Ask Pastor John

Believers know their own sin all too well. How can they know they are saved? Pastor John offers encouragement for those struggling with assurance.

Though a great thinker, Jonathan Edwards was blind on the issue of slavery. Pastor John offers five sobering responses to those who read him.

The Bible accommodates strong, godly emotions, but how do we know when godly anger or discouragement has become sinful?

Pastor John explains how God actually does make much of us, so that we might make much of him.

How can Christians pursue a childlike faith while growing mature in their thinking like the Bible commands?

In this special episode of APJ, Pastor John weighs into the non-guilty verdict of George Zimmerman.

Although God loves his people with a special, electing love, he loves all people by freely offering his Son for them to receive.

God delights in all of his works in the grand scope of God’s redemptive plan. But in the day-to-day sins and struggles of his image-bearers, God grieves.

The heart of evil lies in its desire for other things above God. When evil looks out at all that is, it chooses creation over Creator.

By memorizing and reciting Scripture before others, believers become emissaries of grace who make mundane moments explode with significance.

Pastor John walks through Psalm 107 to call Christians who have sinned grievously and foolishly to cry out to the God of steadfast, enduring love.

Properly attributing people's work is a matter of honesty. God wants us to give credit where it's due.

Delight in God as most admirable. Delight in God as Savior and friend. Delight in God through his gifts. And you will delight yourself in the Lord.

If you struggle in your Bible reading, Pastor John commends copying down the Scriptures each day and gives four reasons why.

Spontaneous and memorized prayers teach families important aspects of a real, dynamic relationship with God.

God’s people are Christians before they are patriots, but they still work for the good of their homelands.

Prayers at meals, even when we don't feel like making them, form soul-nourishing habits of joy that can pass from generation to generation.

Food and sex easily turn from gifts into gods. Pastor John encourages believers to dethrone false gods by thanking the true God for his gifts.

Porn ravages souls. Porn demeans women. Porn destroys love. So should porn use be a marriage deal-breaker?

Christian hedonism does not ignore pain for the sake of joy. Rather, it exclaims that God is satisfying enough to give you joy in the midst of pain.

Don’t delight in delight, glorify God by rejoicing in him, and three more safeguards against idolizing joy for Christian Hedonists.

Jesus surpasses whatever good the world has to offer. So rather than worship those good things, disciples of Jesus receive them as gifts.

Some tire of listening to sermons, as though they were lectures. But a preacher is not a professor, but a herald of God, proclaiming the good news to the church.

God’s sovereign working in the gospel assures his people that no hardship is wasted and no wrongdoing will slip by unnoticed. He will settle every account.

God’s joy in himself bears up his self-sufficient, sovereign work in the world. Pastor John unpacks God’s infinite, trinitarian joy.

Christians celebrate interracial marriage, but black-white marriage especially touches sensitive cultural nerves. Pastor John identifies five of them.

In light of two regrettable tweets, Pastor John shares the lessons he learned about how, when, and where to speak online.

When catastrophes hit, pastors should lead their churches toward a healthy response — filled with mourning and worship.

While God calls us to spend most of our time in the thick of regular life and ministry, occasional retreats are good for refreshing the soul.

Pastor John reflects on his move to Tennessee — both his motives for moving and the projects he hopes to accomplish while living there.

Eternal life is sure for the bride of Christ. But prayers and exhortations of Christian community may be the very means God uses to preserve his people.

Pastor John encourages Christian loners — even those who have been hurt by the church — to pursue God in Christ-exalting friendships.

Our affections move us to not only eat, but savor; not only avoid what is evil, but despise it; not only sing by rote, but worship God with delight.

Pastor John shares his personal list of influencers — people who contributed significantly to shaping his mind.

The one gospel does two things: It feeds the saints week by week and it calls unbelievers to repent and believe in Jesus for salvation.

If God is absent, life is meaningless; if he is helpless, we have no hope. But if he is sovereign, he works even evil for the good of his children.

If no single evil act falls outside of God’s control, how can God be completely good?

God may choose to extend the influence of a pastor beyond the church doors, but his call remains the same: Faithfully feed your flock.

A born-again person cannot be unborn again. If God has called you by name, he is faithful to keep you until the end.

If the promise in Jeremiah 29:11 was made to exiles in Babylon, what business do Christians have claiming it for themselves?

In their friendships with non-Christians, are believers loving and transforming, or conforming and being transformed?

What three books would you want with you if you were stranded on a desert island? Pastor John shares his three picks.

God does not restrict believers from marrying someone with a different skin color. He only requires that they be a Christ-follower.

If you feel tempted to cuss, ask, “Is it going to build this person up? Will it make them stronger? Will it make Christ more beautiful in their eyes?”

God does not intend for us to forget about our earthly lives when we enter heaven. We will be singing about the trophies of his grace for all eternity.

A local pastor does not need to compete with Tim Keller, John Piper, and Matt Chandler. He simply needs to faithfully expound the Bible to his people.

The internet has flooded believers with solid biblical content. But it can never replace a pastor whom God has called to shepherd a local church.

In this special edition, John Piper explains the meaning and motive of his poem, “Grace Forfeited.”

Although more people will abandon and defile the truth as the end approaches, God may still bring a mighty outpouring of his grace before Christ returns.

God will condemn homosexual practice just as he does thievery and greed. All our broken desires deserve God’s wrath as their punishment.