Ask Pastor John

The Bible requires us to use our minds to grow in holiness. Does this mean that smarter people have a leg up on holiness?

Christian pastors should never conduct a generic funeral for unbelievers. There is always something hopeful for us to say at funerals.

Christians help their friends be satisfied in Christ by speaking God's promises to each other, and by filling our own wells of joy in God.

Jesus tells us to repeat our prayers with persistence, but he also says that God disregards vain repetition. So how do we know when to repeat ourselves?

Regardless of how God answers our individual prayers, he loves to hear them, and he will use them to establish his kingdom once and for all.

If we want to become more evangelistically-minded, we should constantly ask, “What is God doing here?”

Pastor John gives his thoughts on the 2013 Conference for Pastors, “Brothers, We Are Still Not Professionals.”

One of your pastor's greatest needs is for you to pray for him.

If God is the source of the Christian’s joy, and God lives in us, why are there times when we don’t feel joy?

Is it okay for missionaries to lie in order to do ministry in closed countries?

Should the difficult circumstances of some pregnancies affect our pro-life position?

Is God glorified in our desire to enjoy him? Or can we only glorify God when we're actually delighting in him?

What role should art play in the church and the Christian life? A Christian theology of art considers God as an artist who commands creativity from his creation.

How do you preach joy in God when you have almost no feeling of it? Pastor John gives some helpful counsel for pastors struggling to experience joy in the Lord.

Pastor John offers counsel for pastors and others challenged by spiritual dryness and burnout.

What are you looking for in your Bible reading? Do you hope mainly to glean life principles or to be shaped by what you see of God's glory?

What does godly leadership look like? Christian Leadership is acting and speaking to create a following toward a goal, all defined by the Bible.

Pastor John offers practical help for Christians who want to write poetry but don’t know how to start.

Pastor John introduces definite atonement, the doctrine that Christ’s death accomplished a real salvation for a definite group of men and women.

What are the fundamental truths that youth leaders and pastors should drill into the hearts of young people today?

Our joy does not only glorify God when we feel happy and carefree. God is also glorified when we cling to his supreme worth in the midst of pain.

Should Christians pursue joy in God, or should they wait for God to simply give it to them? Pastor John clarifies our call to rejoice in the Lord.

Christian Hedonists affirm that we ought to be happy in God. Often, we are not. What should our response be to seasons of spiritual darkness?

Heaven and hell are at stake in the fight against pornography. When we recognize that, using every weapon at our disposal won’t feel extreme.

Christians should think of themselves as being made new in Christ to be makers with God.

To understand the significance of Jesus’s miracles, we should begin by simply slowing down and asking, “What does this say about Jesus?”

Does doctrine matter so long as we feel happy in God? Pastor John explains why only a true view of God can glorify him and satisfy us.

Why should Christians care about this earth if we are waiting for a new one? Ultimately, it is because we love our neighbors.

We don’t add happiness to holiness in the Christian life. Our happiness in God is an essential piece of what it means to be holy.

God cares about what we do with the bodies he’s given to us. We should govern our eating, sleeping, and exercise to maximize our life and soul for the kingdom.

All Christians are called to risk. But how do we know when the risk is worth it and which risks we should take personally?

Risk is unavoidable in life. It is better to risk rightly, for the sake of Christ’s glory, than to try avoid all danger.

Pastor John shares his experiences of being arrested for anti-abortion demonstrations and offers some principles for civil disobedience in opposing abortions.

Despite his flaws, Martin Luther King, Jr. was an effective leader because he was courageous, brilliant, and a visionary.

After preaching to 60,000 students at the Passion conference, Pastor John discusses the movement and its core desire for God’s name and renown.

Pastor John recently preached to 60,000 at Passion. He talks about the unique temptations and mercies of speaking on such a large platform.

Whether we believe in a historical Adam or not will affect more than our theology. For instance, his existence is one powerful tool in world missions.

Does it matter whether we think Adam really existed or not? Pastor John talks about what is at stake in a major debate over Genesis.

Writers should utilize their influence carefully, while allowing the process of writing to open their own eyes and shape their own souls.

In his life, ministry, and poetry, George Herbert wrestled with the tension between worldly ambition and godly ambition. What can we learn from him?

On his 67th birthday, Pastor John reflects on God's grace to him as a husband, father, and pastor, and asks for prayer over his final era of life and ministry.