Ask Pastor John

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?

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

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

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

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

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!

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?

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

Paul said that it is better to marry than to burn with passion. What does that mean for the person struggling with homosexual desire?

The message of Ecclesiastes: Life — and money and possessions — is empty and futile without God.

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.