, intentional work to not just manage children, but to shepherd them.

Why keep reading the Bible if you just can’t get it? Because it’s worth it. Pastor John shares six ways to help you better treasure truth as you read.

When can busy moms find time to read their Bibles amid endless daily demands? Pastor John gives husbands six exhortations to help their wives.

Demons know God and seethe with lust. Christians know God and sever the root of lust. What’s the difference?

The word of God is meant to satisfy and create hunger — and the Sunday sermon is not enough to satisfy it.

In anxiety, anger, and anguish, in success, evangelism, and daily routines at work, the Bible speaks to all aspects of real life.

Pastor John shares five passages in Scripture to explain why Christians belong in accountable, local church communities.

Jesus has paid for the sins of believers once for all, but in this life, Christians still sin. What then is the role of confession and repentance in the Christian life?

Do you see lust as more deadly, more disastrous, than nuclear war? The Bible has a few reasons why you should.

For now, buying products from Apple, Subaru, and Target is not linked so tightly to endorsing sin that we should boycott them.

Pastor John offers counsel to pastors who find themselves discouraged on Monday mornings. What should pastors do when facing the blues?

Pastor John shares six reasons why expensive Bibles like the Bibliotheca Bible will not become the norm despite their elegance.

In this special episode, Pastor John addresses how complementarian Christians can respond to recent events surround former NFL player Ray Rice.

Pastor John explains the freedoms, restrictions, and joys of a pastor emeritus covenant — one that he wrote.

Lust takes a good gift from God and strips it of regard for God's holiness and honor toward his image-bearers.

Pastor John tackles a tough question that is theological and political at once. What is the proper response to the present situation in Israel?

What can white evangelicals learn from the events in Ferguson, Missouri? Pastor John offers three lessons.

How do salvation, faith, and the Bible related to each other? Pastor John explains how the Bible awakens saving faith.

How does the Spirit put to death the deeds of the body? Through the word of God, which we must wield, recite, and trust.

How does the Christian’s daily life at work or home become worship? We must become what we already are in Christ.

A wartime lifestyle for wealthy Christians could demand that they give their resources away. But it may sometimes call for strategic investment.

Even simple, inexpensive pleasures can be nonessential luxuries. How can believers discern which luxuries are worth spending money on?

Learn how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit should shape our prayer life.

Christians can rest in the goodness and wisdom of God and the freeness of his grace in gifting his people. God is a good gift-giver.

The cross displays this profound paradox: God scripted and ordained the murder of his Son — without once sinning.

What should we do when unmarried non-Christian friends or family members are spending the night at our house and want to share a bed?

The praise of others lulls Christians into disbelief of their great, eternal reward. So how can Christians slay the dragon of praise-seeking?

Throughout Scripture, God repeatedly commands his people to pray more. But is there ever a time to stop praying for something?

A wife is not responsible for her husband’s sin. But she is responsible for how she responds to his sin.

Pastor John describes three stages to Christian obedience: knowledge of God’s word, meditation on God’s word, and the abundance of our hearts that flow from both.

The jealousy of God is both loving and righteous. For idolaters, it is also dangerous.

Journaling clarifies thoughts, stewards Spirit-given insight, and reminds believers of God’s daily faithfulness.

Satan works everyday to dishonor God and to destroy his image. So why does God allow him to live? Pastor John shares his thoughts.

We can know the gospel is true because the God who authored it wants us to know, and gives the gift of eyes to see, believe, keep seeing, and keep believing.

The question of cremation or burial is not an ultimate one, but an important one. Pastor John explains why he counsels toward burial, not cremation.

Online dating can be a good gift if it unites two believers able to discern the other’s genuine allegiance to Jesus.

Pastor John commends the well-placed comma to writers along with this encouragement: good grammar invites writers to love their readers.